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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
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DCHS grad to try out for Falcons
By Colin Ochs
cochs@dawsonnews.com
The Atlanta Falcons Rookie
Mini Camp kicks off Thursday in
Flowery Branch and one of
Dawson County’s own will be
taking the field as former Tiger
standout Harley Vaughan has
been invited to tryout for the
hometown team.
“I think anyone who grew up in
Georgia or around the Atlanta
area at least had a dream to play
for the Falcons at one point in
time,” Vaughan said. “I’ve always
liked the Falcons. They’re my
favorite NFL team, so to get a call
from them, it’s a blessing and it’s
also pretty exciting that I have a
chance to show them what I can
do and possibly make the team.”
Vaughan was most recently a
second-team All-American selec
tion his senior year at West
Georgia, where he set the school-
record for most games played and
starts in a career. The 2013
Dawson County High School
graduate started every game for
West Georgia since his freshman
year, earning All-Conference and
All-American honors throughout
his college career.
At 6’3” and 295 lbs., Vaughan
played center on the offensive line
in his junior and senior year at
West Georgia and that is the posi
tion he will be trying out for with
the Falcons. However, the Falcons
weren’t the only team to offer
Vaughan an invitation to their
rookie mini-camp.
According to Vaughan, the New
York Jets, Arizona Cardinals,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los
Angeles Chargers also reached
out with mini-camp invites, but
the Falcons were the ones who
texted Vaughan the most through
out the draft process making his
decision to stay close to home a
no-brainer.
The Dawson County native has
not signed a contract with the
Falcons unlike some other
undrafted free-agents who will be
at the minicamp. Vaughan said
See Falcons 12B
Photo University of West Georgia Athletics
Dawson County High School 2013 graduate and University
of West Georgia athlete Harley Vaughan has been invited to
try out at the Atlanta Falcons Rookie Mini Camp May 10.
Photos by Colin Ochs Dawson County News
Junior Rachel Rajczak attempts to dribble around a Westminster defender in the second half of the
LadyTigers second round playoff matchup on May 1.
Lady Tigers end soccer season
with a loss after tumultuous year
Sophomore Katie Clouse stretches out for the ball
at Westminster in the second half of the Lady
Tigers second round playoff matchup on May 1.
By Colin Ochs
cochs@dawsonnews.com
With the passing of
longtime Coach Jed
Lacey in August, followed
by the tragic passing of
senior and team-leader
Grace Sheer in February,
two games into the sea
son, questions surrounded
this year’s Lady Tigers
soccer team.
Was the focus there?
Would they even play?
Those questions were
emphatically answered
time and time again, and
while their season ended
Mayl with an 8-0 loss at
Westminster in the second
round of the playoffs, the
postgame public-address
announcement from a
school 60 miles away,
playing Dawson County
for the first time, asking
for a moment of silence in
honor of Lacey and Sheer
was a stark reminder of
just how much heartache
these 15 to 18-year-old
girls have had to endure
all season while still man
aging to play at a high-
level without two of their
leaders and friends.
“A tough group of
girls,” said Region
7-AAA Coach of the Year
Chess Hamby about his
team. “They don’t know
what ‘give up’ means.
What we faced this year,
there were times that I
questioned what was
going to happen. What’s
the breaking point? And
truthfully, they stuck
together, they kept play
ing and they never gave
up. They’re just relentless
and that’s what Coach
Lacey instilled in them at
a young age.
“All these girls have
that mentality of whatever
comes their way, they’re
going to attack it. That’s
how Coach Lacey lived
his life, that’s how he
coached and that’s how
these girls play the game
and how they prepare for
the game. I hope that
those seniors take that
with them through life.”
Seniors Hope Bennet
and goalkeeper Ashley
Stanfill had two teary-
See Girls 12B
Boys soccer
season ends in
second round
By Colin Ochs
cochs@dawsonnews.com
The Tigers’ season came to an end in the second
round of the state playoffs last Wednesday after two
second-half goals from North Murray off set pieces
was enough to force Dawson County to leave
Chatsworth with a 2-1 defeat.
“We knew that (North Murray) had several set pieces
that they were going to utilize,” Coach Derek Waters
said. “We tried to do the best we could to simulate
some of those in practice and to make sure we had
guys marked up, but you just can’t simulate someone
who’s that effective at those pieces especially when
there’s so many of them.”
The Tigers (6-8-1) struck first in the contest after
senior Nathan Blythe took a pass from sophomore
Michael Velasquez and buried it past the Mountaineers
goalkeeper just past the halfway mark of the first half,
but after taking the 1-0 lead into halftime, the Tigers
struggled to handle the North Murray (15-1-2) pressure
and the officiating in the second half.
North Murray came out fast in the second half. Not
wanting their season to end, the No. 2 Mountaineers
scored less than three minutes into the half off a free
kick near the leftfield sideline, just outside the penalty
box. The ball soared across the face of the goal with a
North Murray attacker getting a head on it to tie the
game 1-1.
The Mountaineers took the lead with a little under 23
minutes remaining on a header off another set piece.
This time North Murray was able to convert off a cor
ner kick, but it was almost a carbon copy of their first
goal. The comer was taken from the left-hand side of
the field with the ball soaring across the face of the goal
with a North Murray attacker finding a way to get on
the end of it to head it past junior goalkeeper Braden
Davison, who ended the game with 13 saves.
After relinquishing the lead, it was hard for the
Tigers to muster any kind of attack and the officials
See Boys 12B
Dawson sports schedule
May 10-12
Track - State Championships at Hugh Mills
Stadium in Albany All Day
May 21-22
VB/VG Golf - State Tournament at
Cateechee GC in Hart County All Day
Player of the Week!
Fallan Lacey
Goalkeeper Fallan Lacey made
13 saves in the Lady Tigers
second round playoff loss
at Westminster. Lacey was
later named to the All-Region
/-AAA first team.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Braden
Davison
Goalkeeper Braden Davison
made 13 saves to give the
Tigers a chance at the second-
round playoff upset at North
Murray, despite eventually
losing 2-1.
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