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2B I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, November 14,2018
For the Dawson County News
Maggie Schandera, senior, signs her softball scholarship to Georgia
Highlands College on Nov. 3.
FROM 1B
Schandera
Currently maintaining a
GPA of 4.26, Schandera
is planning to enroll in
the athletic training pro-
gram at Georgia
Highlands with an eye on
majoring in physical ther
apy.
She was also attracted
to the school specifically
because of the softball
program.
“I will be starting right
away,” Schandera said.
“And the school is con
sidering the possibility of
expanding to a four-year
program. I would defi
nitely be interested in
that.”
Bob Christian Dawson County News
Shawn Thomas, junior, cuts back into the gap as he runs against the
Haralson County Rebels.
FROM 1B
Football
Quarterback Vaughn
Clark, senior, responded by
leading the Tigers down-
field with a series of short
passes and running plays
that ended with a tough
3-yard push up the middle
for his first rushing touch
down of the night.
Caleb Bonesteel added
the extra point, one of his
six in the game, to bring the
Tigers within one.
Still keyed on Sheppard
the Tigers defense forced
another quick three and out
and the offense responded
with their first big play of
the night as Clark broke
around the outside on an
option run for a 41-yard
touchdown to give the
Tigers the lead 14-8 at the
end of the first quarter.
Getting stronger as the
game went on, the Tigers
defensive line began to
push into the backfield of
the Rebels and continued to
contain Sheppard as
Haralson County struggled
to establish their running
game. After a trio of first
downs, their longest drive
of the night ended on a
failed fourth down attempt
deep in Tigers territory.
The next play saw senior
Noah Brock, playing from
the tailback position instead
of his usual spot at wide
receiver, take the ball
70-yards behind excellent
downfield blocking from
Shawn Thomas and TJ
Wilson to extend the Tigers
lead to 21-8.
With half-time approach
ing, the Tigers appeared to
be in complete control until
the Rebels, once again
using Sheppard as a decoy,
managed to break their sec
ond long-run of the game
and bring themselves with
in five points as the second
quarter closed with the
score Dawson County 21 to
Haralson County’s 16.
“We’ve got to settle
down and play our game”
said Head Coach Sid
Maxwell as he headed to
the locker room at the half.
“They are giving to a guy
we haven’t seen run it
before.”
The second half of the
game opened with big
plays from both teams as
Tigers running back Ahmad
Kamara, senior, broke free
on a sweep to the left for
70-yards to add another
touchdown for the Tigers,
but he was answered imme
diately by Sheppard, who
finally broke loose for his
own long ran on the Rebels
first play of the half as well
to bring the score to 28-22
with over ten minutes
remaining in the third quar
ter.
From that point forward
the game was all Dawson
County, as the defensive
unit came together and put
the brakes on the Rebels
backfield for the remainder
of the half.
The Rebels did manage
to put together a strong
drive late in the third, but a
fumble, forced and recov
ered by senior Robbie
Rarick put an end to the
threat.
The Tigers continued to
gain yardage in chunks and
scored on another huge
play when Thomas ran
through multiple tackles on
a 37-yard gallop to the end-
zone towards the end of the
third quarter to increase the
Tigers lead to 12 as the
score moved to 34-22 in
favor of Dawson County.
The Tigers closed out the
game by keeping posses
sion of the ball for the
majority of the fourth quar
ter, ending a long drive
with a Bonesteel field-goal
and then capping off the
game with Ryan Glass,
who picked up over half of
his 115 receiving yards on
the night, slipping past his
defender on third and long
to take the ball 62-yards to
the house for the final score
of the night to give the
Tigers the 44-22 victory.
The win extended the
Tigers record setting sea
son with their 10th victory
of the year and advanced
them into a Sweet Sixteen
match-up versus the unde
feated Monroe Area
Hurricanes (No. 1 seed in
8AAA).
The Tigers will face
another tough rushing
threat as the Hurricanes
feature Chandler Byron,
who is on the verge of set
ting the state record for
most rushing yards from
quarterback position and is
the No. 2-rusher in the state
at 2,133 yards.
Round two of the GHSA
state playoffs will kick-off
at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov.
16, at Monroe Area High
School in Monroe.
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82 Etowah River Rd.
Dawsonville, GA
Dawson County swim team
starts off strong in Rome
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County High School
swimming team started its season at
the Rome Meet 2 2018 held at Rome
High School in Rome on Nov. 8.
Entering the team’s fourth year of
competition, and led by Head Coach
Linda Sperin, this year’s team features
more new faces than returning swim
mers.
“We have 17 swimmers and 10 of
them are new” said Sperin. “The new
swimmers have been learning since we
began practice. They are open to trying
various events and strokes.”
Facing stiff competition from a
Rome team that fielded three state
champions last year, the inexperience
of the team did not hold them back as
they finished second overall.
Shaving a quarter of a second off his
qualifying time from last year, return
ing swimmer Matthew Wood qualified
for state in the boy’s 100-yard butterfly
with a time of 56.28 seconds.
The team will be in action once
again tomorrow as they travel to
Darlington High School.
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
Dawsonville native Chase Elliott at Atlanta Motor
Speedway Feb. 25.
FROM 1B
Elliott
for a total of 16 laps
and winning Stage 1 to
put himself in excellent
position at the half-way
point.
Unfortunately, a
speeding penalty on pit
row cost him a lap, and
a wreck on lap 268 of a
scheduled 312 involv
ing fellow Round of 8
drivers Denny Hamlin
and Kurt Busch that
swept Elliott into the
wall combined to end
the playoff run.
Elliott was able to
bring his car back onto
the track after the acci-
dent and moved
through the field on the
remaining few laps to
finish 23rd on the day,
but the effort left him
just outside the bubble
as he finished the sea
son fifth in the Monster
Energy Cup Series.
Kyle Busch surged
late in the race to hold
off the rest of the field
and took the checkered
flag to secure his spot
in the finals, while
Harvick overcame a
flat-tire and a pit-row
penalty of his own to
claw out a fourth-place
finish with enough
points to remain above
the cut. Joey Logano
was the first driver to
secure his spot in the
Championship with his
win at Martinsville on
Oct. 28, and Martin Truex
Jr., who was all but guar
anteed a spot with any fin-
ish, rounded out
NASCAR’s final four.
NASCAR’s “Big-
Three” of Busch, Harvick,
and Truex Jr. will all be
looking for their second
Cup Series Championship,
while Logano will be rac
ing for his first when the
green flag flies at the Ford
Eco Boost 400 Nov. 18 at
the Homestead-Miami
Speedway.
Correction
In the Nov. 7 edition, the varsity boys and girls basketball team schedules
were inaccurate.The first game for each team will be at home Nov. 15, with
the varsity girls team tipping off at 6 p.m. and the varsity boys at 7:30 p.m.
A New Beginning
TRINITY CHURCH
of DAWSONVILLE
An Eco Presbyterian Church
“The most loving small church
I’ve attended lately.”
Isn’t it time you came back?
Firestation #2 Highway 53
Just Down from the Tractor Supply
Sunday School 9:30
Worship 10:30
Dr. Bob Strachan 706-216-5516
Congratulations to members of
The Bulldogs/Tigers 12U Park and
Rec Team who went undefeated
this season and were also winners of
the Battle of the Bats Tournament!
Good attitudes, great sportsmanship,
and humbleness equaled a great
success for this team.
Pictured here are team members Noah
Smith, Kooper Armstrong, Wiley Clark,
Caiden Phillips, Cooper Sikorski, Anden
Wallace, Caleb Swaite, Bailey Swafford,
and Wesley Danuser with their proud
coaches, Andy Wallace and Everett Burt.
