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SPORTS
DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
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Elliott snags final spot in Round of 8
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Chase Elliott took advantage of
a double-overtime finish and a
masterful pit row strategy on Oct.
20 in the Hollywood Casino 400
to clinch the final berth in the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series Round of 8.
Finishing second overall and
gathering 15 points with top-5 fin
ishes in both stages of the race,
Elliott and his crew did just
enough to overcome a 22-point
deficit in the standing and slipped
past Brad Keselowsld to keep the
No. 9 team’s 2019 playoff hopes
alive.
“We just got lucky, really. To
run second was good; wish we
could have won,” Elliott said.
“But the rest of it really didn’t
have to do with me, just good for
tune and getting the right amount
of points. To go through all the
stuff we did these past two weeks
and still move on is a ... is a won
der, that’s for sure.”
Denny Hamlin held off Elliott’s
late charge in the final overtime to
secure his spot in the next round
of the postseason with his fifth
win of the year. Hamlin, who
started the race from the twenty-
third position, moved into the lead
early and held it for the majority
of the race — a race high 153
laps.
“I just had to hold the bottom
and get a good push,” Hamlin
said. “Once we got out front, we
could hold it wide open. Our car
was built for downforce, so it
worked out that it was just fast
enough to win.”
Brad Keselowski entered the
race in sixth place of the Cup
Series standings with a narrow
lead over Elliott and the two bat
tled until the very end before it
was determined who was in and
who was out. Racing in and out of
the top-10 all afternoon,
Keselowski looked sure to
advance until three cautions in the
last dozen laps overturned the
playoff picture.
The drama began to unfold on
lap 264 of 277 when Ryan Blaney
shredded his tires along the wall
to bring out the fifth caution of the
race. At this point, Keselowski led
Elliott by three points for the final
playoff spot.
Elliott took advantage of the
pause to change all four tires,
while Keselowski opted to stay on
the track.
In the ensuing restart, with only
a handful of laps remaining,
Elliott, now trailing Keselowski
by a single point, slipped into
See NASCAR 12B
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
Thirty former Tiger and Lady Tiger basketball players, representing over two decades of the program, come
together for a group photo prior to the Inaugural Alumni Basketball game on Oct. 18 at Dawson County High
School.
Inaugural alumni
game huge success
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County basket
ball program hosted the
school’s first alumni basketball
game on Friday, Oct. 18 in
“the Ford” gymnasium of the
high school. The larger-than-
expected crowd was treated to
a thrilling overtime battle
between the 30 former Tiger
and Lady Tiger players from
over two decades of Dawson
County basketball.
Broken down into teams
based on the year of gradua
tion, Team Anglin, in maroon
jerseys, was composed of play
ers who graduated in an even
numbered year. Team Crumley,
in white, represented the odd
numbered year graduates.
On a buzzer beating shot,
Team Anglin, led by former
Tiger William Anglin defeated
Team Crumley, led by the past
Tiger all-star Johnathan
Crumley, on a final score of
78-77.
In addition to heading up the
winning team, Anglin is cur
rently the assistant coach of
the Dawson County men’s var
sity team. He was the driving
force behind turning the idea
of an alumni game into reality
and hopes to see the game
become an annual affair.
“It turned out to be a great
event. We were very pleased
with the number of people who
showed up to support,” Anglin
said. “The fan support and
feedback were all positive so I
think this will be a staple of
our program.”
“I have said it before and
will continue to say it ... We
have the greatest community
support around. All of our fans
and alumni truly bleed maroon
and gold,” Anglin continued.
“Giving them an opportunity
to play and support their com
munity again is a huge honor.”
FormerTiger all-star Cullen Reed breaks free for a
lay-up on Oct. 18 during the inaugural Dawson
County alumni basketball game.
Lady Tigers
sweep into
Sweet 16
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Following a week of practice and team
building exercises, the Dawson County
Lady Tigers varsity volleyball team trav
eled to Savannah on Oct. 19 for their sec
ond straight appearance in the GHSA
State Volleyball Tournament under head
coach Tanya Porter.
“The team-building we did this week
was great,” Porter said. “Of all the things
we have done this season to promote trust
and communication, this ranks at the top.”
After finishing the regular season with
their first-ever appearance in the area
championship game, the Lady Tigers
entered the State Tournament as the
7-AAA second seed. This set the team up
for a best-of-five match with the Area 5
number three team, the Haralson County
Rebels.
“We are ready for the game and feel
like it will be good match-up between us
and Haralson,” Porter said. “They are a
solid area five team, so we will see how it
goes.”
Senior and team captain Chloe Bennett
See Vollyball 14B
Winter sports season
officially begins in
Dawson County
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Monday, Oct. 21 marked the official
beginning of the winter sports season for
Dawson County athletics in grade levels 6
- 12 and the excitement amongst the
affected teams was almost palatable as in
school and electronic announcements
poured forth from the various programs.
“Today is the day! Basketball season
officially begins! Tryouts today from 2:45
- 4:45! Can’t wait to get started!”
declared the official Twitter account of
the Lady Tigers @DawsonTigersWBB.
The sentiment was the same on the
Tigers Twitter page @Dawson_Hoops as
the men’s varsity team announce their
tryout schedule with an early morning
message stating, “Basketball season is
officially here! Tryouts are 5 - 7:30 ...
See Winter 14B
Player of the Week!
D.J. Mitchell
Playing as both a defensive end and an outside
linebacker for the Dawson County Tigers,
senior D.J. Mitchell is a force to be reckoned
with on the football field. Over seven games
of the 2019 season, Mitchell has made his
presence known with 6l total tackles (39 solo
and 22 assists), six tackles for a loss, and four
sacks, leading the team in each category. With
an average of 8.7 tackles per game, Mitchell
is a key reason that the Tigers’ defense is
allowing opponents a meager average of
19 points per game, ranking near the top of
region 7-AAA.
706-216-0992
We’ve Gone Green!
“We will be here when you need us. ”
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bella Hunt
Over the course of the 2019 season, seventh-
grader Bella Hunt established herself as one
of the leaders of the Middle School cross
country team and a rising star in the program
overall. Hunt finished in the top-three of
every regular season race, leading the Lady
Tigers to their first League Championship
under head coach Johnathan Tinsley. In the
post-season, Hunt’s ninth-place finish pushed
the team atop the podium in the national
level Runners Fit Mountain Invitational and,
finally, she posted a top-25 finish in the State
Tournament to bring the Lady Tigers into
an overall fifth-place finish rounding out an
incredible season.
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Ryan Scott, Agent
1000 Old Dawson Village Road E Suite 210
Dawsonville, GA 30534 • Bus: 678-456-4785
