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4B I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, December 25,2019
FROM 1B
Awards
receiver. Racking up 891 yards
on 44 receptions, Sonnichsen
led region 7-AAA by a huge
margin, with 250 yards between
him and the number two slot.
Defensive MVP Riley
Herndon (SR) was everywhere
on the field for Dawson County.
With his keen ability to read
quarterbacks and interrupt pass
ing lanes Herndon was a true
shut-down cornerback generat
ing a region leading seven inter
ceptions in 12 games. Equally
effective along the line,
Herndon collected 103 tackles,
forced a fumble and blocked
two field goals during the 2019
season.
Sophomore quarterback Zach
Holtzclaw led the list of Tigers
named to the 7-AAA first team
in his first season in the Dawson
County backfield.
After emerging as the starting
quarterback from a three-way
battle early in the season,
Holtzclaw settled rapidly into
his role as a team leader.
Completing 139 of 229
attempts, Holtzclaw tallied
2,352 yards, 23 touchdowns and
eight interceptions to finish in
the top-3 in all categories in the
region.
Newcomer Jaden Gibson (FR)
nabbed one of the four first team
wide receiver slots with his
impressive debut season. Gibson
established himself as a medium
threat all season with an average
of 16.6 yards per catch, amass
ing 365 yards on 22 receptions
with three touchdowns.
Named as a 7-AAA First
Team linebacker, senior DJ
Mitchell led both the Dawson
County Tigers and the region
with 113 total tackles.
Averaging more than 10 tackles
per game, Mitchell picked up 13
tackles for loss, and seven sacks
in 2019.
Indicative of Dawson
County’s season long domi
nance on defense, a pair of
defensive backs, senior Brody
Howell and sophomore
Braedon Hubbard rounded out
the Tigers first team selections.
Howell was an all-purpose
back, equally effective against
the passing and rushing games
as he hauled in one interception
and 64 tackles during the year.
Hubbard showed-off his abil
ities in man-to-man coverage
all season with 28 solo tackles
and two interceptions, returning
one 50-yards for a touchdown.
He also picked up a pair of
blocked field goals as one of
two blitzing backs on special
teams.
As the Sid Maxwell “One
Dawson” system enters its sixth
season, the mixture of upper-
and lower-classmen recognized
at the regional level bodes well
for the future of the Tigers as
the team looks ahead to a chal
lenging 2020 season.
Bob Christian Dawson County News
Junior Caleb Bonesteel connects on a field goal against
Jenkins High School during the 2019 GHSA State Playoffs.
Family Traditions
From Thanksgiving
through the New Year,
sports have become as
much a part of our holiday
celebrations as the food,
decorations, presents and
festivities.
The Turkey Day Triple
header features some of the
most storied rivalries in NFF history.
This year, something called
Christmasketball will broadcast five
NBA games back-to-back-to-back, etc.,
on Christmas Day.
There is bowl week, which somehow
goes on for two weeks, filling chunks of
time with games such as the Bahamas
Bowl (Dec. 20), the Gasparilla Bowl (Dec.
23) and the Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27) lead
ing up to the New Year’s Four on Jan. 1.
Along the way, will be a pair of games
on Dec. 28 that will decide who plays for
college football’s national title on Jan. 13.
At first glance, it seems strange that
this continuous menagerie of games
makes up the backdrop for our season of
family gatherings and celebration. How
is it that sports have become so much a
part of what, for most of us, is simultane
ously the most spiritual and stressful time
of year?
The answer is simple but, like most
simple things, takes a moment to realize.
Whether it is a friendly game of two-
hand touch in the backyard or the pick-up
game of hoops in the drive
way, I once knew a man who
grew up playing a family
hockey game during his
reunions, most of us have
fond memories of playing
games with our families.
At the holidays, those
games took on epic meaning.
Would this be the year that the Cousins
beat the Siblings?
Or the Kids finally toppled the Adults ?
For people that only see each other
once or twice a year, the annual games
were a great way to be reintroduced to
the group, to reconnect with relatives
known only by their titles.
Even if there were no games outside
the house, there was always a game on
the tube to gather around. A focal point
that allowed for the small-talk and chatter
of strangers to turn into the meaningful
words of family.
I would go so far as to say, that for most
of us these memories are just as cherished
as decorating the tree, singing carols or
opening presents on Christmas morning.
I know for this particular writer sports
have served as an introduction to a com
munity and in the spirit of the season, I
wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Bob Christian is the sports reporter for
Dawson County News. His columns will
appear periodically.
BOB CHRISTIAN
Sports writer
FROM 1B
Boys basketball
Jackson said. “These are the guys that
could make it and we will just have to
make due.”
With a pair of seniors standing at 6’7”
and 6’4”, the Panthers opened the con
test with an inside advantage that was
tough for the Tigers to match and
Dawson County found themselves trail
ing 19-8 after the first eight minutes.
Adapting quickly to their opponents,
Burrus along with fellow senior Brody
Howell increased their physicality under
the net to limit the Panter’s offense,
while Gibson and Reed established an
outside shooting game that allowed the
Tigers to close the gap over the second
period.
Entering the third period trailing by
only four points, the Tigers continued to
pressure the Panthers from the outside
with Burrus and Reed peppering the net
from range. Dawson County briefly
took the lead at the halfway mark of the
period, but the Panthers battled back to
tie the game heading into the final set.
Camp Jewell House continued to ben
efit from their height on the inside and
scored a quick seven points in the open
ing minute of the fourth quarter. From
there the Tigers matched them point-for-
point but were never able to close the
gap and the team’s nine game winning
streak came to an end by a final score of
64-57.
“It was a tough loss against a very tal
ented Camp Jewell House team,”
Herrick said. “Our guys competed. We
just couldn’t make enough shots down
the stretch.”
Fooking to bounce back from the loss,
Dawson County headed to Tallulah Falls
for an early afternoon contest with the
Indians on Dec. 21, and from the open
ing tip to the final buzzer the Tigers
reestablished themselves in dominating
fashion.
Focked in from the arc, the Tigers
opened a 27-11 lead in the first period
on the strength of seven three-pointers.
Another six long-range buckets in the
second period put the game out of reach
for the Indians as Dawson County took
a 51-28 lead into the locker room at the
break.
Despite an almost heroic effort from
Tallulah Falls’ Matthew Weidner, who
accounted for 23 points for the Indians,
the Tigers continued to extend their lead
in the third period with another trio of
three pointers.
Dawson County settled down in the
fourth period with juniors Fuke Smith
and Dakohta Sonnichsen finishing off
the game with a final pair of long balls
to put the icing on an 81-50 complete
team victory.
Gibson led the team with six three-
pointers on his way to 22 points in the
game. Junior Mason Barnes dropped
five shots from beyond the arc to put up
22 points as well. Reed was the third
Tiger in double digits with 13 points and
a trio of three-pointers. Senior Tate
Adkins rounded out the long-range
attack with a pair of threes of his own.
“It was a great team win, we had nine
guys score on 19 assists. Everyone con
tributed and we made 18 threes,”
Herrick said. “We have the best shoot
ing team I have ever coached.”
Senior Brody
Howell wins the
opening tip-off
with the Camp
Jewell House
Panthers on
Dec. 20.
Bob Christian
Dawson County News
King Crossword
ACROSS
37
Decoration
math, perhaps
1
Variety of let
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Finish
10
Reed instru
tuce
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Ireland
ment
5
"Eureka!"
42
Secular
11
Send a naugh
8
Book of proph
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Servile
ty message
ecies
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Form a union
17
Embrace
12
Lotion additive
51
Top
19
Billions of
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Chaps
52
Isn't well
years
14
Toothpaste
53
Calendar abbr.
22
Wilkes—, Pa.
container
54
Prolonged
24
Peculiar
15
Anger
sleep
25
Brazilian tourist
16
Conventional
55
Run away
mecca
18
One up?
56
Automaton, for
26
Lure
20
Western
short
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Ache aid
occurrence
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Slaughter of
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Junior
21
Leopold's
baseball
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Teacher's —
codefendant
33
Rid of rind
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Four qts.
DOWN
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Put in a box
24
One of
1
Zinger
38
Threaten
Monopoly's
2
Pelvic bones
40
Novelist Brown
light-blue ave
3
Nut partner
42
Unsliced bread
nues
4
Pvt. Bailey
43
Seed coat
28
Speech
5
Cherub, in art
44
Owl's perch
impediment
6
The girl
46
PC picture
31
Great noise
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Picnic invaders
47
Magazine con
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Disrobe
8
Musically key
tents
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Female deer
less
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Meadows
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Bird of peace
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Flood after-
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Menagerie
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© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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