Wednesday, October 13,2021
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
FROM 1B
Volleyball
The region tournament being double
elimination, Dawson moved to the los
er’s bracket, where they needed to win
two games to clinch a spot in the state
tournament. A close, two-set win
against Gilmer High School sent the
Lady Tigers to the clinching game
against Cherokee Bluff, one of the two
teams Dawson lost to in the regular
season.
After taking a quick 4-0 lead in the
first set against Cherokee Bluff, the
Lady Tigers could never regain any
footing and lost in two sets 17-25,
12-25.
“Our mental toughness has to
improve,” Porter said. “When you’re a
talented team, you will lose games
because you don’t have the grit or the
mental strength to get through the
close ones. We saw flashes this year,
but we need to be more consistent in
our mental toughness.”
Junior Abby “Canada” Felkai led
the team in kills (17) and assists (17)
for the three games of the tournament.
Felkai was just one ace (6) away from
the team-leader Abby Clouser (7) on
Wednesday’s action. Clouser was sec
ond on the team in assists (14) and
both junior Jessie Mann and sopho
more Meghan Roche reached double
digit kills through the three games.
Graduating from the team are two
seniors: Emma Pelfrey and Avery
Herring. Pelfrey ended her career with
217 kills and 40 blocks. Herring
missed the entire 2020 season with
injury and finished her career with 69
kills and 20 blocks. Porter mentioned
both of these players as key compo
nents to the team’s fluidity on and off
the court this season.
“For the first time, we kind of have a
strong culture,” Porter said. “We’re
finally seeing what we want our pro
gram to be. In girls sports, confidence
is a huge thing. It comes and goes, but
most of the time this season, the team
knew they could compete with any
other team in the gym.”
Mann, along with junior libero
Emerald Sailee were recognized
before the Lady Tigers’ game against
Cherokee Bluff as members of the
2021 All-Region team. Sailee led the
team in digs (204) and Felkai led the
team in kills (185), assists (283) and
aces (73).
The team improved drastically on
their overall record from just a year
before, winning 19 games as opposed
to only eight games in 2020.
“Overall, we’ve grown so much as
players and people this season,” Porter
said. “Skills wise, our blocking has
gotten so much better, along with our
ability to pass the ball. The ability to
do that allows the coaching staff to
create more complex plays. The team’s
ability to take constructive criticism
has grown due to another year of gain
ing maturity. This team wants to get
better.”
FROM 1B
NASCAR
with 18 laps left in the race. He made
his final pit stop on with nine laps to go
and took the green flag in 26th and used
fresh tires and fuel to push into twelfth.
“To overcome adversity...
Fortunately, it was early enough in the
race and we were able fix it and got a
caution and was able to keep fighting,”
Elliott said after the race. “So, I’m just
really proud of that. We could have
easily given up or not fixed to the
proper standard and have something
break or had a tire mb, so everybody
just did a really good job today and
I’m super proud of that.”
Elliott started the 2.28-mile road
course in eighth and made his way to
fourth by the competition caution on
lap 11. Crew chief Alan Gustafson
elected to stay out and keep their front
running track position, taking the
green flag in that position.
Elliott put his road-course skills to
work after the caution, moving second
place by lap 19. The 25-year-old driver
battled hard for the lead and gained the
position on the final lap of stage one
before the checkered flag waved.
After making a pit stop at the stage
break for tires and fuel, Elliott returned
to the track in 19th. His fresh tires and
fuel helped him navigate his way
through the field, moving into 14th by
lap 34 when the race’s second caution
came.
Gustafson again elected to stay out,
shuffling him to eighth for the restart
of the race. Elliott continued to charge
through the field, breaking into the
top-five on lap 41 and eventually into
second-place four laps later. He went
on to finish stage two there.
Elliott brought his No. 9 NAPA
Auto Parts Chevrolet to pit road at the
stage break again for fresh tires and
fuel, pushing back to 26th for the
restart of the final stage.
“Coming off of a really fast car, I
thought we had a shot to win and obvi
ously that didn’t happen,” Elliott said.
“But in the grand scheme, moving on
is the most important things and our
season is still alive. So, I’m pumped.”
Elliott’s 12th place finish was
enough to transfer him past the Round
of 12 and is currently in sixth place in
the playoff point standings headed into
the first race of the Round of 8 at
Texas Motor Speedway. Harvick,
along with Cup Series driver
Christopher Bell and Elliott’s team
mates Alex Bowman and William
Byron.
“Yeah, I mean, our team has a lot of
fight. I’m just super proud of that,”
Elliott said. “As far as Kevin goes, just
want to wish them a merry offseason
and a happy Christmas.”
The Round of 8 begins on Sunday,
Oct. 17 at 2 p.m.
Zach
Holtzclaw
throws a
pass
against
Gilmer
on
Friday,
Oct 8.
Jacob Smith
Dawson
County News
FROM 1B
Football
26-yard touchdown to
sophomore Dom
LeBlanc, LeBlanc’s first
touchdown of his varsi
ty career. Holtzclaw
ended the game throw
ing 15-for-20 with 226
yards.
The Tigers moved the
ball well on the ground
as well, with senior
Jackson Grindle run
ning back rushing for
84 yards and two touch-
downs and senior
Conley Dyer rushing for
38 yards and a touch
down.
Maxwell said practice
had been “horrible” and
almost impossible to
keep his players in a
good routine. He said
that he was disappoint
ed that his defense did
not seem to stick to the
playbook throughout
the week and the ever-
changing practice
schedule might have
something to do with it.
“A little disappointed
that the boys didn’t run
the system,” Maxwell
said. “I don’t look at the
scoreboard. It matters
how we’re playing. We
had some breakdowns
in the option defense.
Hopefully our defense
learns from this....
everyone has to do their
part.”
Cherokee Bluff and
North Hall join Dawson
County as the three
undefeated teams in
Region 7-3A. Dawson
County will go for their
fourth win in a row next
week against West Hall
at home.
Use these secrets to make mouth-watering chicken
I know. I know.
Chicken cutlets
sound pretty bor
ing, don’t they?
Well guess what?
They are deli
cious—you just
need to know a Columnist
few secrets and
you will be astonished at how
yummy those cutlets can be.
You can serve them with a
sauce, topped with a salad, or
tucked into a sandwich. Let’s
get going!
Secrets to the best chicken
cutlets:
• Use chicken breasts and
pound them until they
are very thin. I usually
cut a chicken breast hor
izontally, and then put
them in a freezer zipper
baggie. Then, I gently
pound them with a meat
mallet (or you can use a
roller pin), until they are
super thin. This can be
done earlier in the day,
or even the day before
you plan on cooking
them.
• Dry off the pounded
chicken breasts and
sprinkle with salt and
pepper before proceed
ing with the recipe.
• Have all of your bread
ing stations ready before
you begin cooking.
This is one of my favorite
chicken cutlet rec
ipes. I know it
might sound
strange to serve a
cutlet with a
“salad” on top,
but trust me when
I say, it just
works. It is deli
cious for a weeknight dinner,
but also makes a spectacular
dish for entertaining.
Crispy chicken
milanese
• 2 boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
• !4 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups seasoned bread
crumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter,
divided
• 4 tablespoons olive oil,
divided
• 8 cups butter lettuce or
arugula (or a combina
tion)
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese,
shaved
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Dressing:
• 'A cup balsamic vinegar
• !/2 cup olive oil
• !/2 teaspoon salt
• 14 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mus
tard
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Cut chicken breasts in halves
lengthwise. Place chicken in
freezer zipper bag and then
using a meat mallet or rolling
pin, pound or roll until chicken
is very thin. When you think it
is thin enough, you might need
to pound it a bit more. In one
bowl, whisk together eggs and
milk. In another bowl or plate
whisk flour with some salt and
pepper. In a third plate, pour
on the seasoned bread crumbs.
Right before cooking, in a
small jar, add balsamic vinegar,
olive oil, salt, pepper, Dijon
and garlic, shaking to combine.
Toss greens with the dressing
and set aside before serving.
When ready to cook, dry off
chicken cutlets and then sprin
kle with salt and pepper.
Dredge chicken in flour, and
then dip in egg mixture, and
then dredge in bread crumbs,
pressing crumbs onto chicken.
Cook chicken in batches. So,
melt 2 tablespoons butter and
2 tablespoons olive oil and
cook two chicken cutlets 3
minutes per side until crispy.
Remove to a paper towel lined
plate and tent with foil. Repeat
with remaining butter and
olive oil and chicken cutlets.
When ready to serve, place
the chicken cutlets on four
plates, top with dressed
greens, and shaved parmesan.
Serve with lemon wedges on
the side.
Other ideas for the
chicken cutlets
• Top the cooked cutlets
with marinara sauce and
mozzarella, and then
broil until cheese has
melted. Garnish with
fresh basil leaves.
• Top the cooked cutlets
with crumbled feta
cheese, chopped kala-
mata olives, chopped
sun dried tomatoes,
fresh basil leaves and
some best quality olive
oil.
• Top with buffalo chicken
sauce, sliced celery, and
a sprinkling of crumbled
blue cheese. My favorite
buffalo sauce is just a
combination of Franks
Red sauce and Texas
Pete’s, with a bit of but
ter, garlic powder, onion
powder and cayenne.
Souffle. I don’t know about
you, but making a souffle
intimidated me for years. All
of that separating of the eggs
and whisking the egg whites
until they were at stiff peaks,
and then carefully folding into
the batter...and every recipe
warned you about this crucial
step. I hate recipes that scare
you to make them! So, you
will love this “sort of’ souffle
recipe. It is failsafe and truly
delicious. Just don’t skimp on
the cheese—yes, Gruyere is
not cheap. But oh, how deli
cious the good stuff tastes!
Look for an imported variety!
Cheese and
spinach 'souffle'
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 !/2 cups milk, preferably
whole
• 1 teaspoon salt
• !/2 teaspoon pepper
• 14 teaspoon nutmeg, pref
erably freshly grated
• 4 cups baby spinach,
stems removed and
chopped
• 1 Vi cups Gruyere cheese,
grated
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 14 cup fresh basil, minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley,
minced
Melt butter in a saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add flour
and whisk until combined. Pour
in milk and whisk to combine.
Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and
spinach. Cook a minute or so.
Remove from heat and whisk in
Gruyere. In a bowl, whisk
together eggs, basil and parsley.
Cool the milk/flour mixture a bit
and then add the egg mixture,
stirring to combine. Butter the
bottom of a baking dish and
then pour in the mixture. Bake
in a preheated 400-degree oven
for 40 minutes, until puffy and
browned on top. Serve imme
diately.
i3
ADLEN ROBINSON
When twilight comes, I think back to front porch stories
Sometimes in
the twilight of a
fading day, I sit for
a spell on the back
porch
Occasionally, I
read but often
times I just watch
and listen.
I am entertained by the cats,
full of complex personalities,
that dart around while the dogs
lounge on a red gingham pillow
and survey all that over which
they are masters.
It is the spring, the summer
and the autumn I enjoy most as
the birds sing in different melo
dies and squirrels scamper up
trees that are colored in varying
shades of green. Have you ever
noticed how many shades of
green the trees and shrubs are?
And how they blend together in
perfect harmony?
Sometimes from the pasture
of the Rondarosa, I will hear
our miniature donkey, Sweet
Tea, as she bays out a greeting.
She is a Jerusalem
donkey, a breed
said to be descend
ed from the one
that Jesus rode
into Jerusalem.
Her gray shoulder
blades and back
are marked with a
delicate black cross.
The horses munch quietly on
patches of sweet grass and will,
occasionally, take off in a loud
gallop toward the creek where
they plunge into the cool water
and enjoy the shade of the tow
ering maples and oaks.
Tink named one of the hors
es, Rondy. Not after me but
after a horse said to have been
one of General U.S. Grant’s
favorite horses.
Though I did say when he
pulled that stunt, “You can’t
name a horse born in Corinth,
MS after one of Grant’s hors
es.”
Sometimes when I see the
horses lounging in the creek
RONDARICH
Columnist
under the trees, I think of
General Grant then I think of
Stonewall Jackson and what
were supposedly his last words,
“Let us cross over the river and
rest under the shade of the
trees.”
As the dusk of day moves
gently into the gloaming, I lis
ten to the stillness as the wild
life settles down and tucks in
while the fireflies prepare to
emerge and join the stars to
light the night.
It is then I think back to simi
lar nights of my childhood
when I came racing out of the
house, the screen door banging
shut behind me and one of
Mama’s glass mason jars
clutched in my hand.
Barefooted — I was always
without shoes in the summer
time — I danced through the
yard, gathering lightning bugs
in a jar as my dog ran with me.
Then, I think of the stories.
All the stories told from the
porch swing and rockers and
how I’d sit on the steps, exam
ining my treasure trove of light
ning bugs, while the grownups
told stories. Sometimes simple.
Sometimes complex.
Sometimes Southern Gothic, a
phrase that I didn’t know exist
ed when I was five. Southern
Gothic would become one of
the defining colors of my child
hood. It was the painted trim
work of my growing up.
But always I listened and
always I remembered.
“I stopped by Ransom’s store
today.”
“Yeah? How’s Mr. Ransom
doin’?”
“Fairly well. His son’s home,
‘cha know that?”
“You don’t say? Home from
the chain gang?”
A head would nod in a silent
bob. “Workin’ behind the coun
ter. Just as pleasant a person as
you’d ever know.”
In Southern Gothic stories
like the ones of my childhood,
there is often a pause in the
thick, honeysuckle-smothered
air. My Appalachian folks
always know how to stretch out
a story and give it heavier
meaning.
“I remember her as such a
pretty girl,” someone offered.
“Didn’t she win a beauty con
test once?”
“They buried her with the
crown in her casket.”
Another long pause. Always
in these stories, there is a
moral. A line of wisdom that
sums it up.
“A hot temper can be the
ruination of a good man.”
In the gloaming, I remember
these tales. And, I am grateful
that I was a child with big ears
who liked to listen.
I still like to listen as the twi
light falls.
Ronda Rich is the bestselling
author of What Southern Women
Know About Faith. Visit www.
rondarich.com to sign up for her
free weekly newsletter.
