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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, June 1,2022
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DCHS alum finds collegiate archery success
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Just a few months ago,
DCHS alum and current
Emmanuel College student
Madalyn Hardegree had never
touched a bow and arrow in her
life.
Two weekends ago, she par
ticipated at the USA Archery
Collegiate Target Nationals in
Chula Vista, California, finish
ing in second place at the
mixed team barebow competi
tion with partner Preston Dyer.
So how did this all happen so
quickly?
“I walked into the archery
range with a friend and the
coach gave me a bow,”
Hardegree said. “They offered
me a scholarship...they just
needed someone on the team.”
But while her entry into the
world of archery came by
chance, she went straight to
work on the fundamentals,
learning as much about herself
as the sport itself.
Just two weeks before the
team’s first indoor competition,
Hardegree found out she was
left-eye dominant and had to
completely recalibrate her form
to that side of her body.
At the outdoor Nationals in
California, she realized that
temperature and weather condi
tions have an effect on aiming.
While her individual rounds
were hindered by those condi
tions, she made adjustments so
that her aim would improve
during the team competition.
After only practicing for a
month during the fall semester,
Hardegree has worked con
stantly with coach John
Winchester during the spring to
train on both her archery skills
and overall fitness.
Hardegree secured her place
at the National competition
after a strong showing at a
regional meet hosted by
Georgia State, besting archers
who had been competing for
years.
“I was kind of amazed
because I didn’t think I would
See Archery 13B
Photo courtesy of USA Archery
Madalyn Hardegree prepares to shoot her bow at the
Collegiate Target Nationals.
‘A lot of my hard work has paid off’
Rio White Dawson County News
Alex Hughes was selected to the Class AAA All-State team after a successful season that culminated with a
sixth-place finish at the State Championship.
Hughes earns All-State spot to finish DCHS career
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
After finishing sixth at the
Class AAA State Golf
Championship and leading
Dawson County’s team to a
season of success, recent
graduate Alex Hughes
earned one final accolade by
earning a spot on the
Georgia High School Golf
Coaches Association All-
State team.
“It means a lot,” Hughes
said. “It means that a lot of
my hard work has paid off.
The extra days of practicing
on the course and hours on
the range before and after
practice have worked out.”
Hughes was not only the
scoring leader for the Tigers
this season but also helped
build a standard of play and
team culture that directly
translated to the team’s over
all improvements.
Individually, Hughes grew
into a player who could reg
ularly score in the mid to
upper 30s in nine-hole tour
naments and could be reli
ably under 80 on a full 18
holes. The culmination of his
growth came at the State
Tournament, where he was
tasked with 36 holes over
two days.
Despite the challenge,
Hughes shot rounds of 72
and 71 to finish 1-under for
the tournament — finishing
his season and career in top
form.
For head coach Will
Anglin, the All-State spot
was a testament to Hughes’s
work ethic and commitment
to his craft.
“I have said all year long
that I believe Alex is one of
the best golfers in the state
and I’m glad to see that the
other coaches thought the
same thing,” Anglin said.
“He has put in the time to be
successful and I’m glad to
see him getting rewarded for
his hard work.”
This time last year, it was
Alex’s brother, Andrew, who
was selected to the All-State
team. While Alex had
already carried on his broth
er’s standards to help the
team play well, he now has
cemented his own individual
legacy on the DCHS golf
team.
“To be completely honest
I’m very happy that I was
selected, as my brother was
selected last year,” Hughes
said. “I made it a goal at the
State [Championship] to be
able to be a part of All-State
this year.”
While Hughes will be
moving on from the golfing
world, his imprint on the
Tigers will remain with both
Anglin and the three return
ing players from this sea
son’s team.
Just over two years ago,
the onset of the pandemic
canceled what was set to be
the beginning of the Hughes
brothers’ Dawson County
careers, having moved from
Gainesville the previous fall.
As soon as the next season
arrived, both worked to set a
new standard for the team.
One after the other, the
brothers maximized their
potential and became All-
State golfers.
“I’ve said it multiple times,
but I will continue to say that
[Alex] is a really good golfer
but [also] a great person,”
Anglin said. “He’s going to
do amazing things and I’m
honored to have been his
coach for three years. We are
going to miss him dearly.”
Repair incident
ends run in
front for Elliott
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
For the first 190 laps of Sunday’s double
overtime and record-length Coca-Cola 600
at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott
was locked in, leading for 86 laps after start
ing the race in 13th position.
But a broken toe link caused by contact
with the wall forced his crew into a long
repair that would exceed the allowable
length of NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle
Policy, prematurely ending a night that
looked promising for Elliott.
A week after crashing out at the All-Star
Race, Elliott had no trouble regrouping at
Charlotte and found himself in the lead after
just 63 laps.
From that point, the race would be domi
nated by him and Ross Chastain, with the
two exchanging the lead for well over the
next 100 laps.
With Elliott finishing Stage One in the
lead and securing a crucial playoff point, all
looked to be going smoothly.
But shortly before the end of Stage Two,
he made contact with the wall on the right
rear of the car, resulting in a broken toe link
and blown tire.
While Elliott’s car was being worked on,
the crew had six minutes to make a repair
and get the car back out to the track to reach
minimum speed to reset the repair clock.
Almost immediately after the green flag
waved following the caution induced by
Elliott’s spin out, a massive multi-car inci
dent paused the race once more.
At that point, it was determined that
Elliott’s team had not brought the car back
to the track in time to reach minimum speed
before the latest caution, finishing his night
for good.
See NASCAR 12B
File photo (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)
Chase Elliott looks over his vehicle at a
previous season's running of the Coca-
Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Rec team competes at GRPA
track and field championships
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
A few weeks ago, the Dawson County
Parks and Recreation track and field
team participated at the GRPA Class B
and C Championships in Jefferson on
Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7.
With athletes ranging from six to 14
years old, the Dawson County team
showed up with a roster filled with
young talent, including relatives of cur
rent DCHS track and field team mem
bers.
The top finisher of the weekend was
Moses Angle, who became the state
champion for discus and the 400- meter
race in the 11 to 12 year-old age group.
“Moses Angle is an exceptional
sprinter and thrower,” head coach Julie
Allshouse said. “More importantly, he’s
an all around good person. He sets an
example for the team of respectfulness,
hard work, and perseverance.”
Photos courtesy of DCPR
Moses Angle stands with his two
first-place medals after becoming
the state champion in discus and the
400-meter race in his age group.
Player Of The Week!
Madalyn
Hardegree
The Player of the Week
is DCHS alum Madalyn
Hardegree, who finished
second in the barebow
mixed team event at the
Archery Collegiate Target
Nationals.
Sponsored by:
A4&
706-216-0992
We’ve Gone Green!
“We will be here when you need us. ”
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130 Industrial Park Rd, Dawsonville
Dawsonville’s Premier Collision Center
See Track 13B
