Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, February 15,2023
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Dawson basketball teams fall
to Wesleyan on Senior Night
Rio White Dawson County News
Ethan Parker attempts a jump shot during the Senior Night game
against Wesleyan on Friday, Feb. 10.
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
(Note: The Dawson County basket
ball teams played their first-round
games in the Region 7-3A tournament
on Monday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday, Feb.
14, both after the DCN print deadline.
Please check our website for any
updates.)
Dawson County’s varsity boys and
girls basketball teams finished up
their regular seasons against Wesleyan
on Friday, Feb. 10, with the girls los
ing 69-42 and the boys falling 73-51.
Four senior basketball players and
three senior cheerleaders were hon
ored as part of Senior Night.
Representing the Lady Tigers were
Calleigh Lamb, Emma Grace
McCarron and Kirklyn Porter, while
Beau Robinson represented the boys
team.
Ansley Humphrey, Emily Jones and
Kayleigh Moon represented the bas
ketball cheer squad.
Between the two basketball games,
the 10 newest inductees to the
Dawson County High School Hall of
Fame were recognized on the court.
The DCN is publishing a separate
article about the induction ceremony
that occurred before the Senior Night
basketball games.
Both teams moved to the first round
of the Region 7-3A tournament, with
the Lady Tigers — the No. 5 seed —
facing off against Pickens on Monday,
Feb. 13, in a game hosted by
Wesleyan at 4:30 p.m.
The No. 6 seed boys team picked
up action on Tuesday, Feb. 14, also
facing Pickens in a game hosted by
White County at 6 p.m.
For either team, a win against
Pickens would secure a spot in the
region tournament semifinals, which
will be hosted by Dawson County.
Those potential semifinal matchups
for the Tigers would be on Thursday,
Feb. 16, with the boys playing White
County or Lumpkin at 5:30 p.m. and
the girls facing top-seeded Lumpkin
at 7 p.m.
All teams who advance to the
region tournament semifinals earn
spots in the Class 3A state playoffs,
with the remainder of the region
games played for seeding.
Dawson County will also host the
Region 7-3A championship games on
Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m. and 7:30
p.m.
What to expect at Daytona this year
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Anticipation is building here in
Dawson County and all around the rac
ing world as the Daytona 500 is set to
commence on Sunday. Feb. 19.
“America’s Great Race” will once
again play host to an exciting field of
drivers — and there are plenty of inter
esting storylines to take in leading up to
the race.
What we know
It turns out that Chase Elliott might
not be the only North Georgia boy to
take on NASCAR’s brightest crown
jewel race.
Pickens native Chandler Smith will
be attempting to qualify for his first
Daytona 500 entry. Just weeks after
earning his first full-time Xfinity Series
ride with Kaulig Racing, Smith con
firmed last month he planned to enter
five races in the Cup Series with Kaulig.
The 20-year-old will drive the No. 13
car sponsored by Quick Tie and have
his attempts at qualification on
Wednesday, Feb. 15, followed by the
Bluegreen Vacations Duels on
Thursday.
While seven-time Cup Series champi
on Jimmie Johnson announced his
intention to race at Daytona before
Smith, it is now confirmed that he will
drive the No. 84 car for Legacy Motor
Club — formerly known as Petty GMS
and previous monikers.
For racing fans looking out for new
paint schemes, look for Johnson’s car to
be a dark blue color with Carvana as the
primary sponsor.
Kyle Busch will also run in a new
scheme, driving the No. 8 car for
Richard Childress Racing. He will be
driving in a black and gold car spon
sored by 3CHI that was frequently
raced by Tyler Reddick last year.
What to expect
Elliott will once again be looking for
his first trip to victory lane at the
Daytona 500, having been a two-time
pole winner and finishing as high as
second in 2021.
This year’s race will likely see excite
ment from several drivers — some
looking to establish their presence and
others looking to settle scores.
One driver to watch will be Ryan
Blaney, who missed out on victory lane
in 2022 despite earning 17 top-10 fin
ishes. His strong history at superspeed
ways suggests he will be aiming for a
win at Daytona.
Throughout the race, the feuds
between Ross Chastain and Denny
Hamlin or Kyle Busch and Joey Logano
may come to the surface once more.
Elliott, for his own purposes, will be
seeking to get his year off to a strong
start, coming off a 2022 season where
he won five races and finished fourth in
the playoff standings.
The Daytona 500 will begin at 2:30
p.m. on FOX, with a watch party being
held at the Georgia Racing Hall of
Fame here in Dawsonville. For more
information on tickets for the watch
party, contact the GRHOF at 706-216-
7223.
FROM 1B
Baseball
The trio of sophomores
come into this season with
plenty of experience from
last year and will all seek to
become important assets for
a Tigers team facing a chal
lenging non-region schedule.
Glass, one of the team’s
best two-way players, will
be one of the leaders of a
youthful Dawson offense.
He had a strong freshman
campaign at the plate in
2022, racking up a .305 bat
ting average and 25 runs bat
ted in.
Other key hitters for the
Tigers this season will be
senior Colton Rucker and
juniors Julian Horner and
Sawyer Bearden.
Rucker had a productive
2022, finishing with 26 hits
and 32 runs — eventually
being selected as an All-
Region honorable mention.
He got off to a strong start
in the scrimmage game
against Chestatee, belting
three doubles and scoring
twice in the win.
The regular season will
begin on Monday, Feb. 13,
with the Tigers hosting Mt.
Pisgah at 6 p.m.
Dawson will later make
the trip down to Johns Creek
for a rematch with the
Patriots on Wednesday for a
4 p.m. game before traveling
to North Hall on Friday.
Rio White Dawson County News
Head coach Logan Burt talks with his team before the
scrimmage game against Chestatee on Monday, Feb.
6. Burt is starting his first year as head coach of his
alma mater.
FROM 1B
Soccer
Forsyth saw both teams gain posses
sion and take shots at either end — with
some of the most physical action hap
pening in the midfield involving
Dawson’s Elena Nelson and Daisy
Vargas Sanchez.
Eventually, the Lady Tigers broke
down the door they had been knocking
on, with Dussouy running down the
right wing and swinging in a cross that
was volleyed into goal by Hand at the
back post.
While many players contributed to
helping maintain Dawson’s lead
throughout the game, the most vital indi
vidual proved to be senior goalkeeper
Emma Faircloth.
Left, right, or middle, Faircloth dove
and stretched every which way to keep
the ball out of the net and keep the Lady
Tigers in the lead.
Two particular durations of the match
— early in the second half and the final
few minutes of the game — tested her
resolve the most.
The Lady Broncos got out to an
aggressive start after halftime, testing
Dawson’s defense with quick passing.
But Faircloth and the back line held firm
for a long period of time.
In the final frantic minutes, Faircloth
swatted away multiple shots and sealed
the victory for the upstart Lady Tigers.
Later that evening, the boys team
played its best defensive first half of the
season to that point in a 3-1 loss, facing
a technically gifted East Forsyth team
coached by Chere’ Thomas — who led
South Forsyth to the 2021 7A state
championship.
Three days later against Franklin
County, the Tigers won their first match
2-1 through an early goal by Jacob
Felkai and a penalty kick by Zach Cruz.
During the game against East Forsyth,
the Tigers made good account of them
selves against a rapidly improving pro
gram.
After allowing several Broncos shots
early on, the Tigers prevented the hosts
from gaining much ground for most of
the first half. Goalkeeper Bryce Beach
was once again tasked with making sev
eral important saves.
An exception to a generally solid first
half came on 19 minutes, when an error
in midfield allowed East Forsyth to dis
possess Dawson and easily score the
opening goal.
Less than 10 minutes later, the Tigers
responded on a counterattack, with Cruz
launching a well-placed long ball in the
path of forward Saul Ruiz, who slotted
in a tidy goal to put Dawson back on
level terms.
Well into the second half, the Tigers
were once again keeping up with the
Broncos on the defensive end until the
hosts scored again following a quickly-
taken short throw-in.
East Forsyth — knowing that
Dawson expected a longer throw-in —
threw it to the nearest player who then
quickly turned and took a shot toward
the comer of the goal.
Just minutes later, the Tigers nearly
tied the game again after a free kick by
Emmanuel Lopez narrowly sailed over
the crossbar.
A third goal by the Broncos later on
sealed victory for the hosts and handed
the Tigers a third straight loss.
“We had a couple passes in the mid
dle that we weren’t thinking straight on
and those really hurt us,” head coach
Patrick Muenchen said. “We’ve come
along a great way as far as [being] a
passing team, [but] anything that was
sent over the top we were holding back
on, so I think that’s something we really
need to work on.”
The Dawson County soccer teams
traveled to Sonoraville on Tuesday, Feb.
14 and will stay on the road to visit
Union County on Friday, Feb. 17.
FROM 1B
Fame
Stowers, having been mentored by Harben in
his high school and college years, went on to
establish Dawson County’s success in FFA com
petitions and in many other disciplines.
His passion led to the school’s area and state
wide recognition in events such as dairy cattle
evaluation, poultry evaluation, agricultural
mechanics, agriculture sales, forestry, electrical
wiring and public speaking.
“I was blessed to be able to come here when I
did because I had great students to work with,”
Stowers said. “Lloyd had a great program going,
and all I had to do was pick it up where he had it
and move on. [Harben] was my best friend and
mentor.”
The next person inducted was Mayfield, a
teacher who spent her entire 40-year career in
Dawson County, beginning in 1979 right out of
college.
A two-time Teacher of the Year winner,
Mayfield began as a business education instructor
— experiencing the gauntlet of technology from
IBM Selectric typewriters to green-text monitors
to modem computers.
Mayfield helped usher in work-based learning
to Dawson County, later serving as the head WBL
coordinator for the State of Georgia.
Her lasting legacy lies in the DCHS chapter of
the Future Business Leaders of America, which
she helped build a foundation of success for. She
was named as an honorary lifetime member of
FBLA in 2015 — with her name etched at the
FBLA national office in Virginia.
“I truly consider myself a very blessed Tiger,”
Mayfield said. “In 1979, when my dad had to
drive me to Dawson County because I didn’t
know where it was, and I went in to interview for
this job...God did open a door for me. What
Dawson County represents to me is a community
where everybody celebrates every kid’s success
es.”
Next to be honored was Turner, the school’s
longtime athletic director and the man who played
a critical role in establishing several programs and
updating facilities.
A 1976 graduate of DCHS, Turner was a versa
tile individual — a decorated athlete, musician,
public speaker and member of the drama program.
Grady worked in Dawson County for 30 years
before retiring in 2018, serving in several roles
before becoming the athletic director. He was a
two-time Region 7-3 A AD of the Year.
“I was thinking about the people on the stage
and the people who are being inducted tonight...
my life is here,” Turner said. “I have been blessed
to do what I have done. I worked with great peo
ple.”
The next inductee was Jim Howington, a 1983
graduate of DCHS who was one of the most suc
cessful members of a then-new wrestling pro
gram. He helped the program earn its first state
team title.
DCHS Assistant Principal Charles Beusse read
a message written by Howington in lieu of his
presence at the ceremony.
“He would like to recognize Randall Townley
for convincing the board to implement a wrestling
program,” Beusse said. “[He also recognizes]
Sandy Walls, who without his third-place finish at
state, there may not have been a second season of
wrestling at DCHS.”
Odom was the next to be inducted, with Rodney
Robinson joining on stage to share stories.
The first breakout basketball star of Dawson
County, Odom graduated in 1966 having averaged
31 points per game in his senior season — with
out the help of the three-point line.
Scoring 1,024 total points in his senior cam
paign, Odom was ranked as one of the top 25
players in the state by the Atlanta Journal, placing
as high as seventh on that list before finishing as
the ninth-ranked player.
“The first [basketball game I ever saw was in
the seventh grade...so [I] was behind,” Odom
said. “I saw what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a
ballplayer. The faculty at Dawson County High
School was fabulous to me...the people who
came forth to help me were unbelievable.”
The penultimate inductee was 2006 DCHS
graduate Chad Cunningham, a star football player
for the Tigers who later became the longtime start
ing punter for the University of Tennessee. Former
DCHS athletic director Keith Porter joined him on
stage.
Cunningham was a four-year starter for the
Tigers, playing quarterback, safety, punter and
kick-off specialist. He threw for over 4,200 yards
and accounted for over 40 touchdowns, leading
his team to the state playoffs in 2004.
He was on the All-State team in 2005 and later
played in the Georgia High School All-Star game.
“Some of my best memories are right here,”
Cunningham said. “I liked what [Porter] said
about paving the path for other kids in this area.
Anybody can go anywhere, you just have to set
your mind to it.”
The final inductee in the class of 2023 was Tim
Whitmire, the longtime voice of Dawson County
athletics. Barry Slaton joined him on stage.
A 1980 graduate of DCHS, Whitmire was a
three-year football letterman for the Tigers. After
graduating from UGA, Whitmire became most
known in Dawson County and surrounding com
munities for his devotion to local athletics.
He began his sports reporting career while still a
high school student in 1978, submitting his first
written story in the Dawson County Advertiser.
Whitmire would also contribute sports recaps and
photography to the Gainesville Times.
But in 1991, Whitmire began his prolific play-
by-play broadcasting career, calling Dawson
County games on the local radio before later
establishing a local television presence. He contin
ues to broadcast the Tigers through his North
Georgia SportsLink program.
“I’m motivated by thank-yous,” Whitmire said.
“I couldn’t have done this without the support
from the coaches. Throughout the years, it’s
[been] all about the coaches trusting me and
respecting what I’m trying to do for the students
of Dawson County.”