Newspaper Page Text
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Wednesday
November 2,
2005
Braves drop a heartbreaker against UNA
By Bobby Moore
Sports Editor
rmoore7@my.westga.edn
The West Georgia
Braves came into their
final home game of the
season against the #lB
North Alabama Lions
hoping to stay on course in
the Gulf South Conference
championship race, but
they left Grisham Stadium
in the wrong end of a 20-
19 score.
It looked like the
Braves were going to run
away with the game in the
first quarter.
First, Braves wide
reciever Johnny Williams
returned a blocked punt
three yards fora touchdown
3:26 into the game. Adi
Brkic’s extra point attempt
was no good.
On the Braves’ next
posession, Javari Taylor
broke a 30-yard touchdown
run, giving the Braves a
quick 13-0 lead.
Before the end of the
first half, UNA quarterback
Vinnie Saylor found
Anthony Merritt for a 37-
yard touchdown.
In the third quarter,
the Lions would strike
UWG men finish second ,
women win in Tennessee
By Brett Miles
Staff Writer
Bmiles2@my.westga.edu
On Oct. 24-25,
the University of West
Georgia Braves’ men’s
and women’s golf
teams made history at
the Lincoln Memorial
University Invitational in
Harrogate, TN.
Both teams were
successful in the
tournament as a whole,
with the women finishing
first in the women’s
invitational and the men
finishing second in the
men’s invitational.
However, there were
individual victories as
well. Sophomore Josh
Chong became the first
UWG men’s golfer to win
a men’s tournament with a
final score of 141.
After Chong’s opening
round of 68, he held a two
shot lead. In the final round,
Chong fired a score of 73,
winning the tournament by
2005 GSC Women’s Soccer Tournament
Brosnaham Park, Pensacola, FL
Round One Round Two
Friday, Nov. 4 Sunday, Nov. 6
Game A-#2 Lincoln Memorial GSC Championship game- Game A
vs. #3 Central Arkansas Winner vs. Game B Winner
11a.m. 11a.m.
Game B-#l West Florida vs. #4 General admission tickets are $5.
West Georgia For more information, visit
1:30 p.m. www.gulfsouthconference.org.
Sports
again. This time, tailback
DeMarcus Blount capped
off an 11 play, 83 yard
drive with a one yard
touchdown run.
In the fourth quarter,
the Braves would take
back the lead when wide
receiver Johnny Williams
would make a spectacular
catch for a 20-yard
touchdown. After a failed
two-point conversion, the
Braves led 19-14.
At the 3:51 mark, Rico
Stevenson intercepted one
of Saylor’s passes at the
UWG 23.
The Braves were
unable to mount a drive as
they went three-and-out,
giving the Lions a shot at
making a comeback.
After a 36-yard punt
by Jeff Carpenter was
returned for 10 yards by
Merritt, the Lions began
their drive at the 50.
Four plays and :27
later, the Lions would end
the drive the same way
the Braves did earlier in
the quarter, with a 20-
yard touchdown pass
and a missed two-point
conversion attempt.
Trailing 20-19 with
2:05 on the clock and
three shots.
Freshman Helena
Harbridge won the
women’s tournament,
becoming the first
women’s golfer to win a
tournament individually.
Harbridge shot a 78
during the first round,
leading the tournament
by three shots. In the
second round, Harbridge
shot an 83, winning the
tournament with a total
score of 161, three shots
ahead of second place.
The women’s golf
team cinched their first
place victory with a total
score of 665, beating
second place team Lincoln
Memorial University by a
57 shot lead.
Freshman Natalie
Beach placed third in the
tournament, with a score
of 166. Freshman Carrie
Parker and senior Amanda
Horn finished fourth and
fifth, respectively, with
Parker shooting a 168 and
Horn finishing with a 170.
no timeouts remaining,
the Braves tried to get
in position to attempt a
game-winning field goal.
It looked like the
Braves were going to do
just that as they drove the
ball all the way down to
the UNA 26.
The Braves then took
a shot at the end zone with
only :30 left in the game,
only to see Baldwin’s
pass intercepted by UNA
cornerback Blake Ferris.
The lone bright spot
for the Braves’offense was
Javari Taylor, who rushed
for 189 yards on 28 carries
against the best rushing
defense in the GSC.
Balwdin went 9-for
-16 with 98 yards and one
touchdown after coming
off the bench late in the
third quarter.
Linebacker Kelvin
Morris led the UWG
defense with 11 total tackles
and one sack.
With the loss, the
Braves fell to 6-4 on the
season and 6-2 in the GSC.
The season finale for
the Braves will be this
Saturday afternoon at 1
p.m. when they visit the
Valdosta State Blazers.
The UWG men’s team
finished the tournament
with a score of 599, four
shots behind the University
of North Alabama.
Sophomore Brandon
Bennett finished second for
the Braves, and tied for sixth
place overall with a final
score of 149. Sophomore
Knox Martin finished tenth
overall with a score of 154.
coming in as the team’s
third lowest score.
Golf coach Jeff King
was impressed with the
outstanding performances
of both teams.
“I am really proud of
the teams. For a first year
team to win a tournament
is very impressive,”
King said. “Also, Chong
and Harbridge broke
records, coming in first
individually for the
tournament.”
This is the last
tournament for the fall for
both UWG golf teams. The
spring season will begin in
late February.
1 -jttixiad
Photo Courtesy of Communications and Marketing
Javari Taylor rushed for 189 yards against the GSC’s top rushing defense.
Braves clinch second
straight tourney berth
By Nicholas Kirby
Staff Writer
nkirbyl@my.westga.edu
The West Georgia
Braves volleyball team is
headed to the Gulf South
Conference tournament
for the second consecutive
yearafterdefeatingCarson-
Newman and Lincoln
Memorial last week.
On Thursday, the
Braves traveled to Jefferson
City, Tenn. to take on the
Carson-Newman Eagles
in a match the team
desperately needed to win.
The Braves took a
hotly contested first game
NFL sponsored event held
on campus last Saturday
By Ray Ross
Contributing Writer
rrossl @my. westga.edu
The University of
West Georgia held one of
its largest sporting events
of the year this weekend,
but the catch is that the
competitors were not
UWG students.
The NFL sponsored
Southeastern Regional
Flag Football tournament
involved more than 400
players, ages of 6 through
14, and dozens of coaches.
The tournament took
place last Saturday from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both boys
and girls competed in the
event held on the intramural
fields on campus.
The tournament was
i jPUE 1 v
30-26 before dropping
the next two games 30-
22. 30-28.
In the fourth game.
West Georgia looked
dead in the water. The
Eagles jumped out to a
commanding 16-3 lead
and the win looked to be in
the bag.
But West Georgia
then began one of the most
impressive comebacks in
recent history to take the
lead and eventually the win
in the fourth game 30-27.
In the decisive fifth
game, the Braves outgunned
the Tigers and won 15-7 to
take the match.
sponsored by both the NFL
and the Boomer Esiason
Foundation and has been
running since 1996. UWG
was one of seven sites
across the country to host
the flag football regional
tournaments.
The winning team
from each bracket
advanced to the NFL FLAG
National Tournament
of Champions which
will be held at Disney’s
Wide World of Sports in
Orlando, FL.
This event was
promoted as a great way
to get kids involved in
athletics and be surrounded
by positive role models.
The teams at these
events are typically
coached by fathers of the
The Braves needed
only four games to defeat
Lincoln Memorial on
Saturday. With the win,
the team secured the fourth
seed in the conference
tournament with one
match remaining.
West Georgia is now
20-16 on the year and 7-5
within the conference.
The Braves’ final
home match of the year
is tomorrow night. West
Georgia’s three Senior
players will be honored
before the match with
Alabama-Huntsville,
which is scheduled to
begin at 7 p.m.
kids or community group
leaders. Teams traveled to
Carrollton from as far away
as Michigan and Florida to
compete in the tournament.
“This is awesome. I
have looked forward to
this all week and hope we
can win and go to Disney
World,” said Darius Scott,
a 13 year-old member of
the Savannah Falcons.
Several members of
the Atlanta Falcons were
scheduled to attend the
tournament Saturday but
a conflict of schedules
prevented them from
doing so.
For more information
on the NFL FLAG
National Tournament of
Champions visit www.
NFLyouthfootball.com.