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Sports
Sunday, October 4, 1987
Duluth halts Bulldogs
for third straight win
By Mike Webber
Sports Editor
Dreams for a third straight victory
turned into a nightmare Friday night when
Forsyth County dropped a 20-7 decision to
Duluth.
The loss dropped Forsyth County to 2-2-1
for the season. Danny Cronic’s Bulldogs had
beaten Loganville and Shiloh in previous
competition.
Duluth, under coach Cecil Morris, used
the game to win its first of the season. The
homestanding Wildcats entered the game
having dropped its first three contests.
If Duluth found itself searching for luck in
those three games, it certainly had its fair
share against Forsyth County. Duluth
forced six Forsyth County turnovers, four
which were fumbles. The Wildcats also
resorted to trickery, gaining 53 yards on a
pair of fourth down passes.
Early on it appeared Forsyth County was
serious about winning its third striaght
game. The Bulldogs recovered Grandison
Garner’s Fumble on Duluth’s first play
from scrimmage.
Forsyth County drove 36 yards in 10 plays.
Quarterback Chris Bennett, on fourth-and
goal from the 2 scooted the last pair of
yards. Roy Johnson’s kick was good and
with 7:05 left in the first quarter, Forsyth
County led 7-0.
As it turned out that was to be the only
victory celebration Forsyth County enjoyde
on the cool evening.
Just as Bennett scored, half the stadium
lights in Duluth short-circuited. As if those
lights held some form of omen, the Forsyth
County offense also fell silent.
Duluth took the ensuing kick and traveled
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Georgia, Tech embarrassed at Clemson
Besides Myrtle Beach and Hilton
Head, most Georgians don’t have a
great deal of respect for the state of
South Carolina.
As if people from Georgia didn’t
have enough reason to dislike individ
uals from South Carolina, two more
have shown up over the past two
weeks.
The first example came Sept. 19
when Clemson beat the University of
Georgia. The second happened a week
later when Georgia Tech came back
from Clemson licking its wounds.
Losing to Clemson, at Clemson is
bad enough, like absorbing a licking
from the neighborhood tomboy. At
least both teams were saved the em
barrassment of losing at home.
Bulldog fans take to losing like cats
do water. Losing to Clemson only
serves to make matters worse. If los
ing to Clemson is rough, try making it
two years running. The last time
Georgia, as in The University,
dropped two straight to its neighbors
from South Carolina was 1905-06.
A loss to Clemson is one thing. Los
ing 21-20 on a last second field goal is
something Bulldogs don’t like to live
with.
When the same Clemson kicker
deals Georgia a bad hand two years
running, Bulldog fans are ready to
take a long walk off a short pier.
Georgia Tech hasn’t taken winning
seriously since Bobby Dodd retired.
For some reason though losing to
Clemson is enough to raise ire from
Yellow Jacket fans.
Tech, like Clemson, is a member of
the Atlantic Coast Conference. Late
ly, any team with dreams of an ACC
throne has found Clemson blocking
the door.
Tech has a new head coach these
days. His name is Bobby Ross, a for
mer University of Maryland head
coach. At Maryland, Ross found him
self presented with the same problem.
All Ross’s hate for Clemson did no
good. His Yellow Jackets dropped a
33-12 decision to the Tigers. Clemson
toyed around with Tech, compiling a
59 yards for a touchdown. Wildcat quar
terback David Cheek hit wide receiver
Shawn Thornton with a 9-yard scoring pass.
The extra point was blocked, and for the
time being Forsyth County still held a slim
7-6 lead.
Duluth was nearly stopped during the
drive, as it was faced with a fourth-and-5
situation from the Forsyth County 35.
Cheek, lining up in short formation, took the
snap from center and calmly hit receiver
Shawn Thornton for 15 yards and a first
down.
Forsyth County preceeded to fumble the
Duluth kickoff, as Brian Grimstead recov
ered the loose ball at the Bulldog 31. Again
the Forsyth County defense appeared to
hold, but on fourth down, Cheek hit Deric
Governale for a 23-yarder to the Bulldog 14.
Brian Dyer’s short one-yard run gave
Duluth its second touchdown of the first
half. Dyer then ran two yards for the two
point conversion. With 9:42 left in the sec
ond quarter Duluth already had enough
points for its first victory of 1987.
The third quarter saw Forsyth County
looking like it intended to make a run at
Duluth. On second down from the Bulldog
27, fullback Nick Dereszynski rambled 12
yards. A holding penalty put Forsyth
County into long distance situation two
plays later, thus ending that bid.
Duluth running backs Grinstead and Dyer
took on the next series. The pair combined
for 48 yards rushing. Dyer did the honors on
a one-yard run. The extra point failed, but
Duluth held a 20-7 lead after three quarters.
Bennett, who had looked good in his last
two outings against Loganville and Shiloh,
had trouble with the Wildcat defense.
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Mike
Webber
Sports Editor
history-making 227 yards in punt re
turns enroute to victory.
Clemson returned two kicks, only
one a punt, for touchdowns in the
midst of the debacle.
It had been 91 years since Clemson
had returned both a punt and kickoff
for touchdowns. Clemson’s return
well had gone dry long ago.
The Tigers had gone 1,294 kicks
without finding an end zone oasis.
Georgia Tech probably hopes it will
be nearly another century before the
feat is duplicated.
The Tech-Clemson battle was still 0-
0 when Donell Woolford gave a hint of
things to come. He gave Clemson a 7-0
lead with a 85 yard puunt return. The
last time Clemson returned a punt
was in 1970. Don Kelly completed that
task against Maryland, coach Ross’
former school.
It had been 25 years since Clemson
returned a kickoff for a touchdown. In
the space of 10 seconds Joe Henderson
erased the past. There’s something
about football teams from the state of
Georgia which have a way of bringing
out the best in Clemson. In 1962 Clem
son’s Hal Davis went 95 yards against,
you guessed it, the University of
Georgia.
Georgia Tech losing to Clemson is
one form of embarassment. Droping
back-to-back contests over a two-year
period is yet another.
Ross thought his offense and de
fense came ready to play he wasn’t
all wrong. Clemson’s offense could
only generate a 52-yard scoring pass
the first three quarters.
In the midst of quest for an ACC ti-
Forsyth C a unity News
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Hard to handle
Forsyth County center Mitchell Sanford (75) tries to hold of
f a Duluth rush Friday night. Bulldog running back Matthew
Hughes (14) and his teammates found the running tough as
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Dooley’s team beaten at buzzer
tie, the Tech-Clemson bout series will
continue on an annual series.
The Bulldogs on the other hand, will
have a while to stew about the last two
years. You see, the Bulldog won’t see
hide no hair of the Tigers until 1990.
By that time Tiger place kicker Alan
Treadwell will no longer be hitting
field goals. That fact should make the
Bulldogs and their fans happy.
Take away the last decade and the
Georgia-Clemson series had all the in
terest of girl scout fishing trip. Since
that time a pair of national champion
ships have rested in the balance and
pride has come of great prominence.
The last two years Treadwell had
given Georgia’s Bulldogs something
they may never forget.
Last year, in Athens of all places,
Treadwell’s last second boot gave his
Tigers a 31-28 victory. That Treadwell
hit a 46-yarder came as no consolation
to Bulldog fans.
Polo benefit
This Sunday afternoon at 3.00 the
Southeastern Polo Club, located in
South Forsyth, will host.a tournament
to benefit the Children's Wish Foun
dation. The Children's Wish Founda
tion is a national non-profit
organization that grants wishes to
terminally ill children Tickets, which
can be purchased at the gate on Post
Road, are $7 per individual. Members
of the Southeastern Polo Club (left)
have been working hard in preparation
for the event
Treadwell, a soccer style kicker
from Jacksonville, Fla., weighs all of
165 pounds soaking wet. He could have
pitched this one in with his eyes
closed. His boot this time was a mere
chip shot, 21-yards for the record.
The only guessing game came from
the clock. Clemson, out of timeouts,
waited until only five ticks were still
showing. At that point Treadwell gave
the Bulldogs two years to think about.
By that time Bulldog fans had their
hearts in their respective throats.
These were two football teams which
had won a pair of national champion
ships. In certain respects it was only
natural Georgia and Clemson, for the
second straight year, should go down
to the buzzer before settling the score.
The problem was Bulldog fans hand
a difficult time facing the fact they
lost to Clemson.
Traveling to Clemson, and losing, is
something Georgia Tech and Georgia
won’t soon forget.
Duluth captured a 20-7 victory Forsyth County will attempt
to get back on the winning path this Friday when it hosts No
rth Gwinnett.
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Staff Photo Kathryn L. Babb
Hugh Henderson is key runner for Wildcats
North Forsyth
looks for win
By Mike Webber
Sports Editor
The North Forsyth eighth
grade Wildcats will be looking for
its second straight victory
Wednesday, when they play Ot
well at Forsyth County High
School. Game time is scheduled
for 5 p.m.
At approximately 6:30 the
school’s 9th grade squads will do
battle at Forsyth County High
School.
The Wildcats ended a three
game losing streak Wednesday
afternoon, stopping Dawson
County, 22-14. The victory' gave
North Forsyth a 1-3 record.
“It was a good win for us, simply
because we needed it," said coach
Jeff Tritt. “We’ve been in every
game this season and it was good
to finally win one of them.”
Fullback Hugh Henderson was
once again the key ball carrier for
the Wildcats. Henderson wound up
the game with two touchdowns on
rims of 5 and 65 yards. Keith
Fowler scored the other North
Forsyth touchdown on a 18 yeard
interception.
Henderson's short run, early in
the first quarter, gave the Wild
cats a 6-0 lead. Fowler’s run, plus
a two-point conversion from
Randy Stephens, gave North For-
Staff Photo Bill Roa
syth a 4-0 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter Hen
derson added to that total with his
second score of the afternoon.
Chad Kimbral’s two-point conver
sion run gave the Wildcats their
final points of the afternoon.
The Wildcats opened the season
with a 19-14 loss to Lumpkin
County. It was a game the Wild
cats appeared to have well in
hand. Henderson’s touchdown
with only 41 seconds left, gave
North Forsyth a 14-13 lead. Quar
terback Chad Jones had hit Dustin
Blackson, Blackstone with an im
portant two-point conversion oass.
Kimbral had given the Wildcats
its first points of that contest on a
25 yard run.
North Habersham dealt the
Wildcats a 13-0 defeat on Sept. 16.
It was a close game though as
North Habersham scored ts sec
ond touchdown late in the fourth
quarter.
In that game the Wildcats were
only inches away from a tie game.
Fowler’s short run, on fourth-and
goal, was topped short.
“We’ve been playing well
enough we could be holding a
much better record,” said Tritt.
"We’re looking forward to out last
two games of the season. We feel
we should have a good opportunity
to win both of them.”
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