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Sports WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1990 * MmOU ' toft'll! j r m * *&* ■■f i H|m S fit S9B 9 ’■ 'fX *V_ SUff photo - Mike Wobbei These softball fans appear to be intent on the action at Coal Mountain Park this past Saturday afternooi I Mike TR" Webber Georgia waters set for a record As far as a dream-come-true season is concerned the past college base ball season in Georgia was one for the record books. This was a year in which not one, but two Georgia college baseball teams qualified for the national fin als. The University of Georgia brought home the trophy. Middle Georgia College, for finishing second, earned plaques and patches com memorating the event Having two teams within one state makinga run at the finals is like light ning striking twice in the same place. It became a stranger occurrence when not one, not two, but three play ers on those two teams came from within driving distance of each other. Ron Buffington and Clint Carper played their high school baseball at Forsyth Central for coach Byron Orr. Pete Freeman, a catcher for Steve Webber’s Georgia Bulldogs, played his high school baseball for Jim Haight just down the road at Milton High School. Until they built South Forsyth High School Milton was about the closest high school to Forsyth Central. Georgia finished the season at 52- 19. In winning the national title they became the first Southeastern Con ference’s team to ever accomplish such a feat Middle Georgia had a chance to make it two national titles in one year for Georgia colleges. The Warriors of Robert Sapp finished the regular sea son with a 48-4 mark. For a high school team that never finished higher in third place in sub region 8-AAAA North, placing second nationally isn’t such a disgraceful moment. “There’s a lot of pride in what we did,” said Carper. “We might not have won it but there were a lot of schools and players wishing they in our position.” Buffington, a mighty starter with a hot fast ball in high school, learned some new lessons in college. Sapp handed Buffington the ball in the bullpen and labeled him a key to holding lean leads. There he became a long-inning reliever (3-6 innings). He wound up the season with one victory while pitching 20 2/3 innings. “I’ve got to work on my velocity (speed) this summer,” said Buffington. Carper, an outfielder-turned catcher in high school, was returned to the outfield this season although most of his time was spent at home plate as a designated hitter. Carper wasn’t given a scholarship. He had to earn his way on this team. After col lecting a .414 average and all-District all-star awards it’s easy to under stand why Sapp took a chance on this freshman. Speaking of victories by freshman it may be time to dwell on another freshman, this one from Athens who stayed home to play his college ball. This one’s name in Stan Payne. He hadn’t thrown a ball in competition for nearly two weeks. He allowed a hard-hitting Oklahoma State team four hits in seven innings. The performances by these fresh men dispels rumors that freshmen can’t play with the men. “That was a year where nearly ev erything was perfect,” said Buffing ton. “Maybe it was good we didn’t win itell this year. Itgives fis something to work for next year.” It’s time for basketball camp jjffl ' "' ' ' ~ MM »V ■ . Staff photo - Mike Webber Forsyth Central baskeball coach Bobby Smith will coach camp Former FCHS baseball players return as heros ■Wp#! Wm sHSHpP Carper and Buffington Forsyth Count y News By Mike Webber Sports Editor Ron Buffington and Clint Carper, former Forsyth Central players who paid their dues to college baseball’s society earlier this year, saw their debts repaid as their Middle Georgia team came within one game of a na tional title. Both players were freshmen at the two-year school in Cochran, Ga. Middle Georgia College wound up the season with a 51-6 record. “That was a year to end all years,” said Buffington, a pitcher for the Warriors. “When you sit back and consider what happened it couldn’t have worked out any better. I know it was the best exposure of my entire life.” Carper, a designated hitter who hit .500 last year at Forsyth Central, con tinued his strong hitting at Middle Georgia. His .414 average in the Dis trict Tournament earned him a posi tion on the all-tournament team. |l “It was a great year,” said Carper. “I guess you could say we really en joyed ourselves.” By Mike Webber Sports Editor In June and July the Cumming Recreation and Parks Department is co-sponsoring a se ries of youth basketball camps this summer with Forsyth Central High School and South Forsyth High School. Bobby Smith and Jerry Cauley, boys and girls varsity coaches at Forsyth Central, will handle those camps. The boys camp will be held at Otwell while the girls will work out at Forsyth Central. Richard Gill and Doug Fields, boys and girls varsity coaches at South Forsyth, will direct the activities. The camps will both be held at South Forsyth High School. “We’re excited about once again having the opportunity to work with these young people,” said Central’s Smith. “It gives us a chance to help them and it also enables the young peo ple to learn some different things about bas ketball. I really felt last year’s camp built enthusiasm.” All camp sessions will stress fundamental basketball skills and will feature team play, one-on-one competition and free throw con tests. Cost for tne camps is S3O per individual. “It’s a real good situation, having high school coaches working with young people,” said Cumming Recreation and Parks Depart ment athletic director Greg Little. “This is something not everybody has a chance to do.” The Forsyth Central boys camp at Otwell will be held June 25-29. Boys age 8-10 will practice from 1:30-4 p.m. Boys age 11-14 will practice 9 a.m.-12 noon. The girls camp will be held on the same dates. Girls age 8-10 1:30-4 p.m. with the 11-14 age players going from 9 a.m.-noon. This will be the first time both Forsyth Cen tral camps are held on the same dates. South Forsyth’s boys and girls will meet on different dates. The boys will attend camp July 9-13. The 8-10 boys age group will meet 1:30 a.m.4 p.m. while the 11 to 14-year-old players will meet 9 a.m.-noon. The girls are scheduled to attend camp July 16-20. with ages 8-14 meeting from 9 a.m.-noon. “We’re hoping to have enough girls to hold two sessions this year,” said Cauley. “There’s been more interest every year we’ve held this camp.” Children are urged to participate in camps at the school which they will feed into at the middle school or high school level, but may participate in either or both camps if they desire. Youths must be registered through the Cumming Recreation and Parks Department office at Cumming City Park. No registration will be accepted on site at the camps. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. For additional information, call 781-2030. Buffington, who was a long-inning reliever this year, wound up the 199 C season with a 1-0 record. He received the opportunity to start three games, one of which he was victorious in. On March 16 he went four innings while beating Lake Michigan College. His first-ever college start came against Brewton-Parker as he went five in nings and allowed one run. “This was a year where I learned a lot more about pitching than I ever knew existed,” said Buffington. He was the only left-handed hurler on coach Robert Sapp's staff. He saw two innings of action during Middle Georgia’s playoff string. He pitched one inning against Gordon Junior College, striking out two, during the state tournament He also collected one strikeout during an inning of na tional tournament exposure. “I want to be a starter next year,” said Buffington. Carper agreed to being in the line up next year. “We worked hard this year and it paid dK” he said. “We’re going to be ready for more of the same thing this coming season.” FCHS tennis players honored at banquet By Mike Webber Sports Editor The Forsyth Central High School boys and girls varsity tennis teams held their annual banquet last week. Both teams had several award winners. Christine Pitts was honored as the Most Valuable Player on the girls varsity. Ali Streetman was honored as the team’s Most Improved Player while Leigh Godsey received recognition with the Coaches Award Ferrell Allen, Stephanie Harwell and Kelly Kohn were recognized for their contribution as senior players. Ben Shugart received the Most Valuable player on the boys team. Jonathan Bennett won the coaches award while Ryan Feeney was named Most Improved. Shugart, Bennett Chip Jordan and Mg Ron Buffington shakes hands after winning game [~£- 1 t , fraacißaft* > • £***** MVP Christine Pitts Mike Estler were also honored as se nior players. Georgia’s fishing luck There are three million licensed fish ermen in Georgia, and another three mil lion who can fish without licenses be cause of age (under 16 and over 65) According to the Georgia Department of Natural resources these fishermen con tribute nearly S3OO billion to the state’s economy. Lake Lanier ranks as the most-utilized Corps of Engineers reservoir in the en tire country. More than 24 million people visited its banks last year. Georgia also has four other reservoirs that rank in the nation’s top 10 in visita tion. They are Allatoona, Hartwell, Clarks Hill and George. Georgia also holds the longest unbro ken world fishing record. On June 2,1932, George Perry caught the world record largemouth bass in the Ocmulgee River. The fish weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces. What is interesting is that the record has held out all these years despite the largemouth bass being the South’s No. 1 game fish. Still, there are several other species of fish that continue to attract fishermen to Georgia's waters and banks. Here is a list of some popular Georgia fish and their state records. Georgia records Top marks Species Weight Largemouth bass 22-4 Spotted bass 8-12 Suwanee bass 3-9 Smallmouth bass 7-2 Shoal bass 8-3 Striped bass 63-0 Hybrid Bass 22-6 White bass 5-1 Redeye bass Black Crappie 4-4 White Crappie 5-0 Sunfish 1-43/4 Bluegill 3-5 Brown trout 18-2 Rainbow trout 15-0 Brook trout 5-10 Channel catfish 44-12 White catfish 3-10 Blue catfish 62-0 Carp 35-12 1B