Newspaper Page Text
hjoylh Coim.v Ne»s-W«dnwday.Januar> 11,1999
NF girls top
Dawson,
but boys
lose in final
minutes
By Jonathan Hamilton
Sports Writer
After a tough loss to a region
foe on the road Friday night, the
North Forsyth girls’ basketball
team bounced back by over
whelming Dawson County at
home Saturday, 59-40.
The win improved North’s over
all record to 8-7 after they had
dropped to .500 and 3-4 in 7-AA
Friday.
The loss put Dawson, formerly a
region foe the last two years, at 3-
10 on the season.
The Lady Raiders held a com
manding 36-19 lead midway
through the third quarter as
Lauren Gaines pumped in a
game-high 23 points to pace the
host squad.
But Gaines was hardly the only
offensive force for North. Deidre
Lotspeich added 15 and Cassi
Bennett 11 to account for all but
10 of North’s points.
For the final quarter-and-a-half
the Dawson offense began to
catch fire, staying right with
North as the Lady Tigers poured
in 21, led by Stephanie Miller
with a team-high 11.
Dawson had given North more
problems before succumbing, 52-
47, when they played at the Ford
Phillips Center back in early
December. But this time the Lady
Raiders were ready to rock after
Friday night.
“It’s great to win,” said head
coach Tntey Tipton. “We played
better oiEoffense ... We got to
work everyone into the game and
that is always a good thing.”
While the coach noted that work
still needed to be done on
defense, she added. “’Ve can take
this win and build un it; this game
See NORTH, Page 3B
WEEK IN SPORTS I
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The best of the best!
North Forsyth’s Crystal Carlyle and head coach Byron Orr posed for
this shot after the state title last fall. Now they are GACA North Player
of the Year and Coach of the Year.
South celebrates a
record-setting ’9B
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
A season of unprecedented
success was celebrated last
Thursday evening in the spank
ing new auditorium on the cam
pus of South Forsyth.
And after a record 9-3 cam
paign that included the school’s
first-ever playoff victory, War
Eagle football in 1998 was
indeed something to celebrate.
Everyone got to come up on
the new stage as awards of all
sorts were handed out. South
head coach Norris Vaughan, 24-
9-1 in three years at the SFHS
helm, said that awards were not
to be handed out for “physical
ability” and “achievement”, but
War Eagles who had great
accomplishments of every kind
Forsyth wrestlers fare well against tough competition
At Amicalola
Classic, War
Eagles are fifth
By Jonathan Hamilton
■ Sports Writer
Wrestling teams from South
Forsyth and Forsyth Central got
some heady competition to
toughen them for their area and
state tournament runs last week
end when they traveled to the
Amicalola Classic at the Ford
Phillips Center in Dawsonville.
The 14 teams participating in
this year’s mat action of the .
annual tournament - along with ;
the two local teams and host :
Dawson County - were Buford,
Fannin County, Hart County, '
Jackson County, Jefferson,
Lumpkin County, Oglethorpe
County and Pickens County.
From the opening match on
Friday night, until early Saturday
evening, the action was fast and
furious as one would expect
when you get this many top
teams together under one roof.
“To make yourself better, you
face the best competition in the
area like at this tournament,” said
South wrestling coach John
Allen. “Coach Stuart
Cunningham has really done an
excellent job organizing this
event and ensuring that things
run smoothly.”
The War Eagles had five place
in the top four, and scored 123
points to take Sth place among
the teams. Jefferson won with
243.5, while Jackson County was
second with 208, Dawson third
I
| Upon Further Reveivv |
| with Denton Ashway I
were recognized.
The evening peaked when the
final award - The Champions
Award - was handed out to
Scott Smith. The incredible sea
son for the All-State Honorable
Mention senior on both sides of
the ball - 1,212 yards rushing
and 18 TDs on offense, 89 tack
les from his linebacker spot on
‘D’ - is only part of a story that
includes a “close to 4.0 GPA.”
Brian Fox, the Class AA All-
State and all-everything defen
sive star who’s committed to
East Carolina, was given a spe
cial All-State award. It was the
first of its kind ever given out at
South.
Moments earlier, the War
Eagle Award -for “character,
See AWARDS, Page 2B
i SET 1
Photo/Jonathan Hamilton
En route to a title
South Forsyth’s Matt Guion (top) is on his way to a championship victory in the 160-pound
class at the Amicalola Classic in Dawsonville Saturday.
with 197 and Lumpkin County
fourth with 175.
Matt Guion led the way for
South by claiming the title at 160
pounds. Arthur Murray also had
a tremendous effort, taking the
runner-up spot at 125.
Thirds went to Greg/Cherry
(135) and Ben Wheeler (145),
and a fourth went to Robert
Sexton (215). Central had a third
from Price at 160 and a
f - ~
Carlyle, Orr sweep top
GACA softball honors
SF’s Lively, NF’s Bennett also on North All-Stars
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
Though they surely knew that they would
learn of it soon, selection to the GACA softball
honors were probably the last thing on the
minds of Lady Raider seniors Crystal Carlyle
and Cassi Bennett during their North Forsyth
basketball games Saturday night - even as they
were receiving their state championship rings.
Yet an announcement from Richard Gill on
the P.A. system at Raider Arena confirmed
what everyone had hoped for: Carlyle and
Bennett had not only been chosen to represent
the North team for the June 10 state all-star
games, but Carlyle had become the second
straight Lady Raider to win the GACA North
Player of the Year Award.
Carlyle and Bennett were joined by South
Forsyth senior Beth Lively as participants in the
all-star series, while NFHS head coach Byron
ml " KA *
If i
Photo/Stephen Underwood
War Eagle standouts
Award winners and seniors from the South Forsyth Football banquet include (back row, L-R)
Taylor Ownbey, Robert Sexton, Drew Holahan, Scott Smith, Brian Fox, Jason Payne, Derek Drew
and Beau Johnson. Front row (L-R): Dusty Tate, Blake Brewer, Eli Mitchell, Scott Hudgins, Mark
Nash, Lance Callas and David Dyer.
fourth from Tommy Henderson
at 171.
Guion whipped Green of
Jefferson, 8-4, to take the final.
Earlier, the junior had beaten
Price of Central, 11-2. But Price
went on tq get the Buljdogs*
highest placing.
“I felt pretty good today,” said
Guion. “Wrestling Chris Price
was not an easy start to the day. I
feel strong; itioas a good win.”
This Week in Fishing
with Ken Sturdivant
MGE2B
“Facing strong competition pre
pares us for the competition that
we will face in the area and state
tournaments,” he added.
Coach Allen said the Christmas
break and the bad weather has
hurt his team’s conditioning, but
that they should be well prepared
for the area.
“We have a young inexperi-
See SOOTH Page 3B
Orr was an equally obvious choice for another
GACA North Coach of the Year award.
Not only has the North Forsyth and the county
had the 1997 GACA North Player of the Year
choice in Kevia Brown, but Forsyth Central’s
Neva Gravitt also claimed the honor in 1993.
Both Carlyle and Bennett were stunned when
the announcement came.
“I was kinda shocked about this,” Carlyle
said, “but I am glad that one of my teammates
is going and also Beth Lively as well. It is nice
to be going with some people that I know.”
“I didn’t expect it,” said Bennett. “I am very
excited and really shocked. This was a big sur
prise. It is kind of overwhelming.”
Orr was certainly less surprised that two of his
stars are receiving such recognition.
“Both Crystal and Cassi deserved to be select
ed for this team,” he said. “I can’t think of any-
See GACA, Page 2B
North finds the
grappling tough
at Murray Co.
By Stephen Underwood
Sports Editor
The North Forsyth wrestling
team faced some of the state’s
toughest squads Friday night in
Chatsworth. And despite getting
just a tie in four matches, the
Raiders hope they laid some of
the foundation for the competi
, tion they’ll face at Area and State.
North had also beaten Buford
and Eastside by huge margins
Tuesday. Friday, however, Coach
Richard Lowe was without four
starters due to illness.
Still, the mentor was glad for
the challenges - which will con
tinue this Saturday when North
hosts the Coal Mountain Classic
(10 a.m.).
“It was our toughest competition
yet,” he said. “It was good and the
kids learned a lot”
The Raiders wrestled four times
Friday, the best outcome being a
38-38 tie vs. Woodland. However,
they nearly topped Class AA No.
6 Dade County in their final
match, losing 39-30.
Their opener was a killer The
Class AAA No. 1 hosts of
Murray County topped them, 60-
18. Finally, North lost their sec
ond match to LaFayette, 48-33.
Two Raider grapplers won all
four of their matches. At 103
pounds, Jason Carroll beat
Murray and Woodland matches
See Page 3B
B