About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2025)
B2 | THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2025 The Eatonton Alessenger www.msgrnews.com MENT-FI CONTRIBUTED Byron Kenney with his award-winning fish. 2 son. pater-int betrad -7Ter GHSA tightens transfer rules Monticello angler wins Lake Sinclair bass tourney Last Saturday, Monti cello’s Byron Kenney caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) presented by T-H Marine on Lake Sinclair presented by Suzuki Marine. The tour nament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Bulldog Division. It was the first official tournament this year for Kenney, but his fourth Major League Fishing win. He earned $3,641 for the victory. “I started fishing docks with a jig, and the Lord just blessed me with the good ones, I guess,” Kenney said. “I didn’t catch a lot of fish. I caught eight or nine. I wish I could say there was BANK OF iMADISON mm IV MWLIOI X COMMITMENT: HERE. NOW. ALWAYS. Contact us for your Lot and Construction Loans! Member FDIC some rhyme or reason (to where he caught them), but really it was just covering as much water as possible.” Kenney said he caught his winning fish on a 1/2-ounce “nothing special” jig. Top-5 finishers & purses 1. Byron Kenney, Monti cello, Ga., five bass, 17-10, $3,641 2. John Pearson, Perry, Ga., five bass, 15-8, $1,820 3. Ryan Thomas, Madison, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $1,214 4. Jamie M. Fountain, East Dublin, Ga., five bass, 15-2, $950 5. David Millsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $1,228 COME IN AND MEET THE LAKE TEAM Lake Country Loan Production Office 1041 Founders Row Greensboro, GA 30642 (762) 445-1133 Main Office 133 N. Main St., Madison (706) 342-1953 Eatonton Rd Branch 1540 Eatonton Rd., Madison (706) 342-1953 Bank of Social Circle A Division of Bank of Madison 1281 N. Cherokee Rd., Social Circle (770) 464-0213 www.bankofmadisonga.com CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS R R S REFER TO PUZZLE ON PAGE C5 Complete results can be found at MajorLeague- Fishing.com. Michael Dike III of Acworth caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $475, while Covington’s Jacob Chan dler won the co-angler division and $1,820 after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 15 ounces. The fifth and final regular-season event for BFL Bulldog Divi sion anglers will be held Aug. 23-24, at Lake Lanier in Gainesville. To register for the event as a boater or as a co-an- gler, visit MajorLeague- |Fishing.com or call 270-252-1000. — Contributed Lance McCurley lance@msgrnews.com According to a report released by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week, the Georgia High School Associa tion (GHSA) is revising its bylaws concerning transfers. If approved next month by the GHSA Board of Trustees, “High school athletes who change schools twice after the ninth grade will be inel igible for a year,” unless they win a hardship appeal. This is for athletes who wish to transfer to another GHSA-member school, excluding GIAA. The proposal passed with an 11-1 vote. If approved next month, it would take effect Aug. 1 for the 2025-26 academic school year. The GHSA has been attempting to crack down on transfers between member schools for some time. “We’re an educa tion-based organization, and we want to make sure that when student-ath letes move, they’re not moving for athletic purposes,” GHSA Exec utive Director Tim Scott told the AJC. “Situations change, and families move due to job changes or whatever, so we’ve added a few things to make sure it’s not just for athletics.” The GHSA is enforcing stricter rules by requiring schools to submit verifica tion of a move for imme diate eligibility. They must provide copies of driver’s licenses, lease agreements SUMMER CONTINUED FROM » B1 during the offseason. He said it has tremendously assisted his players. Arrington has empha sized the importance of training hard in the offseason. “We focused a lot on conditioning,” Arrington for families, and even utility bills as evidence that a family has indeed relocated to a new school district. Some high-profile cases within the state include former four- star basketball prospect Jacob Wilkins, the son of University of Georgia and Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins. Jacob Wilkins attended three different high schools in four years. He began at Heritage-Co- nyers as a freshman, then played at Parkview as a sophomore, before finishing his career at Grayson, where he helped the Rams win the 2023-24 Class 7A title. Jacob Wilkins is now enrolled at UGA. Another prominent case was Brayden Jacobs, son of former NFL star Brandon Jacobs. Brayden Jacobs, now a freshman offensive lineman at Clemson, played at St. Frances, Buford, and Milton during his high school career. According to the AJC, athletes who transfer more than once would be ineligible at their school said. “We got with our head track coach, and he put together a phenomenal conditioning program that we’ve been following every day in practice. It just feels really good to see all the pieces coming together. Were making small goals day by day and achieving them, and now we’re going to set new goals for tomorrow.” Putnam’s girls have responded well, especially returnees Journey Waller and Jaikarccie Smith. Other Lady War Eagles include Eriyana Little, Kadyn Dennis, Melody Richardson, and A’Ziyah Williams, among others. Arrington didn’t want to provide specific names, but said some rising ninth-graders have been performing well, too. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff Putnam County head coach Derrick Arrington will be going into his third season with the team this upcoming fall. unless they win a hardship waiver. Student athletes who transfer just once aren’t under scrutiny of the new bylaw change. Another bylaw change by the GHSA “would make transfers ineligible if a student moves from one parent’s residence to the other in a different school district, unless both parents are listed on the student’s birth certificate.” This provision is aimed at preventing families from circumventing eligibility rules through custody agreements. Scott said he wants to protect the integrity of high school athletics in the state of Georgia. He told the AJC that “about 5,916 of the GHSA’s 462,492 athletes were transfers” during the 2024-25 academic school year. “Academically, it’s not good to have a lot of moves,” Scott said. “We understand some students have to move for many reasons, but we want to continue to stress we’re education-based, and the most important thing is to prepare students for post-secondary education.” “We have a couple of rising ninth graders playing with the varsity team this summer, and they’re doing a really good job,” Arrington said. “We have a rising sophomore guard who has grown a lot from freshman to sophomore year, and, of course, the usual names — our returning seniors are performing well, and the rising juniors are also doing great. Everyone who has been coming out this summer is taking steps to put together a really productive summer that we’ll carry over into the offseason and into the regular season.” Putnam will wrap up its schedule next week with a trip to Clayton State to play its last summer league games.
