About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 6, 2025)
Sports Loran Smith Columnist Mountain Encores that bring about good times in good places make one appre ciate life to the fullest and provide a renewal of faith in mankind — that we can find a way to peacefully coexist. When I am where nature and its splendorous attributes prevail, I am overcome with humility and thanksgiving. Glory, glory hallelujah! Here is where the leaves are at their autumnal best. The moderate temperatures, chilly mornings, and sunny afternoons, are compatible for singing “America the Beautiful.” Sleeping under a homemade comforter makes night’s sojourn one of restful gratefulness. We have returned to the vacation home and hospitality of Carolyn and Charlie Callihan, who are Athens residents with an affinity for mountain living, where the changing of the seasons brings inspi ration that rests gentle on the mind. Charlie is never still; perpetual motion is his speed. It gains in momentum when a black bear encroaches on his homestead tranquility, eliciting robust contempt from the Callihans’ Berne- doodles, Augie and Sophie. A smart man, Charlie steadfastly yields to the hibernating varmints, giving them plenty of room. An average of one person dies annually from a black bear attack in North Carolina, and he has deep and abiding antipathy for becoming a sobering statistic of the Tar Heel State. Upon arriving and unpacking the car for a short stay, Charlie even reminded his guests to “lock your car.” Yes, the cagey black bear is adept at opening car doors, but sometimes they are given to acts of forced entry. Charlie has a green thumb. He grows things — everything from tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, to collards, squash, and brussels sprouts, with morel mushrooms on deck for a future dinner. He and Carolyn are a team in the kitchen, with Charlie maintaining he is the incumbent chef to which Carolyn smiles and acquiesces. He is a versatile carver with artifacts from his woodworking shop, including bowls, Christmas decorations, mountain furniture, and platters, with all prominently displayed throughout their rustic abode. They enjoy entertaining their friends, cooking for them, turning dinner into MORE LIVING » B3 IAN TOCHER/Staff Getting into the Halloween spirit, Gatewood's ace cheerleading squad donned somewhat matching costumes Oct. 31 for the Gators vs. Heritage Hawks playoff game at Sammons Field in Eatonton. The only guideline was "tutus and ears," their coach said, and the girls pulled off the look to perfection.. Gators advance past Heritage in playoffs inn Ian Tocher ian@msgrnews.com The outcome was never in doubt Halloween night as Gatewood delivered a scary 47-13 beatdown to the visiting Heritage Hawks out of Newnan. It was an important win in the opening round of state playoffs, setting up a rematch against Southwest Georgia Academy (SGA) this Friday night in Damascus. “We’ve struggled the last couple of weeks. We have. We’ve struggled and it’s been tough on us,” Gatewood head coach Jeff Ratliff acknowledged of a three-game losing streak that wrapped up his team’s regular season. “But these guys, they kept fighting. They kept their heads up and came out here tonight and played hard and got the win and now it’s on to the next round. I’m proud of them.” Playing quarterback in place of his recently injured younger brother, Blake, senior Ben Brannen opened scoring with War Eagles seek deep playoff run LANCE McCURLEY/Staff Putnam County football players get ready to lead the rest of the team out onto the field before the game against Lamar County on Oct. 17. UTNAM a 5-yard rushing touchdown for the Gators with 3:08 left in the first quarter. Junior kicker Drew Love then tacked on the extra point. Gatewood didn’t strike again until 5:13 left in the second quarter when sophomore Talon Jones returned a punt for a touchdown. The point after attempt was blocked, however, leaving a 13-0 advantage for the home team. Brannen scored again, this time on a 31-yard rush with just under two minutes left in the half, as Gatewood led 20-0 after the extra point. It didn’t take long for the Gators — and Brannen — to score once more before the half ran out, as he scrambled from 31 yards out to send the teams off the field with a 27-0 lead for Gatewood. “Ben ran the option well, threw the ball well, and I mean he’s a senior and he’s good at what he does. We expected big MORE GATORS » B3 Thursday November 6, 2025 IAN TOCHER/Staff In addition to his lineman duties, Gatewood senior Colt Jenkins (45) also serves as the team's punter and delivered a couple of monster punts against Heritage, earning him Player of the Game honors from head coach Jeff Ratliff. Lance McCurley lance@msgrnews.com Putnam County had a bye for the last week of the regular season and found out its playoff fate last Saturday. The War Eagles finished the season with a 5-5 record. They were named the No. 20 seed in the Class A Division I power rankings and will face No. 13 Thomasville in the first round. “It’s great to be able to get the gear on again when a lot of teams have taken all their stuff off,” Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin said. “I think it’s a privilege for our kids to be tested for all the work they put in, and for our coaches, too, for all they’ve done throughout the season, to be one of 32 teams left in the state.” Harvin has led the program to the state playoffs for a third straight year — a notable achievement. The team has reached the postseason for seven consecutive years, dating back to Shaun Pope’s time as head coach. Now in his third season, Harvin thanked the school system’s administration and community for supporting the program. 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