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INSIDE: Scenes from
local all-star state
tourneys — page 3B
www.MainStreetNewsSPORTS.com
JULY 7,
2010
Phone: (706) 367-5233
Fax: (706) 387-5417
sports@mainstreetnews. com
Section B
Will prep
football season
divide families
and friends?
YOU’VE SEEN those
“house divided” car tags
for families that claim mul
tiple college allegiances.
Go ahead and print
up a few for the differ
ent high schools here.
It’s never too early to talk
a little football, and — as
mentioned in this column
space five weeks ago —
there will be four intense
intra-county gridiron games
this fall, three of which will
be Region 8-AA games.
There’s no telling how
many families will be split
along
school
lines or
how many
friends will
have to
do battle
against
each other.
Here is
the series of
civil wars
this fall:
•Jefferson
vs. Commerce (Aug. 27):
As usual, these long
standing enemies will
renew the county’s oldest
grudge match — essen
tially the local version
of Auburn-Alabama.
•Jackson County vs.
East Jackson (Sept. 17):
East Jackson will play the
school — Jackson County
— from which it extracted
its student population three
years ago when it formed.
That should be interesting.
•Jackson County vs.
Jefferson (Oct. 22): This is
a backyard brawl 25 years
in the making. Of course,
that’s the last time the two
neighboring schools played.
•East Jackson vs. Jefferson
(Oct. 29): The two will
tangle for the third straight
year in what looks like a
budding natural rivalry.
Last year’s Eagle-Dragon
showdown was the most
anticipated match-up
of the season locally.
Of course, the county
has always had its ongo
ing civil war with the
Jefferson and Commerce
series, which nearly dates
back to World War II.
But outside of Jefferson-
Commerce, there have
only been seven games
played between county
schools — seven.
What a difference
this year will make.
So much familiar
ity, so many family ties,
so much friendly rivalry,
so much to talk about.
And that’s what fuels high
school football fandom.
Parents on opposing sides
will scout these match
ups all week and certainly
express themselves on the
blogs. Then these same
parents will bring their
“mother bear” or “father
bear” intensity to the stands.
This means war to them. The
difference this year is that it
will mean war with neigh
bors, cousins, former team
mates — you get the idea.
Any high school football
season is met with antici
pation, especially here in
Georgia were the sport is
such a cultural standard.
But this one is spe
cial locally given
what’s on the table.
Hopefully everyone
will be on speaking terms
come Thanksgiving.
This could be fun.
Ben Munro is a reporter
for The Jackson Herald.
Triathlon
Triathlon tackles Alzheimer’s
LOCAL TRIATHLETE
Jefferson’s Denise Novicki is bring
ing the Tri2 Remember Triathlon to
Jackson County. Submitted photo
Jefferson triathlete starts
organization to fund research
By Ben Munro
JEFFERSON’S DENISE Novicki
is both a triathlete and the daughter of
someone who suffers
from Alzheimer’s
disease.
So when it came to
organizing an event
to draw awareness
and raise funding for
research, triathlons
were a natural fit.
“I love them,” said
Novicki, whose father has Alzheimer’s
disease. “It’s one of my passions ...
Jackson County
triathlon has a cause
•The first Tri2 Remember Triathlon
in Jackson County will raise money
to fund research for Alzheimer’s
disease and early onset Alzheimer’s.
This is blending the two, the pas
sion for triathlons and the love for
my dad.”
The Tri2 Remember Triathlon
is Sunday, July 18, at 7:30 a.m. at
Crow’s Lake near Jefferson.
Novicki, whose father was diag
nosed with early onset Alzheimer’s
seven years ago, founded the Tri2
Remember organization three years
ago to raise money through triath
lons.
Though the group has hosted
triathlons before, this is the first
Tri2 Remember event in Jackson
County. It will not only raise funds
for the Alzheimer’s Association,
but for the new “2 Remember”
Foundation as well. That group
is dedicated to research for early
onset Alzheimer’s.
The hope is that the Jackson
County Tri2 Remember triathlon
will generate between $10,000-
$15,000. The goal is to make this
an annual event, similar to the
See Triathlon on page 4B
COMING UP
•Tri2
Remember
Triathlon, July
18,7:30 p.m.,
Crow’s Lake
Track And Field
SETTING THE BAR HIGH
Rising JHS freshman Mason Hamrick will compete in the USA regional track
meet July 11 for a spot in the National Junior Olympics. Photo by Ben Munro
Aiming high
Rising JHS ninth grade pole vaulter sets sights on USA Jr. Olympics
By Ben Munro
T’S ALMOST by accident that ris
ing Jefferson High School freshman
Mason Hamrick pole vaults today.
While in middle school, he chose to
run track and field to. well, run. The
field events were an afterthought.
“I didn’t have one (a field event), so I
walked over here,” Hamrick said Thursday,
standing next to the JHS pole vault
ing pit, “and I kind of got sucked in.”
Hamrick hasn’t slowed since.
After a year of participation in the pole
vault, the 14-year-old Hamrick heads to
the USA Track and Field Regionals in
Greensboro, N.C. where he’ll compete
Sunday for a coveted spot in the USA
Track and Field National Junior Olympics
later this month in Sacramento. Calif. Next
spring, he plans to join the defending state
The Mason Hamrick file
•Age: 14
•Grade: Rising Jefferson High School freshman
•Sport: Pole vaulting
•What else: Is competing for a spot in the
USA Track National Jr. Olympics in California
champion Jefferson High School track
team, which just graduated a three-time
state pole vaulting champion, Tyler Porter.
Hamrick is already setting the bar
high for his own prep career.
“I’m going to try to win state
and be a four-timer,” he said.
Hamrick has been plenty busy
leading up to this point.
He has yet to lose in a career that
spans between 20 to 30 events.
See Hamrick on page 4B
All-Stars
Jefferson 14-year-old
all-stars to begin
state title defense
City rec department
hosting state all-star
tourney this week
THEJEFFERSON 14-year-
old baseball all-star team will
attempt to defend its state
championship this week
end at the state tournament,
which will
be held in
Jefferson.
Bracket
informa
tion and
schedules
can be
found at
www.jef-
fersonrec.
com.
Jefferson’s 14-year-old all
stars won a record-setting
fourth straight Dizzy Dean
District 6 championship
recently.
The all-star team — also
known as the “Dragons” —
has not lost a district game
during the four-year span.
Jefferson outscored its
opponents 51-5 in the four-
game sweep of the tourna
ment.
Coach Keith Lord’s
Dragons were led by the
stellar pitching of Chandler
Thompson (1.13 ERA),
Keenan Lord and Jace
McColskey, who all recorded
wins during the tournament.
Satchel Turpin and Tradd
Porter came in for relief,
while catcher Andy Nicolaus
threw out six runners.
The Dragons were led at
the plate by Keenan Lord
who batted a sizzling .678.
Not far behind him were Eli
Griffin at .636, Thompson
at .609. Kody McDonald at
.600 and Austin Mixon at
.556.
COMING UP
•The Dizzy
Dean 14-year-
old baseball
tourney starts
Thursday at
the Jefferson
Rec Dept.
STILL WINNING
The Jefferson 14-year-old all-star baseball team
hasn’t lost a district tournament game in four years.
The team claimed its fourth-straight district title
recently. Photo by Ben Munro
Sprint Cup Driver
Tests At Gresham
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Greg Biffle was in
Jefferson recently testing his Roush-Fenway Ford for
an upcoming NASCAR event. Biffle is one of several
NASCAR racers to take the high banks at Gresham
Motorsports Park over the past few months.
Photo by Brandon Reed
All-Stars
Local teams all-star compete at state
SEVERAL LOCAL all-star baseball teams
played in state tournaments this past week,
while others will begin this week.
Meanwhile, all Dizzy Dean state softball
tournament action starts Thursday and Friday
in Gordon County.
Here’s how the local
teams fared in “Class A”
tournament action:
•Playing at home,
Jefferson’s 13-year-old
baseball all-stars earned a
second-place finish, fall
ing to Cartersville in the
finals Monday. Jefferson
advanced to the third round
of the winners’ bracket with
victories over Powder Springs (Thursday)
and Druid Hills (Saturday) before losing to
Cartersville Saturday. The team, however.
COMING UP
•All softball
all-star games
start this
Thursday
and Friday
in Gordon
County.
rallied with victories over Powder Springs
and North Georgia Sunday and Ringgold
Monday to earn a rematch with Cartersville.
•In Alpharetta, Jackson County’s District 6
champion 12-year-old baseball all-stars fin
ished third in their tournament. The team beat
South Paulding Friday and Sandy Springs
Saturday before losing to Wills Park Sunday,
and then losing to Rome Monday in the los
ers’ bracket.
•At Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (LFO), the
District 6 champion 9-year-old Jefferson
baseball all-stars won their opener Friday
against Bremen but lost in the second round
to Winston Saturday, relegating it to the
loser’s backet. The team rebounded with a
victory over Boynton Sunday but fell to host
LFO Monday.
See All-stars on page 3B