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INSIDE: Sea Dragons
sending 44 to
state — page 3B
www.MainStreetNewsSPORTS.com
JULY 14,
2010
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Section B
All-Stars
Three local
LOCAL ALL-STAR teams enjoyed a stellar run
through district tournament play but weren’t content
to stop there.
The Jackson County and Jefferson parks and rec
reation departments combined to win three state titles
in recent all-star action as local squads continue their
red-hot postseason play.
Jefferson’s 14-year-old all-stars won a state title in
baseball, while Jackson County teams boasted two
state softball titles, with the 8-and-under and 14-and-
under teams both winning state championships over
the weekend.
World Series tournaments are next for some of the
local all-stars. Paired with eight district champion
ships, local all-star squads have won 11 titles this
all-star season.
Here’s a run down of the action:
•The Jefferson 14-year-old baseball all-stars won
a 10-inning thriller over Rome, 8-3, Tuesday night to
win the Dizzy Dean state tournament tide. The same
group won the state title as 13-year-olds last year.
teams grab
A full trophy case
•Local all-star teams have won 11 champion
ships during this all-star season: three state
titles and eight district championships
The Jefferson team, also known as the Dragons,
hosted the state tournament and went unbeaten on
its home turf en route to the tide, downing Shaw
Park, Powder Springs, Rome, Rock Springs and
then Rome again in the finals.
•The 8-and-under all-stars went undefeated in
their march to the championship in Gordon County,
beating Bartow County, Gordon County, Fannin
County and then Fannin County again, 12-11, for
the title.
•Jackson County’s 14-and-under softball all-stars
also went unbeaten in claiming their championship
in Gordon County, beating Carroll County and then
Fannin County twice. The team took the second
matchup against Fannin County 13-5 to win the
state titles
state title, avenging a loss to that team during the
district finals.
•Jackson County boasted a second-place finish
in the 10-and-under ranks, losing to Rossville 9-4
in the finals in Gordon County. Winners of the
District 6 tournament. Jackson County’s 10-and-
under squad beat Commerce to open state tour
nament play, but lost to Rossville in the second
round. Jackson County staved off elimination
with another victory over Commerce in the losers’
bracket, propelling the team to the finals where it
lost to Rossvillle.
•Jackson County finished third in the state in the
12-and-under division, with first-round victories
over “Maximum Heat” and Fannin County before
losing to Chickamauga and Carroll County in their
tournament in Gordon County.
Jackson County’s three remaining all-star base
ball teams all exited in either the first or second
round of the losers’ brackets of their tournaments
over the weekend.
Prep Basketball
Parks And Recreation
A BUSY PLACE
Jefferson Parks and Recreation, headed by Colton Green (above), has seen a major increase in the
athletic programs and classes it’s offered in the last four years. Photo by Ben Munro
A hub of activity
E. Jackson
names girls’
hoops coach
By Brandon Reed
THE EAST JACKSON Lady
Eagles basketball program has
a new coach heading up their
efforts.
Katie David, former assis
tant coach at Gainesville, has
been announced to take over the
position of head coach for the
Lady Eagles. The spot was left
vacant when former coach Amy
Larimer left to go to Walnut
Grove following the 2009-2010
school year. Larimer had served
in that capacity since the school
opened in 2007.
David, according to EJCHS
Athletic Director Johnny Tucker,
came highly recommended.
David started attended
South Forsyth High School in
Cumming, where she played
basketball. She attended
Piedmont College in Demorest,
where she played all four years,
then served as an assistant coach
to the Lady Lions for a year.
In 2005, David moved to
Phoenix, Arizona, where she
served first as an assistant coach,
then as a head coach at an area
high school.
See David on page 2B
The Katie David file
•Position: New East Jackson
girls’ basketball coach
•Career: served as a high school
assistant coach and head coach
in Arizona before taking an
assistant position at Gainesville.
She also spent a year as an
assistant at Piedmont College.
•Playing experience: South
Forsyth H.S. and four years
at Piedmont College.
Jefferson Rec programs,
classes have exploded in
the last four years
By Ben Munro
OLTON GREEN notes
a rare downtime at
the Jefferson Parks
and Recreation Complex while
sitting at his desk at about 2
p.m. on a Thursday afternoon.
“It’s actually an eerily quiet
time because most of our summer
campers are on a field trip right
now,” the JPR director explained.
That silence doesn’t
usually last.
Roughly 4,500 people use
Jefferson Parks and Recreation
(JPR) facilities annually through
sports programs and classes as the
A popular hangout
•Jefferson Parks and Rec proj
ects that 4,500 citizens use its
facilities through classes and
sports programs annually. The
department recoups 47.8 percent
of its yearly budget, accord
ing to director Colton Green.
complex continues to be a busy
center of activity for the city.
“When you consider WOW
boot camp starting at 5 a.m. ...
from 5 a.m. to 11 or 12 o’clock
at night, there’s stuff going
on out here,” Green said.
While these are certainly
busy times for JPR, it’s been
a busy four years in general.
The department moved from
its old headquarters on Mahaffey
Street to its new, bond-funded
complex on Old Pendergrass
Road in February of 2006 and
hasn’t looked back. Green said.
“So we’ve gone from that
to this ... The city council
has done a phenomenal job
of making a commitment to
recreation and a high-quality
level of services,” Green said.
At the time it moved. JPR
offered five sports programs and
two classes. There are now 21
athletic programs and camps to
choose from and 14 classes to
sign up for. Meanwhile. JRP is
recouping 47.8 percent of its
budget, the highest rate of any
recreation department in the
state as far as Green knows.
See Jefferson Rec on page 2B
Dizzy Dean Baseball
Jackson County’s ‘summer’ classic
Dizzy Dean world series
comes to Lamar Murphy Park
By Ben Munro
THE “WORLD” will be watch
ing Jackson County — the Dizzy
Dean baseball world, that is.
Workers at the Jackson County
Parks andRecreation
Department are
readying Lamar
Murphy Park for 16
teams from six states
for the 13-year-old
Dizzy Dean base
ball world series.
Opening ceremonies
are Thursday. Play
runs from Friday to Wednesday.
COMING UP
•13-yr.-old
Dizzy Dean
World Series,
Fri.-Wed.,
Lamar
Murphy Park
SITE OF THE SERIES
Lamar Murphy Park will host this year’s 13-year-old Dizzy Dean
World Series. Photo by Ben Munro
“I’m excited about the 13-year-
old world series,” JCPR director
Rick Sanders said. “It’s a good
level of baseball ... We’ve got
a good group of teams from the
southeast.”
Sanders expects the tournament
will draw between 1,000 to 1,500
spectators, though not all at the
same time, except maybe for the
opening ceremonies Thursday. He
doesn’t anticipate any traffic prob
lems during the tournament.
“It’s not going to be bumper-to-
bumper,” Sanders said. “It’s noth
ing that’s going to stop up down
town Commerce or Jefferson.”
This is the second-consecutive
year the Jackson County Parks and
Recreation Department has hosted
a world series. Last year’s 11-year-
old world series was played at East
Jackson Park.
Sanders said recreation depart
ment crews have been manicuring
See World Series on page 2B
East Jackson’s Tyler Collins
outruns Manchester defenders
last year in the playoffs.
Photo by Ben Munro
Prep Football
East Jackson
gears up for
2010 schedule
By Brandon Reed
THE CLOCK is ticking down
for the Eagle Nation as anticipation
builds for the 2010 season of East
Jackson Eagles football.
Last week, time became a little
tighter as the GHSA cemented the
schedules for the upcoming season.
The season opens with pairings
against two teams that the Eagles
have never faced before. The sea
son opener will be on Aug. 27, as
East Jackson plays host to the White
County Warriors.
“White is supposed to be loaded,”
said coach Frank Caputo. “They’re
supposed to be a very good team
with a good quarterback, good run
ning backs, good line backers and
good receivers. I’m hearing that
they are a really good team. We’re
going to have to be prepared for
those guys.
“I think it’s going to be a very for
midable challenge for our opener.”
East Jackson will follow that with
a trip to Oconee County to face
another Warriors team on September
3.
“Oconee is right here in the area, so
there’s no reason why we shouldn’t
be able to develop a friendly rivalry
with them and hopefully be able to
play them for a long time,” Caputo
said. “I think they’ll have a really
good football team.”
East Jackson will then go on to
face Banks County in a region cross
over game on Sept. 10 at Homer.
The Eagles then begin region play
on Sept. 17 in what’s sure to be an
attention grabbing game.
That night, East Jackson will face
off against Jackson County for the
first time on the football field in
a contest slated to be played at
EJCHS.
“I would think it will be a pret
ty big game for both schools, the
community and the school system,”
Caputo said. “I think it will be a big
football game for several reasons.
For one it will be a region game,
second, it will be a rivalry, and third,
we basically broke off from them.”
From there, the Eagles will travel
to Oglethorpe County on Sept. 24,
then play host to Hart County, anoth
er team that is new to East Jackson’s
region schedule, on Oct. 1.
“Hart County, traditionally, is
always very, very good,” Caputo
said. “It’s going to be interesting to
see what style of football they play,
and how big they are, how fast they
are, all that stuff. They’re suppos
edly one of the best teams in AAA
in the state year in and year out, so
we’ll have our hands full.”
After a bye week, the Eagles will
return to action on Oct. 15, as they
play host to North Oconee. On Oct.
22. East Jackson will travel to Elbert
County to face the Blue Devils in
Elberton.
“With Elbert county, we’ve had
a chance to play them in the lower
levels and that’s been really good,”
See East Jackson on page 2B