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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3B
READY TO LEAD
Jefferson senior Summer Bartek returns this year after
missing all of last year with a foot injury.
Photo by Ben Munro
Dragons look to
bounce back from
injury-filled 2009
By Ben Munro
NAME IT and the Jefferson
Dragon softball team probably
experienced it last year.
The litany of injuries striking
Jefferson players in 2009 includ
ed a tom knee, a shoulder injury, a
season-ending foot surgery, mys
terious foot swelling, pneumonia
and a broken arm in a golf carting
accident.
“My high school principal
laughed and said it was like a
MASH unit,” fourth-year Dragon
coach Brad Puckett said.
Though the rash of injuries cer
tainly hurt Jefferson last year, it
has left the Dragons - who went
9-12 and missed the state playoffs
-- with a roster chock full of play
ers with varsity experience.
“Last year, we had so many
injuries and we had to pull so
many from the JV” Puckett said.
“We were pulling people from
everywhere, but that experience
was very valuable to them.”
A much healthier Jefferson
team returns with a combined
10 starters between its different
lineup configurations last year.
In fact, the Dragons have gone
from banged-up to strong - liter
ally - in 2010.
“As far as physical strength
goes, this is probably one of the
strongest teams physically that
we’ve ever had.” Puckett said.
Leading the charge is senior
third baseman-shortstop
Summer Bartek, who’s perhaps
the Dragons most vocal leader.
Bartek is back after missing her
entire junior season due to foot
surgery and swung the hottest bat
in offseason scrimmages.
Puckett also points to his pitch
ing staff - senior Kara Perry and
sophomore Morgan McKinney.
“We’ve got two very solid
pitchers back who are doing an
outstanding job,” Puckett said.
Meanwhile, players like sopho
more Cathyn Knight demonstrat
ed “tremendous power” during
the summer, Puckett said. In fact,
Jefferson has enough solid bats in
the lineup that it will utilize two
different lineups depending on
who’s pitching.
When Perry is at the mound,
senior Kasey McDonald will man
first; junior Paige Pate, one of the
strongest players on the team,
will play second; McKinney,
last year’s RBI leader, is at third;
Bartek will play short; and junior
Jordan Whitfield will be behind
the plate.
When McKinney is pitching,
Bartek will shift to third and
Whitfield will move to shortstop.
JHS at a glance
•Last year: 9-12, missed state tour
nament
•Season opener: Aug. 13 at Jordan
tournament in Columbus
•What else: Jefferson was young
last year — six freshmen — and
experienced numerous injuries as it
missed the state playoffs for the first
time in several years. The Dragons
return 10 starters this year between
their different starting lineups.
In the outfield, Jefferson can
pick from five sophomores who
could potentially start: Tristan
McGarity, Anna Alexander,
Lindsey Miles, Knight and
Cason Anderson.
Other players on the varsity
include freshmen Ashley Boyd
and Savannah Snapp.
Jefferson will need that
wealth of experience to contend
with a Region 8-AA Puckett
calls “absolutely loaded.” The
Dragons are also in a region with
neighboring Jackson County
and East Jackson, which should
make things interesting.
“All of us being right here
together, I know there’s prob
ably a lot of anticipation about
all three of us playing to say the
least,” Puckett said.
Jefferson heads into this sea
son having not won a region
title since 2007 and missing the
state playoffs last season for the
first time in several years.
While the Dragons seek to
make amends in both areas, their
coach doesn’t want the team to
get too far ahead of itself.
“All that stuff is well and
good,” Puckett said. “But I ask
these young ladies to come out
here and play as hard as they
can for one another in each and
every moment. If we do that and
we do it as hard as we can, the
other stuff is going to fall where
it will.”
Puckett wants to avoid cliches
but stresses that the team’s goal
is to not look to look ahead.
Whether it be incorporating
Notre Dame’s motto “play like
a champion today,” showing
the halftime clip from “Lriday
Night Lights” or borrowing
from John Wooden’s Pyramid
of Success, Puckett said he’s
preaching accountability and
focus to the team - not region
title banners or getting back to
state right now.
“If at the end of this year, we
can walk off this field with no
regrets, then that’s a job well
done,” Puckett said.
Softball Previews
Three years later, JCCHS closing gap
l;
By Ben Munro
ISA ROBINSON is happy to
see what she now sees on a
1 daily basis as Jackson County’s
head softball coach — a full practice field.
Back in 2007 when Jackson
County split to form East Jackson,
the Panther softball program was left
with only 12 players that season.
Three years later, the program —
coming off a 16-15-1 campaign and
an appearance in the state tournament
— is 23 players strong, thanks to a
good crop of players rising through
the ranks since the school split.
“We’re finally building some momen
tum ...,” said Robinson, entering her
second season as head coach and fourth
overall at JCCHS said. “It’s just a matter
of those (players) coming up through the
program. It’s not me. It’s not the program
necessarily. It’s just the right time.”
A re-emerging Jackson County
program opens with rival Jefferson
at home Tuesday at 5:55 p.m.
Nearly the entire roster — includ
ing all starters — is still intact from
last year’s team that pushed an open
ing round state tournament series
against St. Pius X to three games.
Lor the first time since Robinson
has been on staff, the team has two
“true seniors” with Brooke Griggs
returning at shortstop and Jessica
Laird back in the outfield.
“They’ve gone all the way through
the program,” Robinson said.
The team has other leaders, too,
as it looks to build on last year’s
return to the state tournament.
Junior third baseman Ashley Lance
and junior pitcher Haley Shinall — who
has the potential to be a dominating
hurler, Robinson said — are stand
outs on this team, as is power-hitting
sophomore catcher Madison Whitmire,
who’s already attracting interest
from several Division I schools.
“So I’m expecting a lot out
of her,” Robinson said.
The same goes for Victoria Lontana,
who returns to the outfield as a sophomore,
Jackson County is still
sorting out the depth chart,
but others expected to
start this year are sopho
more Andrea Ledford
(first base). Haley Davis
(second base) and junior
Macey Latty (outfield).
Lreshman Kortnee
Satterfield is the squad’s
other pitcher. She doesn’t
have the speed of Shinall
but has demonstrated good
consistency, Robinson said.
Though the season
starts Tuesday, several of
Jackson County’s players
have played their share
of softball recently.
Whitmire spent last
week in Texas playing
in a national tournament,
while Shinall and Griggs
played in a national tourna
ment in Kentucky earlier
this summer. Eight of the
incoming freshmen also
played in the 14-and-under
Dizzy Dean softball world
series in Mississippi in July.
Another played in a tour
nament in Panama City.
“This year we have
more girls playing travel
ball, too,” Robinson
said. “So that’s helping
the year-round play.”
That hope is that a
busy offseason has kept
TRUE SENIOR
Brooke Griggs is one of two players on this year’s roster that has
played all four years at Jackson County. Photo by Ben Munro
Jackson County
at a glance
•Last year: 16-15-1, advanced to the first round
of the Class AAA state tournament.
•Season opener: Aug. 17 at home vs.
Jefferson
•What else: Jackson County's entire starting
lineup from last year's state tournament team
is back, including two seniors — Brooke Griggs
and Jessica Laird
them sharp for what should be a
compelling season locally.
Jackson County joins a region — 8-AA
— with nearby Jefferson and East Jackson.
Even though the Panthers were in a dif
ferent region prior to this year, Robinson
found it odd that Jefferson or East
Jackson didn’t appear on past schedules.
That changes this year, though.
“I think it’s good for our county to
have that type of rivalry,” Robinson said.
“I think it’s good for the turnout for our
games. It’s good for our community.”
While the year will be plenty chal
lenging — especially in Region
8-AA — Robinson hopes it’s a sea
son that doesn’t end until October in
Columbus, the site of the final three
rounds of the state tournament.
For a program that had just
12 players three years ago. it
is now has big-time goals.
“This year, we "re set on try
ing to get to Columbus,” Robinson
said. “Last year, we made it pretty
far, and this year we really feel we
have the potential to carry this thing
as far as we think it can go.”
Kids Festival.
(10:00 a.m ■ 2:00
Va
5th Annual Tree House Turbo Turtle Trek
Saturday, August 14 • 10:00 a.m. ■ 2:00 p.m.
Crow’s Lake, Jefferson
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