Newspaper Page Text
The Jackson Herald
www.mamstreetnewssports.com
FOOTBALL, 2B
JCCHS'S
WILLIAMS
HONORED
WEIGHTLIFTING, 2B
MOON WINS
ANOTHER
NATIONAL
TITLE
May 31, 2017
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Section B
Girls’ golf
Jefferson
lands in top 10
behind Martin’s
runner-up finish
By Ben Munro
The Jefferson girls’ golf team
was able to re-write the finish to
its season.
After initially being left out of
the state tournament, the Lady
Dragons — buoyed by an individ
ual runner-up finish from Caro
line Martin
Next week
The Jackson
Herald will spot
light Caroline
Martin, the
Class 4A state
golf runner-up.
— shot a
team score
of 296
to place
eighth in
Class 4A in
Columbus
last week.
Martin
fell one stroke shy of finishing in
a three-way tie for the state title,
shooting a 75.
“We were very pleased to sneak
into the top eight, and obviously
ecstatic for Caroline to get state
runner-up,” coach Matt Sims said.
The tournament was limited
to a one-day tournament instead
of two days. The second round,
which was supposed to be played
last Tuesday (May 23), was
rained out.
Laura Leigh Feeman shot a 108
for Jefferson, which was added
to the state tournament field late
after not enough teams state-wide
shot a qualifying score.
Mikayla Simonton rounded out
the scoring with a 113.
Sims said that Feeman shot
four or five strokes better than her
season average, while Simonton
was “right on her average.”
“Obviously, Caroline’s 75
helped the cause a lot,” Sims said,
“but the other two that scored ...
they did what they were supposed
to do.”
Martin finished behind both
Caroline Craig of White County
and Hannah Jones of Blessed
Trinity, who both shot rounds
of 74.
Martin’s 75 was her best
18-hole score in any tournament
— school golf or junior golf.
“For her to go out there to
shoot a 75 under those condi
tions, as far as competing for
state and competing with girls
that are right there with her, that
was great for her,” Sims said.
Martin carded “three or four”
birdies on the road, according to
Sims.
“And those weren’t gimmies
either,” Sims said.
Martin drained a 20-foot birdie
putt on the 18th hole to close out
her round, but she did not have
the opportunity to make up the
one-stroke deficit after the tour
nament was called after Day 1.
The feeling, based on the weather
report for Tuesday, was that this
would be a one-day tournament
anyway.
“They kind of knew they had
to take advantage of that day. the
good weather,” Sims said.
Martin’s career round of 75
carried an added bonus in that it
unfolded in front of some college
coaches there scouting the tour
nament.
“Hopefully, that will draw a lit
tle more attention to her in terms
of opportunities moving forward
as far as college goes,” Sims said.
“She played really, really well.
For her to play 18 holes, and be
that consistent under that type of
pressure was pretty impressive.”
In many respects, Jefferson
was just happy to be there, after
finishing fifth at area and failing
to make the state tournament
cut. Only the top four teams out
of the area shooting qualifying
scores were granted spots to the
state tournament.
But that changed after the
Class 4A tournament field
was short on teams with qual
ifying scores and schools like
continued on 3B
Boys’ basketball
Gregg named CHS boys’ basketball head coach
By Charles Phelps
There’s nothing like a return home to
where you learned your craft.
More specifically, where you learned
your craft from your father. Now. you
will do what he did for you
and teach the next generation
about the sport they love.
Former Commerce High
School boys’ basketball play
er, Russ Gregg, is returning
to Commerce as the Tigers’
next head coach. Gregg takes
over for Andrew Williams,
who coached the Tigers for three seasons,
compiling a 10-66 record.
Gregg said he’s “excited” at the opportu
nity to coach at his alma mater and where
his dad once coached. Rex Gregg coached
the Tigers from 1980 to 2007, going 306-
326 during that span.
“I grew up there, I played there,” Gregg
said. “I played football, basketball and
baseball.
“It means a lot to be able to come home
and put the black and gold on again.”
Gregg graduated from Commerce in 1996
and was an all-state player his senior sea
son.
Gregg said the team is taking the new
system “one day at a time.”
“It’s going to take a little bit of time,” he
explained. “I do think very fast.
“We like to run. Practices are very intense.
They’11 have to adapt to my style.”
Gregg will bring in stuff he’s done at the
women’s college basketball level for the
last 15 years, plus stuff his dad taught, he
added. He wants the team to play “fast and
smart” as they begin to gel with the new
system.
“I think the biggest thing we have to
do is get the community back involved,”
Gregg said. “We’ve got to get the younger
kids coming through the system to have
some ownership of what it means to be at
Commerce.
“Not just for other sports but for bas
ketball as well, because I know in the last
couple of years we may have lost a couple
continued on 3B
GREGG
Athlete spotlight: Garmon Randolph
Girls’ golf
GAINING ATTENTION
Jefferson tight end Garmon Randolph is just starting the recruiting process but
has drawn interest from big-time schools like Georgia and Tennessee.
Photo by Ben Munro
Prospect potential
Recruiting target hopes for breakout junior year
By Ben Munro
efferson’s Garmon Randolph
would like to put together a high
light reel of sorts this upcoming
season to show college coaches.
The towering 6-6,218-
pound tight end is a rising
junior and knows this season year will
weigh heavily in his recruitment.
“(It’s) big,” Randolph said. “I’ve got to get
some film. I didn’t have that much last year.”
Randolph, pegged as an “intriguing athlete”
by recruiting gum Chad Simmons of Rivals,
com, is just starting the recruiting process but has
drawn interest from SEC schools like Georgia,
Tennessee and Kentucky. Randolph’s first col
lege visit was to Tennessee for its spring game,
“It’s very exciting,” Randolph said. “You
get to see lots of things. You get to see how the
atmosphere is and everything. It’s all good.”
Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart believes
Randolph is in line for some big-time offers.
“I think potentially he’s without question
a bonafide big-time DI prospect,” he said.
Cathcart points to Randolph’s height and
strength, ability to move and “excellent hands.”
Randolph is working on becoming “an out
standing route runner.” the coach adds.
“I certainly think the sky is the limit for where
he can go,” Cathcart said. “I think he’ll end up
on everybody’s list before it’s all said and done.”
The Randolph family is already familiar with
the recruiting process. Randolph’s older brother,
Joseph, plays Division I football at The Citadel.
“Obviously that family has done
continued on 3B
Lady Tigers
finish strong at
state tourney
By Charles Phelps
A young Commerce girls’ golf team
traveled to the Class A Public state
championship without much experi
ence, but judging by the play you never
could’ve guessed the youth of the team.
After rain shortened the two-round
tournament to only one, the Lady
Tigers finished the season with a
strong fourth-place finish at Landings
Golf Club in Warner Robins. The Lady
Tigers shot 198. Twelve teams compet
ed in the tournament.
“I am so proud of the hard work put
in by these ladies,” head coach Warren
Standridge said.
The Lady Tiger players are all fresh
men and sophomores.
“They really want to be great golfers
and the team chemistry is outstanding,”
Standridge said. “Even the girls not
playing in the tournament, went down
and stayed with the team and rode the
course to support their teammates.”
The Lady Tigers won the area tour
nament in April, and the expectations
from Standridge entering the state
tournament were to improve upon the
team’s area score. They bested it by six
strokes.
“That is impressive because it was a
new course the girls had only seen two
times,” he said. “I was so happy for the
ladies. It is always good to see hard
work pay off.
“We have our entire team back for
two more years. I think Commerce
women’s golf will be strong for years
to come. These ladies have set a great
foundation with hard work and dedica
tion to each other.”
McKenzie McRee led the Lady
Tigers with a 96. Autumn Mathis was
the second score to count, firing a 106.
BOYS FINISH 10TH AT STATE
The boys’ golf team also saw their
state tournament cut a round short. The
boys fired a one-day total of 388. good
enough for 10th place.
Jeremy Davis tied for fifth individu
ally. carding a 79. Josh Campbell shot
continued on 3B
Football
Jefferson set to host
annual 7-on-7 tourney
By Ben Munro
Here comes the more exciting part of
the summer high school football sched
ule for players.
The Jefferson football team will host
its annual 7-on-7 tournament this Friday
at 9 a.m„ giving the Dragons a break
from the perhaps more mundane task of
strength and conditioning.
“It’s a lot more fun kind of work for
them than it is maybe doing the power
cleans in the weight room,” Jefferson
coach Gene Cathcart said.
Jefferson expects to host around nine
or 10 teams with Grayson, Spartanburg
(S.C.). Gainesville, Alpharetta, Elbert
County and Habersham Central, among
others, expected to compete in the event.
“We’re very excited about hosting all
these quality teams and seeing how our
kids respond,” Cathcart said.
The tournament format under Cath
cart, who is in his first year as the Drag
ons’ head coach, will be very similar to
that under former coaches T. McFerrin
and Ben Hall.
Summer 7-on-7 competition allows
teams to install their passing offenses
during the offseason. Cathcart said he’s
excited to gauge how much his team has
progressed since spring football.
“Without question it gives us a tre
mendous advantage as high school
coaches to have the opportunity to
continued on 2B
TOUGH CATCH
Jefferson’s Josh Cochran makes a grab over a
defender during the Dragons’ offseason workout
on Thursday. Photo by Ben Munro
o