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The Jackson Herald
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TENNIS HONORS, 4B
MAINSTREET
NEWSPAPERS
ALL-AREA TEAM
SUMMER CAMPS, 2B
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LOCAL SPORTS
CAMPS
june 7, 2017
Phone: (706) 367-5233
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Section B
Football
Dragons reach
finals of own
7-on-7 tourney
By Ben Munro
While actual football games
are still over two months away,
Jefferson is faring well on the
summertime gridiron.
The Dragons went 7-3-1 on
Friday during its annual 7-on-7
tournament, losing in the finals
in overtime to defending Class
7A champion Grayson.
“We played everybody real
ly well,’' Jefferson coach Gene
Cathcart said. “We had a lot
of good moments. I was really
proud of how our kids compet
ed, especially missing some ...
I was really proud of how they
got after it.”
Jefferson’s tournament run
included a win over Grayson
during the pool play portion of
the event before eventually fac
ing off with the Rams again in
the finals.
“The one where we beat
Grayson was certainly the best
one we played and played well
in the overtime deal, too.” Cath
cart said.
While the chance to earn wins
provided a competitive edge to
the tournament, the pad-less,
non-tackle, half-hour scrim
mages allowed everyone on the
Dragon roster the chance to play
multiple reps.
Cathcart said the team was
without a number of players due
to other obligations.
“We tried to play a lot of peo
ple — everyone that was there
since we were so undermanned
in terms of numbers,” Cathcart
said. “We tried to make sure we
played everybody.”
The Dragons rotated quarter
backs Colby Clark and Bryce
Moore — who have a combined
26 varsity starts — throughout
the day-long event. Cathcart said
both quarterbacks threw the ball
well.
“Without question, they both
did some awfully good things
and both led us on big drives ...
Both of them did a great job of
moving our team and getting our
team into the end zone,” Cath
cart said.
Tight end Garmon Randolph
had one of the biggest days
catching the ball.
“I’ve seen him kind of grow
from spring practice to the sum
mer.” Cathcart said. “He had one
of the best days he’s had as a
Dragon in this sort of deal.”
Cathcart also said receiver
Sammy Elegreet “was outstand
ing,” while Tyler Roberts had
a strong day on offense and
defense. Josh Cochran “made
some big catches for us,” Cath
cart added, as did Dylan Chil
dress.
Justin Cole and Donsha Gaith
er both had big days catching the
ball out of the backfield. accord-
continued on 2B
Football
Eagles look to ramp up passing game in 7-on-7s
By Ben Munro
For a football team looking to put
the ball in the air more than it did
last year, the chance to throw the ball
against opposing defenses this sum
mer couldn’t arrive at a more oppor
tune time.
East Jackson, under new coach
Scott Wilkins, will compete at a 7-on-
7 event at Athens Christian later this
month (June 29) and are scheduled for
an offseason training activity day on
July 13 with Elbert County, Oconee
County and Commerce, which will
include 7-on-7 competition.
The team also holds intrasquad 7-on-
7 competitions three days a week.
“It’s huge because you kind of get
the feel for what you can do, and
there’s no sense in getting to the
season and try to do something that
you’re not able to do,” said Wilkins,
who served as the Eagles’ offensive
coordinator last year before being pro
moted to head coach.
East Jackson has brought in a new
offensive coordinator. Ricky Bustle,
who helped Prince Avenue transition
from a run-oriented Wing-T team to
one that threw for over 2,000 yards.
The Eagles will need a new trigger
man to run Bustle’s more pass-friend-
continued on 3B
RECEPTION
East Jackson’s Marcus Wingfield, shown here during
spring practice, catches a pass. Photo by Ben Munro
Athlete spotlight: Caroline Martin
Making her mark
BRINGING HER ‘A’ GAME
After a successful junior season, which included winning the county
golf title and finishing as the Class 4A state runner-up, Jefferson’s
Caroline Martin awaits a busy junior golf schedule this summer.
Photo by Ben Munro
Jefferson’s Caroline Martin ranks
among Class 4A’s best golfers
By Ben Munro
It began several years ago
as father-daughter bonding
experience for Caroline Mar
tin.
Her dad was an avid golfer
and he urged Martin to pick
up a club as well.
“He plays golf and he plays
all the time.” said Martin,
who is a rising senior at Jef
ferson High School. “He just
loves it so much. That was
just something we could do
together when I was young
er.”
Golf became much more
than just a day with dad, how
ever, for Martin.
Martin, who took up les
sons in the “fifth or sixth
grade,” has molded herself
into one of the best golfers in
the state heading into her final
year of high school. Martin
carded a career-best 75 at the
state tournament on May 22
in Columbus, finishing as the
Class 4A state runner-up, one
stroke off the lead.
Martin will be among the
favorites to compete for the
Class 4A championship next
year.
The state runner-up show
ing capped a successful
junior campaign for Martin.
She finished the season with
a nine-hole average of 43
and an 18-hole average of
85 and is the reigning coun
ty champion after firing an
even-par 36 at Double Oaks
Golf Course in March.
“I’m happy with how it
played out,” Martin said of
the season. “And in tourna
ments I’ve been playing pret
ty well lately. Some of the
high school matches I didn’t
finish as good as I wanted to,
but most of them I was OK
with.”
Of course, she saved the
best for last in her high school
season with her tour-de-force
at the state tournament.
While Martin was some
what surprised with the high
finish, there were indicators
going into the state tourna
ment that she was in store for
a low round.
She’d practiced every day
for two weeks to prep for her
tournament and was striking
the ball very well. Despite
shooting a 92 at the area tour
nament, Martin entered the
state tournament brimming
with confidence.
Then her putter kicked in
in Columbus. In fact, she
drained a 20-footer on No. 18
for birdie to close her round.
“I was just striking the ball
very well and my putting
definitely helped it out a little
bit,” Martin said. “I didn’t
have any three putts, I don’t
think. That definitely helped
me out. I was just rolling the
ball very well.”
Martin finished the first
day of the tournament well
positioned to win a state title,
trailing both Caroline Craig
(White County) and Han
nah Jones (Blessed Trinity)
by just one stroke. But Day
2 never materialized as rain
washed out the second round.
The Day 1 results determined
the final finish in Class 4A.
Martin had mixed feelings
about not being able to com
plete what she started.
“I was a little disappointed,”
Martin said. “I wanted to get
back out there and play, but
then again, it would have been
muddy, and it wouldn’t have
continued on 3B
Swimming
Baseball
Sea Dragons dominate seasonopening meet
The Jefferson Sea Dragon
swimming team didn’t waste any
time in exerting its dominance in
the pool.
Spurred by 16 first-place finish
es, the Sea Dragons totaled 1,750
points in their season-opener on
Saturday at the Splash Meet in
Habersham County, winning the
event by 540 points.
Jefferson also took first in the
girls’ and boys’ team standings.
Ansley Nunnally produced a
monster performance, taking
home five first-place ribbons.
The girls’ 10U swimmer won the
50-yard freestyle (30.52), 25-yard
freestyle (14.09), 100-yard indi
vidual medley (1:20.52), 25-yard
backstroke (17.85) and 25-yard
butterfly (16.19) in her age divi
sion.
Katherine Law won four 12U
girls’ events, touching the wall
first in the 100-yard freestyle
(57.74), 50-yard freestyle (26.88).
50-yard breaststroke (39.88) and
50-yard backstroke,
Joshua Joransen, a boys 18U
swimmer, won four times as well,
placing first in the 100-yard free
style (55.13), 50-yard freestyle
(24.98), 100-yard individual med
ley (1:04.79) and 50-yard butter
fly (27.88).
Other winners were Haylee
Cain, who won the 50-yard free
style (39.82) and 25-yard back-
stroke (22.90) in the girls’ 8U
division, and Mary Graveman.
continued on 3B
A FAST START
Jefferson’s Ansley Nunnally won five events on
Saturday as the Sea Dragon swimming team opened
the season with a win. Submitted photo
Seven local players
named to 8-AAA
all-region team
Seven local baseball players
were named to the all-region team
for 8-AAA.
Caleb Matthews (outfielder)
and Logan Stockton (catcher)
were both first-team selections
for Jackson County, while the
Panthers’ Chris Griggs (short
stop, pitcher), Grey Akins (first
base) and Zane Corley (third
base, pitcher) were named to the
second team.
Griggs and Corley were named
all-region pitchers as well.
East Jackson’s Josh Adair
(catcher, third base, outfield) and
Luke Hadden (third base, pitcher)
were both named to the first team.