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The Jackson Herald
July 19, 2017
Phone: (706) 367-5233
Fax:(706)387-5417
sports@mainstreetnews. com
Section B
Track and field
Ten Jackson Co. athletes bound for Junior Olympics
The Jackson County Flash Elite are living
up to their name.
The local youth track and field club will
send 10 athletes to the Junior Olympics in
Detroit, Mich., to compete against the best
athletes in the nation.
Nearly 1,700 teams are registered and over
6,250 athletes will compete in the event,
which starts July 29.
“We as a team are very proud to have this
opportunity to compete with the best in the
nation.” coach Allen Spry said. “You never
know who will be the next Flo Jo (Florence
Griffith Joyner) and Usain Bolt. We are very
proud of the kids and all the hard work they
put into making it to the big show.”
Eight Flash Elite qualified for individual
events. The team also qualified one relay
team.
Qualifying took place during the recent
Southeast Regionals in South Carolina, which
took the top 16 placers at state.
Only the top-five finishers in each field
event and top six in each running event earned
a spot in the Junior Olympics.
Qualifiers were as follows:
•Caleb Howell (boys 12U) — third, javelin;
fifth, shot put.
•Robert Spry (boys 9U) — second, javelin;
fifth, long jump; fifth shot put.
•Zach Davidson (boys 8U) — third, javelin.
•Donavon Spry (boys 8U) — second, jave
lin; fifth, shot put.
continued on page 2B
JUNIOR OLYMPIANS
Jackson County Flash Elite track and field athletes qualifying for this year’s
Junior Olympics were (L to R) Caleb Howell, Robert Spry, Zach Davidson, Javen
Johnson, Blake Stephens, Donavon Spry, Dylan Ransom, Carter Howell and
Trey Ransom. Not pictured: Jania Ransom. Submitted photo
www.mamstreetnewssports.com
RECREATION, 2B
SENIOR GROUP
WALKS NEARLY
2,900 MILES
Athlete profile: Olivia Husted
GOING OUT ON TOP
Former Jefferson softball player Olivia Husted has decided to end her college career with two
seasons of eligibility remaining. She hit .373 with 19 homeruns and 75 RBIs and was a two-time
all-conference selection in two seasons at the College of Coastal Georgia. Submitted photo
Student over athlete
Former Jefferson softball player makes tough
choice after two record-setting college seasons
By Ben Munro
livia Husted is at peace
with her decision —
one that few players of
Husted’s ilk ever make.
The former Jeffer
son star is walking away
from collegiate softball
at the prime of her career following a pair of
record-setting seasons at Coastal Georgia, choos
ing to devote all her attention to academics.
The Mariners will lose a player who hit a blis
tering .380 with 11 homeruns this past spring.
“It definitely was not an easy decision,”
said Husted, a rising junior who had two sea
sons of eligibility left. “Several months’ worth
of thoughts went into this decision.”
Year
Avg
OFFENSE
HR
RBI
SLG
2016
.366
8
32
.590
2017
.380
11
43
.633
Career
.373
19
75
.613
Year
W-L
PITCHING
ERA
K
IP
2016
13-6
3.32
76
116.0
2017
3-1
4.11
32
30.2
Career
16-7
3.48
108
146.2
For a career like this to end after two sea
sons is rare, perhaps unheard of.
Husted, who played at Jefferson from 2013-
2014. was a first team All-Southern States Athletic
Conference (SSAC) selection for two years,
continued on page 2B
Football
Dragons pick up
7-on-7 tourney
championship
By Ben Munro
Winning a 7-on-7 tournament certainly wasn’t going to
make-or-break Jefferson’s summer, but the Dragon football
team managed to pick up a first-place trophy in the final
competition of the offseason.
The victory came last Wednesday at Presbyterian Col
lege’s 7-on-7 camp after three runner-up finishes this sum
mer. Jefferson went 7-1, beating Butler to win the title and
avenge their lone loss of the event.
“We don’t really judge winning and losing in these type
things as much as asking did we compete and did we
improve?” coach Gene Cathcart said. “We have done that
well at each one we’ve competed in, so the satisfying part
is being so proud of our young men for that as well as the
poise and class they have shown.”
After competing in three in-state 7-on-7 tournaments
against some teams that will be on the Dragons’ fall sched
ule. Jefferson’s trip to South Carolina pitted it against teams
with which it had no familiarity. Cathcart said that was
beneficial.
“It was,” he said. “We saw teams from four states
and got to see so many different offensive and defen
sive schemes and that is always beneficial from a
teaching and learning standpoint.”
Cathcart said his team turned out its best defensive
performance of the summer at Presbyterian. Accord
ing to the coach, Addison Clay covered “extremely
continued on page 2B
MARQUEE PLAYER
Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart praised the play
of Colby Wood (shown here earlier this sum
mer) during the Dragons’ trip to the Presbyterian
College 7-on-7 tournament. Photo by Ben Munro
Swimming
Sea Dragons
net six state titles
The Jefferson Sea Dragon
swimming team capped its sea
son by tallying five individual
state titles and one relay cham
pionship at the Friday-Saturday
state meet in Tifton.
Ansley Nunnally and Katherine
Law led the way with a pair of
state titles each.
Nunnally won the 10U girls’
50-yard freestyle with a time of
29.25 seconds and the 25-yard
butterfly with a time of 15.18
seconds.
Law won championships in
the 12U girls 100-yard freestyle
with a time of 57.38 seconds and
50-yard freestyle with a time of
continued on page 2B
TWO-TIME
CHAMP
Jefferson Sea
Dragon Katherine
Law, shown here
during action
earlier this sum
mer, won the
state 100-yard
freestyle and
50-yard freestyle
championships
at this past week
end’s state meet
in Tifton. The Sea
Dragons collect
ed six state titles
at the event.
Submitted photo