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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
EJCHS Volleyball
JHS Football
Lady Eagles volleyball
team looking for rematch
against Banks County
The East Jackson Eagles volleyball team hopes to
avenge last week’s region loss to Banks County when
the two teams meet again this week at East Jackson.
The Eagles (9-8 overall, 0-1 region) were to have
played Providence Christian Academy on Sept. 12 in
region action at home.
In addition to a rematch with Banks County on Sept.
14, the Lady Eagles will also face Franklin County in a
second match.
EJCHS Softball
Lady Eagles drop region
matchup, to face three
games in the coming week
The East Jackson Lady Eagles softball team con
tinued its struggles last week with a 6-2 region loss to
Providence Christian Academy.
The Eagles (5-6) were to have faced Union County
on Sept. 12 in another key region game.
In the coming week, the Lady Eagles will face
Banks County away on Sept. 14 in region competition;
Gainesville away on Sept. 18 in non-region play; and
Cedar Shoals on Sept. 20 in non-region play.
Happiness is winning
BY LORAN SMITH
If it weren’t for fans, there would be no television or
college football mania. Fan support is the first step in
building a program which is attractive to the television
networks whose influence is as dominant as Herschel
Walker was on the toss sweep.
Fans are exposed to unlimited facts and figures which
lead to confidence that they really know football which
they don’t. They don’t watch hours of videotape dining
the spring and summer. They don’t understand the nu
ances of the game that are second nature to a coach with
a devoted football mind.
Coaches put in countless hours and are not turned off
by the tedium that comes with 80-hour work weeks.
They are always working to gain an edge. Just one play
might make a difference between victory and defeat.
Some fan bases are more critical than others, but one
thing we know is that winning keeps the critics molli
fied for the most part. There are times however, when
they are relentless, finding a play or an assistant coach
to target without retreat.
Years ago, when Florida’s vast recruiting potential
was generally recognized by SEC analysts, there was
the insightful comment from an administrator who had
worked in Gainesville for years. He said that the perfect
season for Florida fans would be to go undefeated, win
the national championship and fire the coach.
Coaches must have thick skin. Many of them do not
read the newspapers, and those who listen to talk shows
would fill up a small 4 by 4-foot closet.
For years, I noticed that the critics who wrote letters
to the editor of a newspaper were often the same person
(s). Anybody can call in to the “Paul Finebaum Show.”
I happen to like Paul and am aware of the high ratings
his shows get, but when a guy begins a conversation by
asking Paul, “Am I on?” you quickly realize how much
intellect he is about to share with the listeners. He has
nothing to say, he just wants to be on the radio.
I have not talked to any Clemson fans lately, but I
know, without talking to anybody, what Tiger aficiona
dos are saying. “Looks like Dabo has lost his touch.”
Then they will repeat something negative that has sur
faced, purportedly out of the locker room as the reason
they lost to of all teams, Duke.
Forgiveness comes hard for fan bases. Those Tiger
fans are seeing the opening game loss as something that
might keep them out of the forthcoming playoffs.
Only a steamrolling finish and a championship trophy
will mollify the offended alumni, never thanking Dabo
for his past successes and never considering the history
of the game. Since it all started back in the late 1800’s
the record books confirm that the cyclical effect has al
ways come into play. You can’t stay on top forever.
Oklahoma, under Bud Wilkinson, holds the all-time
consecutive win streak—47 games in the mid-fifties.
When Dick Lynch and Notre Dame shut down the
Sooner dominance, there likely were some OU fans
who criticized the coach—especially if they went into
the hole with their bookie.
And that’s another story. In the days when Pete Rose
was managing the Reds, the team with which he en
joyed ultimate glory, I often went to see him when the
Reds were in Atlanta to play the Braves.
One day he asked, “What’s Vince Dooley like?” I re
sponded with plenty of positives such as “very smart.
His teams don’t beat themselves. He thinks the best way
to win is to ran the football and play tough defense.”
That didn’t interest Pete, who said, “Boy, he beats the
spread a lot.”
Gamblers like coaches who do that sort of thing, and
if players get into wagering, which all of us should be
concerned about, there could be some dark days lying
in wait. Pete has paid dearly for his bad habit. With
gambling nobody is immune, and we should never for
get, it can easily ruin a lot of lives.
With many with the gambling habit, there is no cure,
just like there is no cure for negative carping when a
back doesn’t make a first down or score with the game
on the line, but when you win by 41 points, and keep
the offense pure vanilla and go four quarters without
blitzing and no front-line player gets hurt, what’s there
to gripe about?
Plenty if you are a fan who likes to find fault. There
are plenty of those out there and that will never change.
Loran Smith is a UGA commentator and columnist
for Mainstreet Newspapers.
Photos by Christian Rodriguez
Dragons celebrate after a red zone touchdown by Sammy Brown.
Dragons again score big, to host Clarke Central this week
The Jefferson Dragon
Football team continued its
dominating ways last Friday,
rolling over Oconee County
44-7. It was the second game
in a row the Dragons scored
over 40 points.
The Dragons (4-0) are
ranked #4 in Class 5A. The
team is off this week and
will play Clarke Central next
week.
In last week’s victory, the
Dragons were again led by
Sammy Brown who had a
massive 188 yards on 16
carries and four touchdowns
on the night. The Clem-
son-bound Brown has 12
touchdowns and 491 yard so
far on the season, averaging
122.8 yards per game rush
ing.
Junior Talan Childress
also had 47 yards on one re
ception for the night against
Oconee.
Skylar Zimmerman also
had a huge night on defense
for the Dragons with 14 solo
tackles and 8 assists with 3
sacks in addition to recov
ering a fumble for a touch
down. Jayden Yang also had
a big night on defense with 8
solo tackles and 8 assists.
Dragon Sammy Brown breaks out of the backfield with explosive speed.
JHS student section showing support for the Dragons.
Hunting
Jefferson couple get double-velvet deer
The opening weekend
of bow deer season was
a lucky double-take for a
Jackson County couple.
According to Georgia
Outdoor News, JT and Nic-
ki Johnson of Jefferson both
took velvet bucks on their
farm just minutes apart.
(Velvet refers to the soft
skin that covers antlers ear
ly in the season.)
JT told GON that he
hadn’t planned on taking
a shot that day and was at
tempting to record Nicki’s
shot on video. But that ef
fort was obscured and Nic-
ki got her deer quickly, he
said.
JT then took Nicki’s
crossbow, which she had
borrowed the day before
from her friend, Brantley
Gilbert. As soon as he re
loaded, JT said a second
velvet deer came toward
them and he took his shot.
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