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December 29, 2016
Pickens Middle School wrestling rolling
The Pickens Middle
School wrestling team
had a successful weekend
placing 2nd in the Region
Dual Championship and
3rd as a team in the Tra
ditional Championship.
Individual accomplish
ments are as follows: 1st
Place: Nick Cord ay (79);
Andrew Burrell (139);
Justin Pumarejo (14 7);
Kelly Dover (155) 2nd
Place: Isaac Howard
(165) 3rd Place: Chase
Nelson (102); Austin
Ritchie (110); Tristan Ab
bott (118); Sy Chadwick
(180); and Sam Stout
(275) 4th Place: Zade
Morgan (72)
PHS Basketball Schedule
PI IS basketball teams were off last week for the Christmas holidays. The teams will
begin playing again on Wednesday, Dec. 28th at the Fannin Holiday Tournament
Wed
12/28
TBA
Fannin Holiday Tournament
Away
—
—
Thu
12/29
TBA
Fannin Holiday Tournament
Away
—
—
Fri
12/30
TBA
Fannin Holiday Tournament
Away
—
—
Tue
1/3
6:00
Sonoraville
Home
Girls
4:30
Fri
1/6
7:00
*SE Whitfield
Away
Both
4:00
Sat
1/7
6:00
Adairsville
Home
Both
3:00
Tue
1/10
6:00
*LaFayette
Home
Boys
4:30
Fri
1/13
7:00
*Gilmer
Away
Both
4:00
Tue
1/17
6:00
Adairsville
Away
Boys
4:30
Fri
1/20
7:00
*NW Whitfield
Away
Both
4:00
Sat
1/21
3:00
Sonoraville
Away
Both
12:00
Tue
1/24
6:00
^Heritage
Away
Girls
4:30
Fri
1/27
6:00
*Ridgeland
Home
—
—
Sat
1/28
—
Creekview (JV girls only)
Away
Girls
11:30 a.m.
Tue
1/31
6:00
*SE Whitfield (Sr. Night)
Home
—
—
Mon
2/6
TBA
Region Tournament
TBA
* denotes Reuion contest
Racing Views
Racing to the New Year
As we get ready for the
2017 racing season we will
be reflecting on what the
final results were for 2016.
As we assess the results of
the last season we will be re
membering the good, and
there was quite a bit of good,
along with the bad, sadly to
say there was some of that
too.
The good will out weight
the bad by a large amount.
To start with NASCAR
seems to be beginning to get
“The Chase” right. Now that
they have added a “Chase” to
the other two series, the
Xfinity Series and the Camp
ing World Truck Series it has
added drama to the usually
boring points races there.
They have adjusted on what
they want in the cars of the
Cup Series until they have
seemed to have made the
cars very equal. And the
drivers of the Cup cars have
been heard about what they
want to feel in the cars and
this has worked in the fans
favor. This past season was
the most competitive I can
remember in some time.
Now lets get the drivers
healthy and keep them that
way for the entire season so
that we can see good racing.
The season started in Cup
with Tony Stewart being in
jured in his final season as a
driver before retiring. This
did not allow the fans in
some locations to give Tony
a send off like they had given
other drivers such as Jeff
Gordon who retired the sea
son before.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a
concussion and was out for
the end of the season so this
star was unavailable to the
fans for much of the year. As
bad as that was for Junior it
was a chance for Jeff Gordon
to come back and drive in his
place. This allowed one star
to substitute for another star.
Junior is now said to be
healthy and ready to get back
in the driver's seat at Daytona
in February.
Sprint left NASCAR as
the title sponsor after the
2016 season after a run of 13
years from 2004 when they
came to the sport as the Nex-
tel Series. The new sponsor
will be Monster Energy and
the series will be known as
the Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series. As
Monster Energy will be only
the third title sponsor in
NASCAR history, Winston
and Sprint, it will be interest
ing to see how they promote
the sport. With NASCAR
working on making the fan
experience more interactive
it will be a challenge to Mon
ster Energy to keep the en
ergy flowing.
Several driver changes are
in the cards for the 2017
which will be interesting to
see how they play out. Sev
eral new drivers are getting a
chance to prove themselves
in great equipment. Several
veteran drivers are on the
edge of not having their great
equipment for much longer
as well. The rookies will
have to show their worth
quickly or they will be going
back to the lower divisions
and to lesser rides. This will
be happening in all three
NASCAR series.
Two big questions for the
2017 season are how will
Stewart-Haas Racing per
form in the switch to Fords
and how much will the driv
ers at Rousch Racing per
formance do toward keeping
the doors open at that fran
chise?
Ford has expanded their
fleet of race cars as their ex
isting teams are faltering.
Both Rousch Racing and
Petty Enterprises had poor
years in 2016. The only Ford
teams to excel were Penske
Racing and Woods Brothers.
The blue oval wants a cham
pionship for the manufac
turer but they are going to
have to up their game in all
the teams to make that hap
pen. Maybe Santa will bring
the Ford teams a gift of 20-
30 horsepower?
Is it time that Dodge will
come back to NASCAR rac
ing? Without an engine pro
gram in the Xfinity Series
and Camping World Truck
Series it would seem hardly
likely. When they do return
it would be after success in
both those series to make the
move Cup racing again. But
stranger things have hap
pened.
The Ice Bowl at Talladega
Short Track in Eastaboga, AL
will be the big show for the
year at the track with opening
practice on both Thursday
and Friday, January 5 and 6.
Heat races will take place on
Friday and Saturday, January
7 and 8, followed by feature
racing on Saturday and Sun
day.
The month of February
will be a full one for racing
in South Georgia and all over
the state of Florida. The
Golden Isles Speedway in
Brunswick (Waynesville),
GA will start the new year
with their Super Bowl of
Racing on February 8-11.
This is the biggest event of
the year for the track and
they use it to set the pace for
the balance of the year.
From Crate Late Models
and Top Gun Sprints, to
UMP and EBRP Open Wheel
Modifieds and B MODS, to
Lucas Oil Dirt Late Models
to 360 Sprint Cars and
Florida Mini Sprints East
Bay Raceway in Gibsonton
(Tampa), FL will give you
plenty of racing action to
start your season.
The other tracks in Florida
such as Volusia Speedway in
Barbersville; Bubba Race
way Park in Ocala; North
Florida Speedway in Lake
City; and Ellis Speedway
(formerly Lake City Speed
way) in Lake City will all be
releasing their schedules
shortly. Bubba Raceway
Park will host the 4th Annual
Hangover Classic for Thun
der Stocks and Hobby Stocks
on January 5-7 with Thurs
day night January 5 being a
practice night.
You know the drill, call
before you go or at least
check your track out on their
web site before you go for
any changes to their sched
ules.
Send us your comments,
questions, answers, or cor
rections to P.O. Box 1522,
Woodstock, GA 30188-1522
or to our email at Jcable-
man@aol.com.
Sports
Fanatic
By Tommy Gartrell
Columnist
2017: A Sports Fantasy
Gather the kids, cousins
and coon dogs! Finish your
jowls, peas and greens be
cause it's once again time for
my yearly predictions from
the sports world. This annual
event brings incomparable
delight including unquench
able and hysterical giggling
not to mention rolling eyes.
apprehension and duplici
tous confusion.
Despite ardent dedication,
insight and conviction, my
past prophecies proved as
accurate as a bent-barreled
smooth bore musket.
Nonetheless, I abandoned
my past practices such as
consulting witches, war-
locks or Vegas odds makers. Now, I
find it far more practical and just as
precise to utilize the time honored and
fail safe "WAG" method for my fan
tastical 2017 clairvoyance.
Alabama defeats Clemson in the
College Football National Champi
onship game to win yet another na
tional title. Unfortunately, Crimson
Tide head coach Nick Saban is se
verely injured during the celebratory
Gatorade bath.
The Atlanta Falcons soundly thrash
the Saints to seal the second seed in
the NFC playoffs, but lose to Dallas in
the NFC Championship. Cowboys
owner Jerry Jones then announces that
quarterback Tony Romo will start their
next game.
Dallas goes on to the Super Bowl,
but the New England Patriots win that
game 35-17. Afterward, Patriots head
coach Bill Belichick removes his mask
and stilts to reveal that he is in fact the
Jedi master Yoda.
Jimmie Johnson wins the Daytona
500 in February.
In college hoops, UCLA trips Duke
University to win the NCAA Basket
ball Tournament.
The Atlanta Braves win 14 of their
first 20 games to seize the NL East
lead, but fade by midsummer due to
injury and inexperience.
The Golden State Warriors capture
the NBA crown over the Toronto Rap
tors in five games. Kevin Durant is
named Most Valuable Player.
The winner of the MLB All-Star
game is... It doesn't matter because it
is only an exhibition game once again,
finally!
Chicago repeats as World Series
Champions. The Cubs outlast the
Boston Red Sox in seven games in
cluding a snow delayed ballgame.
Georgia finishes second in the SEC
East despite a wealth of returning
starters and the second best recruiting
class in the country. The Dawgs
avenge this year's loss to Georgia Tech
though by destroying the Yellow Jack
ets 55-6 in Atlanta and taking the gold
from atop the capitol dome during the
aftermath.
Alabama, Michigan, Florida State
and Oklahoma State reach the college
playoff in 2017.
I do not recommend wagering any
money based on these predictions and
remind you that past performance is
no indication of future returns. How
ever, I am grateful for all of my loyal
readers, and I wish each of you a joy
ful and prosperous new year. Here's to
2017! May it be a damn sight better
than the last year...
See Gartrell on Page 2B