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Section
May 13,
2021
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Inside this section: STAR Student Profiles 2-4B • Want Ads 10-11B • Marble Hill Baptist marks 100 years 6B
Cassidy Richards
& Seth White are
PHS Athletes of Year
PHS Nettes basketball player Cassidy Richards and
PHS Track and Cross Country runner Seth White were
named the school’s Athletes of the Year.
Richards, a senior, earned GHSA All State honors.
She is a four-year letterman in basketball and during
the 2020-21 senior season she led the team in: PPG
(10.6) and RB (5.3); 3 pointers (57); and blocked shots
(66), which is a single season record. She was selected
ETC All Tournament, All Region - 7A AAA, and All State
- AAAA North.
White set the PHS school track record in the 800m
(1:54) and the 1600m (4:17) his senior year. He quali
fied for the Class 4A GHSA State Track Championship
in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. In cross country, White
was a region champion his junior and senior year and
placed 5th in the state his senior year.
Spring football at PHS sees
strong crop of freshmen
The Pickens Dragons Football Team
began spring practice on April 26th with a
week devoted specifically to the rising 9th
graders. During the course of this week play
ers learned skills, fundamentals, techniques,
and schemes that they will use throughout the
course of their football career at PHS.
There was an average of 27 players at
tending each rising freshman practice.
Coaches were pleased with the progress and
development of these players during the four-
day mini-camp.
The varsity program began practice on
May 3rd with over 65 rising 10th-12th grade
players present. The first two days of practice
were indoors in the gym but were still ex
tremely productive. Players got out on the
turf Wednesday May 5th and had a very up
tempo and competitive practice.
The roster was split in half into a green
team and a white team to help develop depth.
It also allowed coaches to evaluate more
players than they would be able to in a tradi
tional practice setting. Wednesday and Thurs
day consisted of individual, group, inside run,
outside passing, and team periods on offense
and defense for both teams.
On Friday the two teams competed against
each other in a team setting. There were
many positives that came from the scrim
mage and coaches were very pleased with the
effort given by both teams. Coaches met Sat
urday morning to evaluate the film from Fri
day and begin game planning for the spring
game versus Dawson.
Week two of spring practice began Mon
day, May 10th with the combining of the
green/white rosters into a group of experi
enced players and a separate group of devel
opmental players.
Coaches will continue installing the new
offensive and defensive schemes throughout
the course of the week. Players have had
awesome attitudes and have done a really
good job of adjusting to the pace of practice.
The coaching staff will continue to evaluate
practice film and game film from the spring
scrimmage as they head into the summer
months.
More zebra mussels found in Georgia;
DNR urges public to keep watch
Remember to clean,
drain and dry vessels
used in other states
With zebra mussels found
on a boat in the Lake Lanier
area, the Georgia Department
of Natural Resources is urg
ing boat owners to clean,
drain and dry their boats, and
be aware of the potential for
transferring these invasive
mussels from waters in other
states.
Owners of a boat taken to
Lanier after being used on
the Tennessee River near
Chattanooga, Tenn., recently
spotted zebra mussels on the
boat and called DNR.
Staff from the agency’s
Wildlife Resources Division
removed about 1 gallon of
dead mussels from the boat
and worked with the owners
to ensure the vessel was
drained, properly cleaned
and thoroughly dried. DNR
commended the owners for
recognizing the issue and
More than a gallon of zebra mussels were removedfrom
a boat in Lanier, after it had been taken to Tennessee. The
DNR urges boat owners to guard against this invasive
species which pose a significant risk for ecological dam
age.
taking the necessary steps to native to eastern Europe that
report it. has spread to many U.S. wa-
Zebra mussels, a species See Zebra on Page 7B
Keeping Georgia Wild festival
continues all week
FEATURED
JEEPS
Sj TJ LJ
Gladiator
CJ YJ JK
T-Shirts
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS
OF NORTH GEORGIA
50/50 Raffle
Kids contest: BEST
Jeep Power wheel
Prizes for Top 10
Winners
music &
food trucks
JEEPIN' 4 THE CLUBS
CHARITY RIDE & SHOW
MAY 14 TH 4 PM - 9 PM JEEP SHOW N' SHINE
AT LEE NEWTON PARK RIDE SHARE
MUST BE READY TO SHOW BY 7 PM
SHOW A JEEP: $20
JEEP RIDE: $40
BOTH SHOW & RIDE: $50
Call 706-253-2582 ext:2
emailxrasco@bgcng.org to register
MAY 15TH JEEP RIDE @ PICKENS BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
9:30 CHECK-IN - RIDE @ 11
END AT GILMER COUNTY BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
FOOD TRUCK AVAILABLE TO EAT ON THE RIVER
BRING YOUR OWN LAWN CHAIR
KEEPING ga wild
FAMILY FESTIVAL
at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center
Mansfield, Ga. - This
year, everyone can partici
pate in the annual Keeping
Georgia Wild Festival at the
Charlie Elliott Wildlife Cen
ter because most of it will be
virtual. Join in the fun all
week long, May 10-15, as
we present various activities
and educational presenta
tions to engage all ages.
And, did we mention the
chance to win a prize?
Activities that will take
place virtually include fish
ing and kayaking instruc
tion, watch wildlife getting
crafty, and hiking and camp
ing tips. After all the week’s
virtual activities, get ready
for two in-person events, in
cluding a kids fishing event
and tree climbing (pre-regis
tration required) on Satur
day, May 15.
Want to win a prize pack
sponsored by Keeping Geor
gia Wild Day partners?
Head outside on May 15
and snap a picture of your
self doing an outdoor activ
ity. Post the picture on social
media with the hashtag
#KeepingGeorgiaWild and
tag Charlie Elliott Wildlife
Center (on Facebook). You
will be entered to win some
outdoor goodies.
Sponsors of this year’s
event include the National
Wild Turkey Federation,
Georgia Wildlife Federation,
Fellowship of Christian Ath
letes Outdoors, and the
Georgia Department of Nat
ural Resources’ Wildlife Re
sources Division.
For more information,
http://georgiawildlife.eom/K
eepingGAWILD.
Brand new lawn mower engine -
Honda Vertical OHC Engine —
160cc, GCV Series, 7/8in. x 3
5/32in. Shaft, Model#
GCV160LA1A1A-BLK. Still in box,
bought new but got wrong size
shaft. Should fit lawn mowers, not
wood splitters. Original cost $225
at Northern Tool plus shipping. Will
sell for $200 Or best offer.
770-894-1709
Sports
Fanatic
By
Tommy
Gartrell
Columnist
Impending
Farewell?
Could the Falcons
trade the franchise’s all-
time leading receiver at
the first of the month? If
the rumors from various
news outlets including
widely respected NFL
journalist Peter King are
correct, Atlanta should
prepare a fond farewell
to Julio Jones by June 2.
During his 10 year
NFL career, Jones
amassed 12,896 yards
and 60 touchdowns on
848 catches. His per
game average of 95.5
yards stands as the most
in league history.
He is only 32 years
old, but his salary has
become cumbersome to
the organization.
Jones has a $23.05
million cap hit for 2021,
but the team can save
$15.3 million against
next year's cap by trad
ing him after June 1, per
Spotrac.
The team renegoti
ated quarterback Matt
Ryan’s lofty contract a
few weeks ago and pre
viously, other higher
salaries were adjusted
under new contract
terms as well. Conspicu
ously absent in any at
tempt to restructure his
deal was Jones.
Atlanta drafted highly
rated tight end Kyle Pitts
from the University of
Florida with the fourth
overall selection in this
year’s draft.
Did the addition of
Pitts mean the end of
Jones in Atlanta?
It certainly looks like
it, but Jones if healthy
would give the Falcons
one of the most explo
sive offenses in the
league.
Any trade would
hinge upon a trade part
ner which could absorb
such a large salary and
offer something in the
form of draft picks or es
tablished players.
In his column King
named the Las Vegas
Raiders, New England
Patriots, Tennessee Ti
tans and Baltimore
Ravens as possible land
ing spots for Jones.
It feels like a hollow
ending for such an iconic
player and fan favorite.
Do you remember
when Atlanta drafted
Jones with the sixth se
lection in the 2011 NFL
Draft?
The Falcons secured
the sixth pick by trading
with Cleveland and giv
ing the Browns five draft
choices including first
round choices in 2011
and 2012, a second
round pick and a pair of
fourth round selections.
The cost was huge and it
likely set the franchise
back several years.