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Atlanta 500 Set For March 30
HAMPTON, GA—Should Cale
Yarborough win the Atlanta 500,
coming up Sunday, March 30,
his name will again go down in
the all-time record books, mak
ing it three straight wins, dup
licating the feat of ‘Fearless’
Fred Lorenzen (1962-63-64), up
to now thought unbeatable.
The 29-year old Timmonsville,
S. C. blond racer was the 1967-
68 Atlanta 500 winner. Inciden
tally, he will observe his 30th
birthday during Atlanta race
week.
As he surveyed his broken
nose in the mirror, the injury
a souvenir of a high-speed crash
in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Cale
Yarborough commented:“At
lanta, I like it. I won my first
superspeedway race there, so it
kinda has to be my favorite.”
His 1967 Atlanta 500 win ap
parently set the stage for the
record breaking 1968 season, four
superspeedway checkered flags
and more than $136,000 in prize
money, the highest total ever,
plus a Lincoln Continental, won
as the “Man of the Year” in
racing.
“You get a chance to relax on
the Atlanta track,” he continued,
agreeing that it does sound weird
to the unitiated, a driver relax
ing at more than 150 miles an
hour.
6-Man Tag Team Match Had
Plenty Action Saturday
El Mongol, Bob Armstrong and
Little John had a victory over the
Assassin and Paul Demarco who
was taking the place of Dandy
Jack.
There was plenty of action in
that six-man tag team match.
After a fall apiece the team of
Demarco was disqualified.
In the semi-final Corsica Jean
was scheduled to wrestle Joe
Turco, who had challenged him.
Instead he wrestled Skandot Ak
bar. a newcomer to Covington.
Odum Drives Against The Carver Quint
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FORWARD LUKE ODUM (45) drives around a Carver player in the
game at Alexander Coliseum Thursday evening. NOHS’ Jim Gainer
(43) is shown in the background. (Note the large crowd present for
the game which drew more fans than any other game during the AA
State meet).
Rams’ Final Hand-Clasp
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FINAL HANDCLASP of the season for the 1968-69 Newton County
Rams was snapped by News’ Photographer Bob Hunter in the State
AA Tournament in Atlanta. The Rams season record was 22-5.
SPORTS
808 GREER
News And Sports Editor
“Really, coming down the
straightaways, you can relax a
bit, rather than stay tense all
the time. You learn to let that
five seconds do a lot for you.”
About six months ago, Cale
tested Ford’s new 420-cubic
inch aluminum head engine, which
is expected to be approved by
ACCUS-FIA (the U. S. racing
governing body) the NASCAR of
ficials in time for the Atlanta
500.
“The new engine is a little
heavier than the 427,” Yarbo
rough said, “but it has much
more horsepower, at least 50
horsepower more, and you get
full advantage of it all the way
around the track, on the low
end, as well as the top end.”
He agreed there have been
many changes made in the en
gine since he tested it, but ex
pects to have adequate practice
time on the Atlanta track during
race week.
If the auto racing bug had not
bitten, Cale might be playing
football for or against the At
lanta Falcons, because he turned
down college scholarships, plus
an offer from the Washington
Redskins. “Now, I’ll never
know if I was good enough to
have made it.’’
Backing up Yarborough is the
greatest racing pit crew in his-
Corsica Jean was the winner
on a disqualification. Jean gave
him a good fight but he ended up
at Newton County Hospital for
two stitches under the right eye
and a sore back.
In the first match Bob Arm
strong wrestled The Assa
ssin Number 1 to the draw.
Bob Armstrong who went to
help Corsica Jean after the ma
tch, challenged Skandor Akbar to
a match.
tory, the famed Wood brothers,
not only fastest on the stock
car circuits, but fastest at Indy,
where they handled that assign
ment for 1965 Indy winner Jim
Clark, turning in the two fastest
pit stops in that track’s his
tory. As Glen Wood said: “We
don’t do anything much different
from anybody else. We just
work at it.”
Success has not fazed the Wood
Brothers, neither has it spoiled
the former Soap Box Derby racer
and football player. “My father
once told me,” Cale reminisc
ed, “never to change my ways,
for if people don’t like you as
who you are, they sure aren’t
going to like you as who you
try to be.”
Conyers’ Fore
Rates High At
Georgia Tech
ATLANTA (Special) — At first
glance a 2-12 season record
might not appear too encouraging.
But the Georgia Tech freshmen,
who finished with that mark, pro
vided at least a few bright spots
for the future of Yellow Jacket
Basketball.
Guards Frank Samoylo and
Tommy Taylor and Center Clyde
Fore each stand a good chance of
helping the varsity next year. The
smooth - working Samoylo, from
Valley Cottage, N. Y., averaged
21.5 points a game and set a
freshman single-game record by
scoring 50 against Edison Junior
College Feb. 7. Current varsity
starters Rich Yunkus and Bob
Seemer held the old record of 41.
Samoylo’s 21 field goals against
Edison also are a record.
Taylor, a tough competitor
from Whigham, Ga., scored 18.4
points a game. Fore, from Con
yers, averaged 15.6 points and
9.4 rebounds.
The Baby Jackets beat Clem
son in the season-opener, 81-67
and later upset Georgia in over
time, 72-71.
Brave Notes:
Chief Noc-A-Home 111, the
Braves new official mascot, is
Levi Walker, Jr., an Algonquin
Indian who says the name ‘Levi’
was given to his father by a
grandfather who was an Indian
pastor in Michigan.
Walker, 27, third ‘Chief since
the Braves moved to Atlanta,
will lead the Braves onto the
field at Atlanta Stadium and cele-
Georgia Tennis Team Has
4 Home Matches Next Week
ATHENS—Georgia’s tennis
team will play five matches in
its opening week of the 1969
season; Matches the remainder
of the week includes; Thursday,
Alabama at Tuscaloosa; Friday,
Mississinni State at Starkville,
and Saturday, Auburn at Auburn.
There are four home matches
the following week; Mar. 24,
Tennessee; Mar. 27, Southern
Illinois; Mar. 28, Vnaderbilt, and
Mar. 29, Illinois.
Hill Scores A Layup Field Goal
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BUBBA HILL of the Newton Rams lays up a field goal as he drives
under the basket In a State AA game Thursday night in Atlanta.
Robert Harris (24) of Carver Is shown at right. (News photos by
Bob Hunter).
Blankenship, Harris Named
To All-State Tourney Team
Newton County’s Rams placed
two men on the 1969 Class AA
State Tournament team as pick
ed by the sportswriters in At
lanta Saturday evening after the
finals of the AA meet.
Thad Blankenship and Tony
Harris were named to the 10-
man squad that included three
players from the champion Car
ver High team, two from runner
up Brown, two from third-place
winner Lakeshore and one from
NCHS Girls Tennis
Set For Season
The Newton High girls tennis
team were to have opened the 1969
season Tuesday afternoon at
Westminster Schools in Atlanta.
Due to rainy weather the match
was cancelled.
Members of the NCHS girls
tennis squad: Susan Lott, Bar
bara Johnson, Linda Evans, Gail
Costley, Martha Ellen Banks,
Cathy Partee, Becky Hutchins,
Cindy Meyer.
Tbe boys team of Newton High
were to have met the Gainesville
team here Wednesday (yesterday)
at the Fowler Tennis Courts.
NCHS boys lost their first meet
ing of the year to Westminster.
Final LL
Registration
Newton Little League Presi
dent Henry Baker has announced
that the final date for Little Lea
gue and Senior League registra
tion is Friday, March 21 from 3
until 6 p. m. at Baker Field in
Covington.
Players are asked to bring
their birth certificate and the
$5 registration fee.
Umpires Needed
For Local LL
All persons interested in um
piring in the Newton Little Lea
gue this season are asked to
contact Henry Baker at 786-9718
or Jim Lacey at 483-9477.
brate home runs with war dances.
♦ * *
Move over, Mel Ott —you’re
Hank Aaron’s next target on
Baseball’s all-time list of home
run hitters.
Aaron’s first 1969 home run
will tie him with Ott for seventh
in history in homers—Aaron now
has 510 to Ott’s 511—and also
tie the former New York Giants
great for second in National Lea
gue history behind Willie Mays.
The home run leaders entering
the ’69 season are Babe Ruth,
714; Willie Mays, 587; Mickey
Mantle, 536; Jimmy Foxx, 534;
Ted Williams, 521; Eddie Mat
hews, 512; Mel Ott, 511; Hank
Aaron, 510.
MORE SPORTS
ON PAGE 14
The Bulldogs’ eight-man
traveling squad, announced by
Coach Dan Magill; No. 1— Danny
Blrchmore, Athens; NO. 2 — Bill
Shippey, captain, Atlanta; No. 3
—Norm Holmes, Melbourne,
Fla.; No. 4 — Brant Bailey,
Larga, Fla.; NO. 5 — Sam Fuller,
Atlanta; No. 6 — Mike Cmaylo,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; No. 7—
Thomas Benedict, Atlanta; No. 8
—Rocky Huffman, Rome, Ga.
Troup of LaGrange.
The list includes:
Robert Harris, Calvin Edwards
and Gary Norris of Carver.
Steve Freeman and Jerry
Baugheum of Brown.
Thad Blankenship and Tony
Harris of Newton County.
Daryl Sudduth and Johnny Lowe
of Lakeshore.
Ricky Nasworthy of Troup
County.
Carver’s Robert Harris was
named Most Valuable Player
(MVP) as he and Ricky Nas
worth of Troup led the ballot
ing in that category. Nasworth
scored 63 points in the tourna
ment and Harris had 58.
Although Newton appeared in
one game at Hie Big Dome, both
Harris and Blankenship played
great ball in their loss to Car
ver 66-61. Harris scored 18
points and had 14 rebounds, and
Blankenship racked up 25 points
and had nine rebounds.
Tony Harris’ selection to the
team marked the first time in
20 years that brothers from NCHS
have made the All-State Tourney
teams. Stan Harris was named
to the twinkle squad in 1964 when
the Rams won the state title.
Tourney Notes:
Only two of the eight teams
in the State AA tournament in
Atlanta last weekend had fresh
men players on their rosters.
Newton County had three (Kevin
Price, Neal Dickerson and Wade
Hood), and Stephens County two
(Roy Holland and Jeff Deal).
* * *
Only 2,835 fans showed up for
the finals of the AA State meet
at the Alexander Coliseum Satur
day night. In contrast, the Car
ver-Newton County game Thurs
day evening drew a full house
(6,700).
* * ♦
In past AA tournaments Druid
Hills leads the list with State
champions. They have had three
state winners. Carver and Cairo
have had two each, as has had
Murray County of Chatsworth.
* * *
Newton’s Ronald Bradley faces
’ one of the biggest tasks in high
school basketball next season. He
loses four of his starters and
must find performers for two
forwards, one guard and a cen
ter. The Rams record this year
was 22-5.
* * ♦
Carver shot 82 times from the
field against the Rams Thursday
night, and in the final game on
Saturday against Brown High the
Carvermen shot 92 times. It seems
like Carver had a worst night from
the floor against Brown than they
did when the team edged NCHS
66-61. The Carver-Brown game
score was 56-39.
♦ ♦ ♦
Bill Hoffman of Covington Radio
station WGFS and Bob Greer, Sp
orts Editor of The News, were
interviewed on Phil Shaffer’s WSB
radio program at halftime of the
Carver-Rarfl tilt* WSB (FM) carr
ied the game live.
♦ ♦ *
Paid attendance at the AA Tour
nament was 11,905. Each night’s
crowd numbered: Thursday 5,931,
Friday 3,139, and Saturday 2,835.
— The total drawn by the AAA Tour
ney in 3 nights was 17,376.
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Rams Edged By State
Champ Carver
BY 808 GREER
(News And Sports Editor)
Newton County Rams played a commendable game Thursday
night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, but lost to the champion
to-be Carver High of Atlanta 66-61. It was a case of NCHS having
a good first and final quarters, but the Carver quint built up too
much of a lead in the third and fourth stanzas of the AA State
Tournament.
In the finals Saturday night
Carver beat Brown High 56-39,
and Lakeshore took third place
with a victory over Troup of
LaGrange.
A jam-packed Coliseum crown
was on hand for the Ram-Carver
tilt. Fans of the two schools
who had waited for three years
for the meeting, and also many
area high school fans, saw a
nip and tuck battle for almost
the first half. Coach Ronald
Bradley’s clan led the Atlantans
at the end of the first period
15-14. However, by halftime the
lead changed hands and the Jones
men posted an intermission lead
of 28-23.
Newton never quite caught up
in the final half of the game. Al
though the NCHS quint narrowed
the* margin to three points on
two occasions they could not take
the lead.
Tony Harris, with 18 points
and 14 rebounds, and Thad Blan
kenship with 25 markers and nine
grabs off the boards, paced the
NCHS attack most of the game.
Hill was used in the far back
court most of the game.
Coach Bradley said after the
game that his boys did a fine
job in sticking to the game plans.
He said his didn’t have quite
enough for victory over the st
rong Carver team who had scor
ed over 110 points on 15 oppon
ents this past season.
The win for the Carver school
was the second in three years
in State AA competition. The
All-Negro school is to be reck
oned with in future tourneys as
their mentor Calvin Jones said
his team next year would be
better than the present State
Champs.
Tourney Scores
Quarter- Finals:
Lakeshore
North Springs 49
Brown
Stephens Co. 48
Carver 68
Newton Co.
Troup
Sandy Springs 43
Semi-Finals:
Brown 55
Lakeshore 51
Carver 88
Troup 63
FINALS:
Carver 56
Brown 39
A By 808 GREER
News and Sports Editor
Big AA Game On Thursday Night
The three final nights of the State AA tournament at Alexander
Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta offered five Atlanta teams against
only three from outside the Metropolitian Atlanta area. Only
Newton County, Troup of LaGrange, and Stephens County were the
far-away visitors.
On the final night of the meet (Saturday) when three places are
at stake in the tourney, only 2,835 fans showed up for the tilts.
Three of the four teams were Atlanta-area outfits. Only Troup was
the outsider, and it was therefore uzzling why such a small crowd
would be on hand.
From a local angle in the Covington area many Ram supporters
wanted to see if Coach Ronald Bradley’s boys could beat Carver of
Atlanta, the Number One team in the state. They had that opportunity
Thursday evening at 7:30. Backers of both teams filled the gym
nasium to overflowing (some 6,700).
It should be pointed out that this was THE GAME of the tourney as
the two games on Thursday (one before and one after) failed to bring
in more than a half-filled gym.
Well, anyhow the high school cage season is ended. A new season
which starts in November will bring more challenges for teams
such as the Newton County Rams.
♦♦ ♦ ♦
Coach Carter Did Greatest Job
No basketball coach in America has done a greater job this past
cage season than Billy Carter of Oglethorpe College in Atlanta.
He steered his charges to a 23-5 season and into the finals of the
NC A A C ollege D i vision tour na ment at E vans ville.
In the first-round of that EvansviHe meet his team had a fine
first half against the powerful defending champions, Kentucky
Wesleyan. OU led at halftime 38-32, but in the final minutes of
the game Coach Carter’s boys lost 82-68.
Oglethorpe has never gotten the publicity and honors due the team
under the two fine coaches-Garland Pinholster and now Carter.
It just goes to show you that a lot of fine basketball is played by
smaller colleges, and the success often goes unappreciated by many.
However, basketball fans in Newton County do appreciate Coach
Carter and his fine Oglethorpe team.
* * ♦
Blankenship’s Tournament Play
We recently ran a picture of NCHS Principal Homer F. Sharp
that was taken in 1954. Mrs. Sharp said the picture was made so
long ago that their grandchildren didn’t recognize Mr. Sharp...
Thad Blankenship’s stats on the six tournament games engaged in
by the NCHS five included an average of 24.7 points scored per
game, and 14.7 rebounds per tilt. . .Every sports writer we meet
will invariably say “Newton County, that’s where Tim Christian
went to school.”
MVP Subs To Be Recognized
The Covington Lions Club will award individual trophies to the
NCHS most valuable substitute player on each squad (girls and
boys) at the annual Fans Appreciation Banquet, March 28...
Would you believe that Coaches Ronald Bradley of NCHS and BUI
Ensley of Hart County played on some of the worst University of
Georgia basketball teams (won-loss slates)? Georgia didn’t have a
winning season when both these ultra-successful coaches were at
Athens.
Rams bl, Carver 66
Newton 61 Carver 66
F—T. Harris 18 R. Harris 20
F—Odum 3 Anderson 9
C—Blankenship 25 Edwards 16
G—Hill 14 Williams 4
G—Gainer 1 Norris 15
Subs. Newton County: Clive.
Carver: Taylor 2, Lupoe, Green,
Hall, Biggers.
Score at Half time: Carver
28-23.