Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - Pike County Journal Reporter - Page 9A
Sports
Pirates to start season Friday against Lamar
Quarterback #10 Gage Lee hands the ball off to #22 Jake Gilpin during the Pirates scrimmage
game against Whitewater High School. The Pirates face the Trojans at home this Friday.
PHOTOS BY DONNA KENNEDY / JHURNDON.COM
Some of the Pirates cheerleaders who will support the foot
ball team this season include (l-r) Hailey Mask, Mia McGurl,
Makenna Martin and co-cheerleading captain Keelee Gordon.
The Pirates football
team will open their sea
son this Friday as they
host the Battle of Potato
Creek against rivals the
Lamar County Trojans.
Kick off is set for 7:30
p.m. The team scrim
maged Whitewater High
School last Friday and
came up short but got in
some important reps.
“We are returning 17
seniors in total and eight
of them are returning
starters - Trenton Lackey
DB, Harrison Edge OLB,
Lautic Fordham LB, Jesse
Hammond LB, Wyatt Co
chran LB, Caleb Greene
OL, Jackson Jeffcoat OL,
Brody Sullivan DL,” said
head coach Brad Webber.
“The schedule to me is
the toughest AAA Region
in the state. It consists
of Peach County, Crisp
County, Mary Persons,
Upson Lee, Jackson,
Central Macon and
Americus. Week in and
week out there are tough
games. You throw in our
non region games with
Lamar and Spalding and
it is a challenging sched
ule, but I’m confident
our boys are up for the
challenge.”
Lamar County is com
ing off a 4-6 record for
the 2020 season.
After facing Lamar, the
Pirates will host Taylor
County at home on Fri
day, Aug. 27 before hav
ing their first bye week.
After the break, they will
play Spalding County on
the road on Friday, Sept.
10 and Upson-Lee on the
road on Friday, Sept. 17.
Kick off times are set for
7:30 p.m.
PCHS Lady Pirates start
fall softball season 3-1
Alana Crenshaw catches for the Lady Pirates who have had
a strong start to the season.
The Pike County High
School Lady Pirates
softball team started the
season with a 3-1 record
as they defeated North-
gate, the Newton Lady
Rams and Woodland
High School and fell to
Vidalia.
The Lady Pirates
faced Northgate Aug. 6
and were trailing 3-0 in
the fourth inning before
picking up six runs of
their own in the fifth as
Madi Neal singled on the
first pitch of her at bat,
scoring one run. The la
dies had eight hits with
Neal and Alana Cren
shaw with two hits each.
Faith Stowers pitched
for the Lady Pirates,
going seven innings and
allowing seven hits and
three runs.
Their next game on
Aug. 7 wasn’t as close as
the Lady Pirates domi
nated league opponents
the Newton Lady Rams
by a score of 15-2. The
bats were hot as the
Lady Pirates had 16 hits
with triples by Emma
Smith and Bailee Brown,
a double by Alana
Crenshaw and singles
by Shelby Duncan, Callie
Williams, Jamie Corbin,
Lindsey Williams and
Emma Smith. Tori Dil-
beck earned the victory
for the Lady Pirates as
she only surrendered
two runs on five hits
over four innings, strik
ing out one and walking
one.
The Lady Pirates
earned a close win on
the road as they held
off league opponents
Woodland High School
who scored one run in
the first, three in the
second and two in the
sixth. The Lady Pirates
picked up one run in
the second, one run
in the third and had
five runs in the fourth
inning. Alana Crenshaw
led the offense, going
two for four at the plate.
Jamie Corbin earned the
victory in the pitcher’s
circle as she pitched
seven innings, striking
out two.
The Lady Pirates had
a home game against
Morgan County sched
uled for Tuesday, Aug.
10 but it was rained out.
On Saturday, the Lady
Pirates faced Vidalia
High School and weren’t
able to match their
offensive onslaught. Vi
dalia racked up 11 runs
on nine hits as the Lady
Pirates committed four
errors. Madi Neal led the
team offensively going
2-for-2 at the plate with
a double.
The Lady Pirates will
play again against Peach
County in Fort Valley at
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.
24 and will host Mary
Persons at 6 p.m. Thurs
day, Aug. 26.
PHOTOS BY KELLY CRENSHAW
Seniors on the Lady Pirates softball team include (l-r) Skylar Howell, Alana Crenshaw,
Emma Smith, Bailee Brown, Shelby Duncan and Madi Neal. Not pictured are seniors Jamie
Corbin and Faith Stowers.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
PCHS Class of 2021 student Ashton Maddrey recently signed a scholarship to play basketball
at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. Pictured are (front row l-r) Charlotte Parker, Joe Pea
body, Ashton Maddrey, Allison Peabody (back row l-r) John Parker and Parker Maddrey.
Ashton Maddrey signs basketball scholarship
Ashton Maddrey recently signed a
basketball scholarship with Clarke Uni
versity in Iowa. He played all four years
at Pike County High School, and played
for Pike County Middle School as well,
earning the Scholar Athlete honor for
all four years of high school and Player
of the Week several times. He was a
member of the National Honor Society
and an Honor graduate with the Class
of 2021. He was also part of the Pirates
football program.
He plans to pursue an athletic train
ing degree at Clarke University with a
concentration in biology. The college
offers both a masters and doctorate
degree in athletic training.
Ashton started playing basketball as
soon as he was able to pick up the ball.
He had a LittleTikes basketball goal on
his home’s back patio and spent lots
of time playing on it as a toddler and
worked hard over the years to earn his
college scholarship in the sport.
“I would like to thank everyone who
has supported me - my friends, rec
league coaches, school coaches, club
level coaches, teachers and family,”
said Ashton. “You’ve all had an impor
tant role in my academic and athletic
successes. I’m excited to be able to
keep doing what 1 love at the next level.
My favorite quote says it all, ‘When you
want to succeed as bad as you want to
Ashton Maddrey signs a scholarship with
Clarke University to play basketball.
breathe, then you’ll be successful’ by
Eric Thomas.”
Ashton is the son of Joe and Allison
Peabody of Concord, brother of Parker
Maddrey who is a student at Presbyte
rian College in Clinton, SC and grand
son of John and Charlotte Parker of
McDonough.
Ashton Maddrey was surrounded by family and friends as he signed his college scholarship.