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I have spent a lot of time on the road
As most of you know, I'm still
fairly new to this area, and I'm still
learning the ins and outs of Middle
Georgia.
Over the past few couple of
weeks or so, I've definitely
discovered one of the "outs".
In all of my almost nine years of
reporting. I've never had to travel
too far to cover an event, unless it
was a special event like a state
tournament.
In fact, back in Illinois, the av
erage distance I would travel to
cover a game would be say, oh, 25
to 30 miles, lops. The closest dis
tance, of course, was right there in
town in Carbondalc, but also seven
or eight miles on cither side to ci
ther Cartcrvillc or Murphysboro.
Perry power
surge continues
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
PERRY - Talk about your power surges.
The Perry High School baseball team is currently on a home run
rampage. The Panthers, who hit five roundtrippers in Wednesday's 18-12
victory over Robert E. Lee, hit four more Friday en route to a 14-1
whitewashing of Mary Persons in a Region 4AA game at the Panther
"Pit."
Perry improved to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the region. The Panthers re
mained one-half game behind first-place Jackson, which Perry is sched
uled to meet next Saturday in a make-up game.
Mary Persons fell to 6-9 overall and 1-6 in the region. The Bulldogs
have no hope of making the Region 4AA playoffs.
In the last three games, Perry has scored an average of just under 16
runs per game. It was the seventh lime in 10 games this year that the
Panthers have scored more than ten runs.
"Offensively, you can’t ask much more from these kids," said Perry
interim coach Tim Simmons. "Just about everybody is hitting for us
these days."
Just about everybody. Nobody would be surprised to hear that Josten
Clark or Keith Newberry hit home runs Friday. But catcher Jimmy
Dunlap and Randy "Taler" Mizell, who came off the bench to hit a two
run blast?
"It was unexpected," Dunlap said of his monsterous home run to left
field. "But it felt pretty good. It seems like we're just all out there
muscling up. We've been taking a lot of extra hitting in practice."
Even Mary Persons Coach Mark Whitley was impressed with Perry's
offensive output. .~~;: M
"They hit the ball really well today," Whitley said. "They've got a
good-hitting team. Our pitcher tried to set up his curveball with his
fastball, but his curveball wasn't working so he hung a couple of fast
balls that they hit out."
Please see PERRY, Page 4B
Storm doesn't stop thinclads
from running away with win
By MARK BLUMEN
Staff Writer
PERRY - Both Perry High
School track teams came away with
lopsided victories Thursday night at
the Panther Pit.
Perry had victories over Harris
County, Mary Persons, and Jones
County before the meet was halted
do to a threat of a thunderstorm.
Lightning prevented the meet to
continue after each team finished
their 880-mcter run.
The girls ran away with their
dominance with a 90-31-18-2 re
sult, while the boys scored a 96-31-
1 victory.
"We were on our way to our
largest point total in the 2-year
history of the team," said girls track
coach Ron Wilson. "I was disap
pointed that we called it. I made
some switches in my relay teams
and I now don't have a chance to see
what we could have done."
Wilson also added that he was
extremely proud of his field people.
"We came out of the field events
with 50 points, which was real
crucial," he said. "Especially since
they were against region foes."
He continued to state how proud
he was of Keesha Rogers.
Rogers finished first in the shot
and second in the disc behind Deidre
Williams.
"We've finally seen Mary Per
sons, Jackson, harris County, and
Pike," Wilson said. "But we haven't
seen Lamar County yet. That is a
concern of mine."
Wilson said he felt Lamar
County could be a darkhorse in the
region.
"Last year they stole some
points," he added. "And I don't care
what people say, I think we have a
shot at the region championship."
HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870—FOR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS. CALL 987-1823
The furthest 1 ever had to go on
a regular basis was a town called
Ccntralia, and that was about 70 to
75 miles. Not too bad, since it
made for a pretty good mileage
check.
I do gel paid mileage here as
well, but I never dreamed how
much time I'd be spending in the
car covering sporting events.
The first week 1 got here, I went
up to Forsyth to cover the region
basketball tournament. Thai's not
bad, I said to myself. Only a 45 to
50-milc drive. That 1 can handle.
But then, baseball season started.
My first baseball road trip was to
Vienna and Dooly County. Again, I
thought, not 100 bad., considering
it was only about 25 miles or so.
f The Houston Home f
Journal
SATURDAY, APRIL 7,1990-Section B
Girls Shot
1. Williams
2. Rogers
4. L. Whitest
Disc
1. Rogers
2. Williams
High Jump
1. Simon
2. T. Taylor
Long Jump
1. Williams
3. Simon
4. Smith
100
1. Irby
2. L. Whitest
200
2. Smith
3. Harris
400
2. Williams
3. Simon
800
1. T. Taylor
2. C. Thornton
1600
1. T. Flowers
110 Low Hurdles
3. Lawson
4. T. Whitest
In the boys meet, the Pan
ther thinclads won their fourth meet
of the season for coach Randy Pad
gett.
The lopsided score was not in
dicative of the final result
Some of the relay teams started
out slow but rallied in the last lap.
In the 400 meter, the team of
Darrell Johnson, Avery Richardson,
Ralph Thomas and Forest Johnson
came back to beat team mates,
Jerome Hayward, Sammy Brown,
Travis Milton, and Ortez Smothers.
©
Shawn Akers
HHJ Sports editor
But the Dooly County game was
not a region game.
Before I lelt for that game, how
ever, Mark Blumcn told me that
Vienna was the closest road trip
'*- Jbsi£S& *• **■ 4 \ <i ,
Mary Persons second baseman Atoy Buckner beats the throw and Is safe at second
base under the tag of Perry's P.J. Hartman. Perry blew out the Bulldogs, 14-1.
Boys Shot
1. Releford
2. Jackson
4. Harris
Oise
1. Releford
2. Dunlap
Long Jump
1. Johnson
2. Minor
3. Richardson
4. Smith
Triple Jump
1. Johnson
2. Minor
4. Richardson
High Jump
1. Felder
2. Francis
2. Lester
4. Smith
Pole Vault
1. Passinault
2. Mizell
400 Relay
1. Perry #1
2. Perry #2
1600
2. Barrett
3. Peake
4. Clark
400
1. Johnson
2. Richardson
3. Minor
4. Bryant
100
1. Thomas
2. Hayward
3. Brown
110 High Hurdles
2. Smothers
3. King
that I'd make this spring with the
baseball team.
Right then and there, 1 knew 1
was in for a long season with many
miles ahead of me. Oh well.
Mary Persons was the first re
gion game in Forsyth, and 1 didn’t
mind that. But all in the span of
seven days, I went there, Manch
ester and Hamilton in Harris
County.
Well, it takes about a week and
half to get to Manchester and you
have to gel out your calendar when
you make the trip over to Hamil
ton. Seriously, it's not that bad, but
120 miles, wow.
I had never been to or through
the slate of Alabama, so I thought
what the heck. I was only 10 miles
Perry sports
Complete coverage of Perry High, Westfield, Recreation leagues & Outdoor news
'* awwwwß** * \
, v / fHBBp (■ 11 IJi *
***-* \ ,
Travis Milton and Sammy Brown run for the finish line In the Panthers track meet
...Ralph Thomas and Darrell Johnson caught the team to win the 400 meter relay
or so from the border, so 1 got silly
and just made a detour over there.
Os course, I didn't charge the com
pany for that.
This past Tuesday, I ventured up
to Zebulon and Pike County for a
tennis match. Pike County is on
the other side of nowhere, for those
of you who don’t know.
When I got there, the match had
started late, and they only had two
courts. 1 was on deadline and had to
get back with film and write my
story, so I had to have Coach Ma
jors call in some of the results.
On Wednesday, I went up to
Thomaston and Robert E. Lee,
which is about a 64-mile one-way
trip. Again, this was one of the
closer places to go.
I've yet to go to Barnesvillc
(Lamar County) or Jackson. It
should be interesting when 1 do.
These road trips wouldn't be so
bad, but you have to switch high
ways every 10 minutes, or so it
seems. You can really get lost if
you don't know what you're doing
or have an atlas with you.
Thank you Rand-McNally. If if
weren't for them, I'd probably be in
Mississippi right now, still look
ing for Harris County High School.
I sure will be glad when football
season starts. Not as many road
trips.
* ♦ *
Last week, I previewed the Na
tional League. This week, here are
Please see AKERS, Page 4B
Newberry
shows he
can pitch
By SHAWN AKERS
Sports Editor
PERRY - Perry High School's
Keith Newberry didn't know what
to think when he was summoned
to pilch in the fourth inning.
After all. Josten Clark was
throwing a shutout and Newberry
had not pitched all season long.
"I really didn't want to pitch at
fust," joked Newberry, who hurled
two scoreless innings in Perry's
14-1 victory over Mary Persons
Friday.
"When I got there, I just said to
myself that I've just got to throw
stirikes because they may gel back
into the game. At first I was sur
prised at how well I was doing,
then I settled down."
Newberry struck out four and
gave up one hit
"He didn't do anything fancy,
he just came in and threw the ball
over the plate," said Mary Persons
Coach Mark Whitley.
Perry interim coach Tim Sim
mons was dually impressed.
"I was glad to sec Keith come
in and do a good job," Simmons
said. "We got him some work and
Please see KEITH, Page 4B