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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
Unties
gainesvilletimes.com
Friday, November 2, 2018
ATA\NTA UNITED
PAUL NEWBERRY I The Associated Press
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte,
right, poses with Atlanta United’s Josef
Martinez, after presentg Martinez with the
MLS Golden Boot award during a news
conference on Thursday in Atlanta.
Surprise
visit from
fellow star
Golden Boot given
to Martinez by the
Braves’ Inciarte
DOUG ROBERSON
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Josef Martinez smiled when he saw the
Golden Boot, the trophy earned by finish
ing as the leading scorer in MLS with a
league-record 31 goals.
His smile grew even more bright when
he saw the courier: Braves outfielder, and
Martinez’s friend and fellow Venezuelan,
Ender Inciarte.
“Special delivery, baby,” Inciarte said
as he walked around a corner toward
Martinez.
“He surprised me, I thought he was on
vacation,” Martinez said.
“I was supposed to be on vacation but
came here for Josef,” Inciarte said.
With Martinez holding the trophy, liter
ally a golden soccer shoe, the two spoke
in Spanish for a few seconds before Mar
tinez described what Inciarte giving him
the award meant to him.
“It’s a big surprise,” Martinez said. “I’m
really happy that he’s here because he’s a
great friend. I’ve always been a big lover
of baseball, so this means a lot that he’s
the person giving it to me.”
The friendship started on social media
before Inciarte joined the Braves in 2016
from the Diamondbacks.
Martinez threw out the first pitch
before a Braves game this year. Inciarte,
a soccer fan, said Martinez is a much bet
ter baseball player than he is a soccer
player.
Inciarte said he was very proud to give
Martinez the hard-earned award as his
friend and his countrymen.
Inciarte said many people in Venezuela
follow what Martinez and Atlanta United
are doing.
“He’s from my country and represent
ing us so well,” Inciarte said. “I’m just
happy to be giving this award to him.
He deserves it and the whole country is
proud of him representing us here in the
U.S. He’s been doing a great job on and
off the field. We are proud of what he’s
accomplishing.”
Martinez joked that Inciarte may have
more Golden Gloves (2) than he has
Golden Boots, but hopefully there’s more
on the way.
Martinez then turned his attention
and thoughts to Atlanta United’s upcom
ing playoff series against NYCFC, which
starts on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. The
return leg will be Nov. 11 at Mercedes-
Benz Stadium.
“That’s why we are here, to win things,”
Martinez said. “If it’s as a team, that’s
even better because it’s more important. ”
Martinez joked that he was going to give
the trophy to Inciarte, before continuing
the joke by saying he may sell it. Last
year, he downplayed competing for the
Golden Boot by saying that he could just
buy one.
He said his favorite goal was the record-
breaker, No. 28, at Orlando City. Marti
nez liked it because it helped the team
defeat Orlando, which he said played
well, maybe the best they’ve ever played
against Atlanta United.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL I Game of the Week
Eyeing home playoff spot
North Hall’s Clark Howell runs the ball with East Hall during the game Oct. 26 in Gainesville.
Photos by AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
against Dawson for the No. 2 seed in 7-3A
Greater Atlanta Christian’s Christian Thomas gets taken down by North Hall’s David
Seavey and JT Fair, left, during the game Sept. 28 in Gainesville.
North Hall needs win
BY SARAH WOODALL
swoodall@gainesvilletimes.com
As many times North Hall and Dawson
County each lit up the scoreboard this sea
son, head football coaches David Bishop
and Sid Maxwell still have no idea what
kind of night it will be Friday when the
two teams clash in a Week 12, Region 7-3A
contest in Dawsonville.
One thing they are sure of, is that it
game will not be a typical regular-season
finale.
The Trojans (8-1, 4-1 Region 7-3A) and
seventh-ranked Tigers (8-1, 4-1) — two of
the classifications most potent offenses
— will meet at Tiger Stadium, in a battle
for second place in the 7-3A, and bragging
rights to host at least one home playoff
game as a No. 2 seed.
“It’s one of the great opportunities for
us, playing at home — one of the biggest
games in Dawson County history, as far
as football goes,” said Maxwell, who has
guided the Tigers to the postseason in each
of the last three seasons, including a state
quarterfinal appearance
in 2015.
North Hall and Daw
son County have split the
four-game series. Daw
son County has won the
last two. The winner will
host the No. 3 team out of
the Region 6 in the open
ing round next week.
As for Bishop’s busi
ness-minded Trojans,
they are fully aware of the opportunity
in-hand. A chance to play at the The Brick
yard at least one more week would be big
for North Hall, which hasn’t hosted a first-
round game since 2012 and has never won
on the road in the postseason.
“They don’t get too overly emotional,
but they are excited for the opportunity,”
Bishop said.
While there’s no telling how the mind of
a high school athlete operates from week
to week, Maxwell is still confident his kids
are ready for the occasion.
“They know North Hall is a very good
football team,” Maxwell said. They’ve
scored unbelievable amounts the last
three football games. We’ll have our work
cut out for us.”
North Hall’s deceptively balanced
Wing-T ranks second in the Class 3A, aver
aging 46 points and 381 yards a contest.
The Trojans have scored 70-plus in back-
to-back weeks, even setting a single-game
mark of 76 in a shutout victory over East
Hall last Friday night.
The talents of Daniel Jackson and JT
Fair continue to spearhead the Trojans’
attack. Jackson has excelled on offense
and special teams, compiling 1,513 all
purpose yards and 23 total touchdowns in
nine games. Fair’s explosiveness off the
exchange has resulted in him averaging
a staggering 13.8 yards
a carry while racking up
635 yards and six scores
in 23 fewer attempts
than his senior classmate
Jackson.
North Hall senior
quarterback David
Seavey (614 passing
yards, eight touchdowns)
has thrown two touch
downs in each of his
last three games and no interceptions all
season.
“They have been a very explosive foot
ball team, with big tremendous gains as
far as long runs and explosive passes,”
Maxwell said. We gotta limit those if we’re
gonna have a chance. ...And we gotta
move the ball offensively. We’re gonna
have to match them, and obviously try to
play sound football.
Tonight’s games
■ Buford vs. Clarke Central
■ Chestatee at West Hall
■ East Hall at Lumpkin County
■ Flowery Branch vs. Denmark
■ Gainesville at Lanier
■ Johnson vs. Loganville
■ Lakeview Academy vs. Athens
Christian
■ North Hall at Dawson County
■ Riverside Military vs. Prince Avenue
Christian
Maxwell’s offense isn’t too shabby
either. The Tigers have inhabited the
state’s top-10 for much of the season
thanks to an offense averaging 36 points
per game. It’s steered by the talents of
senior Sevaughn Clark, who made the
switch to quarterback in the offseason
and has helped carry the Tigers with both
his arm (52 of 91,680 yards, seven touch
downs, one interception) and feet (647
rushing yards, 12 touchdowns).
It’s a different look than one Coey Wat
son provide as the previous signal caller
for the Tigers, according to Bishop.
“Being a four-year starter, Coey brought
a different dynamic to that team,” the
■ Please see NORTH, 3B
Bishop
Seavey
LAKE LANIER FISHING REPORT
Be flexible with lures while trying to catch big bass
BY ERIC ALDRICH
For The Times
Lake Lanier’s water level is
1,069.35 which is 1.65-feet below
the normal full pool of 1,071. Lake
surface temperatures are in the
low to mid 70’s.
The main lake and lower lake
creeks mouths are clear to stained
from turn over. The backs of the
creeks are stained from turnover.
The upper lake and rivers are clear
to stained and many areas are
starting to turn over above Browns
Bridge. The Chattahoochee below
Buford Dam remains stained from
lake turnover.
Check generation schedules
before heading out to the river
below Buford Dam at 770-945-1466.
Bass fishing: We are really start
ing to see areas where lake strati
fication (or lake turnover) are
occurring. When the lake “turns
over” it basically means that
the warmer surface layers have
cooled down to the same tempera
tures as the cooler lower levels.
This causes the layers to mix up.
The cooler lower layers contain
lower oxygen levels and decaying
matter. The water mixes up and
gets an ugly stain and smells of
sulfur. Because there is no thermo-
cline, the fish can be located from
6-feet-deep or 60 feet deep, which
makes it harder to pattern them.
The fish can be found anywhere,
so keep your options open.
Lake turnover can be a frustrat
ing time to fish, but the good news
is that the bass fishing is good and
they are biting a variety of lures at
different depths. This week, sub
surface techniques have trumped
the top-water action. “Junk fish
ing” has been the best way to
approach the fish this week. That
basically says you can keep 5-to-10
fishing rods on the deck, each with
a different lure and catch fish on
every one. You may catch bass on
a top water plug one hour, and then
you may catch them 40 feet down
with a jigging spoon the next.
We have started our days cast
ing a SPRO McStick 110 or a Sebile
Magic Swimmer around main
lake and secondary points and
humps just as the sun is rising. Just
cast these lures to the bank and
reel them with a medium steady
retrieve. These jerk and swim baits
perfectly match the look and feel
of blue back herring. Continue to
cast these lures throughout the day
to any “bassy” looking areas.
As the sun rises, we have had
some luck casting top water plugs
over main lake humps and points.
The top water bite has been off and
on, so if you don’t get bites on your
top water plug switch to subsurface
lures like swim baits, spy baits and
medium to deep diving crank baits.
Once we work an area with brush
we will stow the moving lures and
■ Please see FISHING, 2B
