About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2018)
2B Friday, November 30, 2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS LANIER ■ Continued from 1B at 3-to-10 feet deep. Retrieve your crank baits slow and steady and keep them in contact with the bottom. Keep fishing this way until the bites stop. After that, we have been fishing the sides of the ditches from 15-to-30 feet with a Jig and Big Bites Fighting Frog trailer. Jigs imitate the crawfish that Lake Lanier’s spotted and largemouth bass love. I don’t know about you, but I would rather eat lobster than tila- pia, and I think bass feel the same way. The jig bite can occur all day long, so stick with it and you will catch bigger bass. As the sun gets high in the sky, we have been search ing for fish in the center of the ditches. My Lowrance Carbon 16 can tell us if the fish are right below the boat and Structure Scan and 3D help us to see groups of fish that 2D would miss out to the sides of the boat. These fish group up in big schools along the bottom and when you find them you can load the boat! What you are looking for are arcs or “spaghetti’ that indicate fish directly under the boat. Our main weapon is a jigging spoon. Use a half ounce Flex-It or Hopkins style spoons. Some people prefer the sensitivity of fluo rocarbon, but this is one of the rare instances where I use 20-pound test Sunline Monofilament. The heavier weight monofilament slows the fall of the spoon. I also replace the stock hooks with lighter Gamakatsu trebles because they penetrate bet ter. Plus, you can straighten the hooks with this heavier line and avoid losing to many spoons. Lost lures are just part of the deal, so make sure to have plenty as a backup. Drop your spoon to the bottom and reel it up a foot or two. Pop your spoon up and down along the bottom. Most hits will occur as the spoon falls, so watch your line and look for a “tick” on the fall. Even when you don’t feel the bite, you are popping the spoon fast enough that you will catch most fish that strike. You can also use a drop shot or jig in these same areas. Check out my YouTube channel “Eric Aldrich Fish ing” for more details on how to identify the best ditches with your mapping software! Striper fishing remains inconsistent and the fish are roaming just about anywhere. The gulls have come inshore to weather out the winter before return ing to the coast in warmer months. Watch for gulls and loons to give away the loca tion of bait. Watch the birds along with your electronics to locate feeding stripers. Some fish will be deep while others may be feeding on the surface so keep your options open! My Lowrance units help me to locate stripers in the same way we locate bass. Set your screen to a split view between traditional 2D and Structure Scan and cover water until you locate bait and fish. The stripers will often be located in the same ditches that the bass use. Because the stripers are scattered, you may need to keep moving, so consider trolling an Umbrella Rig. Most local bait stores sell pre-rigged, Captain Mack’s Umbrella Rigs. I buy the bare rigs and outfit them with SPRO Bucktails with Big Bites Suicide Shads for trailers. You can use lead core to help get the rigs deeper, but I like 65-pound test Sunline SX1 braid. The braid cuts through the water and allows me to keep my rigs higher or lower in the water column. Invest in an umbrella retriever as it will pay for itself the first time you get snagged. If you locate a school of stripers, then use both flat lines or down lines with live herring or medium shin ers. The medium sized baits seem to have been more effective in the last 2 years. Small to medium-sized her ring are also hard to beat. Try baiting at least one trout on a flat line with a bal loon set about 15 feet ahead of your bait. I have very fond memories of seeing big strip ers trap trout against the sur face. They may hit it many times before finally eating it, so keep your rods in their holders until you hook up. We have been seeing a lot of fish midway back into the creeks down lake along with some decent action on up around River Forks and the mouth of the Chestatee. I prefer to target fish that are surfacing with artificial lures. My go-to lure is a half ounce SPRO Bucktail. Using artificial lures frees up a striper anglers’ options. You can keep moving quickly without having to pull your baits or rigs back to boat. Trout fishing has been up and down below Buford Dam. The water is warmer and more stained than the colder clear mountain streams. Recent rains can cause the river to muddy up but during low water levels, the river has been fishable and the trout are biting. The North Georgia streams are mostly clear except after heavy rains. Trout spawn when water temperatures reach 50 degrees. Late fall and win ter are great times to target your biggest fish of the year. Fly anglers should try a Woolly Bugger early and later in the day. During sunny days switch to some thing flashier like a small streamer or salmon egg pattern. The trout are eating a variety of baits, so pick your favorite lures or bait and visit the most productive areas you can find. It’s OK to keep a limit for dinner but consider just taking a picture of the big ones and release them so they can spawn. Bank fishing: Crappie fishing in private ponds and on Lake Lanier is usually good in the colder months. These tasty fish will be located in tight groups. If you catch one, then there should be several more in the same area. On Lake Lanier the fish will be located in deep brush around 25-feet-deep. Dock owners can downline minnows or fish small jigs directly under their docks. Bank anglers can visit parks with deep public docks or they can fish around bridges. Eric Aldrich is an outdoor writer, marketing specialist and bass angler. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. He would love to hear from readers, so please email him at esaldrich@ yahoo.com Remember to take a kid fishing! Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE W East L T Pet PF PA New England 8 3 0 .727 307 249 Miami 5 6 0 .455 223 283 Buffalo 4 7 0 .364 161 272 N.Y. Jets 3 8 0 .273 221 281 W South L T Pet PF PA Houston 8 3 0 .727 273 222 Indianapolis 6 5 0 .545 325 273 Tennessee 5 6 0 .455 195 223 Jacksonville 3 8 0 .273 197 243 W North L T Pet PF PA Pittsburgh 7 3 1 .682 316 249 Baltimore 6 5 0 .545 271 198 Cincinnati 5 6 0 .455 276 347 Cleveland 4 6 1 .409 253 283 W West L T Pet PF PA Kansas City 9 2 0 .818 404 294 L.A. Chargers 8 3 0 .727 307 219 Denver 5 6 0 .455 252 252 Oakland 2 9 0 .182 187 327 NATIONAL CONFERENCE W East L T Pet PF PA Dallas 6 5 0 .545 234 213 Washington 6 5 0 .545 220 229 Philadelphia 5 6 0 .455 230 253 N.Y. Giants 3 8 0 .273 237 288 W South L T Pet PF PA New Orleans 10 1 0 .909 409 256 Carolina 6 5 0 .545 287 282 Atlanta 4 7 0 .364 280 307 Tampa Bay 4 7 0 .364 294 338 W North L T Pet PF PA Chicago 8 3 0 .727 317 211 Minnesota 6 4 1 .591 265 246 Green Bay 4 6 1 .409 264 267 Detroit 4 7 0 .364 238 286 W West L T Pet PF PA L.A. Rams 10 1 0 .909 389 282 Seattle 6 5 0 .545 276 243 Arizona 2 9 0 .182 155 293 San Francisco 2 9 0 .182 239 293 Thursdays Game New Orleans at Dallas, late Sunday’s Games L.A. Rams at Detroit, 1 p.m. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Arizona at Green Bay, 1 p.m. Denver at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. Baltimore at Atlanta, 1 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Cleveland at Houston, 1 p.m. Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Tennessee, 4:05 p.m. Kansas City at Oakland, 4:05 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. Minnesota at New England, 4:25 p.m. L.A. Chargers at Pittsburgh, 8:20 p.m. Monday’s Games Washington at Philadelphia, 8:15 p.m. Transactions BASEBALL American League SEATTLE MARINERS — Acquired LHP Ricardo Sanchez from Atlanta for cash considerations. National League CINCINNATI REDS — Claimed 0F-1B Jordan Patterson off waivers from the New York Mets. NEW YORK METS — Named Adam Guttridge assistant general manager. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association CLEVELAND CAVALIERS — Traded G Kyle Korver to Utah for G Alec Burks and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. FOOTBALL National Football League ARIZONA CARDINALS — Re-signed 0L Will Holden. Placed 0L Jeremy Vujnovich on injured reserve. Signed DE Cameron Malveaux from Miami’s practice squad. Released QB Charles Kanoff CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed 0T Andre Smith. Placed 0T Jake Fisher on injured reserve. Canadian Football League OTTAWA REDBLACKS — Signed DB Antoine Pruneau to a three-year extension. Indoor Football League HOCKEY National Hockey League ANAHEIM DUCKS — Waived F Ben Street. ARIZONA COYOTES — Claimed G Calvin Pickard off waivers from Philadelphia. Assigned F Mario Kempe to Tucson (AHL). CALGARY FLAMES — Assigned F Dillon Dube to Stockton (AHL). CAROLINA HURRICANES — Placed G Scott Darling and F Valentin Zykov on waivers. NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Recalled F Michael McLeod from Binghamton (AHL). NEW YORK ISLANDERS — Named Travis Wil liams president of business operations. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS — Claimed F Jean- Sebastien Dea off waivers from New Jersey. ST. LOUIS BLUES — Waived F Nikita Soshnikov. LACROSSE Football/college Top 25 schedule Today’s games No. 10 Washington vs. No. 17 Utah, Pac-12 championship at Santa Clara, Calif., 8 p.m. Saturday’s games No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Georgia, SEC champi onship at Atlanta, 4 p.m. No. 2 Clemson vs. Pittsburgh, ACC champion ship at Charlotte, N.C., 8 p.m. No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Texas, Big 12 champi onship at Arlington, Texas, Noon No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 21 Northwestern, Big Ten championship at Indianapolis, 8 p.m. No. 7 UCF vs. Memphis, AAC championship, 3:30 p.m. No. 19 Boise State vs. No. 25 Fresno State, MWC championship, 7:45 p.m. No. 24 Iowa State vs. Drake, Noon Basketball/college Today’s games EAST Michigan St. at Rutgers, 6 p.m. Niagara at St. Francis (Pa.), 7 p.m. Delaware at Md.-Eastern Shore, 7 p.m. Duquesne vs. Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh, Pa., 7 p.m. Wagner at American U., 7 p.m. Vermont at Towson, 7 p.m. SOUTH Ohio University Chillcothe at Morehead St., 11:05 a.m. UMBC at N. Kentucky, 7 p.m. Coastal Carolina at South Carolina, 7 p.m. Appalachian St. at East Carolina, 7 p.m. Colgate at South Florida, 8:30 p.m. MIDWEST Buffalo vs. Milwaukee at Belfast, 5:30 a.m. Mississippi St. at Dayton, 7 p.m. Wisconsin at Iowa, 8 p.m. Oklahoma St. vs. Minnesota at Minneapolis, Minn., 10 p.m. SOUTHWEST San Francisco vs. Stephen F. Austin at Belfast, 8 a.m. Radford at Texas, 7 p.m. Cent. Michigan atTCU, 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s games EAST Louisville at Seton Hall, Noon New Hampshire at Bryant, 1 p.m. Mount St. Mary’s at Loyola (Md.), 1 p.m. Fairfield at Army, 1 p.m. Fairleigh Dickinson at Holy Cross, 1:05 p.m. Arkansas St. at Lehigh, 2 p.m. NJIT at Mass.-Lowell, 2 p.m. Bucknell at Monmouth (NJ), 2 p.m. Hartwick at Binghamton, 2 p.m. Robert Morris at Drexel, 2 p.m. Bowling Green at Hartford, 2 p.m. Harvard at Siena, 3 p.m. E. Michigan at Northeastern, 3 p.m. Villanova at La Salle, 3 p.m. Maine at St. Peter’s, 3 p.m. Delaware St. at St. Bonaventure, 4 p.m. Brown at Navy, 4 p.m. George Washington at Princeton, 4 p.m. Youngstown St. at West Virginia, 4 p.m. Rhode Island at Providence, 5 p.m. Temple at Saint Joseph’s, 5:30 p.m. Fordham at Manhattan, 7 p.m. Quinnipiac at Stony Brook, 7 p.m. Cornell at Syracuse, 8 p.m. SOUTH St. John’s vs. Georgia Tech at Miami, Fla., Noon Rust College at Alcorn St., Noon UNC-Greensboro at Kentucky, 1 p.m. CCSU at Virginia Tech, 1 p.m. Jacksonville St. at North Alabama, 1 p.m. Mercer at The Citadel, 1 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Chattanooga, 2 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe at Mississippi, 2 p.m. Hofstra at Kennesaw St., 2 p.m. E. Kentucky at High Point, 2 p.m. Boston U. at Elon, 2 p.m. Savannah St. at Gardner-Webb, 3 p.m. VMI at Longwood, 3 p.m. Regent University at Hampton, 4 p.m. W. Carolina at Furman, 4 p.m. TODAY ON TV BASKETBALL ■ NBA: Hawks at Thunder, 8 p.m., Fox Sports Southeast ■ NBA: Rockets at Spurs, 8 p.m., ESPN ■ NBA: Nuggets at Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m., ESPN FOOTBALL ■ MAC Championship: Northern Illinois vs., Buffalo, 7 p.m., ESPN2 ■ Pac-12 Championship: Washington vs. Utah, 8 p.m., FOX GOLF ■ European Tour: Mauritius Open, 3:30 a.m., GOLF ■ PGA Tour: Hero World Challenge, 1:30 p.m., GOLF ■ European Tour: Australian PGA Championship, 9:30 p.m., GOLF HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD Wysocki leads Flowery Branch girls to 59-45 win Led by Caroline Wysocki with 15 points, Flowery Branch topped previously unbeaten Dawson County 59-45 for their first win of the season Thursday. Ashlee Locke and Ashley Woodroffe both scored 11 points for the Lady Falcons (1-3). For Dawson County, Kay- lee Sticker led the team with 12 points, followed by Sophia D’Oliveira with 11. Also chipping in for the Tigers (3-1), Marlie Townley had 10 points. Dawson County faces Banks County at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the North Geor gia High School Showcase in Dahlonega. GREATER ATLANTA CHRISTIAN 106, CHERO KEE BLUFF 83: Corey Thomas finished with 18 points for the Bears (2-2) in Flowery Branch on Thurs day. Also in double digits, Devon Wainer had 13 points, while Griffin Neville and Bosko Norman both added 12 each for Cherokee Bluff. Cherokee Bluff hosts Riv erside Military Academy at 6 p.m. tonight. LANIER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY BOYS 93, WILLIAM AND REED 44: Tommy Wandrum had a team high 14 points for the Lightning (6-1) on Thursday in Johns Creek. Samuel Col lins and Stephen MacLager both had 13 points and hit three of five 3-pointers. Asher Weiner tallied 12 points for the win. High school scores can be reported by 10:30 p.m. each night by calling 770-718- 3415 or email sports@ gainesvilletimes.com. High school football FCA East-West All-Star Football Classic at Riverside Military Academy Dec. 15 Team East 9 Jacob Bousquet P East Jackson 2 Hayden Killgore K Jefferson 3 Cody Dodge DL Banks County 4 Campbell Melson LB Lakeview 5 K.J. Millwood WR/DB Lakeview 6 Erik Madera DB Johnson 9 Carter Brandon DL Johnson 10 Conner Boyd QB Cherokee Bluff 12 Cambren Harrison RB East Hall 14 IssacTeasley QB Riverside Military 15 Cole Potts WR/DB Jefferson 16 Justin Murphy WR Cherokee Bluff 17 Zarian Brawner RB/DB Flowery Branch 20 Jacob Lehotsky DB Banks County 21 Zac Corbin DB Jefferson 22 Stephen Aleandre DB Riverside Military 23 Jordan Battles DB Riverside Military 33 Terrance Walker RB Banks County 40 Khalid Duke LB Riverside Military 42 Ethan Bruce LB Johnson 43 Zeke Velasquez LB Johnson 44 Harry Kim LB Riverside Military 72 Platinum Thompson 0L Johnson 73 Matthew Porter 0L Flowery Branch 74 Ian Echols 0L Lakeview 76 Tucker Rothschild 0L Flowery Branch 77 J.T. Middleton 0L Jefferson 78 Colin Hatcher 0L East Jackson 79 Carlos Zaragoza 0L East Hall 80 Cody Lewallen WR Banks County 81 Teyvon Payton 0L Riverside Military 82 Kylan Curry WR East Hall 83 Jack Dodson DL Flowery Branch 88 Anthony Mason 0L Riverside Military 89 Sammy Elegreet WR Jefferson 91 Athyn Thurmond DL East Hall 92 Cody Inman DL Flowery Branch 93 Aidan Lorenz DL Flowery Branch 96 Ethan Nguyen 0L Johnson 98 Ryan Godfrey DL Jefferon 99 Kyle Jones LS Coaches Cherokee Bluff Jason Roquemore Johnson Kenneth Czar Cherokee Bluff Ben Hall Flowery Branch Jeff Brumbelow Flowery Branch Jason Pleasant Riverside Military Scott Patrick East Hall Buster Davis East Hall Jacob Smith Riverside Military Tommy Jones Cherokee Bluff Kerry Kidd Banks County Justin Meyer Jefferson Bruce Miller Lakeview Jay Reid Banks County Mike Holland Johnson Team West 1 Erin Sanchez K North Hall 2 Chad Pittman P Jackson County 3 Dajuan Wood DB Commerce 4 Demarquez Brown DB Gainesville 5 Jeremiah Prather DB West Hall 6 Rassie Littlejohn DB Gainesville 9 Hunter Rainey DL West Hall 10 David Seavey QB North Hall 12 Darren Simpson TE Commerce 14 Quentin Smith QB West Hall 15 Eli Vincent LB Jackson County 16 Caleb Mason DB Commerce 17 Rayshun Dorsey DE/LB Jackson County 21 Quintavious Hayes RB Gainesville 22 Tommy Wandrum DB Lanier Christian 23 Len Hilbert RB Jackson County 33 Jay Lepkoske RB White County 40 Tanner Lumpkin LB Commerce 42 Nate Vincent LB Jackson County 43 John Stoecker LB West Hall 44 Elijah Pierce LB Jackson County 72 Will Hammerson OL White County 73 Levi Pate OL Commerce 74 LT Pecht OL Jackson County 76 Jonathan Fountain OL Jackson County 77 Matt Sinclair OL West Hall 78 Justin Wade OL Lanier Christian 79 Kyle Barrett OL Gainesville 80 Isaac Carney WR North Hall 81 Ediie Venegas WR Chestatee 82 Alec Hughes TE Lanier Christian 83 Cody Versluis WR White County 84 DeeJay Fleming TE White County 88 Dylan Hughes OL North Hall 89 Devin Williams WR West Hall 90 Justin Key DL Jackson County 91 Corey Dupree DL West Hall 92 Terrell Dixon DL Chestatee 93 Josh Hamilton DL Chestatee 96 Jared Geyer DL Commerce 98 Zymere Dukes DL Gainesville 99 Jackson Bartlett DL West Hall Coaches Shaun Conley Chestatee Krofton Montgomery West Hall Heath Webb Gainesville Chad Bennett White County Jake Conley Chestatee Logan Conley Chestatee Wyatt Burgess White County Travis Raley West Hall David Bishop North Hall Blake Anderson Lanier Christian Chuck Hudson North Hall Dan Prichard North Hall Associated Press WOODALL ■ Continued from 1B underachieving. The Fal cons, Atlanta’s lone NFL franchise, produced the league’s Most Valuable Player and were minutes away from holding the Lom bardi Trophy 2 years ago, though, we all know how that ended. Yet we all keep coming back. Our undying alle giance to our teams is the hope that, maybe, next year will be the year. As hard as it’s been for Atlanta, the events to unfold for this city’s newest fran chise Thursday night may have given patrons a sign of new beginnings — a win ning tradition to come. Atlanta United FC sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory against the New York Red Bulls to win the Eastern Conference title on the road, confirming a return to Atlanta for the chance at the ultimate prize. As the many players huddled on-stage in jubila tion during the postgame trophy presentation, con fetti rained down on them as they hoisted the club’s very first conference title emblem. And they’re not done yet. When the Five Stripes take the field inside Mer cedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 8 to host the MLS Cup final, it will be an opportunity for the club to become the first major sports franchise since the 1995 Braves to win a championship, thus ending a long stigma of heartbreak and blown chances. This young fran chise has shown time and time again that they have the moxie to snap this horrid curse once and for all. This season, the farewell tour of beloved team man ager Tata Martino so far has looked promising, and against the league’s best defensive club in the New York Red Bulls, Atlanta showed its true potential. Entering the first leg of the Eastern Conference final, the Supporter’s Shield winning Red Bulls had conceded just 32 goals in 34 games played — the fewest in the MLS. Last Sunday night, New York’s press had no answers for the Five Stripes’ unre lenting attack as Josef Mar tinez (Golden Boot winner), Franco Escobar and substitute mid fielder Tito Villalba found the back of the net in a domi nant 3-0 victory at home. Atlanta’s second goal off the counter attack was a beauti ful sequence and a wonderful display of team soccer. Miguel Almiron threaded a perfect through ball to fel low midfielder Julian Gres- sel, who redirected a cross past a decoy Martinez and found Escobar, who slotted his shot in the upper net for a 2-0 lead in the 71st minute. Villalba’s dagger strike in the fifth minute of stoppage time was taken with such conviction as the ball rolled off his cleat and curled just inside the post. In that instance, it put New York in a hole too deep to climb out of for Leg 2. On top of that, VAR — a system rarely in favor of Atlanta during the regular season — waved off two pivotal New York goals in the series, something that showed the momentum was clearly on the side of United. Despite falling short in the Supporter’s Shield race in the regular season, the Five Stripes are playing arguably their best soc cer at the most ideal time. It could feel too good to be true, but don’t believe it. Atlanta United is showing an abil ity to adapt while exhibiting a fear less, dominant brand of soccer that has produced two clean sheets and postseason goals from five different players. On Thursday, their tactics of playing smart against a desperate New York Club paid off, as Atlanta’s defense held the Red Bulls scoreless until the fourth minute of stoppage time. Tim Parker’s last-ditch, punch-in goal for the Red Bulls came right in front of goal, but victory was already ensured for the visitors, still with a two-goal advantage on aggregate. And as the final minutes ticked away during the final stretch of regula tion and stoppage time Thursday, the chants and drum beats of the many Atlanta fans to make the trip that filled the emptying Red Bull Arena. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, the uncon tested man of the match and seemingly every where along Atlanta’s back line throughout the match, hopped and waved his arms from side-to-side to entice more chants from the sup porting crowd in the upper deck. That’s what has been behind them every step of the way, a world-class fanbase that continues to feed the players with such a passion and enthusiasm for the game. Last Sunday’s unveiling of the 70,000-person tifo to blanket the stands of Mer cedes-Benz Stadium clearly set the tone for an Atlanta- dominated showing. Fans on their feet, wav ing their shining sheets of gold, red and black in uni son captivated the players -- Miguel Almiron even smil ing in wonderment on the field pregame — and the world on social media. The echoing chants from the supporter’s section and the crowd of 70,016 — astonish ingly less than the 70,526 which set a MLS postseason record for attendance on Nov. 11 — made the ESPN broadcast all the more entertaining. Anticipate yet another sellout crowd at the The Benz next Saturday when Atlanta takes on either Sporting Kansas City, who previously defeated United 2-0 in May, or the Portland Timbers. So get excited, Atlanta. Mark your calendars. This could very-well be the turning point — seriously! Sarah Woodall is sports reporter for The Times. She can be reached at swoodall@ gainesvilletimes.com or @ Woodall8Sarah on Twitter. Martino
