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4B Saturday, December 1,2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS NFL NOTES Mahomes does his part to help underprivileged youth in KC Associated Press KELVIN KUO I Associated Press Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left, celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, second from left, after Hill caught a pass for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of the game Nov. 19 in Los Angeles. The kids from Kansas City’s inner-city football program were already in the kind of happy-go-lucky mood that comes with a modest holiday shopping spree when they lined up to take a picture. Some were laughing. All of them were smil ing. Then their idol stepped out from his hiding place and the screaming started. Chiefs quar terback Patrick Mahomes had taken time out of his day off Tuesday to show up at Dick’s Sporting Goods and surprise the kids from KC United. He took photographs, signed autographs and pre sented the team’s founder, local pastor Adrian Rober son, with $5,000 to fund next season. Mahomes was appearing at Dick’s event for Sports Matter, a program to help underfunded youth sports programs. Sports Matter has helped more than 1 million young athletes across the country, and Dick’s has committed $50 million to giving back to youth sports. Mahomes is arguably the hottest player in the NFL this season, his record setting performance as a first-year starter helping the Chiefs to a 9-2 record. And not surprisingly, that has caused the demands on his time to skyrocket, from the unending interview requests to meet-and-greets and other events. Somehow, the 23-year-old quarter back has managed to take everything in stride. “I don’t know if it does something for me. It’s just part of being in this com munity,” Mahomes said the following day, before stepping onto the practice field to prepare for Sunday’s trip to Oakland. “This community loves football and they love each other,” Mahomes contin ued. “It’s more than just football. It’s being a good person and giving back to the community.” Mahomes has certainly ingrained himself in the community. He threw out a first pitch at a Royals game over the summer. He was the grand marshal for the NASCAR race, wear ing a cutoff jersey from the T-Bones, the local minor league baseball team. He pops up at stores, concerts and restaurants as if he was anybody else, even sitting front row at Sprint Center last week to watch his col lege, Texas Tech, play in the Hall of Fame Classic basket ball tournament. When he showed up at a Verizon store on Monday for a meet-and-greet, store officials were worried the crowd would be too large and asked that his appear ance not be publicized. Several hundred people still found out, forming a line that snaked around the building as they awaited his arrival. “I feel the excitement and I feel the love not only for me but for the Kansas City Chiefs,” Mahomes said. “It’s special. This is a special place. There’s great people here. That’s one of the main reasons I love play ing for this team.” VON’SKITS: Von Miller is leading a $200,000 initiative to provide protective kits to first responders in mass shootings and improve local law enforcement relations. The donation from Miller, his teammates and the orga nization to SHIELD616, a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit organization, will provide more than 125 advanced protective kits for police and firefighters responding to active shooter or mass shooting situations. “It’s been 300 mass shoot ings this year, and I’ve only heard about four. When I was hit with that informa tion, it really hit home for me,” Miller said. “I’ve got personal ties with Colorado — of course, we had the shooting here at the theater my second year in the league — and really heavy ties in Dallas.” Miller said his best friend is a police officer in Arling ton, Texas, “so I can help him and some of his col leagues with some of these vests. It’s a real cool deal, the 616 initiative.” Miller spoke up at a team meeting last week to get his teammates on board with the initiative, and nearly 20 players pitched in, as did team president Joe Ellis, general manager John Elway, and coach Vance Joseph. SHIELD616 kits include a ballistic vest and helmet, along with a wound trauma kit, that upgrade standard equipment to protect against automatic weapons and assault rifles. The initiative also allows for donors to contact the first responders they are helping protect to foster ongoing relationships, the Broncos said. “It takes the unification of an entire community to not only better protect our first responders with physi cal armor, but to break down barri ers between first responders and the citizens they serve,” said SHIELD616 President Jake Skifstad, a former police officer who founded the organi zation in 2015. “It’s priceless to see complete strangers invest in the safety of first responders, changing their lives and the lives of their families,” Skifstad said. DAK THE DUCKLING: Dak Prescott’s first game with Drew Brees on the other sideline was a chance for the 2016 NFL Offen sive Rookie of the Year to reflect on the Pro Bowl trip they shared during that magical year for the Dallas quarterback. Prescott had just led the Cowboys to an NFC- best 13 wins, while Brees got his 10th Pro Bowl nod fol lowing his record fifth 5,000-yard sea son. New Orleans had missed the play offs for the third straight year, all 7-9 finishes. Prescott, who grew up in Louisiana, wasn’t thinking about those Saints records. He was thinking about Brees’ records. “You do everything you can,” Prescott said when asked if he picked Brees’ brain during those few days together. “Like a little duckling.” ¥3 Mahomes Prescott AUSTIN STEELE I The Times Riverside Military’s Orlando Stevens attempts to save a ball headed out of bounds while Cherokee Bluff’s Jaylon Justice, right, and Davon Ruffins attempt to block him during Friday’s game in Flowery Branch. EAGLES ■ Continued from 1B drastic changes to the team’s offense going into the second quarter. “We just told our guys to calm down and let’s work through it and play our game,” Latham said. “That’s what they did.” The Riverside Military players noticeably loosened up, starting the quarter on a 14-5 run and ending it out- scoring the Bears 12-4 over the closing minutes before halftime. The burst of scor ing turned a seven-point deficit after one quarter into a three-point lead after two periods. Dabney, who played for Cherokee Bluff coach Ben- jie Wood at Gainesville last season, said his experience with Wood’s defensive style gave him insight into how to turn things around against the Bears. “I told my team they were going to bring a lot of pres sure,” Dabney said. “We can’t fold. We can’t bend. We’ve got to stay calm, find the guy in the middle, get the ball up the court, set up our offense and do what we do.” Cherokee Bluff bounced back in the third quarter, picking up six points from Neville and tied the game at 55 entering the final frame. But foul trouble kept Nev ille off the court for much of the closing quarter, limit ing what the Bears could do offensively. Baskets from Cherokee Bluff’s two seniors — Boyd and Devon Wainer — gave the lead to the home team with about a minute to go, but a steal and subsequent score from Teasley tied things back up, and Dab ney’s late floater put the Eagles in control for good. Boyd threw the ensuing inbound pass out of bounds with four seconds left, and a pair of Dabney free throws moments later put the game completely out of reach. “I was proud of our guys to fight four quarters,” Latham said. “.. I’m just proud of our guys and the team to fight. That’s what we do every day in practice is teach our guys to fight. ” SCORES ■ Continued from 1B with six points, seven steals and a team-high 11 rebounds. THUNDER 124, HAWKS 109 OKC strong on 3-pointers The Thunder went against the numbers and made it work. The worst 3-point shoot ing team in the NBA by percentage, Oklahoma City made a season-high 18 on 41 attempts in a 124-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Russell Westbrook, who made a pair of 3s, fell a rebound short of a triple double. He finished with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Alex Abrines scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers, Lakeview Academy hosts Tallulah Falls today. MARIETTA GIRLS 58, GAINESVILLE 45: Tia Shelton and Tija Blackwell both scored 16 points for the Lady Red Elephants’ (2-3) on Friday. Paul George had 20 points and Dennis Schroder added 18. Thunder forward Patrick Patterson, who made three 3-pointers, said the way Oklahoma City got the 3s was critical. “The guys did a great job finishing at the basket,” he said. “That made opportuni ties throughout the course of the game for all of us to take open shots. All of us had great looks. Despite them going in or not, our teammates still find us and they don’t just take it upon themselves to score. It shows how much we believe in one another.” John Collins and Alex Len each scored 19 points for Atlanta, and Taurean Prince On Tuesday, Gainesville hosts Greater Atlanta Chris tian at 6p.m.. High School sports can be reported by 10:30 p.m. each night by calling 770-718- 3415 or email sports@ gainesvilletimes.com added 15. Hawks guard Trae Young had nine points and eight assists on 4-for-15 shooting in his return to his home state. “You know, it’s tough,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “The ball just keeps going in and out for him. ” Young was an All-Ameri can at Oklahoma last season, and he received a nice ova tion during starting lineup introductions. He grew up attending Thunder games, so he knew what to expect. “Of course, I know how hard it is for a team to come in here and get a win,” he said. “And with as good as the team is over there on that side, the crowd is one of the best in the league.” Associated Press RIVALRY ■ Continued from 1B fourth Hall County victory on the young season. “That has been big for us all season,” Strickland said. “We finished the game versus Loganville going 13-for-14 down the stretch, and finished it again today. They’re good shooters, and they put the time in for it. Luckily, it’s panned out in the games and it’s proving their work’s paid off.” As for Johnson (1-2), its 5 of 15 mark proved the deciding factor in the Knights failing to take care of business in a rivalry bout that had little breathing room from start to finish. “With free-throws and giving up some second- chance opportunities there and rebounds were criti cal,” First-year Johnson coach Brandon Pickell said. “That was kind-of the game.” The Knights did man age to keep the pressure on Chestatee for the entirety as they got a big night from senior Danny Garcia, who scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the final period and helped flip an eight- point deficit to a two-point Johnson lead with 3:03 left to play. Garcia’s second trey of the quarter put the Knights ahead 57-55. The War Eagles scored the next five points behind a Jonah Bull layup and con tested trey from Brenton Nicholson, who gave the hosts a 60-57 edge with 1:51 left. After both squads traded turnovers on three-straight possessions, Johnson came out of it with possession and a chance to knot the score for a third time in the period. But Garcia’s final loft from deep outside the arc bounced off the rim and rolled out of bounds, giving Chestatee the ball back inside 30 seconds left. Gwyn then put the game to rest as he scored a delayed layup underneath off a long inbound pass in the closing seconds. “Anytime both schools have a Gainesville address, it’s gonna be tight,” Pick ell said. “We told the guys before the game that these are gonna be the game that you remember when you’re done — on the road, in a hostile environment.” It was indeed a memora ble one. Chestatee carried a 35-32 lead into intermis sion, only after a back-and- forth first half that included seven lead changes — five in the first few minutes of the opening period. And in the closing minutes of the fourth period, both coaches were given side line warnings for venturing outside their boxes as ten sion mounted on the floor. After trailing by four after the first frame, Johnson opened the second period on a 6-0 spurt as its got a pair of layups from Jesse Harbin (15 points), his sec ond coming off a steal and finish to put the Knights ahead 25-22. But Chestatee quickly answered. Nichol son drained his third trey of the contest to knot the score at 25-all, and Gwyn added another stepback 3-pointer minutes later to give the War Eagles a 30-26 lead. Chestatee went on to get plenty of production from outside the arc in the game as it combined for 11 treys, including five from Nich olson (17 points) and four from Gwyn. Also for Johnson, senior Jonathan Williams was the third Knights starter to scoring in double digits with 10 points. The War Eagles face Lumpkin County next at the North Georgia Showcase tourney at 11 a.m. today in Dahlonega. The Knights visit Commerce on Satur day for a non-region game at 6:30 p.m. CHESTATEE GIRLS 59, JOHNSON 18: Mag gie McNair (11 points, two steals) drained a 3 for the game’s first basket less than a minute from the opening tip, and Chestatee quickly set the tone for a successful night from beyond the arc. Seven of the Lady War Eagles’ nine treys came in the first half — getting two apiece from McNair, Christina Garcia and Mor gan McNeal. Chestatee (4-3) also forced 15 John son turnovers on defense to build a 38-10 lead at the break. Chestatee’s ninth and final trey came from Car- ragan Moody, who’s loft from outside the left wing stretched the margin to 38 with 4:01 left to play. Christina Garcia was another Chestatee starter to lead the scoring efforts behind McNair with nine points, followed by Nicole Sedwick with seven and McNeal with six. Logan Wiggins snagged a team- high eight rebounds for the Lady War Eagles. For Johnson, Jazmyn Gooch led the Lady Knights with six points. INTRODUCING a* You - Mr. NilS % UW OU LD!1av *“>-aoi 7 Little & Davenport Funeral Home To inquire about pricing packages available to memorialize a pet in print, please contact Megan Lewis at 770-535-6371 or mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com Pets at Peace will appear in The Times the last Sunday of each month.
