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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
Unties
gainesvilletimes.com
Friday, December 14, 2018
NFL
DANNY KARNIK I Associated Press
Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman (26) runs
against the Baltimore Ravens during the game on Sunday,
Dec. 2, in Atlanta.
Falcons run
game falls to
last in league
BY GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press
Coach Dan Quinn is
not quite ready to look at
rebuilding the Atlanta Fal
cons’ running game for next
year.
He’s more concerned
with stopping a five-game
losing streak that derailed
the season and dropped the
Falcons (4-9) to the bottom
of the NFC South.
But heading into Sunday’s
game against Arizona (3-10),
there’s no escaping how
poorly the Falcons have
run the ball. With
top back Devonta
Freeman injured
most of the year and
both starting guards
on season-ending
injured reserve,
Atlanta is averaging
81.2 yards per game
— last in the NFL.
What’s worse is
the Falcons have little depth
as they face a difficult task
to find three starters in the
offseason. With a high pick,
they could draft a starting
lineman and maybe sign
another in free agency,
but the backfield situation
appears to be a mess.
“I recognize the question
that we’re not meeting the
mark on that one, but I think
it’s unfair to talk about which
player is here or not here
and those things,” Quinn
said Thursday. “We’re really
just focused on this game
and this matchup.”
Atlanta made Freeman
the league’s highest paid
running back before the
2017 season, and he’s missed
13 games over the last two
years with head, knee and
groin injuries.
The Falcons hoped that
Tevin Coleman would fill
the void, but he only has 559
I Falcons
vs. Cardinals
When: 1 p.m.Sunday
TV: Fox
yards as the team’s leading
rusher. Rookie Ito Smith, the
next man up, has averaged
3.5 yards on 81 attempts.
Center Alex Mack, a
five-time Pro Bowl selec
tion, has found it difficult to
build much consistency on
the line. He and left tackle
Jake Matthews have been
the only starters for every
Five players have
started at the guard
spots, and Ty Sam-
brailo replaced
Ryan Schraeder at
right tackle in last
week’s lopsided loss
at Green Bay.
“It’s definitely
not a point in your
favor, but it’s not
insurmountable,”
Mack said. “We’ve
had injuries in the past, and
guys have done a really
good job of stepping up and
performing really well. It
is more difficult when that
happens and when games
are tight and you get behind.
You don’t have the luxury of
trying to establish the run.
You’re going to pass the ball
more.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan,
the 2016 NFL MVP, leads
a passing attack that ranks
fourth, but Atlanta is so one
dimensional that opponents
know what’s coming and
can tee off on the 11-year
veteran. Ryan is on track to
get sacked a career-high 46
times.
A vacant run game is the
reason why Ryan is being
routinely pounded. Even
though the Falcons had 124
yards rushing last week, it
hardly felt like much of an
achievement.
game.
Freeman
HIG H SCH00L FOOTBALL I FCA East-West Classic
Going out with a bang
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
North Hall quarterback David Seavey looks at receiver Daniel Jackson, right, as the Trojans threaten to score on
Oct. 19, during the first half of their win over Lumpkin County at The Brickyard.
Area seniors prepare for annual FCA East-West
Classic, the final contest of their high school careers
BY DIANA LEWIS
dlewis@gainesvilletimes.com
For area coaches, the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes (FCA) East-
West Classic signals the end of yet
another football season. But for the
players, it symbolizes the end of an
exciting chapter in their lives.
While there will be an array of
emotions expected throughout Sat
urday’s game at Riverside Military
Academy’s Maginnis Field, the com
petitiveness is sure to take over for
all players and coaches. But both
parties agree that having fun is what
it’s all about.
“Elijah (Pierce), who is on the
other side (West team), is going
to be great to play against
one last time,” said Issac
Teasley, Riverside Military
Academy quarterback and
the one slated to lead team
East in the quest to pocket
one last high school victory.
“I (have) to make sure I get
him a few times, because
he’s looking forward to hit
ting me.”
For Johnson coach Jason
Roquemore, his expectation for the
game is simply for the players to
have fun as well. He realizes that for
some, this means throwing on their
gear one last time, while for oth
ers, it’s about taking the next step in
their career.
“All these guys (stand out),”
Roquemore said. “They were
elected because of the char
acteristics that they repre
sent both on and off the field.
“All of the young men that are out
there working this week in prepa
ration for the game, are all quality
men.”
Coaching for team West this year
is Shaun Conley, head coach for
Chestatee High School. The third-
year coach for the War Eagles
expects the game to be competi
tive and is making sure his players
understand that. He spoke to them
earlier this week about the impor
tance of having fun, yet staying com
petitive and staying sound
defensively.
The challenge for Coach
Conley, is having to mesh
all these different styles
together.
“We’re running the
ball a lot compared to this
year, where we (West Hall)
passed it a lot, said West
Hall senior David Williams,
wide receiver for team
West. “I’m still learning the new sig
nals. (I) have to pick them up and go
with them.”
However, these elite athletes
have already proven themselves
worthy of playing at the varsity
FCA East-West
Classic
When: 1 p.m., Saturday
Where: Maginnis Field
Tickets: $7
level. For North Hall senior quar
terback, David Seavey, this is both
a blessing and a curse. Although
Seavey is having to adjust his style
of play to better fit the team, he
enjoys the challenge.
“It’s fun to play with their skill
set and just get to play with them
because most times we are always
going head-to-head and it’s not that
often that we’re all on the field and
can be friends,” said Seavey, who
will line up under-center for team
West.
On Saturday, you can witness
these superb young athletes leave it
all on the field one last time, and see
them at the peak of their high school
athletic careers.
“(This game) means a lot,
because you never know when
you’re going to play another game
ever again. But it’s an honor being
out here with all my boys, who I’ve
been grinding with pretty much my
whole life,” Williams said.
Team East was crowned cham
pion at the 2017 FCA East-West Clas
sic, defeating team West 10-3.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Admission
is $7 at the gate.
Teasley
LT\KE LwANIER FISHING REPORT
Fish continue to handle cold, windy weather just fine
BY ERIC ALDRICH
For The Times
Water Conditions: Lake Lanier came up
to over full pool with the past week’s rains
and has come down slightly to 1,070.95 or .05
below the normal full pool of 1,071. Lake sur
face temperatures are in the low 50s.
The main lake and lower lake creeks are
clear in mouths and stained in the backs.
The upper lake and rivers remain stained
to very stained. The Chattahoochee below
Buford Dam is stained after the rains, but
clears a little on sunny days.
Check generation schedules before head
ing out to the river below Buford Dam at
770-945-1466.
Bass fishing: Windy, rainy, sunny or cold.
What rough days to go fishing, right? Early
winter fishing may not be for everyone, but
if you are willing dress warm it can be awe
some. You also need to know when to move
out from the banks in certain conditions and
then be willing to fish closer at other times.
You may have some of your best fishing of
the year.
The week has been either rocky banks or
deeper ditches with rock or clay bottoms.
The first clue you should determine is what
the bass are praying on. Crawfish or shad?
Well, they are kind of clued in to both. It is
my theory that bass interested in crawfish
may not bite shad (or a spoon), but bass eat
ing shad will often slow down to eat crawfish
(or a jig ’n pig or deep running crank bait).
We have been mainly throwing three to
four baits in order of preference 1) A Jig
‘n Pig 2) A Deep running crawfish colored
crank bait 3) A jerk bait and 4) a Spoon.
Some reports say the spoon bite is on fire.
I have been paying less attention to this than
I should, but no doubt it’s working. We have
caught spotted and largemouth bass, white
bass, perch and crappie on the spoons. In
winter, bass and other predator fish set up
deep from 45-to-55 feet deep or deeper in
the middle of the coves and ditches and just
hang out waiting for slow moving or dying
shad close to the bottom.
At times, these fish can be ganged up in
huge tight schools and you can load the boat.
Use your Lowrance Electronics, then drop a
half-ounce Flex-it or Hopkins Style spoons to
the bottom, reel them up about 6 inches, then
pop them up and down. I use heavy 20-pound
Sunline Monofiliment for the elastic feel
and slow fall and I replace the hooks on my
spoons to light wire Gamakatsu Trebles so I
can just pull the hooks free from snags.
Cast your jerk baits and crank baits up
shallow very early at sunrise in the shallow
areas at the ends of the ditches, then pull
them out again and hit rocky bluff walls and
steeper points on the windy afternoons.
I just cannot put down the jig this week!
Even in the wind, the big ones are biting a
three quarters of an ounce football jig on the
sides of the ditches from 20-to-40 feet deep.
With quality fluorocarbon line and a sensi
tive rod you can really feel those deep bites
and they are usually bigger fish.
Work your jig down the steeper drops in
the ditches that have rock. Let a slight bow
form in your line so that you can make sure
you are dragging bottom. Some of the Drop-
offs are deep enough that you may have to
click your thumb bar and feed some line
back and give the jig some slack. Irregulari
ties along rocky banks, bluff walls and ditch
drops will usually be the place to slow down
and concentrate on.
Striper fishing has been good and there
are a lot of fish moving in shallower, with the
water being up more than down. There has
been a lot of floating trash like leaves and
pine needles that can make pulling baits a
■ Please see FISHING, 2B