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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
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gainesvilletimes.com
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press
Georgia Tech’s Juanyeh Thomas (28) returns a kick off for a
touchdown durinq the game against Georgia Saturday, Nov.
24, in Athens, Ga.
Jackets prep for
Johnson's final
game as coach
BY LARRY LAGE
Associated Press
DETROIT — Paul John
son simply wants some time
off.
First things first, though:
The 61-year-old coach will
lead Georgia Tech for the
final time Wednes
day against Min
nesota in the Quick
Lane Bowl.
“This is my 40th
straight year of
coaching without
a break, and it’s
probably time for
a break,” Johnson
said. “That’s kind
of unheard of in
this profession. Usually they
take you out before then, or
at least you have a break
somewhere along the line.
So, I’ll take a break and re
evaluate, and who knows?
If it’s the last game, it’s the
last game. If I decide I can’t
live without it, I may come
back. Right now, I just don’t
know.”
Johnson is 82-59 at Geor
gia Tech over 11 seasons —
7-5 this season — and 128-88
overall, including six sea
sons at Navy.
Johnson does know what
he’s going to do with some
of his free time: He will be
a proud father as daughter
Kaitlyn performs opera.
“It’s time,” he said.
YOUNG GOPHERS
Minnesota has a nation-
high 52 percent of its roster
filled by freshmen.
“You’ll see close to
eight freshmen starting on
offense, maybe as much
as five or six on defense,”
Golden Gophers coach P.J.
Fleck said. “But that’s what
we said at the beginning of
the year would happen. It’s
been fun to watch
this team mature,
end the year win
ning two out of
three.”
The Golden
Gophers (6-6)
became bowl eli
gible with two wins
over quality oppo
nents. They beat
Purdue 41-10 and
won at Wisconsin 37-15 in
November, knocking off the
Badgers for the first time
in 15 years and for the first
time on the road since 1994.
ON THE GROUND
Georgia Tech throws
fewer than 10 times per
game on average and
defenses still can’t slow
down its triple-option, which
has helped the team lead the
nation with 335 yards rush
ing per game.
“Playing Georgia Tech,
especially on defense, is a
major challenge,” Fleck
said. “Not only just because
of the players they have and
the coaching they have, but
the system and the style is
different. You change a
little bit of your defensive
system to be able to stop the
triple-option and to be able
to stop that type of scheme.”
Minnesota, meanwhile,
has a spread-style offense
that gives quarterback Tan
ner Morgan a steady dose
of run-pass options at the
line and read-option run
ning plays. When Morgan
has dropped back,
he has found plenty
of success on slant
routes. His receiv
ers are led by junior
Tyler Johnson, an
All-Big Ten player
who has 74 recep
tions for 1,112 yards
and 10 touchdowns
this season.
“It’s kind of a con
trast of styles,” Johnson said.
“So, it’ll be interesting.”
ON D IN THE D
Georgia Tech ranked in
the middle of the pack in
Atlantic Coast Conference
with its 27.5 points allowed
per game, but ranked 12th
in the nation by forcing
25 turnovers. It was a big
improvement from last sea
son’s total of 10 takeaways.
Junior defensive end Anree
Saint-Amour led the Yellow
Jackets with 11 tackles for
losses, four sacks and three
forced fumbles.
Minnesota’s defense fell
apart so badly during Big
Ten play that Fleck fired
defensive coordinator Robb
Smith after a 55-31 loss to
Illinois on Nov. 3 in which
the Gophers allowed 646
total yards. In their first six
conference games, Minne
sota gave up averages of 43.2
points and 507.7 yards. The
Gophers allowed 16.3 points
and 305.6 yards over their
final three games.
Minnesota defensive end
Carter Coughlin tied for the
Big Ten lead with
nine sacks. The
unit will be without
senior linebacker
Blake Cashman,
who announced his
intention to skip
the bowl game and
begin focusing on
preparation for the
NFL draft.
STREAKING
Both teams are rolling
into the Motor City with
momentum after late-season
surges. The Yellow Jackets
won four of their last five
games and six of eight. After
slumping to 4-5, the Golden
Gophers managed to earn a
bowl bid in Fleck’s second
season.
HE SAID IT
Georgia Tech hired for
mer Temple coach Geoff
Collins, a Georgia native,
as Johnson’s replacement
earlier this month. So how
important are the extra
practices that come with a
bowl bid?
“For us, it’s not going to
be real important,” Johnson
deadpanned. “They’re going
to have a new coach.”
Johnson
Fleck
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Playing for Detroit
AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
Will Maddox, a former Gainesville High baseball player, helps teach a youth baseball camp at Riverside Military
Academy on Friday, Dec. 21 following a successful minor league season.
Former Gainesville High baseball player Will Maddox
continues to work toward a major league call-up
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville High graduate Will
Maddox has had a number of suc
cesses in his minor league baseball
career but is still yearning for a
whole lot more.
He’s coming off a successful
2018 season in the Detroit Tigers’
farm system, where he hit .300 for
the Double-A Erie SeaWolves. The
fleet-footed middle infielder had 17
doubles and 41 RBIs in his first full
season with the Double-A club.
After such steady production, it’s
entirely possible the 26-year-old
make the jump to Detroit’s Triple-A
Toledo Mud Hens in 2019.
Still, he’s not going to be satisfied
until he makes it to the big show.
“I’m not worrying about where
I’m at or where I’m playing, because
I’m not in Detroit yet,” he said.
“Until I’m there, I’m not where I
want to be.”
Taking a break from the grind of
training and playing, Maddox spent
a week home working the Ozone
Christmas Camp at Riverside Mili
tary Academy. The camp is headed
by Micah Owings, who spent six sea
sons in the big leagues, along with
his older brother, Josh, and younger
brother, Jon Mark.
The holidays are a nice time to
relax for Maddox. However, as
soon as the presents are opened, the
three-year standout at the Univer
sity of Tennessee will continue his
training and workouts in Knoxville,
Tenn.
During his five seasons in the
minor leagues, Maddox has never
finished a year with lower than a
.270 average as he’s risen the ranks
from rookie league up to Double-A.
His best season was in 2016, hit
ting .339 with 58 RBIs for the Single-
A West Michigan Whitecaps.
As a minor league ball player,
Maddox is used to keeping his suit
case packed. Players can be moved
up and down with just a moments
notice.
During the 2017 season, Maddox
got the bump up to Double-A while
on a road trip with the Advanced
Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers.
After a three-hit outing, Maddox got
called into the manager’s office to
learn he was moving up.
“They said ‘You’re going up to
Erie. You’ve done well here,”’ Mad
dox said. “And it’s that simple. Pack
your bags, and you head out that
night. It’s crazy.”
Maddox packed up his things and
rushed to the airport, arriving in
Erie, Pennsylvania “either super
late or super early in the morn
ing.” Three days later, he was in the
lineup for the SeaWolves.
But such is life for any minor
league baseball player vying for a
spot in the big leagues.
“You just kind of take it as it
comes, and you just take it one day
at a time,” Maddox said. “That’s all
you can really do is just take it one
day at a time and hope you’re going
in the right direction and not the
wrong direction.”
Maddox has been moving in the
right direction since he entered the
league in 2014, an 18th-round pick
out of Tennessee who decided to
forego his senior season.
No matter the location, the mind
set is the same for the former Red
Elephant.
“Just grinding every day, day in
and day out,” Maddox said. “Not tak
ing anything for granted. Not getting
comfortable. I think that’s the hard
est thing, is yeah, you’re somewhere
where you get moved up, but you’re
still trying to get to Detroit.”
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Coaches Wood and Graham prepare
for first-round meeting at Lanierland
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
Gainesville head coach
Chuck Graham is no stranger
to sharing a sideline with
Cherokee Bluff coach Benjie
Wood at Lanierland tourna
ments. After all, Graham
spent six years coaching
under Wood as an assistant
with the Red Elephants.
But with Wood’s Bears
slated to play against Gaines
ville in an 8 p.m. tilt Thursday
in the first round of Lanier
land, the two coaches will
take the court as foes for the
first time.
Graham said the matchup
is a “great opportunity” for
his team, but he maintained
that no matter the opponent,
the focus going into any game
remains on his own players
— not whoever they’re going
up against.
“Not to say that it’s not spe
cial going up against coach
Wood, but we’re really in tune
and focusing on Gainesville
right now — what we have
to do to get better,” Graham
said. “We embrace the oppor
tunity and the challenge, and
we’re looking forward to it.
But our biggest emphasis is
on making sure we do what
we’re supposed to do.”
Graham added that the
two have talked recently, but
have not discussed the pros
pect of coaching against each
other at any great lengths.
He said the game will not
“change anything about the
friendship.”
Following his play-in game
last week against Chestatee,
Wood was of much the same
mindset, adding that “Coach
Graham is like a brother to
me.” No matter the outcome,
Wood said his relationship
with Gainesville coaches and
players will not be soured by
a contest between his old and
new teams.
“I love those kids to death,
and I know how good they
are,” Wood said. “We’re
just hoping to come out and
compete and have a good
time. I’ll hug them before the
game and hug them after the
game.”
Tomorrow
Full Lanierland
preview 1B
Lanierland Day 1
Schedule
■ Lanier Christian boys vs.
Chestatee, 8 a.m.
■ Chestatee girls vs. West Hall,
9:30 a.m.
■ West Hall boys vs. Lakeview,
11 a.m.
■ Lakeview girls vs. North Hall,
12:30 p.m.
■ North Hall boys vs.
Flowery Branch, 2 p.m.
■ Gainesville girls vs. East Hall,
3:30 p.m.
■ Johnson boys vs. East Hall
5 p.m.
■ Cherokee Bluff girls vs.
Flowery Branch, 6:30 p.m.
■ Cherokee Bluff boys vs.
Gainesville, 8 p.m.
