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SPORTS
Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
Unties
gainesvilletimes.com
Friday, June 28, 2019
HIGH SCHOOL
BASKCTBALL
East Hall
alumni have
four games
scheduled
The East Hall High basketball programs
will hold four alumni games in conjunction
with boys coach Seth Vining’s 68th birthday
on July 16 at the school’s gym. In March,
Vining came out of retire
ment to lead the Vikings,
after winning four previous
state championships at the
school and more than 700
games in 38 years as a head
coach.
The games are as
follows:
■ GAME 1: Girls alumni
vs. current East Hall girls, 6
p.m.
■ GAME 2: Old timers boys alumni (1964-
2000), 7 p.m.
■ GAME 3: 2001 and 2003 state champi
onship teams vs. 2005 state championship
team, 8 p.m.
■ GAME 4: East Hall alumni vs. current
East Hall varsity, 9 p.m.
Those interested in playing are asked to
contact Vining at seth.vining@hallco.org or
Lady Vikings coach Justin Wheeler at justin.
wheeler@hallco.org.
There’s a $10 entry fee for all adults.
Children and students fee will be $5, and no
charge for kids 7 and under. The funds will
go toward East Hall’s boys and girls basket
ball programs.
Concessions and a 50/50 raffle will be
incorporated.
Compiled by Katherine Wright
Vining
FOOTBALL
Getting his foot in the door
RALF LUGER I For The Times
Gainesville High graduate Fred Payne is playing in the German Football League with the Ingolstadt Dukes.
CUBS 9, BRAVES 7
NAM Y. HUH I The Associated Press
Atlanta Braves left fielder Austin Riley, right,
can’t make the play on a single by Chicago
Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo as third baseman Josh
Donaldson (20) watches during Thursday’s
game in Chicago.
Atlanta fails
to hold on
to big lead
Associated Press
Craig Kimbrel dodged trouble for a save
in his season debut when new teammate
Anthony Rizzo dived into first base for the
final out, and the Chicago Cubs rallied from
five runs down to beat the Atlanta Braves 9-7
on Thursday.
Called up from Triple-A earlier in the
day, Kimbrel struck out Brian McCann look
ing and induced a groundout from Johan
Camargo to start the ninth inning. Ronald
Acuna Jr. then doubled into Wrigley Field’s
ivy, and Dansby Swanson walked on four
pitches. Freddie Freeman grounded sharply
down the first base line, and Rizzo fielded
and had to dive for the bag to beat Freeman.
Kimbrel earn his 334th career save and
did it against his original team. The Cubs
finalized a $43 million, three-year contract
with 31-year-old free agent on June 7, then
sent the right-hander to the minors to get
himself ready.
Victor Caratini’s two-run homer capped
the Cubs’ four-run fifth inning that put them
ahead for good. Kyle Schwarber also went
deep for the Chicago, which got three RBIs
from Jason Heyward on a warm day at Wrig
ley Field with steady wind blowing out to left.
Freeman hit his 22nd homer, a two-run
shot, and Ozzie Albies continued to feast on
Cubs pitching with a solo drive and single for
two RBIs. Swanson drove in three in the final
regular season game between the NL Central
and NL East leaders.
Chicago starter Tyler Chatwood (4-1)
escaped with the win despite allowing six
runs, six hits and four walks through five
innings. Josh Tomlin (1-1) took the loss after
Atlanta starter Bryse Wilson allowed six
runs (four earned) in 4 l / 3 innings after being
called up from Triple-A.
Chatwood made his third start this season
and second in a week as the Cubs juggled
their rotation with Kyle Hendricks still side
lined. Schwarber lined his fifth career lead-
off homer to right in the first to put Chicago
ahead 1-0.
Gainesville grad starts professional career playing in Germany
BY NATHAN BERG
nberg@gainesvilletimes.com
Last spring, former Gainesville High
defensive back Fred Payne traveled with
one of his closest friends, Deshaun Wat
son, to Europe in search of an adventure.
What he found was a means to move his
football career forward.
As Payne and the starting quarterback
for the Houston Texans passed through
Berlin — expecting to
find most sports fields
occupied by soccer
teams — they were sur
prised to happen upon
a youth American foot
ball team in the middle
of a practice.
“We went out and
Deshaun talked to the
kids and we threw the
football around a little
bit,” Payne said. “Some of the American
coaches approached me and told me the
GFL (German Football League) was one
of the biggest up and coming leagues in
the world, just behind the NFL and the
CFL. They told me to check it out.”
One year later, Payne returned to Ger
many as a member of the GFL’s Ingol
stadt Dukes.
“Just getting back on the field was the
biggest thing for me,” said Payne, who
played in college at Western Carolina
University. “Instead of holding out for
maybe an offer from one of the leagues
in America, I figured that I might as well
go with the team that wanted me now,
and if I show what I know I can do in my
first season here, hopefully it opens up an
opportunity to come back home to play.”
Playing overseas has caused Payne to
go through a bit of an adjustment period.
Though the rules in the GFL are the
same ones he’s been used to playing by
his entire life, the cultural differences
between Germany and the United States
have been striking.
Payne said he’s still struggling a bit
with the language, but has definitely
made improvements over the last three
months. Getting used to the general way
of life in Germany has been easier.
“Back home, everything happens
fast paced,” he said. “Everything’s on a
strict time schedule. Here, everything
is a little bit slower. People spend more
time just enjoying nature, and it’s more
Watson
SCOn ROGERS I The Times
Gainesville High defensive back Fred Payne tries to strip the ball from a Monroe-
Albany player during the 2011 playoffs at City Park Stadium in Gainesville.
country style.”
And while Payne’s more local team
mates teach him about German culture,
he is teaching them more about football.
GFL rules restrict teams to having only
two American players on the field at a
time, so Payne is one of the few members
of the Dukes who grew up with the sport.
“It’s really new to a lot of the guys
here, so they’re open to learning from the
Americans on the team,” he said. “It’s
cool. Since they want to learn from us, it’s
almost like being a player coach.”
That said, Payne’s first season in the
league has not been a walk in the park.
With American players often setting
the standard in the GFL, Payne said he
always gets the best shots from his team
mates when going up against them in
practice.
But for him, the friendly challenges
are always welcome.
“We kind of have a target on our
backs,” he said. “Since most of us have
been playing this game since we were
little kids, a lot of the other guys are try
ing to match up to our standard, and that
pushes me harder and makes me better.”
Getting better is the name of the game
for Payne as he continues to pursue his
dream of one day playing in the NFL.
Through his first six games in Ingolstadt,
Payne has already forced four turnovers
— two interceptions and two forced
fumbles.
After grabbing a pick in each of the
team’s first two contests, Payne hasn’t
seen a target in coverage since. Follow
ing his one-year contract with the Dukes,
Payne hopes his recently refurbished
resume will be enough to earn him at
least a tryout with a chance to join Wat
son in the NFL.
“I want to show coaches that I’m just a
natural football player,” he said. “I can
play any position in the secondary, spe
cial teams, even if you put me out there
on offense I’ll make plays. This is just
the next opportunity for me to show NFL
coaches what I can do.”
L7\KE LANIER FISHING REPORT
Big spotted bass biting in medium depths
BY ERIC ALDRICH
For The Times
Lake Lanier’s water level
is a healthy 1071.48 or .48 feet
above the normal full pool of
1071. Lake surface tempera
tures have risen into the mid-
80s. Main lake is clear and the
creeks are slightly stained.
Above Highway 53 Bridge the
water is slightly stained to
stained.
The Chattahoochee River
below Buford Dam is clear.
Check generation schedules at
770-945-1466 before heading to
the river.
The upcoming Independence
Day holiday weekend will bring
heavy boat traffic. This is the
time when anglers should dem
onstrate courtesy and patience.
The lake belongs to all of us. Be
safe, wear your life jackets and
enjoy the blessings of our local
Lake Lanier.
Bass fishing remains good
for anglers that can target off
shore brush. Beating the banks
and fishing shallow in the coves
will produce some okay fishing,
especially early in the day. That
being said, if you really want to
catch the magnum spotted bass
that Lake Lanier is famous, it’s
time to get away from the banks
and find brush piles in 15 to 30
feet of water.
Running and gunning is a
term many anglers use, but
what does it mean? Running
and gunning simply refers to
when anglers can hit an area
and quickly determine whether
it holds an active school of fish,
or if they should leave that area
for more productive water.
This type of fishing is not for
everyone, but if you have the
energy along with the right
electronics and boat, it can be
very productive.
The first thing you will want
for successful running and gun
ning is a milk run of off shore
brush marked as waypoints on
your electronics. This takes
■ Please see LANIER, 3B