About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2020)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Unties gainesvilletimes.com Wednesday, February 19, 2020 COLLEGE GOLF North Hall graduate Forrester leads Ga. Tech in Puerto Rico North Hall graduate Bartley Forrester shot a 3-under 69 Tuesday to earn a share of the individual title and power Georgia Tech to a first-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Forrester’s strong third round followed up a 6-under 66 on Monday — the low round of any golfer at the event. He shot an even par 72 in the first round for a final, 54-hole score of 9-under 207, tying him with Oklahoma’s Garett Reband and the College of Charleston’s Logan Sowell for first place. It was only Forrester’s third collegiate event, and his first as a counting member of the team. Compiled by Nathan Berg ATU\NTA BRAVES JEFF ROBERSON I The Associated Press Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis watches his home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during a 2018 game in St. Louis. Markakis weighs in on Astros scandal Atlanta Journal Constitution In his first-day-of-spring look -- beard trimmed tight, hair shaved tighter, the mes sage T-shirt (All Me -- No PED) fitting him like shrink wrap around a galvanized threaded pipe -- Nick Markakis looked even more like a man not to be trifled with within the Braves clubhouse. The style accentuated the impres sion of a special forces fellow who just might have graduated first in his Bare-Handed Spleen Removal Class. And when he opened up on the Houston Astros Tuesday, both barrels, suggesting that every player on the team that participated in the sign-stealing scandal “needs a beating,” that certainly did nothing to soften the look. His passionate condemnation of the Astros Tuesday was priceless -- filled with the kind of raw anger and outrage that perhaps someone in authority at MLB should share. The highlight was his suggestion that some body should literally take the fight to the Astros players since no other punishment seemed to be coming their way. And you got the feeling that Markakis would volunteer for the job, in installments, so long as the odds were no more than 3- or 4-to-l at any time. (Remember, this is the same guy who, after hearing John Hart yell at manager Brian Snit- ker after a game in 2017, reportedly passed the message to the former president of base ball operations to prepare for a butt-kicking if he ever did it again. He doesn’t care who you are.) Meanwhile, back in Astros camp, poor Dusty Baker, the new manager dumped into this mess, joked: “I didn’t think Markakis talked too much -- he doesn’t. Maybe he had his Wheaties in him.” No, Markakis doesn’t talk much. His career has been 14 years -- the last five in his home town environs of Atlanta -- of tending sternly to his own business. He is the fiber in this team’s diet, the constant, no-nonsense reminder of what’s good for it. The fact that he broke from his long-standing policy of saying nothing of interest to expound on this subject only accen tuated just how much the Astros cheating offended him. He went into Tuesday looking for a reason to sound off. And, yes, as a matter of fact, Markakis always looks like he has had his Wheaties. He obviously did not spend his offseason lounging poolside, drinking pina coladas while watching his waistline and his 401(k) grow. At 36, the Braves oldest position player who has been shunted to the margins of the team’s out field plans, did not report to camp looking any less ready to play. “I feel as good as I ever have,” he said in non-Astros related news Tuesday. “I feel like I’m 21-years-old, which is a good thing. To me age is just a number. You just have to work harder the older you get. I’m up for the chal lenge. I’m excited. I’m here to help out this team win as many ballgames as I can. ” Markakis finds himself in a tenuous posi tion with these Braves. There were doubts around him when he signed back in 2013, as he came back home off neck fusion surgery. Those he answered by being a consummate pro and unbending constant during the Braves ■ Please see BRAVES, 2B HIGH SCHOOL BASKCTBALL Eyeing playoffs success NATHAN BERG I The Times Riverside Military’s Shad Dabney looks to get past Hebron Christian’s defense during the game Jan. 17 in Gainesville. After first-round bye, Riverside Military opens with home game BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Everything is starting to come together for the Riverside Military Academy bas ketball team. After struggling through the beginning of the post-winter break schedule — los ing four straight games through the mid dle of January — Eagles coach Marvin Latham said things really started to click for the team in a 60-40 win over Com merce to close out the regular season. “I was kind of confident at that point that our kids would go in and play well in the region tournament,” Latham said. As it turned out, he was right. Riverside Military tore through the Region 8-A tournament, blowing out Towns County in the finals to earn a bye in the first round of the Class A-private schools state playoffs. Now, after a nine-day hiatus, the Eagles will be back in action today in a home playoff game against North Cobb Christian. According to Latham, the team’s strong finish to the year will be crucial to its confidence entering the postseason. “Going into the region tournament, I thought our guys were confident that they could win,” he said. “Winning it shows them that they can win if they do the things that we ask them to do.” More important than that, however, Riverside Military’s region tournament victories gave the Eagles a blueprint of how to succeed in the playoffs. It all comes down to execution in crunch time. On multiple occasions in first and second-round games against Tallulah Falls and Athens Christian, a few clutch moments were all that stood between the Eagles and elimination. “There were a couple times (late in games) that we had to execute offen sively and get a good shot, get a good bucket, don’t turn the ball over,” Latham said. “I think that really helped us. I think it’s going to help us in this state tournament also. Games are not going to be blowouts. These teams that we are going to see Second round playoffs Class 3A ■ North Hall girls vs. Savannah, 6 p.m. today ■ Cherokee Bluff boys at Windsor Forest, 6 p.m. Thursday Class A private schools ■ Riverside Military vs. North Cobb Christian, 6:30 p.m. today ■ Lakeview Academy girls vs Greenforest Christian, today now are going to be really good, and it’s going to be important that you are able to execute down the stretch.” Today’s matchup against North Cobb Christian is no exception. Latham’s game plan revolves around stopping North Cobb’s pair of dynamic threats in guard Kami Young — who has already topped 1,000 career points in just two years of high school — and 6-foot-9 forward Caleb Crumly, who presents a ■ Please see EAGLES, 2B COLLEGE LOOTBALL Georgia facing Clemson to open 2021 Athens Banner Herald Georgia will open the 2021 football season with Clem son in a neutral site game in Charlotte, N.C., the school announced on Tuesday. The game will be played at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 4 as part of a 2021 rivalry series hosted by the Charlotte Sports Foundation. “This is another great oppor tunity to schedule a national non-conference game with a top level opponent,” said UGA head coach Kirby Smart. “Play ing a regular season game in Charlotte will give our fans the opportunity for a completely new experience in a great city and top level stadium. I know our coaches and players will be excited for the challenge to kick off the season in this kind of environment.” Georgia’s scheduled game on that date against San Jose State will be canceled and the Bulldogs will pay a buyout fee. According the contract signed by the schools in 2017, Georgia would pay San Jose State $1.8 million in liquidated damages. No financial details were immediately available for the game with Clemson. The game marks the sixth scheduled meeting in the next 14 years between the programs. The Bulldogs and Tigers will play a neutral site game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 and home-and-home series are slated for 2029-30 and 2032-33. Georgia will host in 2030 and 2032. The 2021 game likely will shape up to be a top-10 matchup of two of college football’s pow erhouse programs that sit just over 70 miles apart. Clemson has dominated in the six years of the College Football Playoffs, appearing in the tournament five times while playing for the champi onship four times and winning it twice. Georgia, entering the fifth season of head coach Kirby Smart, has become one of the elites of college football. After playing for the national title game two seasons ago, Georgia has played in back- to-back Sugar Bowls--a loss to Texas in 2019 and a win over Baylor last month. Georgia has loaded its sched ule with heavy hitters for the next decade-plus. It already has home-and- home series lined up with UCLA (2025-26), Oklahoma (2023, 2031) Florida State (2027-28), Texas (2028-29) and Ohio State (2030-31).
