About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2023)
2C Weekend Edition-March 17-18, 2023 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS TUESDAY’S SOCCER LEE HEARD I For The Times Johnson’s Isaiah Glez goes for a header against Chestatee on Tuesday in Gainesville. Top-ranked Johnson boys fend off stellar effort by Chestatee BY DAVID FRIEDLANDER dfriedlander@gainesvilletimes.com The final score of Tuesday’s Region 8-4A boys soccer match between state and national-power- house Johnson and Chestatee belied just how close it really was for most of the night. In the end, goals by Justin Silva and Juliann Pimental in the final 18 minutes helped the Knights break the game open for a 3-0 victory at the chilly Lynn Cottrell Complex, and very much live up to their Class 4A No. 1 scorebord.com state rank ing and current No. 2 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches’ national poll. However, the host War Eagles also showed that their current No. 4 state ranking was also well earned, due in no small part to goalkeeper David Diaz, who tallied 11 saves, several in spectacular fashion. They certainly earned the respect of Johnson (11-0,5-0) coach Frank Zamora, whose team earned the hard-fought win. “We knew that they were going to come out with energy, ” Zamora said of Chestatee (10-3, 6-2). “They’re well coached. (Chestatee) Coach (Michael) Herrin had them ready to play. We knew they were going to come out strong. Our plan was to withhold their pressure early on, and then settle into our game, move the ball and get opportunities.” The War Eagles did bring the pressure in the early minutes, including a golden scoring oppor tunity in the match’s sixth minute when Giovanny Gomez sent a well- placed free kick from the right wing 30 yards out into the penalty area that gave Nick Felix a near-point blank one-touch shot toward the back post. But Knights goalkeeper Kristian Hernandez made a brilliant kick save of his own to keep the game scoreless. Nonetheless, the sequence was an indication that Chestatee was going to put up a ferocious fight. “We had four shots in the first 10 minutes,” Herrin said. “If one of those goes in, it certainly changes the tone. .. I told the guys, ‘We can play against these guys.’ These (two teams) know each other. “Johnson is No. 1 in our class, No. 2 in the state (all-class rankings) and No. 2 in the nation for a reason right now. .. Our guys, in a game like this, we know we were in the game. That’s the key thing.” Unfortunately for the War Eagles, Hernandez was just as solid between the pipes for Johnson as Diaz was for them by snuffing out those four early shots to give the Knights a chance to gather themselves. They gradually did just that as the first half progressed before they finally broke through late in the match’s 38th minute. Pimental moved in from the left wing before sending a pass across the turf into the penalty area, where Ramon Aguilar finished the play to put Johnson up 1-0 with 2:08 left in the first half. The game stayed that way through intermission until a critical sequence that saw dramatic shifts in momentum over just a few sec onds in the 62nd and 63rd minutes. With 18:17 remaining, Johnson’s Christian Robles was taken down in the penalty area and awarded a penalty kick, and a chance to give his team some breathing room. But Diaz gave Chestatee what appeared to be a huge momentum boost by knocking the save away to keep the War Eagles’ deficit at just one goal. But just 28 seconds later, Silva got to a deflected clearing attempt at the top of the 18-yard mark and buried a shot inside the near post that Diaz couldn’t get to, shifting momentum back to the Knights with a 2-0 lead with 17:49 to play. And Johnson grabbed a strangle hold on that momentum and never let go, particularly after capitaliz ing on another scoring chance with some extra effort less than seven minutes later. Edgar Vazquez’s free kick form 30 yards out on the left wing was partially deflected and looked like it would roll out of bounds for a goal kick. But Josue Mendoza hustled to keep the ball form rolling over the end line and send a perfect pass just in front of the goal box, where Pimental was able to hammer it home for a 3-0 Knights lead with 10:57 to play. “We just settled down after (Chestatee’s) initial energy, their initial press,” Zamora said. “We were able to move the ball side-to- side, and once you start moving the ball side-to-side, you create those opportunities. We were a little more dangerous late in the first half (and into the second) just moving the ball around and playing our style.” JOHNSON GIRLS 7, CHESTATEE 0: Liz Rivera scored four goals and added two assists as the Lady Knights (7-2-1, 5-0) rolled to the Region 8-4A victory. Skyler Robinson added a goal and an assist, while Adie Ramirez and Nancy Torres chipped in a goal apiece and Gissel Garcia and Shelby Robinson each contributed an assist. GEORGIA BULLDOGS Carter enters no-contest plea stemming from fatal car wreck Atlanta Journal Constitution Former Georgia star defen sive lineman Jalen Carter resolved the traffic charges he received as a result of his involvement in the fatal car crash that took the lives of a teammate and a UGA recruit ing staffer in January. In an agreement reached with Athens-Clarke County prosecutors Thursday, Carter entered pleas of no contest to charges of racing and reckless driving. He was sentenced to 12 months probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community ser vice. He also must complete a state-approved defensive driv ing course, according to his Athens attorney, Kim Stephens. In a news release, Stephens asserted that Carter “never left the scene of the crash” that killed teammate Devin Wil- lock, 20, and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24, on Jan. 15. But Stephens’ state ment later said Carter was “informed he could leave” and returned later at the request of police. In an interview Thursday, Stephens said he didn’t know who told Carter he could leave the scene. “It was somebody who he knew to have authority,” Ste phens said. The Atlanta Journal-Con stitution reported earlier this month that Carter left the scene, apparently before authorities arrived. Docu ments reviewed by the Journal- Constitution showed that when Carter returned for question ing more than an hour and a half later, he gave inconsistent accounts of the crash. First he said he was nearly a mile away when the wreck occurred. Later, he said he was follow ing the SUV driven by LeCroy close enough to see its taillights — but also acknowledged he had been driving alongside the vehicle. Police investigators deter mined from the vehicle’s onboard computer that LeCroy had been driving as fast as 104 mph. The SUV’s speedometer stuck on 82 mph after it struck two utility poles, trees and an apartment building. Stephens said he was not contesting the Journal-Consti tution’s reporting but that he was trying to combat “rumors” shared by other people about Carter’s involvement. When charges were filed against Carter, the police described a manic scene leading to the crash, which occurred at 2:45 a.m. on Jan. 15, following a day of cel ebration of Georgia’s second consecutive national football championship. Carter and the occupants of the car that crashed appeared to be among several players and recruit ing staff members who left a downtown Athens strip club about 2:30 a.m., according to surveillance video obtained by the Journal-Constitution. NCAA tournament EAST REGIONAL First Round Today’s games At Nationwide Arena Columbus, Ohio Purdue (29-5) vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, 6:50 p.m. Memphis (26-8) vs. FAU (31-3), 9:20 p.m. At Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, N.C. Kentucky (21-11) vs. Providence (21-11), 7:10 p.m. Kansas St. (23-9) vs. Montana St. (25-9), 9:40 p.m. At Nationwide Arena Columbus, Ohio Michigan St. (19-12) vs. Southern Cal (22-10), 12:15 p.m. Marquette (28-6) vs. Vermont (23-10), 2:45 p.m. Thu At Amway Center Orlando, Fla. Duke 74, Oral Roberts 51 Tennessee (23-10) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7), late SOUTH REGIONAL First Round Thursday’s games At Legacy Arena at BJCC Birmingham, Ala. Alabama 96, Texas A&M-CC Islanders 75 Maryland 67, West Virginia 65 At Amway Center Orlando, Fla. San Diego St. 63, Coll, of Charleston 57 Furman 68, Virginia 67 At Golden 1 Center Sacramento, Calif. Missouri 76, Utah St. 65 Princeton 59, Arizona 55 Today’s games At Ball Arena Denver Creighton (21-12) vs. NC State (23-10), 4 p.m. Baylor (22-10) vs. UC Santa Barbara (27-7), 1:30 p.m. MIDWEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday’s games At Legacy Arena at BJCC Birmingham, Ala. Houston (31-3) vs. N. Kentucky (22-12), late Auburn 83, Iowa 75 At Wells Fargo Arena Des Moines, Iowa Texas A&M (25-9) vs. Penn St. (22-13), late Texas (26-8) vs. Colgate (26-8), late Today’s games At MVP Arena Albany, N.Y. Miami (25-7) vs. Drake (27-7), 7:25 p.m. Indiana (22-11) vs. Kent St. (28-6), 9:55 p.m. At Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, N.C. Iowa St. (19-13) vs. Pittsburgh, 3:10 p.m. Xavier (25-9) vs. Kennesaw St. (26-8), 12:40 p.m. WEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday’s games At Wells Fargo Arena Des Moines, Iowa Kansas 96, Howard 68 Arkansas 73, Illinois 63 At Golden 1 Center Sacramento, Calif. Northwestern (21-11) vs. Boise St. (24-9), late UCLA (29-5) vs. UNC-Asheville (27-7), late Today’s games At MVP Arena Albany, N.Y. Saint Mary’s (Cal.) (26-7) vs. VCU (27-7), 2 p.m. UConn (25-8) vs. Iona (27-7), 4:30 p.m. At Ball Arena Denver TCU (21-12) vs. Arizona St., 10:05 p.m. Gonzaga (28-5) vs. Grand Canyon (24-11), 7:35 p.m. Associated Press GOLF ■ Continued from 1C county champ at North Hall before transferring to Gaines ville, reigning Apple Mountain Invitational champion Brigham Ralston and recently-crowned Big Red Invitational champ Henry Kopydlowski, who is aver aging a score of 71 through three events so far this season. But while the Red Elephants’ down moments haven’t been that bad, such as their runner-up fin ish by a single point under the Stableford scoring system to Mil- ton in the Big Red Invitational, DeJiacomo is looking for more from his team, from the big three down to other scorers like Shay Mangalat and Nick Green. “The biggest thing right now is trying to figure out how to man age those rounds,” DeJiacomo said. “That’s what we’re doing pretty much all this week (in practice). We hosted our home event, and conditions were pretty bad with all the rain. It wasn’t the best, but to come out losing by one to Milton put a little fire under some butts for them. “We’re working towards not just being better, but trying to be the best in the state. It’s a con stant progression making sure you’re always working. .. We have every chance and every ability to win. It’s just figuring out how to get them all fired up at the same time.” If the Red Elephants are to bring home another team title, they’ll have to earn it. Several contenders, like Lakeview Academy, North Hall and last year’s runner-up Chero kee Bluff are ready to challenge Gainesville for the title. Lakeview Academy, in particu lar, is off to a solid start, including winning East Hall’s Valhalla Cup tournament and finishing fourth at Apple Mountain behind seniors Carter Kontour, Chandler Lovell and Tanner Stephens. “Anytime you get everybody in the county competing against each other in the same place, it’s fun,” Lions coach Tyler Sanders said. “We’ve competed against some of the other teams in some other tournaments recently, but not everybody at once. “We’ve had a couple of good showings, and our guys have been working really hard in practice, just getting better every day.” The girls tournament also fig ures to be very competitive, with North Hall looking to defend last year’s title against such chal lengers as last year’s runner-up Cherokee Bluff, which features the 2022 individual champ Alisa Pressley, and Flowery Branch. The Lady Trojans return two of their three scorers from last year in Makayla Jones and Lillie Mallis, while Morgan Whidden should provide even more depth after a late surge last season. “I pretty much have my team that finished third in the state (in Class 3A) last year,” North Hall girls coach Rodney House said. “I would think we’d have a pretty good shot. Cherokee Bluff has Alisa, who’s really good. .. I’ve not seen everybody. We’ve missed playing Flowey Branch early on, but I’ve seen some of their scores. “We played (last) weekend.... We have a 36-hole tournament this weekend, so we’re going to play a lot of golf. So we should be getting a little better, hopefully, as we go.” Other teams will be simply looking to improve, like Gaines ville, which didn’t have enough varsity golfers to compete as a team this year, but will bring a full team of three young com petitors into their first county tournament in freshmen Ragan Allgood, Claire Gaddy and Olivia Clemons. “None of them had varsity experience until this year,” Gainesville girls coach Brad Prestidge said. “So it’ll be a learning curve for them to play in the Hall County Championship for the first time ever.” BURNEY ■ Continued from 1C away from the game, at least for a while. After inheriting a team that won just one game and bat tling through a winless team in his first season, Burney helped build the Flowery Branch pro gram and climb its way back up to being competitive. That process culminated with this season’s 15-10 mark, the Falcons’ best season in five years, and adds to a successful high school career that included stops in Alabama at Boaz and Lee-Huntsville. “We went from not very good my first year to (15-10) this year,” Burney said. “It’s been a great thing, and I love Flowery Branch. I’ve loved the people I’ve worked with. I just thought it was a situ ation where I’ve got to step back for a year and see what I want to do and try to (regain) a new love for coaching, to be honest.” Flowery Branch athletics director Jimmy Lawler acknowl edged Burney’s work and thanked him for it in a statement released Wednesday, and also said that the search for a new coach will begin immediately. “Jay Burney is a fine man and outstanding basketball coach,” Lawler said. “We appreciate what he has done for our pro gram the last four years. ” OBITUARIES MacKenzie Elise Ridsdale December 24, 2022 MacKenzie Elise Ridsdale, age 31, beloved daughter of Fred W. and the late Saundra L. Bailey, granddaughter of Helen C. and the late Fred H, niece ofTedd F Ridsdale, of Florida, and sister of Trevor J. Comerford of Colorado, passed away suddenly. Also mourning her loss are her paternal grandparents Ron and Eileen Bailey of Virginia, aunts Elizabeth and Lianne, several cousins of Virginia, and many other cousins in Ohio. MacKenzie had a kind heart and possessed an innate sense of distress in others and would offer empathy, encouragement, or even hug to those in need...May her memory always be a blessing. Private services will be held at a later date. Dahlonega Funeral Home are in charge of arrangements. Death Notices Amie Lou Hatch March 10, 2023 Amie Lou Hatch, age 76, of Sugar Hill, GA passed away on Friday, March 10TH. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18TH at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses. Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory are in charge of arrangements. Danielle Nicole Bennett March 11, 2023 Danielle Nicole Bennett, 32 of Alto, Georgia passed away on Saturday, March 11th. Visitation will be held at Hillside Chapel Funeral Home & Cremation Services on Friday, March 17th from 12:00 - 2:00PM. Funeral Service will be held at Hillside Chapel Funeral Home & Cremation Services on Friday, March 17th at 2:00PM. Jack Dale David March 13, 2023 Jack Dale David, age 83 of Lawrenceville passed away Monday, March 13th. A Graveside service will be held 2:00 pm Friday, March 17th at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. The family will receive friends 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Thursday, March 16th at Lawson Funeral Home. Arrangements by Lawson Funeral Home. Martin Paul Iraggi March 14, 2023 Martin Paul Iraggi, age 91 of Hoschton, passed away on Tuesday, March 14th. Memorial services will be held at a later date. Memorial Park South Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Uwe Heinz Lindner March 14, 2023 Uwe Heinz Lindner, age 76, of Buford, GA passed away on Tuesday, March 14th. A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, March 18th at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Flanigan Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17th at the funeral home.
