About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2024)
2C Midweek Edition-July 17-18, 2024 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia I gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS Former GHS baseball coach Owings takes job at N. Greenville University BY BILL MURPHY bmurphy@gainesvilletimes.com Micah Owings has made his next move. After stepping down recently as the new head baseball coach at Gainesville High on June 27, the former Red Elephants standout was named the new assistant baseball coach at Division-II North Greenville University. North Greenville University made the hire public in a press release on its social media accounts. Owings was introduced shortly after the 2023 high school season ended as the direc tor of baseball operations for Gainesville High, under head coach Cris Carpenter. When Carpenter retired after the 2024 season, Owings was selected to fill the posi tion at the top of the organization. Owings has succeeded at every level of the game, having played in the big leagues from 2007-2013 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres. After retiring from playing, Owings managed the successful Gaines ville GoF Diggers, a summer-league col lege organization from 2019-2023, which won back-to-back Sunbelt League titles in 2022 and 2023. Owings' prep career at Gainesville High was records setting. Playing for the Red Elephants, the right- handed pitcher compiled a 24-2 record on the mound en route to back-to-back state championships in 2001-2002. FROM 1C Brown by any stretch, ... (but) when (Gainesville administrators) called, just talking with them and discussing things, it sparked an interest for me and my family. “We went up there and looked around and kind of fell in love with Gainesville. Seems like a great place to live. We've always kind of wanted to be on the water, so we're hop ing to try to make that work out. ... So, we prayed about it as a family and discussed it and decided it was a good fit for us." After serving as an assistant to another Hall of Fame coach, Hugh Buchanan, for a year when he arrived at Parkview, Brown assumed the head coaching reins in 2005. In the two decades since, he took the Panthers to an even higher level of success, leading them to six of the program's nine state championships, the last one in 2019, and 15 of its 27 region titles, as well as national championships in 2012 (Baseball America), 2015 (Baseball America) and 2018 (Baseball America, MaxPreps, USA Today and Collegiate Baseball Magazine) over the past 20 seasons. Along the way, he has coached numer ous individuals who have gone on to play in college, 17 of which have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including current Atlanta Braves slugging first base- man Matt Olson. That first number will grow even further with at least three graduating seniors from Parkview's 2024 team that went 29-7 and reached the Class 7A state quarterfinals - Brown's son Cade Brown (Georgia), Thorpe Musci (Georgia Tech), Adrian Jimenez (Vir ginia Commonwealth) and Ford Thompson (Mercer) - all signing with Division I col lege programs. Brown takes over a Gainesville program that earned its first state playoff berth since 2018 this past season with a 13-15 record. And he is eagerly looking forward to meeting with the Red Elephants and getting started in keeping the momentum going and taking the success to a higher level. “I've heard some good things about a lot of kids," Brown said. “I've got to get in there and feel my way through the program for a bit. Obviously, it's a new challenge for me to get in there and... see what it takes to get the Red Elephants going in the right direc tion and make sure the kids are doing the right things on and off the field. “There's a tradition there (at Gainesville), and I think people want us to tap into that tradition, and hopefully we can do that. I'm going to embrace that tradition of Gaines ville baseball just like I did at Parkview." HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Photos by Bill Murphy The Times Gainesville High goes through practice Tuesday at Bruce Miller Field. Cherokee Bluff goes through football practice Monday in Flowery Branch. North Hall goes through practice Tuesday in Gainesville. West Hall goes through practice Monday in Oakwood. Flowery Branch goes through practice Monday. West Hall goes through practice Monday in Oakwood. Flowery Branch goes through practice Monday. Gainesville goes through practice Tuesday at Bruce Miller Field. FROM 1C House Kristi is now the assistant principal at South Hall Middle, while Rodney teaches at Mount Vernon Elementary. Naturally, Charlie said he's considered a future in education and coaching, but is still young enough to explore different options. Having two parents as coaches, however, has pro vided House with a lot of valuable insight into lead ership, being part of a team and work ethic. “My mom and dad from a young age instilled com petitiveness in me,” House said. “They taught me how to go out and try to domi nate, but don't rub it in people's face.” Charlie's other inspira tion is his twin brother, Cooper, who was bom with a congenital heart disease and had to undergo five open-heart surgeries as a child, along with a having a pacemaker and artifi cial valve implanted in his heart. Still, both brothers bond over sports, particularly their love of the NBA, Charlie said. And House knows his brother would be out there playing sports, too, if he could. “It feels good to be out there representing him,” Charlie said. “I know how dominant he would be (as an athlete) in an alternate reality. We have a bond that is closer than that of non twin siblings. We still have arguments, but I'm con nected more to him than people who have an older or younger sibling.” Away from football, House likes to keep it simple. When he's not play ing football or weightlift ing, he's either reading his favorite comic book, watching something in the science-fiction or western genre, or listening to music. While House would love the opportunity to play in college, those football offers haven't yet manifested. So for now, he's going to enjoy playing his senior season and let the chips fall where they may. This summer, The Times will take a look at some of Hall County’s top rising senior athletes for the Class of 2025. To submit a story sug gestion, email sports @ gainesvilletimes.com. FROM 1C Sadler However, that work, and learning some fundamentals at both his football posi tions also had an impact with his performance on the hardwood. “It was all new at first because it was my first time playing football,” Sadler said. “I just adjusted, and it helped me a lot in basket ball. ... It helped me fill out more.” As it turns out, last fall was not only his first season playing football will also be his last as he intends to focus solely on basketball this year. However, the work in the weight room and on the gridiron Sadler has put in has increased his muscle mass to help fill out his frame to a more robust 185 pounds, thus adding a fur ther dimension to his game. And his versatile skills have made him an excellent complement for his friend and teammate Tayden Ware, which makes that pair a for midable set of twin towers for Lions opponents to have to deal with. “Justyce is capable of guarding (all) five positions (on the floor),” Wood said. “Sometimes he's a rim pro tector. Sometimes he's at the front of our press. So, even though (Sadler and Ware are) around the same height, they play two different styles. They're both capable of being (multi-talented).” Both Sadler and Ware say that it's more than just their diverse skills that makes them work so well together. “Whenever we're in the game together, we see some thing that nobody else sees,” Ware said. “Our passes that we make to each other are better than most because we can see the floor a little bit better.” That all said, Sadler says that there is more work for him to do before his senior season begins in November, and during it as he hopes to contribute even more to the Lions as they try to defend their state title. He also says there is another champion ship that he and his team mate hope to add to the school's trophy case. “Hopefully, we can win Lanierland,” Sadler said. This summer, The Times will take a look at some of Hall County’s top rising senior athletes for the Class of 2025. To submit a story sug gestion, email sports @ gainesvilletimes.com.
