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1B October 12, 2011
Pigskin Picks 3B-4B
Terry Johnson 5B
School News 6B
Public Record 7B
The best
coverage
for Monroe
County sports
MP senior receiver D’Vante Penamon lays out for a pass during the second quarter of MP’s 35-0 home win over Rutland last
Friday. MP will face Peach County on Friday. Penamon had 141 receiving yards last season against the Trojans. (Photo/Will
Davis)
Bulldogs blast Rutland
On Press Row
Have Bulldogs
turned a corner?
I f you are a regular reader of my column, it would not
surprise you to hear that I have become rather disillu
sioned with the state of Georgia Bulldog football over
the last three years.
Ever since Alabama came into
Athens and waxed the Bulldogs 31-
0 in a single half in 2008, it seems
as if nothing has gone right for the
Georgia program. In fact, Georgia's
record since the ugly beatdown on
the embarrassing "Blackout" night
was just 22-17 entering the
Bulldogs' Oct. 1 home game
with Mississippi State.
Prior to the start of this sea
son, I was convinced that the
Bulldogs were likely to lose
their first two games with
Boise State and South Carolina. That didn't stop me from
turning on the television on Sept. 3 when Boise came into
Atlanta in hopes that by some miracle, head coach Mark
Richt had somehow turned things around.
For one thing, I like Richt. I was in school at UGA from
2002 to 2008. (No, it did not take me seven football sea
sons to get one degree). If you look back at the history of
Georgia football, other than the post-World War II 1940s
and the Herschel years, there was likely not a better time
to watch UGA football. Richt's sideline calm, which has
come under intense scrutiny by members of Bulldog
Nation in recent years, was seen as a positive when I was
in school.
I sometimes wish Richt would show more fire myself,
but after watching Florida's lunatic head coach Will
Muschamp several times this year, I'm quite glad Richt
doesn't act like that on the sideline.
\ \ \ \
Terri Dewberry #29
The junior fullback rushed for 100
yards on just three carries, including a
highlight reel 40-yard TD.
SPONSORED BY:
WELLS
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KETTERBAUGH JUNGBERG
FINANCIAL GROUP
OF WELLS FARGO ADVISORS
1425 Bass Road • Macon, GA
478-749-6219
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC
Jason Jungberg AAMS
Financial Advisor
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Mary Persons scored
touchdowns on five of its
first seven offensive pos
sessions en route to a 35-0
thumping of region foe
Rutland Friday night at
Dan Pitts Stadium.
The win improves MP's
season record to 5-1 over
all and places the
Bulldogs in a tie for sec
ond place in Region 2-AAA
with a 4-1 record heading
into a showdown with
rival Peach County on
Friday in Fort Valley.
After a shakeup last
week along the offensive
line, MP rushed for 326
yards against the over
matched Hurricane
defense.
Senior running back Rico
Lyons and junior fullback
Terri Dewberry each
eclipsed 100 yards rushing
in the game, as MP ran
for five touchdowns in the
game. Lyons had a pair of
rushing touchdowns,
including an 86-yarder in
the second quarter.
Dewberry, Nick Davis and
Corey Head also ran for
one touchdown each.
Junior quarterback
See DOGS page 5B
Can MP break the Peach Jinx?
Mary Persons at Peach Co.
Friday, Oct. 14 • 8 p.m.
Anderson Stadium, Fort Valley
Last met: Oct. 15, 2010: MP 20, Peach Co. 41
Slim and None Prediction: MP 20, Peach 14
Directions: Two routes: I-75 or Hwy. 42 (source: Google Maps)
To take i-75: Take it south to I-475 South around Macon,
merging back onto I-75 south of Macon. Take Exit 146/Hwy.
247, and take a right on Centerville Road/Hwy. 247. Go
three miles and then take a left onto Ga. Hwy. 49/Peach
Parkway. Go 5 miles and take a right onto State Route 49C.
Go three miles and take a left onto Peggy Drive. Take first
left onto Bryant Drive and look for the stadium lights.
To take Hwy. 42: Follow Hwy. 42 South for 35 miles,
then right onto Peggy Drive and left onto Bryant Drive.
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Mary Persons
Bulldogs will get the oppor
tunity to grab second place
in Region 2-AAA all for
themselves with a victory
Friday night at Peach
County.
The Bulldogs are currently
tied for second with Peach
at 4-1 in the region, just one
game back of first place
Baldwin.
However, beating the rival
Trojans will be no easy task.
Until Peach County's shock
ing 21-14 road loss at West
Laurens Friday night, the
Trojans had not lost a regu
lar season game since a loss
to Cairo on Oct. 10, 2008.
"We'll have a super task in
front of us next week," said
MP head coach Rodney
Walker, who coached at
Peach from 1994-98. "But
it's here, so we've got to get
ready to play it."
Two years ago, Peach
enjoyed a 15-0 season and a
AAA state championship.
Last season, the Trojans
won their first 13 games
before losing in the state
semifinals to eventual AAA
state champion Sandy
Creek.
The Trojans are led by star
wide receiver Demarcus
Robinson, who may be the
top junior receiver in the
state. Robinson has also
moonlighted as a quarter
back this year in Peach's
wildcat sets, and he has
proven difficult for defenses
to handle all over the field.
The Bulldogs lead the
overall series with Peach
County 6-5, but MP has
dropped its last four meet
ings with Peach, including
a 41-20 loss in Forsyth last
year. The Bulldogs trailed
at the half just 14-13 a
year ago before being
outscored 27-7 in the sec
ond half by the Trojans.
MP running back Rico
Lyons rushed for 126 yards
in last year's game, and
MP receiver D’Vante
Penamon had 141 yards
receiving as well.
The Trojans also defeated
Mary Persons three con
secutive times from 2003-
OS. MP last beat Peach
County in 2002. Prior to
the 2002 matchup, the two
teams had not met since
1987.
MP will likely start jun
ior Jordan Banks at quar
terback for the second con
secutive game. Banks'
backup Macey Zellner rein
jured an already ailing
ankle against Rutland and
is questionable to play.
Though West Laurens'
Demetrius Green rushed for
244 yards against the Trojan
defense Friday, Walker said
his offense will probably
have to throw the ball more
than it did against Rutland
to be successful.
"Peach is going to try to
take the run away from us,"
Walker said. "That's (head
coach) Chad's (Campbell)
philosophy. And you know,
we're going to have to be
able to throw the football,
take advantage of what
we're given. We hurt them
with the pass last year, and
we're going to have to be
able to do that again. But
we're going to have to go
down there and play good
now. That's a tough place to
play."
Walker said Banks played
very well in his first game
as a starter, but he hopes
Zellner is able to play as
well because of his ability to
change the tempo of the
game with his athleticism.
Defensive coordinator
Brian Nelson said his
defense will have to play an
outstanding game to slow
down Peach's explosive
offense.
"We played them good for
a half last year, and they
had more ammunition than
we did," Nelson said. "The
thing about it is. You know
Peach. They've got a darn
good football team. It's
gonna be the same thing.
They're gonna put athletes
on our athletes, and we're
gonna have to hope our guys
make a few plays. That's
what it's going to come down
to really."
Note kickoff is at 8 p.m.
instead of the usual 7:30
p.m., but allow one hour for
travel.
See GEORGIA, page 4B
Wild win gives
MP No. 3 seed
in the playoffs
BY RICHARD
DUMAS
The Mary Persons Lady
Bulldogs pulled off a
shocking comeback
against Veterans
Wednesday to claim the
Region 2-AAA's third
seed in the AAA state
playoffs.
The Lady Bulldogs
trailed Veterans 4-2 with
just one out left in the
game. MP's Briana Walls
See LADY DOGS
page 3B
Adair Woodward pitches for
the Bulldogs in pink uni
forms worn to raise aware
ness about breast cancer.
MP boys’ cross country
finishes second at home
Senior Jacob Langford (right) and junior Avram Scarlett
helped lead the MP boys’ cross country team to a second-
place finish at MP’s home meet Tuesday at the Monroe
County Recreation Center. Nearby teams, such as Howard,
Upson-Lee, Griffin, Jones County and Rutland, were among
the 12 teams in attendance. MP junior Caleb Watson won
the boys’ individual title. The MP girls’ team finished in fifth
place at the meet, led by strong finishes by the sister duo
Molly and Ansley Clark. MP head coach Steve Herr said the
meet went well because MP enjoys competing at home
against other schools, and opposing coaches like the ven
ue. Herr said at this point in the season intensity has esca
lated with the fact that only seven can run at region and at
state, so everyone is pushing to get faster. MP will next
compete in the Bleckley County Invitational at 9:30 a.m. on
Saturday. MP will be back in action at home at 4:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, Oct. 18. It will be the final home meet for MP’s
seven seniors. (Photo/Richard Dumas)