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Reporter
1B January 1,2014
Terry Johnson
School Pages
Church Page
Public Record
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The best
coverage
for Monroe
County sports
From the Press Box
SEC title run
to end finally
Two thoughts on the current sports landscape:
1. ) The Auburn Tigers will face the Florida State
Seminoles in Pasadena on Monday seeking to extend
the SEC's dynastic run of national titles to eight.
However, I think this is the year when the SEC's
streak finally ends.
The shaky Auburn defense has been living danger
ously for much of the season, relying on a strong pass
rush led by defensive end Dee Ford. But Auburn has
only faced one offensive line (Alabama) perhaps as
good as the one the Seminoles have, and one team
with skill position players equal to those of FSU's
(also Alabama). It's important to remember that even
though Auburn prevailed on
Chris Davis' unlikely "kick
six", the Tide controlled much
of the Iron Bowl, outscoring
Auburn on the Tigers' home-
field by seven over the first 59
minutes-plus of the game. War
Eagle Nation will likely
migrate to Southern California
in droves for the Rose
Bowl, but the game won't
be played in Jordan-Hare
Stadium where Auburn
executed each of its two
famous miracles this year.
FSU quarterback Jameis Winston proved to be the
most dominant player in college football this year and
will likely put up whopping numbers against Auburn's
beleaguered secondary. While FSU's undersized
defense could struggle against coach Gus Malzahn's
vaunted rushing attack, led by Nick Marshall and Tre
Mason, the Seminoles' talented pass defense could
feast on Auburn's limited passing attack.
In a high-scoring thrilling affair, look for coach
Jimbo Fisher's Noles to outlast the Tigers 38-34 for
FSU's first national title in 14 years.
2. ) The NFL playoffs start Saturday with a pair of
Wild Card contests, and viewers should expect the
unexpected. Five of the last eight Super Bowl champi
ons, including each of the last three, have won at least
two road games en route to the title. While homefield
advantage used to mean something in the postseason,
it seldom does anymore.
Instead, playoff games are often settled by which
team peaks at the right time, and more importantly,
which quarterback gets in a groove at the right time.
Most experts pegged the Seattle Seahawks and the
Denver Broncos as the league's best two teams back in
August, and neither team disappointed during 13-3
regular seasons. Now, teams hoping to earn a Super
Bowl berth will have to win either at Seattle's Quest
Field or at Denver's Sports Authority Field, two of the
league's toughest venues in which to win.
But as the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Joe
Flacco showed last year when they won a double-over
time thriller in Denver, knocking off a top seed on the
road can be done. The Broncos and Seahawks are
clearly the prohibitive playoff favorites, but as the last
few Januarys have shown, anything can happen come
playoff time. Not surprisingly, look for the AFC's New
England Patriots, led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
and the NFC's San Francisco 49ers, the defending
conference champs, to be the biggest threats to ruin
the Denver-Seattle Super Bowl.
Bailey bags first deer
Monroe County's Anderson Bailey, 7, killed his first deer
when he shot this button buck from more than 100
yards away on his Poppa T's farm in Randolph County.
Bailey was excited because his two older brother killed
their first deer at the seem farm when they were seven
also. (Photo/David Bailey)
Parrish makes ace
Hal Parrish of Forsyth made his first career hole-
in-one while playing with three other friends at the
Donalsonville Country Club in Donalsonville, Ga.
on October 20th. He aced the 141-yard, No. 12 hole
with a 9-iron. The shot was witnessed by Greg
White, Bud McMichael and Steve Wise.
Mary Per
sons senior
Akebren
Ralls (No. 6)
wrapped up
his outstand
ing high
school ca
reer by being
named a
unanimous
All-State
choice. Ralls
was previ
ously named
the Region
2-AAAA All-
Purpose
Player of the
Year. (File
photo)
MP’s Ralls named All-State
Unanimous selection for second straight year
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Mary Persons senior football star
Akebren Ralls was named a unani
mous AAAA First Team All-State
selection for the second consecutive
year.
The 5'9", 170 pound safety was
selected to the Georgia
Sportswriters Association All-State
Football Team and the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution (AJC) teams.
Ralls was also named an Honorable
Mention AJC selection as a sopho
more in 2011. According to the
Georgia High School Football
Historians Association website,
Ralls is the first player in school
history to be named a First Team
All-State selection by the AJC more
than one time. Ralls was also the
only player from Region 2-AAAA to
be named First Team All-State.
Two other MP players also
received statewide recognition. MP
senior offensive tackle Sam Watson
was named a Second Team All-
State Selection by the Georgia
Sportswriters Association while
senior linebacker Tra Taylor was
named an Honorable Mention All-
State Selection by the Georgia
Sportswriters Association for the
second consecutive year.
Mary Persons players also
received recognition from the
Macon Telegraph for the squad's
stellar 10-2 campaign. Ralls and
junior defensive end Demarcus
Davis were each chosen to the
Telegraph's All-Middle Georgia
First Team. Ralls received the
honor for the third consecutive
year. Three more Bulldogs: Watson,
Taylor and junior safety Quen
Head were named to the
Telegraph's All-Middle Georgia
Second Team while junior running
back Dee High was a Third Team
All-Middle Georgia selection. Five
other Bulldogs received Honorable
Mention recognition from the
Telegraph. These include: senior
kicker Dennis Miller and four jun
iors: cornerback Keri Brown, center
Tyler Camp, quarterback Cal King
and linebacker Quen Shannon.
The Telegraph also honored MP
athletes in other fall sports last
week. Four MP softball players
were named Honorable Mention
All-Middle Georgia selections.
These include: freshman Megan
Bell, freshman Alexis Passmore,
sophomore Katie Gorman and jun
ior Reyna Grier. MP seniors Anna
Leigh Nix and Ansley Clark were
named to the All-Middle Georgia
Girls Cross Country Team. Also,
two MP volleyball players, senior
Maya Stewart and sophomore
Sharon Kinsella, were named
Honorable Mention All-Middle
Georgia selections.
Interestingly, another player with
Monroe County ties received the
state's top individual football
honor. Griffin senior quarterback
Jaquez Parks, whose uncle is
Forsyth mayor John Howard, was
named the state's All-Classification
Player of the Year by both the AJC
and the Georgia Sportswriters
Association. Parks passed for 3,640
yards and rushed for 1,329 yards,
in leading Griffin to a 15-0 season
and its first state title in 35 years.
Parks accounted for a state Finals
record 554 total yards, 338 passing
and 216 rushing, in a 56-35 cham
pionship game win over Carrollton
on Dec. 14.
MP girls make tourney finals
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The still undefeated Mary
Persons girls basketball team was
scheduled to face Woodland
(Henry) in the championship game
of the Union Grove Holiday
Tournament on Monday night. The
game is a rematch of a 2013 AAAA
state quarterfinal matchup in
which the Lady Dogs beat the Lady
Wolfpack 75-60 at James P. Evans
Gymnasium to advance to the pro
gram's first Final Four in 47 years.
MP improved its season record to
10-0 overall (4-0 in Region 2-
AAAA) on Saturday with a 48-32
second-round victory over host
Union Grove. The win came one
night after a narrow 48-42 win over
Luella in the first round of the
Union Grove tourney. The Lady
Dogs only led by three points enter
ing the fourth quarter before
outscoring Luella 13-10 in the
fourth to win by six. Junior guard
Keke Calloway led MP in scoring
with 22 points. She was joined in
double figures by junior Asiana
Almon, who had 13.
The MP boys team lost 66-44 to
host Union Grove on Saturday in
the second round of the holiday
tournament to fall to 6-4 overall (2-
2 in Region 2-AAAA). The loss
came one day after the Bulldogs
beat Pace Academy 61-55 in the
first round.
The MP varsity squads were
scheduled to resume regular-season
play on Saturday at Jackson. The
girls game is set for 6 p.m. with the
boys game to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Both MP JV squads will also be in
action on Saturday with the JV
girls starting at 3 p.m. and the JV
boys following at 4:15 p.m.
The MP varsity squads will then
play their next respective region
contests on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at
Baldwin. MP then will return home
to face Veterans on Friday, Jan. 10.
Mercer coach receives national acclaim
With the historic first
season of the Mercer foot
ball program in the
record books, head coach
Bobby Lamb and quarter
back John Russ continue
to receive national atten
tion as the duo made
headlines in Monday’s
postseason awards
released by The Sports
Network.
As finalists for two of
the four major FCS
awards handed out at the
conclusion of each season,
Russ finished fifth in vot
ing for the Jerry Rice
Award as the top fresh
man in the country, while
Lamb was tabbed 11th in
the Eddie Robinson
Award voting as the top
FCS coach in the land.
Among the 21 finalists
as the best freshman in
the country, Russ received
nine first place votes, 11
second and third place
votes, 14 fourth place
votes and 10 fifth place
votes. His 160 total votes
were less than 100 votes
behind runner-up winner
Marcus Cox of
Appalachian State, while
Eastern Washington’s
Cooper Cox ran away
with the award, capturing
more than half of the first
place votes.
Russ was named the
PFL Offensive Freshman
of the Year as he complet
ed 122-of-233 passes for
1,916 yards and 21 touch
downs and added 903
yards on the ground with
12 scores.
After finishing third in
the PFL Coach of the
Year voting, Lamb
became one of 21 finalists
as the nation’s top FCS
coach and captured 62
total votes to finish No.
11 in the country.
Starting 19 freshmen and
three sophomores, Lamb’s
Bears shocked the FCS
world in 2013, winning 10
games and setting the
NCAA Division I record
for wins by a first-year
program.
Following the banner
season, the 10-year coach
ing veteran was awarded
with a contract extension
from the university to
keep Lamb as the leader
of the Mercer football pro
gram through the 2019
season.
Voting for both awards
was conducted by a
nationwide panel of
sports information and
media directors, broad
casters, writers and other
dignitaries. The award
winners were honored on
Dec. 16 at The Sports
Network FCS Awards
Banquet and
Presentation in
Philadelphia.
Mercer will sign the pro
gram’s first scholarship
recruiting class in
February 2014, before
transitioning to the
Southern Conference next
fall.