Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4B
V ihe Monroe County J
sReporter
October 22, 2014
Monroe County Outdoors
Register trophy deer with Ga Wildlife Resources Div.
,,1,
£ t, '
Georgia is the white-tailed deer capital of the
Southeast. Photo by Steve Kyles of the Georgia
Wildlife Resources Division
BY TERRY W. JOHN
SON
eorgia has
long been rec
ognized as be
ing the
trophy
white-tailed deer
capital of the
Southeast. If you
were to thumb
through the pages
of the Boone and
Crockett Record
Book, you would
find that more tro
phy whitetails have
been taken in Geor
gia than the com
bined total submit
ted by our neigh
boring states. In
addition, more record book
white-tailed deer have
been bagged in Georgia
than any other Southeast
ern state.
In spite of that impres
sive fact, nobody knows
how many more mounts
sporting quality racks are
tucked away in closets or
hanging on the walls of
homes throughout the
state.
In addition, each year
Georgia hunters take
home countless new tro
phies worthy of recogni
tion yet are never scored.
A few
years ago,
in an effort
to locate
and recog
nize the
very best
white
tailed deer
harvested
in the
Peach
State, the
Georgia
Wildlife
Resources
Division
(WRD) launched a
Georgia Deer Registry.
With that in mind, the
WRD is asking hunters to
submit nominations for
inclusion in the presti
gious Georgia Deer
Registry.
Deer are evaluated
using the Boone &
Crockett measuring sys
tem. To qualify for the
Registry, bucks sporting
typical racks must
score at least 120
points, if taken
with archery
equipment, and
140, if bagged with
a firearm. Non
typical bucks must
score at least 145
(archery) and 170
(firearms).
All entries must
be legally taken
within the state of
Georgia and meet
the Boone &
Crockett Club Fair
Chase require
ments.
Antlers must be
scored by an offi
cial scorer at any
time during the year as
long as they have dried at
least 60 days. Deer can
be scored at the Georgia
Wildlife Federation's
Buck-A-Ramas or by a
specially-trained wildlife
biologist. Contact the
Game Management
Section Office in Fort
Valley (478) 825-6354) to
set up an appointment to
have your deer scored at
a time other than at the
Buck-A-Rama.
Whole racks that you
stumble across in the
woods or have been hang
ing on the walls of dens,
sheds and old barns are
all eligible. The only
requirement is that the
deer’s skull plate must
not be split. Also antlers
that have been shed can
not be scored.
If you
have a tro
phy that
was official
ly scored
years ago
and you
still have
the scoring
sheet that
indicates
that the
deer meets
the mini
mum
require
ments to be
listed in the
Georgia
Deer
Registry,
the official
scoring sheet can be sub
mitted as proof of eligibil
ity.
If your trophy is accept
ed by the Registry, you
will receive a certificate of
recognition suitable for
framing. Additionally,
your name and the vital
statistics of the trophy
will be listed in the
Registry.
If you would like to
obtain an application
form or would just like to
take a peek at the com
plete list of deer that
have qualified for the
Georgia Deer Registry,
visit the Wildlife
Resources Division’s web
site (www.gohuntgeor-
gia.com).
I am convinced that
many deer taken over the
years in Monroe County
qualify for this presti
gious list. If you are
among those hunters that
have bagged a deer that
you feel might qualify for
the Registry, give the
Game Management
Section a call. It won't
cost you anything to
enter.
Terry Johnson is the
retired Program Manager
of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife
Program. He conducts
wildlife research and sur
vey projects, presents pro
grams and writes about
wildlife. Email him at
TJWoodDuck@ aol.com.
Bulldogs
continued from page IB
back to work with reserve
quarterback Will
Bazemore at the helm.
Mixing the run with the
pass, Bazemore moved
MP back across midfield
before Johnston returned
to the game and hit Malik
Bledsoe for a key 21-yard
completion down to the
four-yard-line. On the
very next play, High ran
behind the left side of the
line for a four-yard touch
down with 8:13 remaining
in the second quarter.
Hampton's extra point
gave MP a quick 14-0
lead.
Upson-Lee finally got its
initial first down on its
next series, but it came
due to an MP personal
foul penalty. After one
more Upson-Lee first
down run by Puckett, the
Knights' drive came to a
halt when Lowe redeemed
his earlier miscue and
made a leaping
interception of a
Puckett pass.
It didn't take long
for MP to make the
Knights pay for
their turnover. Taylor car
ried for 10 yards on MP's
next offensive play, and
then Johnston hit Stokes
for a 42-yard pass play.
Four plays later, Johnston
found tight end Demarcus
Davis for a wide open
four-yard touchdown pass
in the right corner of the
end zone after he slipped
free from the defense. It
was Davis' first score since
his sophomore year when
he returned a blocked
punt for a touchdown.
Hampton's extra point
gave MP a dominating 21-
0 advantage with 4:54 left
in the second quarter.
MP's defense forced yet
another Upson-Lee punt
late in the first half, and
then the Bulldogs' offense
put the game away for
good with two early scores
in the third quarter.
Getting the ball first to
start the second half, MP
drove 61 yards in just five
plays, capped by a gor
geous 31-yard touchdown
strike from Johnston to
Bledsoe down the middle
of the field. Hampton's
extra point extended MP's
lead to 28-0 with 10:42 left
in the third quarter.
But MP wasn't done.
Hampton's ensuing
kickoff was short and
fell in between several
Upson-Lee players.
MP's Zach Harvey
recovered the loose ball
at the Upson-Lee 34-
yard-line, and on the
very next play, Keri
Brown ran through a
gargantuan hole on the
right side of MP’s line
and beat the Upson-
Lee safety to the end
zone for an easy score.
Hampton's extra point
put MP up 35-0 with
10:28 left in the third
quarter.
MP's defense contin
ued its first-half
onslaught into the
third quarter, forcing a
punt and a fourth-
down stop, respectively,
on Upson-Lee's next
two drives. The fourth-
down stop was particu
larly disconcerting for
the Knights because it
came as a result of yet
another poor center
snap that eluded
Puckett after Upson-
Lee had driven inside
of the MP red zone for
the first and only time
in the game.
MP's offense tacked
on one final score with
23 seconds left in the
third quarter when
High capped a nine-
play, 65-yard drive
with his third score of
the game, a two-yarder.
Alex Rivera's extra
point put MP up 42-0
and allowed the offi
cials to invoke the
GHSA's running clock
mercy rule for the third
straight game in the
fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs out-
gained Upson-Lee 266
to 42 in total yards in
the first half and 468
to 75 for the game.
Johnston threw for 196
yards and two touch
downs on 10 of 16 passes
in perhaps his finest game
to date as a Bulldog.
Bazemore came off the
bench and completed his
only pass attempt, a 19-
yard screen to High. High
led MP in rushing once
again with 134 yards and
three touchdowns on 24
carries. Brown added 61
yards and a touchdown on
five carries to aid the MP
rushing attack. Bledsoe
led MP in receiving with
76 yards and a touchdown
on four receptions.
First-year MP offensive
coordinator Jason Morrow
said he felt comfortable
calling plays all night
because his team was
having success on the
ground and in the air.
"We struggled a little bit
offensively throwing the
ball in the beginning, but
our running game was
going so well that it stabi
lized us long enough that
we could get the passing
game going a little bit,"
Morrow said. "I'm just so
proud of those guys.
Everything worked
together right. Everybody
contributed: offense,
defense, special teams. I
just thought it was a great
win."
Morrow said he tries to
limit the wear and tear on
High, but it's tempting to
feed his star back over
and over.
"We try to keep a watch
on how many times we
give it to him, but he's
such a special player, such
a special kid, that I'd like
to give it to him every
time if I could," Morrow
said. "But I know we can't
do that."
Puckett led Upson-Lee
in passing with 23 yards
and an interception on 2
of 8 passes. MP held
Upson-Lee's star running
back Kenderius
Pennyman to just 19
yards on nine carries
while limiting Puckett to
just 12 yards on 13 carries
thanks to a pair of 16-
yard losses on wayward
snaps. Backup running
back Markevius Robinson
was Upson-Lee's leading
rusher with 21 yards on
six carries.
The MP defense, which
pitched its second shutout
in three games, has now
held opponents to just one
offensive touchdown in
the past four games com
bined.
Davis, whose play at
defensive end was criti
cal to stopping Upson-
Lee's read-based run
ning game, said the
MP defense didn't
focus on getting a
shutout until late in
the game.
"We didn't talk about
it," Davis said of the
shutout. "But we talk
about playing great
defense. And when you
play great defense,
you're not supposed to
let anybody score. It
kind of just happened,
but once we realized,
we're like: 'Let's get
this shutout right
here.' That's extra
motivation to the defense
when you're trying to get
a shutout. Everybody's
going the 110 percent."
MP head coach Brian
Nelson said his defense
continues to improve each
week.
"Those guys on that side
played pretty good
tonight," Nelson said.
"They were locked in and
focused, and we played a
lot faster than I remember
us playing. I've said it for
a couple of weeks now.
They're kind of starting to
get a feel for each other
and where everybody's
role is. They're getting
people back in the fray
that weren't there early
on in the year. We've got
secondary guys now that
are consistent in what
we're doing."
Nelson credited the lead
ership of his large senior
class for MP's excellent
recent play.
"I think it all just comes
back to the leadership of
our seniors," Nelson said.
"We've got 24 of those
guys that have been with
us the whole time. I'm
talking coming up from
rec league and all the way
up. And they're great kids
academically in the school
building, outside the
school building, on the
football field, and they've
got good leadership to
them. And there's some
thing to be said for that on
a football team, I think."
MP vs. Upson-Lee
TEAM
STATS
MP
UL
First Downs
23
6
Rushing yds.
252
52
Passing yds
216
23
Total yds.
468
75
Att-Comp-Int
17-11-0
9-2-1
Fumbles-Lost
3-0
2-1
Penalties
6-70
6-50
MP 7 14 21 0 - 42
UL 0 0 0 0 -0
BULLDOG SCORING
• Dee High
- 1-yard run
(Josh Hampton kick)
• Dee High
- 4-yard run
(Josh Hampton kick)
■ Demarcus Davis
- 4-yard reception
(Josh Hampton kick)
■ Malik Bledsoe
- 31-yard reception
(Josh Hampton kick)
• Keri Brown
- 34-yard run
(Josh Hampton kick)
• Dee High
- 2-yard run
(Alex Rivera kick)
Individual MP Stats
OFFENSE
RUSHING
Carries
Yds.
Dee High
24
134
Keri Brown
5
61
Jaquavious Sims
5
40
Jatori Sims
2
12
Kendrell Taylor
1
10
Malik Bledsoe
1
3
Jake Johnston
1
1
Zach Harvey
3
0
Vic Henderson
1
-1
Will Bazemore
5
-2
Caleb Speir
1
-6
PASSING
Jake Johnston
Will Bazemore
Comp. Att. Yds.
10 16 196
1 1 19
RECEIVING
Rec.
Yds.
Malik Bledsoe
4
76
Justin Stroud
3
61
J.T. Stokes
2
56
Dee High
1
19
Demarcus Davis 1
4
PUNT RETURNS
Ret.
Yds.
Keri Brown
1
12
KICK RETURNS
Ret.
Yds.
Keri Brown
1
26
DEFENSE
Tackles Assists
Quen Head 3 3
John Perkins 4 0
Tre Weaver 4 0
Mykel Lucear 4 0
Quen Shannon 2 2
D. Davis 3 1
Tre Howard 3 0
Brett Brewer 2 1
Rahim Lowe 2 0
PUNTS
Punts Yds. Avg.
Drew Pack 3 63 21.0
INTERCEPTIONS
Ints Yds. Avg.
Rahim Lowe 1 0 0.0
FUMBLES RECOVERED
No. Yds. Avg.
None
ita® iltestt Bap# iMi&g
-ij'ceffeed £ /nstHnso-
fFBB ESTIMATES
Painting ■ Remodeling ■ Flooring ■ Carpentry
Dry wall ■ General Repairs ■ Pressure Washing
Insulation - More...
Cell (4rB) 973-0305 • Office: (4*S) 994-1793
This spectacular second-quarter interception by Rahim
Lowe led to a Bulldog score moments later in MP’s 42-0
victory over Upson-Lee. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)