Newspaper Page Text
Reporter
1B October 22, 2014
Pigskin Picks Page 2B
Terry Johnson Page 4B
School Pages Pages 5B-6B
The best
coverage
for Monroe
County sports
Middle School cross
country places ninth
in state championship
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Monroe County Middle School boys cross
country team placed ninth out of 29 teams in the
large school division at the Georgia Middle School
Cross Country Championships at Bleckley County
Elementary School in Cochran on Saturday.
Monroe County amassed a total of 267 points.
Marist won the
team meet easily
with 61 points,
beating second-
place Dean Rusk
Middle, which fin
ished with 165
points. William
James of Walton
Youth Track Club
was the top indi
vidual finisher
with a time of 11
minutes, 28 sec
onds.
Monroe
County's top fin
isher was Zachary
Potts, who placed
seventh overall
with a time of
12:02. Chaz
Salter was
Monroe County's
second-best finish
er, placing 14 th
overall with a
time of 12:17. The
Bulldogs' other
three counting scores were recorded by William
Adkins, who placed 69th overall with a time of
13:21, Logan O' Neal, who placed 107th overall
with a time of 13:48, and Jonathan Nesmith, who
placed 123rd overall with a time of 14:08. William
Spence and Josh Blanche also competed for Monroe
County, placing 170th and 222nd, respectively.
Two Monroe County girls team members also
competed as individuals in the girls' meet. Summer
Sandefur placed 176th overall with a time of 18:46
while her teammate Suzanna Star placed 194th
overall with a time of 19:25. Marist also won the
girls team event with 67 points, easily distancing
itself from second-place Woodland Middle, which
had 148 points. Nyah Hernandez was the top indi
vidual girl with a time of 12:18.
The Mary Persons varsity and JV boys and girls
cross country teams were supposed to compete at
home last Tuesday, but the meet was rained out.
MP head coach Steve Herr said the meet will not be
rescheduled. The MP teams were expected to com
pete at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Upson-Lee in their
final tune-up before the Region 2-AAAA champi
onship meet on Oct. 30 at Rock Ranch.
The MP varsity girls cross coun
try team, led by Kayley Dale
(above), is in its final week of
preparation for the Oct. 30 region
meet. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
MP’s Pennamon chosen
for Australian track meet
Mary Persons junior Amecia Pennamon has been
selected to run in the Down Under Sports Track
and Field Meet in Australia, New Zealand and
Hawaii in summer 2015.
Pennamon's father Dwan said his daughter, who
has competed in AAU meets all over the Southeast
for several years, will likely attend the Down
Under meet, which is scheduled to begin on July 6,
2015. Pennamon plans to run in the 100 meters,
200 meters, 4 x 100-meter relay and 4 x 400-meter
relay in Australia. Former MP track star Nick
Davis, who currently plays football at Valdosta
State, competed in the Australia meet in 2013.
Pennamon is a preseason first team all-state
selection to the Georgia Track and Field team. She
placed in the top 10 at nationals in the 18-and-
under age group in July in Orlando. Pennamon is
currently being recruited by colleges, such as
Georgia, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
Shell, Gordon make
hole-in-ones in Forsyth
Two holes in one were recorded recently at
Forsyth Golf Club. On Sept. 23, Bobby Shell, of
Forsyth, aced the 148-yard, 18th hole with a six-
iron. It was the fourth ace of Shell’s career. Also, on
July 19, Howard Gordon, of Macon, made a hole-in-
one on the 134-yard, 10th hole with an eight-iron.
MP Fall Sports
Home Calendar
Wednesday, Oct. 22: 5:00 p.m. — C-Team Football
(Rehobath Road Middle)
Thursday, Oct. 23: 5:30 p.m. — JV Football (Jackson)
Friday, Oct. 24: 7:30 p.m. — Varsity Football (Veterans)
Saturday, Oct. 25: TBD — Varsity Competition Cheer
leading
Sunday, Oct. 26:
Monday, Oct. 27:
Tuesday, Oct. 28:
Mary Persons’ backfield tandem of quarterback Jake Johnston (No. 18) and running back Dee High overwhelmed
an overmatched Upson-Lee defense in a 42-0 MP win on Friday in Thomaston. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)
MP offense pierces Knights
Bulldogs stay atop region with 42-0 shutout
C2£IIDQ7 l LlI3tIII3
Jake Johnston #18
The junior quarterback passed for 200
yards and two touchdowns in a 42-0 win
over Upson-Lee.
SPONSORED BY:
KETTERBAUGH JUNGBERG
FINANCIAL GROUP
OF WELLS FARGO ADVISORS, LLC
1425 Bass Road • Macon, GA
478-749-6219
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Member SIPC
Jason Jungberg, AAMS
FinancialAdvisor
First Vice President-
Investment Officer
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Mary Persons Bulldogs trav
eled to Matthews Field in
Thomaston on Friday expecting
their first tough region test of the
season. What they got instead was
their third consecutive region
blowout as the Bulldogs scored 21
points in each half in shutting out
Upson-Lee 42-0.
The win improved MP's season
mark to 6-1 overall and put the
Bulldogs in first place all alone in
Region 2-AAAA with a perfect 3-0
record. MP is the only Region 2-
AAAA team that remains undefeat
ed in region play. The Bulldogs will
welcome 1-6 Veterans to Forsyth
this Friday. The Warhawks, who got
their first win of the season against
Perry on Friday, are the defending
region champions and the only team
to beat MP during the 2013 regular
season.
Matthews Field was packed on
Friday for perhaps Upson-Lee's
biggest home game in nearly a
decade. However, the game was all
MP from the very start. The
Knights' center snapped the ball
over quarterback Kalen Puckett's
head on the very first play of the
game. The Knights' offense could
never recover from the 16-yard loss
and were forced to punt.
MP then drove from its own 11-
yard-line across midfield, but two
miscues set MP
back. First,
Kendrell Taylor
dropped what
could have been a
touchdown pass
from quarterback
Jake Johnston
after he slipped
behind the
defense. Then, MP
was flagged for a
15-yard chop block
penalty, causing
MP to punt. But
MP's defense rose
up again on
Upson-Lee's sec
ond series and
forced a second
straight three-and-
out.
The Bulldogs then got their run
ning game going on their second
offensive series. MP ran the ball six
times in seven plays, gaining 40
yards in all to advance into the
Upson-Lee red zone. The drive
stalled from there due to a J.T.
Stokes drop on third down. MP's
Josh Hampton tried a 36-yard field
goal but missed wide left. However,
the Knights were penalized for
roughing the kicker, and MP was
gifted a free first down. The
Bulldogs took advantage, and three
plays later, senior running back Dee
High plowed into the end zone for a
one-yard touchdown behind the
right side of MP's mammoth offen
sive line. Hampton's extra point
gave MP a 7-0 lead with 1:24 left in
the first quarter.
Upson-Lee went three-and-out
again on its next series, but MP's
Rahim Lowe barely missed out on a
chance to score a defensive touch
down when he hobbled and eventu
ally dropped a pick with open field
in front of him. After an Upson-Lee
punt, MP's balanced offense went
See BULLDOGS page 4B
Dogs seek revenge against Veterans
Veterans at Mary Persons
Friday, Oct. 24 • 7:30 p.m.
Dan Pitts Stadium, Forsyth, Tickets: $7
Last met: Nov. 1, 2013: Veterans 10, MP 0
Prediction: MP 27, Veterans 10
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Mary Persons Bulldogs will
put their unbeaten region record on
the line at Dan Pitts Stadium on
Friday night against the same team
that put a damper on their regular
season a year ago.
The Bulldogs, who moved to No. 9
in AAAA in the Atlanta Journal
Constitution's Sunday poll, were rid
ing high at 8-0 and ranked No. 6 in
the state last year when the
Veterans Warhawks visited Forsyth
on Senior Night. MP seemed poised
for its first region championship title
since 1997, but the upstart
Warhawks, who had never made the
playoffs in their previous three years
of existence, had other ideas.
Veterans
shocked
MP 10-0,
blanking
an MP
team ham
pered by
stormy
weather
and a
severely
sprained
ankle to
all-around
star
Akebren
Ralls.
MP's offense was especially gory in
last year's contest, accounting for
just 78 total yards including a brutal
See PREVIEW page 3B
MP JV, Ninth Grade chase titles
Mary
Persons
JV quar
terback
Caleb
Speir
fires a
strike
during
MP’s 20-
6 home
win over
Upson-
Lee on
Thurs
day.
(Photo/Ri
chard
Dumas)
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Mary Persons JV foot
ball team has advanced to the
championship game for the
second consecutive year.
MP will host Jackson at
5:30 p.m. on Thursday for the
JV area title. MP lost 20-12 to
Griffin at home in last year's
championship game.
The Bulldogs concluded a
perfect 6-0 regular season on
Thursday with a 20-6 home
win over Upson-Lee, which
also entered the game unbeat
en. The Knights scored early
to go up 6-0, and MP was
unable to answer when its
offense bogged down in the
red zone on fourth down
moments later.
MP dodged a bullet later in
the first quarter when Upson-
Lee's center snapped the ball
over the quarterback's head on
4th-and-goal at the MP 11.
The Knights made another
key mistake in the second
quarter when they tried an
unsuccessful fake punt pass,
which gave MP possession at
the Upson-Lee 42-yard-line.
On the next play, MP's
Jaquavious Sims bounced off
right tackle, losing his shoe in
the process, and sprinted down
the right sideline for a 42-yard
touchdown while wearing only
one shoe. An extra point by
kicker Luke Morris gave MP a
7-6 lead with 2:56 left in the
second quarter. The last three
See JV DOGS page 3B