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Reporter
1B November 5,2014
Pigskin Picks Page 2B
Terry Johnson Page 4B
Football Signature Page Page 6B
The best
coverage
for Monroe
County sports
Rec basketball
registration
wraps up Friday
The deadline for registration for youth basketball
at the Monroe County Recreation Department is
Friday.
Age groups as of Jan. 1, 2014 are as follows: 4U
(3-4 year olds), 6U (5-6 year olds), 8U (7-8 year
olds), 10U (9-10 year olds) and 12U (11-12 year
olds). The three youngest age groups will feature
co-ed teams while 10U and 12U will have separate
boys and girls leagues. C-team Middle School play
ers are not eligible.
The registration fee is $30. Registration forms are
located at the Recreation Department at 100 Dan
Pitts Drive in Forsyth. Forms can be picked up or
filled out Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. or persons can register online with a credit
card at Mocorec.org. If persons have registered for
football or soccer, they are already registered in the
system. Please call the recreation department if
problems occur while accessing an account.
The basketball draft will be held on Saturday,
Nov. 22. For questions, call (478) 994-7795.
The Giants were the champions of the 10U Cheer-Off at
the Monroe County Recreation Department on Sunday.
Other winning cheerleading and football teams will be
pictured in future Reporter editions. (Photo/Keith Edge)
Vols, Falcons, Giants,
cheerleading champs
The Monroe County Recreation Center crowned
its football and cheerleading champions over the
weekend.
The Bulldogs outlasted the Gators 26-25 in over
time of the 6U football championship game on
Saturday. The Falcons shutout the Broncos 8-0 in
the 8U title game on the same day. Also, the Bucs
bested the Raiders 19-13 in the 10U championship
as well.
Then, on Sunday, the 6U Volunteers, coached by
Stephanie Crews, took home first place in the
annual Cheer-Off competition. The Falcons,
coached by Sherrie Walton, were victorious in the
8U division. Lastly, the Giants, coached by Amanda
Webb, won the 10U cheerleading contest.
MP freshman team
finishes runner-up
The Mary Persons Ninth Grade football team fin
ished 2014 with a 3-3 record after losing 12-7 at
Upson-Lee in the area championship game on Oct.
23.
The Bulldogs led 7-6 at halftime, but the Knights
put together a seven-minute touchdown drive to
open the second half. MP hurt its chances by turn
ing the ball over several times, including once on
the opening play of the game.
MP Ninth Grade coach Jonathan Gastley said,
"Our defense played on a short field in the first
half, and we just couldn't capitalize."
Gastley said MP struggled to find its rhythm and
could never get the lead back in the second half.
Gastley said he was pleased with his team's sea
son because MP got better each day at practice and
in each game.
"Coach (Greg) Nix and I enjoyed this group as a
whole because they enjoyed coming each day and
worked hard for us," Gastley said. "We enjoyed
watching them grow and progress. That is what it's
about, being able to progress and get better for the
next level."
The Mary Persons Bulldogs walked off the field at Braves Stadium victorious after a 55-21 win over Baldwin. MP
will host West Laurens on Friday for the Region 2-AAAA championship. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
Dogs’ sniff region title
MP could end 17-year drought at home on Friday
BY RICHARD
DUMAS
The Mary Persons
Bulldogs hammered
Baldwin 55-21 in
Milledgeville on Friday
night to earn a shot at
the Region 2-AAAA
championship.
With the win, the
Bulldogs improved to 8-
1 overall (5-0 in Region
2-AAAA) and earned a
home showdown with
West Laurens on Friday
night for the region title.
MP has already clinched
at least a second-place
finish in the region for
the third straight year
as well as a first-round
home playoff game. If
MP wins the region title,
it would host at least
the first two rounds of
the state tourney.
The Bulldogs dominat
ed from the outset on
Friday, scoring touch
downs on four of their
first five possessions
against the Braves and
their first-year head
coach Lee Hannah, a
former MP defensive
coordinator. MP got the
ball first and scored its
initial TD in just six
plays. Less than two
minutes into the game,
junior quarterback Jake
Johnston threw a slant
complete to senior
receiver Malik Bledsoe
who did the rest himself,
running down the mid
dle of the field for a 39-
yard touchdown. Josh
Hampton's extra point
gave MP a 7-0 lead with
10:17 left in the first
quarter.
MP's special teams,
which have sparkled for
much of the season,
stayed in attack mode.
Senior Keri Brown
recovered Hampton's
onside kick try to enable
MP to steal a possession
from a dangerous
Baldwin offense.
Starting at the Braves'
43-yard-line, MP drove
down to the Baldwin 17
where it faced a 4th-
and-3. Johnston boot
legged left and complet
ed a pass to Bledsoe in
the flat for eight yards
and a first down.
However, MP's drive
r7 v rr T Tr7 ( rr : ~)\ \ • • \
J.T. Stokes #8
The senior wide receiver had two recep
tions for 59 yards and a touchdown in a
55-21 win over Baldwin.
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FINANCIAL GROUP
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478-749-6219
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Jason Jungberg, AAMS
FinancialAdvisor
First Vice President-
Investment Officer
stalled when running
back Dee High was
stopped for no gain on
first down, and Johnston
threw back-to-back
incompletions. Hampton
then missed a 26-yard
field goal, allowing
Baldwin to finally take
possession midway
through the first quar
ter.
Led by senior running
back Kentavious
Thomas, who is
committed to No. 1
Mississippi State,
the Braves advanced all
the way to the MP red
zone, but the drive
ended prematurely
when MP's Demarcus
Davis stripped running
back Latraious
Saulsberry. MP's Dan O'
Neal recovered the fum
ble, and MP's offense
took over at its own 13-
yard-line.
On the first play of the
ensuing drive, Brown
se BULLDOGS page 5B
C-team football dominates area
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Behind star running back Quen
Wilson's three touchdowns, the
Monroe County Middle School football
team thumped Upson-Lee Middle 28-6
at home in the area championship
game on Wednesday.
Wilson scored from a couple of yards
out on Monroe County's opening pos
session, and the Bulldogs converted a
two-point try to go up 8-0 early in the
first quarter. However, the Knights
answered back with a touchdown run
of their own to pull within 8-6 with 40
seconds left in the first quarter.
But Wilson was just getting started.
On the very next play from scrim
mage, the dazzling tailback took a
handoff from quarterback J.T.
Hartage and burst straight up the
middle and through the Upson-Lee
See C-TEAM page 4B
Running back Quen Wilson ran for well over 100 yards and three touchdowns
in Monroe County’s 28-6 win over Upson-Lee. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)
Mary Per
sons senior
Addison
Chapman
finished 10th
overall in
leading the
MP boys
cross coun
try team to a
second-
place finish
in the Region
2-AAAA
meet at
Rock Ranch
on Thursday.
(File photo)
MP cross country teams
BY RICHARD DUMAS
After placing third at region in
each of the past three years, the
Mary Persons boys cross country
team continued its climb up the
region standings with a second-place
finish at the Region 2-AAAA champi
onship meet at Rock Ranch on
Thursday.
The Bulldogs tallied 56 points to
place second behind Perry's 31
points. Veterans finished third
behind MP with 68 points while
Howard took fourth place and also
qualified for state with 112 points.
Perry's Rob Ray edged out his
Panthers' teammate Tanner Reid for
the individual first-place title. Ray
finished with a time of 16 minutes,
32 seconds to beat Reid's time of
16:43.
MP's top individual finisher was
senior Jonathan Williams, who
placed seventh overall with a time of
18:01. MP sophomore Lawson
Weldon finished one spot behind
Williams in eighth with a time of
18:08. Just three seconds behind
Weldon was another MP runner, sen
ior Addison Chapman, who placed
10th with a time of 18:11. MP's other
counting scores were posted by fresh-
make state
man Matt Miller, who placed 14th
with a time of 18:28, and sophomore
Nathan Devane, who placed 17th
with a time of 18:42.
MP's other two competitors in the
boys race were senior Daniel Collins,
who placed 19th with a time of 18:50
and sophomore T.J. Williams, who
placed 21st with a time of 18:59.
There were 49 total runners in the
boys race.
MP head coach Steve Herr said this
was the deepest boys' team he has
had at MP, and there are a number
of
tal ‘ See X COUNTRY page 4B