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WE HAVE IT COVERED IF IT'S PLAYED
sEeporter
7B
October 26, 2022
Dogs can still host playoffs with big win
Despite losing two straight region
games, Mary Persons can still take a
big step toward hosting a home play
off game on Friday if they take care
of Upson-Lee with a good defensive
effort.
The Mary Persons Bulldogs (4-4,
0-2) will try to end a 2-game losing
streak when they host Upson-Lee (4-
5,2-1) on Friday night.
If they win their last two games
against Upson and hapless Pike
County, the Bulldogs would end
with a 3-way tie for second place in
the region with Upson and Jackson.
At that point, GHSA rules say the
team that gave up the fewest points
in games against the other two teams
would get the home playoff game.
MP coach Brian Nelson said looking
at the scores, MP must beat Upson
on Friday by at least 7 points AND
give up less than 28 points to secure
second
place.
If they
do that,
then MP
would
only have
to beat
Pike (2-6, 0-2 region) in the regular
season finale at Dan Pitts Stadium
on Nov. 4 to host a playoff game on
Nov. 11.
The Bulldogs were off last week
while Upson-Lee was throttled by
Peach 54-0. MP only lost to Peach
35-18.
But Upson-Lee did beat Jackson 42-
21. MP fell to the Red Devils 28-14.
The teams do have one other com
mon opponent, Haralson County.
MP beat the Rebels 38-17 while the
Knights beat Haralson 29-15.
The Knights have struggled in
recent years with just one winning
season since hiring former MP quar
terback Justin Elder. Upson has never
beaten MP since they combined the
two high schools in Thomaston in
the early 1990s, going 0-8 against the
Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs and Knights do have
one thing in common: outstand
ing junior running backs. MP is led
of course by Duke Watson, while
Je’Quan Brantley is Upson’s biggest
offensive weapon. Coincidentally
they both have 1300 yards on the
year and both average 164 yards per
game.
Defensively the Knights are led by
defensive end TJ Searcy, who’s com
mitted to Florida.
Nelson said they will get back
receiver Nemo Jones and lineback
ers OJ Evans and Jaise Davis for the
Upson game.
Region 2-AAA
Peach County 3-0
Upson-lee 2-1
Jackson 2-2
Mary Persons 0-2
Pike County 0-2
GAME
Upson-Lee @ Mary Persons
7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28, The Pitt
MP leads series 8-0
Last year: MP 32 Upson 24
Prediction: MP 35 Upson 21
Tickets: $10 GoFan app
www.mymcr.net
Voice of the Knights says struggles are so frustrating
Junior running back Duke Watson drags an Upson defend
er in last years game. (File photo/Russ Campbell)
Mickey Thrasher, the long
time “Voice of the Upson
Knights,” is a 1973 R. E.
Lee High School graduate
(Upson-Lee’s high school
until consolidation). He
played football at Alabama
after Coach “Bear” Bryant
came to Thomas
ton in December
1972 and signed
Thrasher and Pete
Cavan. Thrasher
withdrew after
his sophomore
year after meeting
with Coach Bry
ant. “Coach told
me to think long
and hard about
it. I remember
vividly what he told me as
we talked. He said you re 19
years old and you’re about
to make the first big mistake
of your life. He was right
and I haven’t been able to
live it down to this day.”
Nevertheless, Thrasher has
been involved in broadcast
ing since he was 15 doing
little league baseball and
has been broadcasting High
School football since 1980.
He stepped aside this season
after getting hurt at the La
mar County game, but hopes
to be back in the booth next
football season.
Q. Upson has struggled
in recent years. Last win
ning season was 2018. Has
the community accepted it
and what do you think the
problem is?
A. It has been so frustrat
ing for a number
of years. I believe
the administration
has got to be more
involved backing
this program. In
my opinion, it
lacks. The admin
istration just re
cently announced
major renovations
proposed for
the stadium and
athletic facilities. That’s a big
start. As for the commu
nity, I get asked constantly
“what’s the problem?” What
makes it so hard to accept
is when we brought the two
school systems together in
1992. We were powerful in
the highest classification
and won a region, the only
region championship, in
1993. We started 1994 as the
No. 1 team in the highest
classification, AAAA. We
have gone from that end of
the spectrum to the other
end, where we’re considered
mostly a homecoming op
ponent.
Q. Upson got perhaps its
biggest win by thumping
Jackson 42-21, and then got
pounded by Peach. What
have you learned about this
team the past two weeks?
A. I’ve known all along,
and anyone who follows
this game will tell you, we’ve
beaten very weak teams.
The 4-game win streak we
had, the teams we beat have
a combined 9 wins against
24 losses. Jackson is the only
one with a winning record.
I can’t say that we are any
better than we were when
the season opened against
Union Grove.
Q. JeQuan Bentley appears
to be a heck of a running
back, averaging 164 yards
per game. What makes him
special and what other play
ers should Mary Persons be
concerned about?
A. Bentley is a heck of a
running back. However if
you don’t have the blocking,
as was the case last week
at Peach, it’s going to be
rough maintaining those
rushing numbers. Taking
nothing away from Bent
ley, but again let’s look at
the competition. Another
running back is Keystone
Smith. They both can pres
ent problems. TJ Searcy, a
Florida commit, has shown
flashes of his potential on
both sides of the ball.
Q. How has having a No.
1 draft pick in the NPL in
Travon Walker affected the
Upson program? That has to
be a big positive.
A. I would like to think
that the success of Travon
would be something to
inspire ANY athlete in this
community. However inspi
ration alone won’t get you
there. The dedication, the
hard work and the ability
to listen to what coaches tell
you will be deciding factors.
Q. Upson-Lee has never
beaten Mary Persons. We
know coach Justin Elder
played at MP and his wife
works in Monroe County.
How badly do the Knights
want to get this monkey off
the back? Do they consider it
a rivalry game?
There is no doubt that this
team wants to beat Mary
Persons. The Bulldogs have
been a thorn in our side
since the late 1970s. There
were some great battles be
tween R.E. Lee, Mary Per
sons and Upson High, the
days before Upson and R. E.
Lee consolidated. I really be
lieve that it now has become
more of a mental advantage
for Mary Persons. I don’t see
how anyone can consider it
a rivalry game with the fact
being the Knights haven’t
beaten them yet.
Q. What’s your prediction
for Priday night?
A. I think that Upson-Lee
can win this game. Will
they win this one? I don’t
know. If you gauge it on
the common denomina
tor of the Jackson game,
you would think Knights
win this with no problem,
considering Mary Persons
lost to Jackson. There’s a
lot on the line, a win and
the Knights take the No.
2 playoff spot with home
field advantage that goes
with it. A loss and then the
tiebreaker comes in with
these two and Jackson. So,
the motivational factor
would be to get fired up
and play this game the way
they did against Jackson.
So it’s either going to be
the No. 2 or 3 playoff spot.
I just don’t know how this
team is going to rebound
after getting hammered last
week. I would like to make
one observation about this
region. Five teams are in it
and in my opinion it’s Peach
County followed by four
mediocre teams. It’s a weak
region.
THRASHER
Buttigeig’s
first buck
On Oct. 15, 10-year-old
Shawn Michael Buttigieg
Jr. used his uncle Dustin
Buttigieg s Marlin .30-.30
rifle to take a massive
6-pointer at his grand
fathers house in Monroe
County. The buck weighed
203 lbs. dressed. This is
the young man’s first buck.
Senior Jordan McCord
Jordan is home recovering from a
bad auto accident. The Bulldog
Family Is glad he is gonna be OK!
MP Cross Country girls take 1st in region
By Diane Glidewell
news&mymcnnet
The Mary Persons girls cross
country team took the region
title with a perfect score, and
the boys took third at the
Region 2-AAA meet at Dauset
Trials on Tuesday, Oct. 25. It’s
the second year in a row the
girls have won region. Abbey
Stembridge came in first for
MP, second overall. For the
boys, Jonathan Head came
in first for the MP boys, sixth
overall.
The Mary Persons Cross
Country team ran its last
home meet in 2022, a tune-
up for the region meet, on
Thursday, Oct. 20. The Lady
Bulldogs easily took first place
in both the varsity and junior
varsity 5K events. Mary Per
sons boys varsity team placed
2nd overall, and the Mary
Persons boys J V finished first.
In the varsity girls 5K, there
were four complete teams
competing, with 47 runners
and 11 schools represented.
The Lady Bulldogs took eight
out the first 10 places, with
freshman Kolbi McBrayer
taking honors as the first
overall finisher at a time of
20:41. She was followed by
Abbey Stembridge at 20:46
and Madelyn Causey at 21:15
before a Putnam County
freshman, Alyssa Pennington,
broke into the pack to take
4th place. Then came Olivia
Tanner, Amelia Meadows
and Gabriella Hoover, barely
separated, clocked at 22:01,
22:01 and 22:02, followed by
freshman runner Eliza Hall
from ACE in Macon, with
freshmen Lily Colley and Ella
Martin rounding out the top
10 for Mary Persons.
Mary Persons varsity boys
finished second behind at 73
points, behind Pike County
with 32 points and ahead
of Jackson High School
with 107 points. There were
10 teams and 73 runners
representing 12 schools in the
varsity boys 5K. Sophomore
Jonathan Head was Mary
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Persons’ top runner, clocking
18:25 on the course to finish
9th overall. Junior Brendan
Funck ran the 5K in 18:38 to
finish 12th overall, followed
by Cole Battles (18:44) at 15th
and Thiago Saralegui at 18:45
in 16th place overall. Round
ing out the Mary Persons
roster at the meet, in order of
finish, were Mac Roeser, Isaac
McKallip, Gavin Mitchell,
Jordan Mullis and Matthew
Biers.
The top finisher in the
jv boys 5K was 8th grader
Bradley Hendricks at 19:49.
Mary Persons
took 1st place in
the event fol
lowed by Jackson,
Crisp County and
Putnam County.
Other team mem
bers contributing
to Mary Persons’
win, in order
of finish, were
Carter Stembridge MP girls
(20:59), Davis Wil
son, Todd McCall,
Ike Dunwody, Logan Watson,
Colby Hubbard and Ga
briel Lee. Next up is the State
are region champs.
Championships in Carrollton
on Nov. 4-5.
MARY PERSONS BULLDOGS
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Morgan Currie
MP VOLLEYBALL
Vs Savannah Christian
Served 100%, 3 kills,
5 digs, 1 assist