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EJCHS Soccer
Brandon Wise and Latane Brackett bring the ball
downfield in Friday night’s loss to Hart County.
Soccer Eagles
Seek First Win
A short-handed East
Jackson boys’ soccer
team fell 5-0 to Hart
County last Friday night.
The 0-2 Eagles were to
host Jackson County
Tuesday night. Results
of that game were not
available by press time.
“The team played
well and put together
some nice passing
runs downfield with
several shots on goal,
but by the second half
they were gassed," said
coach Matt Minor. “We
played Friday with only
12 players for the first
half and 11 for the sec
ond. Hart County had
more than 20 players
and was able to stay
fresh during the game.
We have another eight
players participating in
soccer but they are in
volved with basketball
and wrestling presently.
When wrestling season
ends, we will have a full
squad of 20 and be able
to compete the whole
game."
Too Late, Lady
Eagles Play
Even With Hart
For 65 minutes, the East Jackson
Fady Eagles soccer team played
even with Hart County.
Unfortunately, by then they were
down 3-0.
“The match started at 4:30. We
did not really start playing until
15 minutes later and were down
3-0," said coach Bob Roller. “The
last 65 minutes of the match, we
played even with them and scored
our lone goal."
The final score was 3-1. The Ea
gles are now 1-2 on the season.
The goal came off a penalty kick
from the right side of the box, with
forward Bre Standridge faking a
direct shot with a pass to midfield-
„ . ... ^ er Aubrey Cozzens, who shot the
Abby Adams, right, works through the Hart County
defense. She scored the team’s lone goal. Please Turn to Page 2B
Baseball
Tigers Take
The Field
If it’s cold and wet out, it must
be — time for Commerce High
School to start its baseball sea
son.
In fact, coach Walt Massey’s
men took to the practice fields
Feb. 4; the season opener is
Wednesday, Feb. 27, against
Banks County, although the Ti
gers will host Oglethorpe Coun
ty today (Wednesday) in a pre
season scrimmage.
The Tigers return five start
ers from last year’s 11-12 squad
(10-8 in region play), including
Reuben Haynes, the ace of
the pitching staff, and Cohen
Cooke, the leading hitter on the
squad. Jake Flint, who pitched
a little last year, will get more
action on the mound in 2008,
in addition to playing first base,
said Massey.
Then there’s T. Green, who’s
likely to play most any position
except catcher.
“If you want to know where
T. Green is going to play, just
come out to the ballpark," com
mented Massey. “He probably
won’t catch, but other than that,
you might see him in a new spot
every game."
Green is a junior, as is Hunter
Ward, who will be the catcher.
Haynes, Cooke and Flint are
all seniors.
“They’re all starting for
the third year," Massey said.
“They’ve been around, and we’ll
lean on them pretty heavily."
Massey, who will have his
brother, Wes, as an assistant
coach, expects the '08 Tigers to
be more versatile to the point
that players “won’t be locked
into a spot in the field or in the
batting order."
This year’s squad, he added, is
“young and green, but the way
I figure it, things that are green
usually grow."
The players have a “deeper
interest in and knowledge of
baseball" than last year’s squad,
he insists.
“I like our team. They’ve
worked hard so far," he says.
Cooke will also be the num
ber two pitcher, with Green and
Flint, along with sophomore
Carl Allen, will comprise the
pitching staff.
With basketball over, the Ti
gers are just now getting some
of their players. One or two
more could join after the wres
tling season ends.
With only 17 players out, there
will be no junior varsity squad,
but the Masseys will oversee a
middle school program that will
begin practice next Monday.
Twenty-six potential players
showed up at the first meeting.
CHS Wrestling
11 Tigers
Head To State
Eleven Commerce Tiger wrestlers qualified to advance to
the Class A State Tournament Friday and Saturday at the
Gwinnett Arena.
The Tigers finished second to Jefferson in last weekend’s
Area Tournament and should be “in the mix of things" at
state, according to coach Kendall Fove.
“If our guys wrestle well, we’re in the mix," he stated. “We
could end up anywhere from second to fifth. We qualified
the most wrestlers behind Jefferson in the state."
The Dragons are considered a cinch to win their eighth
consecutive Class A title Saturday, and the rest of the pack
is jockeying for second place. The good news for Class A,
however, is that the powerhouse Dragons will move up to
Class AA next year.
“It was a great weekend. Our guys wrestled well. Every-
Tiger wrestler Jon Cash turns an opponent during the Area Tournament last week in Jefferson. Cash bod who didrVt lif t a fifth • Love dec iared “That
finished second and is one of 11 Tiger wrestlers advancing to state. Photo by Brandon Reed ^ _ __
3 3 Please Turn to Page 2B
EJCHS Men's Basketball
Out At The Last Second
Eagles To
Send Five
To State
Ball Stuck By
Rim Dashes
Eagles' Hopes
The first season of the East
Jackson Comprehensive High
School men’s basketball pro
gram came to an appropriate
end last Wednesday night. A
last-second shot that would
have sent the game into a third
overtime lodged between the
backboard and the rim as time
expired, giving North Oconee
a 66-63 victory and knocking
the Eagles out of a chance at ad
vancing to the state playoffs.
“It was back and forth all
night," said coach Brian Turner.
“At halftime, they were up six.
They were up one at the end
of the third quarter and it was
a back and forth ballgame from
then on."
The Eagles had opportunities
at the end of regulation play and
at the end of the first overtime to
put it away, but the shots didn’t
fall.
“We got a little tired. In over
time, I did not play the bench
as much as I have been. I don’t
think I used the bench as much
as I should have," Turner said.
In the second overtime, the Ti
tans got up by three, and a three-
point shot got stuck.
“It just stuck right there. Ev
erybody was looking around
and the horn went off," Turner
recalled.
Please Turn to Page 2B Standrick Stephens puts the ball against the glass against North Oconee.
The East Jackson Eagles
will send five wrestlers to the
Class AA State Meet Friday
and Saturday at the Gwinnett
Arena.
Shane Moore won first
place in the Area Tournament
last weekend, wrestling at
125 pounds. Other qualifiers
included Justin Griffith, third
at 112; Luis Verduzco, third at
140; Carlos Eguiarte, third at
215; and Antonio Trejo, fourth
at 285.
Charles Hulett, who placed
fifth at 103 pounds, is an alter
nate in that weight class.
Jackson County finished
seventh out of 16 teams.
“The guys wrestled very
good," said coach Tommy
Palmer. “I was impressed with
how focused they were on get
ting prepared for each match.
They beat a lot of wrestlers
that some would say they
shouldn’t, but on the other
hand, that’s what good wres
tlers do."
CHS Basketball
Tigers Routed
By Redskins
The Commerce Tigers
picked an inopportune time to
play what coach Chad Bridges
called “our worst game."
They were eliminated last
Wednesday night from the
Please Turn to Page 2B