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THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS - FEBRUARY 27, 2008 - PAGE 3B
CHS Baseball
CHS Golf
Carl Allen scores the first run of the season Oglethorpe County. The Tigers won over the
in last week’s exhibition match up against Patriots 5-3.
Tigers Open Season Today In Homer
It wasn’t that the Commerce
Tigers won their exhibition
game over Oglethorpe County
last Wednesday afternoon that
pleased Coach Walt Massey. It
was how they played it.
The Tigers beat Oglethorpe
County 5-3. The season begins
today (Wednesday) at 5:30 at
Banks County. The Tigers then
travel to Oglethorpe County on
March 5.
What Massey saw in the prac
tice game was his squad keeping
its focus on “consistent, funda
mental baseball.’’
“We know we’re going to get 21
outs in a ballgame. It’s what we
do with those 21 outs that is go
ing to determine how successful
we are,’’ Massey said.
Case in point: In the first in
ning, Carl Allen works the count
and gets a walk. Two batters, T.
Green and Reuben Haynes, hit
ground balls behind the runner
to allow Allen to score.
“That is not going to show up in
the stat sheets, but those outs led
to runs,’’ said Massey.
The coach has been preaching
efficiency and, at this early stage,
the players are listening.
“We don’t have the manpower
to slug it out and upset teams that
are a lot better than us, but we’ve
got a solid bunch that works hard
every day. I expect us to beat all
the teams we’re better than.’’
The Tigers want to play fast and
efficiently, and a seven-inning
game that lasted less than two
hours is just what Massey wants.
Four Tiger pitchers — Cohen
Cook, Green, Allen and Haynes
— took to the mound. None
threw more than 20 pitches in a
single inning, and together they
walked but two batters. Massey
liked what he saw.
“Cohen got the start and he
pitched well,” said Massey. “Then
T. Green came in. He pitched
two and a third innings. Carl Al
len threw an inning and did well
and Reuben threw two innings
and looked good.”
Regarding Haynes, the coach
said he was impressed because
Haynes “didn’t have his best
stuff,” but “managed to find outs
when his location was not pin
point. I was encouraged.”
Haynes also made the defen
sive play of the day, gunning
down a runner trying to score
from third on a fly to mid-center
field with a perfect strike.
“Reuben made a heck of a
throw, but the other half of that
play, Hunter Ward (the catcher)
was exactly where he needed to
be to make that play,” Massey
said. “He blocked the plate le
gally and executed a two-handed
tag. Those two guys did it like
they know they’re supposed to.”
On offense, Massey was partic
ularly happy with how his team
put the ball in play.
“There have been times when
we’ve tried to out-swing our
selves, but all the way through
the lineup, they put the ball in
play. They laid off the pitches
they couldn’t handle and put the
ball in play,” he said.
“We don’t want to rely on one
guy having to drive in three or
four runs,” Massey added. “We
just want to be efficient.”
But the Tigers did get a three-
run homer from Allen, who also
walked twice and scored twice.
Ward had a pair of singles and
Haynes a sacrifice and an RBI.
Tigers Ready To Tee Off On '08 Season
The 2008 Commerce Tigers golf season gets
underway this week, as the Tigers will face
Jackson County at Traditions of Braselton on
Thursday.
Commerce head golf coach David Stephenson
said he feels like the boys will have a competitive
year.
“We had a good season last year and only
lost one player, Jacob Lord,” Stephenson said.
“However, that is a big loss.”
But Stephenson said the team has a good nucle
us returning this year.
“Taylor Gary has proven to be one of the top
golfers in the state and should be better in this,
his senior year,” he said. “Hamp Gary has really
improved his game and he has the game to chal
lenge Taylor as our number one player. I expect
a great senior year from him. Casey Drinkard has
gotten bigger and I think he will hit it farther this
year, which should add up to lower scores.
“Sam Purcell took lessons last summer and has
improved his game. We really need him to step
up to fill up some of the slack with the loss of
Jacob. Colton Dean too has gotten bigger and
should have more length. His short game was
good last year. Adam Hanley has played a lot
of golf since last year and will challenge fresh
man Austin Patterson and Brandon Coots for a
playing spot which could change from match to
match.”
Stephenson said several of the boys played in
junior tournaments last summer, which he hopes
will help the team.
“I just want our kids to play and have fun and
do the best they can every match,” he said. He
said he doesn’t want them to get too high if they
play well or too low if they don’t.
Stephenson said he thinks the girls’ team has a
chance to be better this year.
“Katelyn Nevil and Chelsey Cain both have
experience in the state tournament and should
be improved this year,” he said. “Callie Adams,
Hannah Patterson, Anna Marie Hooper and Anna
Halley played last year and should be improved
as well. C.J. Wilkes is playing her first year but
has taken lessons and played some junior golf.
She has the potential to be a good one.
“Camille Blair is a senior and has taken les
sons in the off season. She has a real good short
game. I want the girls to practice hard and try to
improve each week and to have a good time as
well.”
Both the boys’ and the girls’ teams will play on
Thursday at Traditions.
CHS Tennis
Commerce Tennis Set For March 4 Start
By Brandon Reed
The Commerce Tigers 2008 ten
nis season is set to get under way
next week, as the Tigers boys’ and
girls’ teams will travel to Jefferson
on March 4.
Coach Blake Rodenroth says his
team is going to have a fun year.
“We have a great group of young
men and young women,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we are very young
and inexperienced. We have only
one senior and one junior back
with us this year.
“We will let it fly and see what
happens, and we will give it our
very best every match.”
Rodenroth said when it came to
getting ready for 2008, he started
by getting tips from the top.
“I got with my contacts down
at Georgia over the summer and
picked their brains for condition
ing and drill ideas, because every
one knows Georgia has done very
well in men’s and women’s tennis
recently,” Rodenroth said. “Using
some of the strength and condi
tioning regimens Georgia uses
helped us get in better shape.
Time will tell about the drills,
whether they are working or not.
“We are getting better every
day, just like in any sport, the
more frequent and harder you
work the better you will get. We
learned from last year and we
conditioned much harder this
year which may help turn a few
matches for us.”
Rodenroth says as the season
gets under way, there’s one impor
tant thing he wants his athletes to
keep in mind.
“Anything can happen,” he said.
“Keep your heads up and focus
on the task at hand. Work hard
every day and in every aspect of
your life. We are young, but we
will give our best effort each and
every day. Forget about last year,
it is done and in the books. Most
importantly, have fun and enjoy
your teammates.”
The Tigers’ first match against
Jefferson on March 4 will begin
at 4 p.m.
DNR names investigative ranger of the year for '08
Law enforcement rangers with the Department
of Natural Resources (DNR), Wildlife Resources
Division (WRD) consistently face a wide variety
of natural resource related criminal activity. Often
times, lengthy criminal investigations ensue which
require diligence and dedication on behalf of the
officers. One such dedicated ranger, CPL Derek
Dillard of Gainesville was recently recognized by
WRD as the 2008 State Investigative Ranger of the
Year for his work in an extensive poaching investi
gation in 2007.
In April of 2007 CPL Dillard responded to a
poaching complaint from a Rabun County land-
owner. Dillard collected evidence, conducted
interviews and came across some inconsisten
cies that led to an 8-month investigation. Dillard
engaged fellow rangers from the Gainesville and
Calhoun law enforcement offices, as well as his
counterparts from North Carolina in the case. In
working with the District Attorney’s office, Dillard
obtained a search warrant for cell phone records
from a homeowner whose property was initially
searched in the beginning of the investigation. The
cell phone records provided the missing link to
the case and led to the proper identification of the
offender.
On October 20, 2007 charges of hunting without
permission and possession of illegally taken wild
life were placed on the offenders.
The defendants plead guilty to the charges and
ended up paying fines of more than $1,400. The
illegally taken wildlife, a trophy caliber gobbler tur
key, was forfeited and will be used for educational
purposes by WRD’s Gainesville rangers.
New
Ownership!
6
POUBLF New
U 0 A K/ L Name!
o If club
Formerly Eagle Greens at Sandy Creek
Operated by:
Carey Pittman
Class A PGA Professional
&
Seth Maxwell
For a Limited Time!
Charter Memberships Available
For Membership Information & Weekend Tee Times
706-335-8100
310011a Rd.
[j=i] Commerce, GA 30530
2nd Anniversary Open House
Friday February 29th & Saturday March 1st
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
LAWN MOWER REPAIR
Sales & Service