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Phone: (706) 367-2348
Fax: (706) 387-5418
justin @ mainstreetnews. com
THE COMMERCE (GA.) NEWS
WEDNESDAY,
MAY 6,2009
Commerce Baseball
Commerce Track
Carl Allen sends one to the plate during ear
lier action. Allen took the win over Athens
Academy Friday to close the regular season.
Photo by Justin Poole
Swine Flu Could
Prove Helpful For Tigers
By Justin Poole
Commerce’s base
ball Tigers might have
an unusual edge in first
round of the playoffs.
The doubleheader play
off games set for Friday
against Eagles Landing
Christian might prove to
be easier than expect
ed. Reports on Tuesday
suggested that Eagles
Landing might have to
forfeit the playoff games
after a confirmed case of
the H1N1 virus (swine
flu) led offi
cials to shut the
school down.
While Eagles
Landing offi
cials and
GHSA work
to determine
if the games
can be played,
Commerce is still prepar
ing to host the double-
header. The first game is
scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
with the second to fol
low at 7:00 p.m. If a third
game is needed, it will be
played Saturday.
For updates on this
story go to www.main-
streetnewssports.com.
If Eagles Landing for
feits, Commerce will
face the winner of the
Darlington-Mt. Paran
game.
Commerce ended the
regular season second
in 8-A behind Lakeview
Academy, which was
undefeated in region
play. The Tigers finished
13-3 in the region and
16-8 overall.
On Tuesday, April 28,
Commerce defeated
Athens Christian on
Tuesday, 5-2.
Josh Swisstak drove in
four of the five runs with
a grandslam and picked
up the win on the mound
with three innings of
relief work.
T. Green
is credited
with the win,
going from
the mound
having
pitched for
four innings
with one
strikeout.
The Tigers closed out
the regular season Friday
with a 7-5 win over Athens
Academy.
Carl Allen picked up
the win, pitching six and
a third innings with seven
strikeouts. Swisstak
stepped in for the final
two outs to get the save.
Hunter Ward went
2-for-4 with a homerun
and drove in three runs.
Ethan Thomas also hit
a homer, going 2-for-3
with for two RBIs. Colton
Davis drove in a pair of
runs as well.
•COMING UP:
- Friday @ Home
Playoffs Round 1
v. Eagles Landing
4 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Commerce Golf
Lady Golfers Place Sixth At
State Tournament Monday
By Justin Poole
The Lady Tiger golfers finished just four strokes shy of
fifth place at the state tournament Monday.
Commerce took sixth place with a score of 208.
Shooting a career best 99, CJ Wilkes was the team med
alist followed by Chelsey Cain (109).
Wilkes started with a 50 on the front and finished with
a 49 on the back nine. Cain struggled after shooting 12
on the first hole, but improved to finish with 49 on the
final nine holes.
Coach David Stephenson said the four senior Lady
Tigers should be proud of their accomplishments and
said Callie Adams and Anna Marie Hooper played well
this year.
“I was very proud of the girls’ finish,” Stephenson said.
“I was hoping going in we could get a top-five finish, but
Bartram Trail was a very tough course and we had to
battle the weather as well.”
The Lady Tigers were delayed for two hours due to
rain, which was intermittent as the match was played.
Six Lady Tigers Make It To State
Commerce will send six Lady Tigers to the state meet May 14 in
Albany. They are, left to right, (front) Alexis Knox, Haiden Nunn and
Drea Mathis, (back) Sa’quavia Varnum, Erica Greene and Shekia Moon.
Photo by Justin Poole
By Justin Poole
Six Lady Tigers will repre
sent Commerce High School
in Albany May 14-16 at the
girls’ state track meet.
Commerce qualified in three
events, the shot put, 100-meter
dash and the 4x100 relay.
Sa’quavia Varnum will com
pete in the shot put after tak
ing second during the region
8-A meet over the weekend.
Varnum also qualified for state
in the 100-meter dash and is
part of the relay team with
Shekia Moon, Drea Mathis,
Alexis Knox, Erica Greene
and Haiden Nunn, according
to Coach Pam Canup.
The Commerce relay team
placed second to qualify for
state.
Overall, Commerce finished
fifth with 37 points at the
region meet behind first-place
Athens Christian (205), Athens
Academy (111) and Tallulah
Falls (68). Social Circle (52)
finished fourth and Prince
Avenue (23) finished sixth.
Tiger Track
The Commerce Tigers
will send five to the boys’
state track meet that begins
Thursday. Damian Wood,
Deon Orsborne, Jon Cash,
Javon Womack and Torrance
Wilcher will compete for
Commerce. The Tigers have
qualified in the 100-meter and
200-meter dashes, the 110-
meter hurdles and the 4x100
relay. Track events start on
Friday with qualifying at noon
and finals starting at 12:00 on
Saturday.
East Jackson Track
East Jackson’s Jessie Harper clears the bar during the Region 8-AA track and field
events Saturday. Final results from the region meet were not available at press time after
rain postponed the finals on Monday. Go online to www.mainstreetnewssports.com for
updates about the Lady Eagles state qualifying attempts. Photo by Justin Poole
East Jackson Track
East Jackson Sends Four To Georgia Olympics May 7-9
East Jackson’s Zach Gilbert, Zach
Cornell, Tyler Collins and Brandon
Banks will all compete in the
Georgia Olympics starting May 7.
During the region meet Banks
took the region championship in
the 1600-meters. Gilbert won sec
ond in the triple jump, Cornell
placed second in the shot put, and
Collins finished second in the high
jump.
Those finishes qualified the Eagles
to compete in the state track meet
this weekend in Jefferson.
Field events begin at noon on
Thursday with track qualifying start
ing Friday and the track finals and
trophy presentations on Saturday.