Newspaper Page Text
OCTOBER 5, 2016
The Commerce News
The Banks County News
Phone: 706-621-7204
Fax: 706-367-8056
charles@mainstreetnews.com
Section B
Chattin' with coach
East Jackson shortstop Faith Grooms talks with East Jackson head coach Donnie
Byrom at a recent game against Jackson County. Photo by Ben Munro
EJCHS softball player Faith
Grooms commits to Brenau
BY CHARLES PHELPS
East Jackson senior softball player Faith
Grooms fell in love with softball when she
was 3 years old.
Fourteen years later, at age 17, her love
for the game hasn’t dwindled. Instead, she
loves the game “more than ever,” and it
continues to grow deeper.
“The feeling I get when I’m between the
lines is indescribable,” Grooms explained.
“There’s no greater feeling than being a lead
er for your team. Softball is just a passion of
mine. I’ve always loved it.”
The shortstop’s passion for the sport is
a big part of her life and it’s going to con
tinue to get bigger over the next four years.
Grooms has committed to play college soft-
ball at Brenau University in Gainesville.
Playing at the next level, though, was
never a given for Grooms and that’s some
thing she knew.
“I knew that it was something that I was
constantly going to have to work for,” she
said about getting a scholarship. “I knew that
it wasn’t going to be easy.
“But I never doubted myself, because I
knew that I would always give all that I had
to make playing at the next level possible.”
She chose Brenau due to the coach, the
players who made her feel welcomed on her
visits and the education program.
This season for the Lady Eagles, Grooms
has a .454 batting average with an on-base
percentage of .495 and is slugging .680.
She has 44 hits, most of any player on the
team, which includes 29 singles, 10 doubles,
three triples, two home runs and 25 RBIs.
She has also scored 35 runs, most of any
player on the team.
On the base path, she’s just as lethal.
She is a version of Rickey Henderson, the
MLB’s all-time leader in steals. This season,
Grooms has racked up 33 stolen bases.
To get those numbers, Grooms’ focus is at
a high level, finding herself in the proverbial
“zone.”
“I always block the crowd out,” she
describes. “When I get on the field, I only
care about my teammates, who are like my
sisters, and what my coaches say.
“Nothing else matters. It’s not hard to get
in the zone for me, because once the first
inning starts, playing as hard as I can with
my team is the only thing I care about.”
The stats also show she’s a consistent
player, she said, but they aren’t the most
important thing to being successful for the
team. And won’t be the lasting impact she
leaves behind at East Jackson.
“My team leadership is also an important
aspect, because if you start something or
are the first to make things, like I have to do
as a lead-off (hitter), things are contagious,”
she said.
“I also want my younger teammates to
realize that time is precious when it comes
to high school sports and you should never
take a moment for granted. You should
always leave the field after every game with
no regrets, because you don’t want to look
back on what could be your last game and
say that you didn’t go as hard as you could
have.”
She adds she would “sacrifice” anything
for her team to win.
“It feels awesome knowing that every girl
on the team has my back,” she said. “They’ll
be there for me through anything and every-
See “Grooms” on 2B
Clinch playoff berth
Lady Eagles finish
2nd in Region 8-AAA
Setting the ball
East Jackson’s Desiree Green sets the ball for a team
mate during last week’s area matches against Morgan
County and Monroe Area. Photo by Charles Phelps
BY CHARLES PHELPS
The East Jackson Lady Eagles’ volleyball team held a
five-point lead in the second set against in-area rival Morgan
County last Tuesday.
The significance — whoever won the match won Area
8-AAA and clinched the No. 1 seed for the Class AAA state
playoffs. Having led the entire set, the Lady Eagles looked to
be in prime position to close it out, but Morgan County had
other plans.
Up 21-16, the Lady Eagles watched as Morgan County
scored five unanswered points to tie the set at 21.
After four more ties in the set, Morgan County won the set,
28-26, and took the third set, 25-22, to clinch the Area 8-AAA
crown.
“It was a back-and-forth battle, pretty much the whole
time,” head coach Rob Allen said, “a lot of rollercoaster highs
and lows. We gave them a lot of points with our serves.”
See “Volleyball” on 3B
Tigers aim to get back on track
Carrying the rock
Running back Cole Chancey runs to the left side looking for running room against
the Prince Avenue defense. Chancey led the Tiger offense with 124 rushing yards on
33 carries and scored the Tigers’ two touchdowns. Photo by Charles Phelps
BY CHARLES PHELPS
The Commerce Tigers
began Region 8-A play on
fire, picking up their first
two wins by a combined
91-22 over Hebron Chris
tian Academy and Lakev-
iew Academy.
Two weeks ago, a touch
down with two minutes
left in the game by Athens
Christian gave the Tigers
their first loss of the year,
21-14.
Last week’s game against
Prince Avenue Christian
looked like a game des
tined for overtime but a
touchdown with 10 sec
onds left sent the Tigers to
their second-straight loss in
region.
This week, the Tigers
(3-2, 2-2 Region 8-A) look
to get back on track against
region foe Providence
Christian Academy (1-3,
0-3).
“They are a better team
than they were last year,”
head coach Michael Brown
said. “They are bigger and
more experienced this
year.”
The Tigers own the
series record, 2-0. The
Tigers put up 45 points in
last year’s shutout perfor
mance. In 2014, they put up
49 points.
Brown isn’t resting on
the past two seasons ahead
of this Friday night’s match
up.
“I expect those guys to
come up here and play us
hard,” he said. “A win isn’t
a given. We’re going to have
to earn it.”
The Storm will visit
Commerce led by Mitchell
Miller (quarterback), Matt
Estell (defensive lineman),
David Sloan (wide receiv
er), Kendall Adams (run
ning back), Daniel Martin
(linebacker), Henry Kim
(running back).
Loss to Wolverines
Before last Friday’s show
down in Bogart, Brown
called the Prince Avenue
Wolverines the “dominant”
team in Region 8-A.
For nearly 48 minutes,
Commerce showed the
dominant team that it has
the wherewithal to go toe-
to-toe with one of the best
teams in the state. But that’s
why games are 48 minutes,
as the Wolverines needed
a 1-yard touchdown plunge
on third-and-goal with 10
seconds left in the game to
get past the Tigers, 21-14.
“Once again, you have
to point the finger at me in
calling the offense and in
not getting the kids ready
and prepared enough for
everything they were going
to see,” Brown said.
Commerce was led by
running back Cole Chanc-
ey’s 124 rushing yards and
two scores on 33 carries.
Will Thomas contributed
29 yards on four carries.
On the game’s opening
drive, the Tigers’ offense
marched 69 yards in 10
plays and capped it with
Chancey’s first touchdown
on a run of seven yards.
The extra point was no
good and the Tigers led 6-0
with 6:26 left in the opening
quarter.
The Tiger defense held
the potent Wolverines’
(6-0, 5-0 Region 8-A) to a
three-and-out on their first
possession. But on their
second possession, the
Wolverine offense came
alive, going 97 yards in
seven plays, taking the lead
See “Tigers” on 2B
