Newspaper Page Text
NOVEMBER 9, 2016
The Commerce News
The Banks County News
Phone: 706-621-7204
Fax: 706-367-8056
charles@mainstreetnews.com
Section B
Tigers roll into playoffs
KYLE FUNDERBURK
The Commerce Tigers’ football team dominated the game,
but Lane Sorrow and Cole Chancey stole the show in the
Tigers’ trouncing of George Walton Academy last Friday night.
Sorrow rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns and
passed for 71 yards and one score, while Chancey added 192
yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lead Commerce
to a dominating 42-6 victory over the Bulldogs.
The victory clinched Commerce’s spot in the Public Sin-
gle-A state playoffs. Commerce is seeded sixth after winning
an appeal with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA).
Commerce was originally seeded eighth. The sixth-seeded
Tigers have a bye for the first round and a home playoff game
next Friday night.
Commerce’s opponent is to be determined, with the out
come not yet known.
“I was pleased with the way Cole ran the ball, especially
in the fourth quarter,” head coach Michael Brown said after
Friday night’s win. “It was kind of a struggle to get the fullback
going early on. Fatigue set in and we lined up in our power
game. Eventually those 3-yard mns turned into long mns. He
has an incredible motor. He’s one of those kids that doesn’t
know any other way to play or practice but at full speed. He
has conditioned his body to play that way.”
Chancey deflected that attention to his offensive line.
“Like I say every week, it goes to the guys up front; their job
is tough,” he said. “People don’t know about that. Our names
are the ones being called, but it wouldn’t be like that without
them doing the tough work.”
This was Sorrow’s only year starting for Commerce. He
transferred before the season began and picked up an entirely
new offense.
“He’s picked up the system. He’s more comfortable with it
now,” Brown said. “He’s executing the calls. You never know
going in on a Friday night which of the three options is going
to be the one that you have to rely on. You just have to take
what the defense gives you. Last two weeks, Lane has been a
bigger part of our offense.”
Fellow seniors Austin Brock and Will Thomas added 55
and 47 yards, respectively, in their final home regular-season
game at Ray Lamb Stadium.
Commerce (8-2, 6-2 Region 8-A) began the game with a
50-yard touchdown mn by Sorrow just 1:13 into the game. Sor-
See “Commerce” on 2B
Leopards clinch No. 2 seed
Behind the convoy
Running back Clayton Dykhouse gets behind his blockers during a run against the Elbert County Blue Devils.
The Leopards defeated the Blue Devils, 43-29, and will host a first-round playoff game when they play KIPP Atlanta
Collegiate. Photo by Charles Phelps
Banks Co.
readies for KIPP
BY CHARLES PHELPS
For the first time since
the 2011 season, the Banks
County football team is in
the state playoffs. And not
only is it in the playoffs, but
the Leopards will also host
a playoff game Friday night
against KIPP Atlanta Colle
giate.
The Leopards (6-4, 5-1
Region 8-AA) are coming
off one of the biggest wins
in program history, a 43-29
victory in the Granite Bowl
against region foe Elbert
County. It was the first meet
ing between the two schools.
The victory not only
secured the No. 2 seed
heading into this Friday’s
Class AA state playoff first-
round matchup, but it gave
the Leopards their first win
ning record since that 2011
season.
The Leopards have gone
5- 5 the past two seasons.
This is also the first-ever
meeting between Banks
County and KIPP Atlanta
Collegiate.
“I see that they are a very
athletic team and a very fast
team,” head coach Josh
Shoemaker said about KIPP.
KIPP (7-3, 4-2 Region
6- AA) is currently on a two-
game slide with losses to
Douglass, 41-0, and Hape-
ville Charter, 57-6.
Quarterback Griffin Good
win leads the Banks Coun
ty offense against a KIPP
defense that is giving up 15.4
points per game. Goodwin
has passed 1,814 yards had
18 touchdowns. Goodwin
also has two rushing touch
downs.
Clayton Dykhouse leads
the Leopards’ mnning attack,
rushing for 1,026 yards and 11
touchdowns.
Bryce Bennett has quiet
ly put together a strong 10
weeks as the leader of the
Leopards’ receiving corps.
Bennett has 46 receptions
for 908 yards and 11 touch
downs. He also has three
rushing touchdowns and
one passing touchdown.
The Leopard defense is
spearheaded by Demetrius
Walker and Zach Lehotsky.
Walker leads the defense in
tackles with 85, but Lehotsky
is right on his heels with 80.
Walker also has two fumble
recoveries and Lehotsky has
one interception.
CJ Thomas had a game
to remember against Elbert
County, intercepting three
Blue Devil passes. He has
eight for the season, which
puts him second in the state,
regardless of classification,
Shoemaker said.
“I told the team in July
they were a playoff team,”
Shoemaker said about his
group. “They realized last
Friday they don’t have to be
emotional, just they need to
make tackles and execute
on offense. This is free foot
ball. Nobody had any expec
tations for us this season.
We were underdogs going
to Elbert County. The kids
weren’t satisfied with just
making the playoffs. They
wanted a home game in the
playoffs. I’m excited for the
community and the kids to
have this opportunity. We get
to go out and just enjoy it. We
just have to play our game
and we’ll be fine. We have
everything to gain. That’s a
great place to be.”
KIPP is in its fourth sea
son. The program won only
three games in its first three
seasons.
KIPP comes to Homer led
by quarterback Octavious
See “Leopards” on 5B
Eagles win cross country state title
Chase Kennedy
claims individual title
BY CHARLES PHELPS
Two years ago at the Georgia High School Association’s
(GHSA) Class AAA state cross country championships, the
East Jackson boys’ cross country team came as close as a
team could to winning a state championship.
They lost on a tiebreaker. The defeat left the team hungry to
get the state championship, especially the Kennedy brothers,
Chase and Chandler, and the rest of the seniors on the squad.
After last Saturday’s Class AAA state meet at Carrollton
High School, the brothers and their teammates left no doubt
as to who is the best team in Class AAA as the Eagles brought
home a state championship. It is the second-straight state title
for the school (softball on Oct. 29).
Chase Kennedy blitzed through the Carrollton course in
16:01, the fastest time of the week for any classification, taking
home first place.
Even in a state-championship run, Chase was aiming for
15:50, but he came out of the start “a little conservative,” he
said, and forgot to start his watch. So, he didn’t know when
he needed to pick up time.
“When I got to 300 meters to go, I really took off there,” he
said. “I took another gear up the hill, then, like 10 more coming
down the hill, but I just missed it. We were supposed to win
state as a team. It was a good day for racing. We were really
working hard and we wanted to end our senior year on a state
championship and get our coach (Tomy Sitton) one more.”
Chase dedicated the race to a former teammate, Jose Tovar,
who was shot and killed last Friday night.
Chandler Kennedy finished third overall at 16:44. He was
narrowly edged out by Jacob Poston of Dawson County for
second place.
Chandler said the team normally makes plans before each
race.
“I think I ran my plan pretty well,” he said.
He went out conservatively for the first mile, he explained.
“I’m really proud of how the team ran,” he added. “We’ve
been through some arguments throughout the years, espe
cially this year, we’ve been at each other’s necks. I think the
reason why is we would see someone have a bad race and
we can’t let them go on knowing that it was okay We needed
them to get better. We were there for each other when we
needed to be.”
Chandler called Tovar a “special” person to the team.
“We know it was for a reason,” he said. “God has put us
here today. He’s given us an incredible coach, incredible
teammates, a great family and atmosphere to be around.
“I think it was a matter of time before we were standing in
this position. ...Sophomore year, we lost it. I was real close with
some of those guys, but I’ve had plenty of years to get to know
these people and I wouldn’t have lost this championship with
anybody else. They are just a great group of guys to be with.
To be here, on top of the podium, and to win it all, it means
a lot to me. There was a lot of pressure on everyone, and for
us to overcome that pressure and all the circumstances we’ve
been through, it has been an emotional day, and we are defi-
See “Eagles” on 2B
Taking first place
East Jackson’s Chase Kennedy heads to the fin
ish line at the Class AAA state championship meet
last Saturday in Carrollton. Kennedy finished first
with a time of 16:01. The EJCHS boys’ team won
the state title. Photo by Charles Phelps
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