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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3B
Down The Stretch
Final thoughts on Daytona '08 event
FROn ONE SEASON TO THE NEXT
Ryan Griffin will be one of several returning lettermen for Banks County High School basketball
coach Mike Ruth. The Leopards dealt with youth and inexperience this season.
Photo by Lyn Sengupta
BCHS Boys Basketball ... continued from page 1B
W ell, the 50th running
of the Daytona 500 is
now in the rear view
mirror. Ryan Newman’s winning
Dodge has been enshrined into
the Daytona USA attraction just
outside the speedway, where it
will stay for one calendar year,
and the teams are already en
route to California for the next
race.
So here are a few thoughts
as the ink dries in the Daytona
record books from this year’s
event:
•It was great to get to see so
many of the former Daytona
500 champions again. But why
couldn’t we have had about 30
minutes less of the pre-race musi
cal extravaganza, and maybe
had more focus on those heroes
from yesteryear? Why is it that
NASCAR continues to try to
ignore the people upon whose
backs the sport was built, only
bringing them out of mothballs
when it suits the occasion?
Every NASCAR event should
have a moment during its pre
race festivities that pays homage
to the people that put this form
of motorsports on the map. It’s a
shame that people like “Fearless
Freddy” Lorenzen, Pete Hamilton
and Marvin Panch only get rec
ognition once in a blue moon.
We don’t have a whole lot of our
living legends left. We need to
recognize them, appreciate them
and enjoy them while we can.
•The new body style in
NASCAR’s top series does not
appear to be the dud that many
felt it would be. The racing
was pretty good, and the drivers
showed a lot of restraint for most
of the event. They appeared to
have more
control
than we’ve
seen drivers
have in sev
eral years
at the big
ger tracks.
Plus, it’s the
first time in
a long time
that we’ve
seen a 500
without a big, multi-car pile up,
or a car getting airborne. Add to
that the return of the legendary
“slingshot” pass, and you’ve got a
good combination.
•After failing to make the race
last week, Dawsonville, Ga.’s
favorite son, Bill Elliott, said in
an interview that he would hang
up his helmet for good as a cup
driver after his commitments to
the Wood Brothers were finished
this year. Elliott won 44 cup
events, 55 poles, two Daytona
500s, the 1988 championship,
and became the first Georgian
to win at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway when he won the
Brickyard 400 in 2002.
Add to that being a three time
Southern 500 champion, includ
ing a 1985 victory that made him
the first winner of the Winston
Million, and the mantle of fastest
NASCAR driver in history, with
a speed record of 212.809 miles
an hour in qualifying at Talladega
in 1987, and you have a genuine
NASCAR legend. When he final
ly hangs his helmet up, it will
definitely be the end of an era.
•Once again, the desire for
pomp and circumstance took the
place over speed and substance
on Sunday. We started out with
four hours of pre-race coverage
(counting the programming on
the Speed network), followed by
a 30-minute music concert, and
finally, a race. Funny, here I was
thinking the race was the whole
point of the event.
I admit freely that I long for
the days when CBS would come
on the air at 12 o’clock, with
Ken Squire welcoming us to the
“World’s Center of Racing.” We
would check in quickly with
Mike Joy and Dave Despain, who
would interview the front row
starters, hear a few words from
racing legend Ned Jarrett and
commentator David Hobbs, get
a quick prayer from the Rev. Hal
Marchman (who always ended
his prayers with “Shalom, and
Amen,” which still puts a lump
in my throat), and by 12:15 p.m.,
the race was on. All this gave
you not only the time to watch
a great race, but still have a life
afterwards. Having the pre-race
shows are nice, but enough of
the Hollywood showbiz. What
say we just watch a race for a
change!
•A lot of people have been
talking about wanting to see
genuine emotion out of drivers in
NASCAR’s higher ranks. Wasn’t
it nice to see that kind of emo
tion come out Sunday, as Ryan
Newman’s father rushed into
victory lane, grabbed his son and
hugged him? That’s the kind of
emotion we could definitely use
more of in the sport. And in the
world.
Brandon Reed is a reporter for
MainStreet Newspapers. E-mail
comments about this column to
brandon@mainstreetnews.com.
Ruth said it would have been nice
to have stayed in the north half of
8-AA since several teams will be
graduating numerous seniors.
“The draw put us on the south side
so we will go to work and do our
best to compete,” Ruth said.
Going into this most recent sea
son, Ruth said he knew it was going
to be a rebuilding campaign.
“I felt if we were able to win 10
games it would be close to a mira
cle,” he said. “We lost our swagger
at the end of the season and were not
able to get it back. That also goes
back to youth and inexperience. If
While Hanley admits his team’s
area couldn’t have been much tough
er this season, the BCHS coach
believes it will become even tougher
next year.
While the area will lose teams
such as Holy Innocents and
Wesleyan, who are moving to Class
A, the area will gain schools such
we had been senior loaded and went
through the type of season we just
had then I would feel bad about our
season. However, you have to look
at things realistically and I know
we will benefit from this down the
road.”
Ruth said he and his coaches took
a patient approach with the younger
players on the roster.
“We did that because we were so
young,” the coach said. “We tried to
let them play through their mistakes.
There is a time to get on players’
cases, but I didn’t feel that would
serve a purpose, especially with us
as Westminster, Blessed Trinity and
wrestler powerhouse Jefferson.
This week, Hanley has been work
ing with his state qualifiers in prepa
ration for the big weekend. Weigh-
ins for Class AA will be Thursday
from 6-8 p.m.
Wrestling action begins Friday at
8 a.m. followed by the quarterfinals
being so young. You want to encour
age the players and help them learn
from the mistakes they are making
on the court.”
The excitment for next season
could be heard in Ruth’s voice as he
talks about a new subregion setup
and a team which returns a major
ity of its lettermen. Only Dustin
Worley, Chris McDuffie and Heath
Jones will be lost to graduation.
“The players and coaches are
ready to go back to work and get
things back on track to where Banks
County basketball should be,” Ruth
said.
(11:45 a.m.), wrestlebacks (3:15
p.m.) and the semifinals (7 p.m.).
Action resumes Saturday at 8 a.m.
with the second round of wrestle-
backs followed by the consolation
quarterfinals (10:45 a.m.), consola
tion semifinals (12:30 p.m.), conso
lation finals (2:30 p.m.) and the state
championship matches at 7 p.m.
LOCAL NEWS AND SPORTS!
WWW.MAINSTREETNEWS.COM
brandon
reed
State Wrestling ... continued from page 1B
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Town of Maysville
Notice of Availability of Proposed
Budget for Fiscal Year 2008 and
Public Hearing
A proposed budget for the Town of
Maysville has been submitted and is available
for public inspection at the Maysville City
Hall. A public hearing regarding the budget
will be held at the Maysville Public Library at
6:30 P.M. on March 24, 2008, at which time
any persons wishing to appear and comment
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An Angel on Earth and in Heaven
Janice Dalton Freeman
8-13-1954 2-22-2007
A year gone by without you here
Heaven is a better place because of you my dear
Our time together was way too short for many things
But now you look down upon us, my angel with wings
Even with sad hearts, we continue on because of you
You taught us to enjoy life no matter what we do
We miss you and love you,
Shag, Sarah, Jessi, Nathan and Vera
Banks County
Sportsman’s
Banquet
at Banks County High School
Saturday, March 1, 6:30 p.m.
Free Bar-B-Que and stew meal
Door prizes plus
Grand Prize of One DeerHunting trip
to Illinois Donated by
Rut and Strut Outfitters
Guest Speaker outdoor professional
Joey Hancock
No charge for the event-Need ticket to attend
Tickets available at
Shuler’s at Banks Crossing
or Southern Outdoors
2 Miles north of Banks Crossing on Hwy. 441
H
Ila Road
BR