Newspaper Page Text
Section
b
April 23, 2008
The Banks County News
Sports Editor: Chris Bridges
Contact: 706-367-2745
www.mainstreetnews.com
First
&
Ten
★ ★ ★
chris@mainstreetnews.com
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Remarkable
progress shown
by BCHS team
O ne really has to stop
and ponder just how
far the Banks County
High School baseball program
has come during the past four
seasons.
Going back to the 2005 cam
paign, the Diamond Leopards
managed to win just two games.
Yet, from that humble start has
grown a program that is now
co-subregion champion and still
moving upward.
In just four years, the BCHS
program has jumped from two
wins to four wins to 10 to 13.
The Leopards have qualified for
the region tournament for two
years in a row now. It’s amazing
how just four years ago the word
“postseason” was in no way asso
ciated with BCHS baseball.
I’ve been on the scene for three
of those seasons. I’ve witnessed
first-hand how the Leopards have
taken positive step after positive
step. It has been fascinating to
watch.
When I’m covering Leopard
games, I like to sit in the dugout
with the coaches and players. It
adds a unique insight to the game.
It’s not something a sports writer
would be able to do at any other
level. Being in the dugout, how
ever, gives one a chance to fully
capture the flavor and emotion of
each contest.
One gets to see the emotional
highs and lows the players and
coaches go through, many times
inning by inning or out by out. At
times one can literally sense the
emotion of the moment as every
one seems to hang on the next
pitch, the next call by the home
plate umpire and by what the next
batter at the plate does.
I find it fascinating to watch
assistant coach Tony Bowen sig
nal pitches to the BCHS catchers
who relay the information to their
pitchers. It’s fun to watch head
coach Joe Lord giving signals
from third base to his batters.
During some games Lord’s assis
tant and twin brother Josh moves
to third to handle those duties.
Varsity player Wesley Angel
is usually assigned the task of
keeping the count on how many
throws to home the BCHS pitch
ers make during games. It’s a
vital part of coaching strategy to
know where a player is in terms
of numbers of pitches thrown and
Angel has to be on toes to keep
up.
This Friday will be even more
nerve-racking since the games
will be region tournament con
tests. Yet, knowing how far the
BCHS program has advanced I
must admit I’m not that worried.
It’s not a sense of arrogance, it’s
just I know how hard these play
ers and coaches have worked
to get to this point and I know
things are going to continue to get
even better.
Yes, looking back at the job
coach Joe Lord and his coaches
and players have done the past
four years is nothing short of
remarkable. They are giving all
of Banks County something to be
proud of. They are giving Banks
County something to rally behind
and support. See you at the ball
field Friday afternoon.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of
The Banks County News. Contact
him at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail
at chris@mainstreetnews.com.
Region 8-AA Baseball Tournament Preview:
BCHS finishes in three-way tie for subregion crown
No. 2-seeded Leopards
begin tourney Friday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
It’s postseason time for the Banks
County High School baseball team.
The Diamond Leopards finished
the 2008 regular season in a three
way tie for first in 8-AA North and
will enter the region tournament as
the No. 2 seed following tiebreaker
scenarios.
By a result of the three-way tie,
Fannin County earns the No. 1 seed
from 8-AA North by allowing the
least amount of runs in head-to-head
matchups. BCHS gets the No. 2 seed
over Dawson County by defeating
the Tigers two-of-three times during
the regular season.
The Leopards will host Oglethorpe
County, the No. 3 seed from 8-AA
South, Friday for a 3 p.m. double
header. A third game, if necessary,
will be Saturday at 3 p.m.
Other first-round region match
ups include Fannin County (No. 1
North) vs. Morgan County (No. 4
South), North Oconee (No. 1 South)
vs. Union County (No. 4 North) and
Washington-Wilkes (No. 2 South)
vs. Dawson County (No. 3 North).
The winners of these series will
be guaranteed spots in the upcom
ing Class AA state touramament.
The first-round winners will then be
reseeded and will play the remainder
of the region tournament at Dawson
County High School to determine
the seedings for state.
In other Region 8-AA postsea
son games, East Jackson will travel
to Putnam County while Greene
County will travel to Rabun County,
These teams will not be able to
qualify for state as these are conso
lation games.
BCHS enters the postseason at
13-8 overall and with a 10-5 mark in
subregion play. Oglethorpe County
is 12-9 and 9-6.
“They have a hard throwing pitch
er who is pretty good and who has a
good curve ball,” Leopard coach Joe
Lord said Monday. “They always
have a strong offensive team and I
look for this year to be no different.
They have played a couple of the
teams we did in non-region games
and played them really tough. I
think our teams are very similar and
seem to be pretty balanced. I feel our
schedule to this point has us ready. It
should be a fun series.”
Lord builds
BCHS success
piece by piece
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
What a difference four years can
make.
If one goes back just four sea
sons ago, one will find the Banks
County High School varsity baseball
program registering just two wins
during the 2005 campaign. Turning
the clock ahead to 2008 finds the
Diamond Leopards finishing in a
tie for first place in their subregion,
hosting a opening round region tour
nament series and sporting 13 wins
overall, 10 of which came in subre
gion play.
For coach Joe Lord, the progress
has certainly been a rewarding pro
cess.
“I feel really good about the direc
tion of our program,” Lord said this
week as he prepared his team to face
Oglethorpe County in the opening
round of the Region 8-AA tourna
ment. “I think the key has been
dedication. The players and coaches
have put in a lot of hard work during
the summer, the offseason workouts,
preseason practices and during the
seasons to get better.”
From that humbling 2005 season
has grown a competitive and suc
cessful program. BCHS has grown
step-by-step each year since then,
winning four games in 2006, 10
games in 2007 and 13 in 2008. Lord
also credits the quality support his
program receives as a reason for
being successful.
“We have had a lot of great sup
port from across the board,” the
coach said. “The board of education,
the superintendent, the central office
staff, the administration and staffs
of all the Banks County schools, the
community, the parents, the assistant
coaches and the players have all
helped make this possible.”
BCHS began playing on a state-of-
the art facility this spring, playing on
campus for the first time. That pride
factor has also been an added factor
in the team’s winning ways.
Having a complete team effort is
something Lord knows is vital for a
program to be a winner.
See Program on page 4B
OUT AT HONE
Banks County High School's Alex Gailey applies the tag during a play at the plate last Friday against East Jackson High School.
Gailey and the Leopards will begin the Region 8-AA tournament at home this Friday with a best-of-three series against Oglethorpe
County beginning at 3 p.m. A third game, if necessary, would be Saturday. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Leopards hold on for win against pesky Eagles
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
he Banks County High School baseball
team needed one more subregion win to
clinch a share of the Region 8-AA North
title last Friday.
However, the East Jackson High School Eagles
made it clear they weren’t going to go down
without a fight. When the dust had settled, the
Diamond Leopards had escaped with a 10-6 win
to earn a share of the subregion crown for 2008.
“East Jackson came ready to knock us off,” said
BCHS coach Joe Lord. “We got up on them early
and let them back in the game with a few mistakes
in the field. We have to get those corrected.”
Senior Alex Gailey earned the win working five
innings with seven strikeouts while throwing 91
pitches. Gailey allowed three earned runs and
scattered eight hits.
Jeff Smith pitched well in relief and picked up
the save keeping East Jackson scoreless in the
sixth and seventh innings. Smith recorded two
strikeouts.
Perhaps the play of the game came on defense
for BCHS as Chase Armour made a diving catch
in centerfield for the third out in the top of the
fifth.
“That play gave us life,” Lord said. “We were
able to regain the lead when we came back in.
That was the turning point of the game.”
At the plate, Gailey drove in two runs while Bill
Redmon was 2-for-2 with two runs scored an an
RBI. Chris Porter, Kyle Smith, Zack Dale, Jeff
Smith and Justin Gibbs also contributed offen
sively for the Leopards.
“We’ve been a pretty resilient team this year and
we don’t give up,” Lord said. “This game was a
good example of that. Billy and Kyle really came
through for us at the plate.”
Prior to Friday’s regular season finale, BCHS
lost a tough 6-4 subregion contest to Rabun
County on the road. The Wildcats have proved to
be a thorn in the side of the Leopards throughout
the spring.
“Costly defensive
mistakes hurt us in
this game,” Lord
said. “Our situational
offense has to be bet
ter. We have to do a better job of getting runners
over and getting them in.”
Kasey Hudgins pitched well for BCHS going six
innings allowing just one earned run while strik
ing out six batters.
“Kasey pitched well enough to win,” Lord said.
“He gave a gutsy performance.”
Dale had a big day at the plate with three hits
including two doubles. Gibbs added a double
and also scored a run. Jeff Smith, Gailey, Porter
and Hudgins also contributed offensively. Chase
Armour added a run.
The BCHS Leopards are now preparing for the
Region 8-AA tournament which begins Friday
against Oglethorpe County at home.
East Jackson 6
BCHS 10
Local Racing
Southern Nationals roar back to town for weekend event
GOING FOR ANOTHER WIN
Fuel racer Brandon Bernstein picked up the win at last year's Southern Nationals
at the Atlanta Dragway. Bernstein will be looking for his first win of 2008 when
he gets back to the track this weekend. Photo by Brandon Reed
BY BRANDON REED
For the 28th time, the NHRA Powerade Drag
Racers will return to the Atlanta Dragway in
Commerce for the Southern Nationals, on April
24-27.
The 300 mile-per-hour Top Fuel Dragsters
and Funny Cars will be back, along with rac
ers in the Pro Stock, Motorcycle, Top Alcohol
Dragsters and Funny Cars, and hundreds of
NHRA Sportsman racers.
Last year, second-generation racer Brandon
Bernstein picked up the victory in Commerce
in the Top Fuel category. He returns to the
Atlanta Dragway looking for his first win of
2008. Veteran racer Cory McClenathan comes
to town hot off his big Top Fuel win in Las
Vegas, and is looking to start a streak.
Robert Hight came out on top last year in
Funny Car competition, putting his John Force
owned machine in the winner’s circle for the
second straight race. Hight is looking for his
second victory of the year as he returns to
Commerce, after winning in Pomona.
Last year’s event also had a historic show
down between father and daughter, as John
Force faced off against his daughter Ashley in
the first ever father-daughter pro-level race in
NHRA history.
Ashley defeated her father, running a 4.779
to John’s 5.783.
Greg Anderson defeated Warren Johnson for
the win last year in pro-stock, and enters this
year’s event looking for his third win of 2008.
Karen Stoffer took top honors last year in the
pro-motorcycle category.
For ticket and other information, call
800-884-6472, or 404-249-6400. You can also
go online to www.atlantadragway.com.