Newspaper Page Text
June 4, 2008
Section
b
The Banks County News
Sports Editor: Chris Bridges
Contact: 706-367-2745
www.mainstreetnews.com
First
&
Ten
★ ★ ★
chris@mainstreetnews.com
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Watching the
calendar slowly
creep by to kickoff
Random thoughts from my
sports notebook as we move into
the summer months:
•The calendar now reads June
and that means we are inching
our way closer to a new football
season.
In fact, this is the second edi
tion of this paper I have used our
“Countdown to Kickoff” box. Yes,
die-hards like myself are already
well into countdown mode.
•I recently had the chance to
watch the 1985 Monday Night
Football game between the
Washington Redskins and the
New York Giants. If this game
doesn’t ring a bell on the surface,
it was the contest where Joe
Theismann had his leg broken
when he was sacked by Lawrence
Taylor.
Is was easily the most gruesome
injury I have seen in all my years
as a football fan. Perhaps seeing
it shown in slow motion added to
the gut-wrenching element of it,
but it was an injury that reminds
us just how violent a game foot
ball can be. Even Taylor, who was
as old-school as anyone, was vis
ibly upset by it, as he frantically
waved for the Redskin medical
staff to get onto the field.
As a sidenote to the game itself,
the announcers for the contest
were Frank Gifford, Joe Namath
and O.J. Simpson.
•While some are trying to push
Georgia as the preseason favorite
to win a national championship
this fall, I present some reasons
the Bulldogs will not host the tro
phy at season’s end:
1. The schedule is too tough.
Even without the usual rigors of
the SEC, UGA travels to Arizona
State and has a trip-up home
game against Central Michigan.
2. USC. The Trojans have
stockpiled more talent than any
one in college football in recent
years and have the best coach in
the game in Pete Carroll. If UGA
should advance to the national
title game (and that’s a big if)
they would not match up with
USC. The talent gap is too wide.
3. Tim Tebow. Had Tebow been
healthy last fall, Florida would
have defeated Georgia. Assuming
the Heisman Trophy winner is
100 percent when the teams meet
again in 2008, the Gators will
have revenge on their minds and
will cash in on it.
•Many college football rivalries
have some sort of prize or trophy
awarded to the winner each year.
A new tradition could be
unveiled when Arkansas hosts
Alabama on Sept. 20. Perhaps the
winning coach of this game could
be presented with the “Liar, Liar,
Pants On Fire” trophy as Nick
Saban and Bobby Petrino aren’t
exactly known for their honesty.
Of course, the trophy probably
won’t be awarded for many years
because you can count on one of
these two, or both, leaving for
another job in the near future,
despite all their denials.
•June Prediction: Look for
Vanderbilt to break its long
bowl drought this fall. The
Commodores play sound foot
ball for coach Bobby Johnson
(remember they had UGA beat
in ‘07) and are due some good
fortune.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of
The Banks County News. Contact
him at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail
at chris@mainstreetnews.com.
BCHS Wrestling
Mat Leopards recognized for another historic season
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
An Pham earned one final award for his
accomplishments as a Banks County High
School Mat Leopard as the recently graduated
senior was named the Most Valuable Wrestler
for the 2007-08 season.
Pham received the recognition from coach
Kasey Hanley during the team’s annual ban
quet held last month. Pham earned 52 wins
this past season and finished third in the state
for his weight class.
For his career, Pham finished as the wrestler
with the most wins in BCHS history and also
has more pins than any Mat Leopard competi-
tor with 87.
Showing he was an overall student-athlete,
Pham also took home the Scholar Athlete
Award compiling a 95 grade point average.
Junior Demetric Dempson was presented
with the Most Improved Wrestler for 2007-08.
Dempson went from 25 wins during his soph
omore season to 50 wins and a fifth place fin
ish in state this past year.
Bobbie Hewell, Nathan Ward and Pham
each earned Captain Awards from Hanley.
Several BCHS grapplers also earned at
least 15 wins and received a medal for that
accomplishent. Reaching that milestone dur-
ing 2007-08 were Nathan Holloway, Pham,
Jeremy Greenway, Wesley Angel, Paul
Newell, Dempson, Jared Gregory, Hewell and
Tramaine Mayfield.
The Mat Leopards continued to progress as
a program under Hanley’s direction during the
2007-08 season. This was the coach’s third
season directing the BCHS wrestling team.
For this summer, the Alex Tucker Foothills
Wrestling Camp will be held June 16-18 from
8-10 a.m. and 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
This camp is designed to improve the ability
and intensity of wrestlers at the middle school
and high school levels with intense drilling
and live wrestling.
The camp will be at the old Banks County
High School Leopards’ Den gym in Homer.
The cost is $80.
Wrestlers should wear shorts and a T-shirt.
Those attending should also bring wrestling
shoes and may also bring headgear and a
towel. A snack lunch and drink should also be
brought.
Tucker was Kennesaw State University’s
first head wrestling coach.
For more information on the camp, contact
Kasey Hanley at 706-215-4322 or khanley@
banks.k12.ga.us.
Leopards Play On: Boys of Summer
SUMMER LEAGUE
COMPETITION
Numerous returning players
for the Banks County High
School baseball program
are competing on a summer
league squad this month.
Leopard coach Joe Lord said
he views the summer sched
ule as a preparation for the
2009 season. All returning
players in the varsity and
junior varsity programs were
invited to compete this sum
mer. (Right) Bill Redmon,
who will be a junior next
season, gets some work on
the pitcher's mound against
Morgan County last week.
(Bottom) Rising senior Tyler
McEntire takes a swing dur
ing a contest with the visit
ing Morgan County Bulldogs.
Photos by
Randy Crump/
Rudeseal Photography
BCHS ushers in summer
schedule, looks to 2009
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Banks County High School baseball team shook off a little rust in a
doubleheader last week against Morgan County. The end result was a win
for both teams.
BCHS won the opener 3-2 while Morgan County took the nightcap 6-5.
The name of the game during summer league play is to gain experience and
Leopard coach Joe Lord believes his players were able to do just that.
“We got a lot of out of both games,” the coach said. “All of our players got
game experience that will benefit us down the road.”
Tyler McEntire, Bill Redmon and Kasey Hudgins handled the pitching
duties in the opener and Lord said each did a solid job of locating stikes.
At the plate, BCHS is working out some of the kinks caused by the layoff
in action but Redmon, Zack Dale, Jeff Smith and Justin Bowen swung the
bats well in the opener, Lord said.
Jeff Smith started the second game and was relieved by Wesley Angel
and Chris Porter. Smith allowed just one run in three innings of work.
Redmon, Porter, Dale, Bowen and McEntire each delivered offensively for
the Leopards.
High School Softball
BCHS begins
working for
new season
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Banks County High School
fast-pitch softball is back together
again.
Working together for the first time
since October, the Lady Leopards
are now competing in a summer
league as preparations begin for the
upcoming 2008 season. Coach Josh
Lord said his team is working out
the kinks and adjustments are being
made.
“We have already learned a good
bit,” Lord said. “We look forward
to getting more quality work in this
month. Several girls have been play
ing on travel teams, but I can tell
they are excited to be representing
the Banks County Leopards once
again.”
BCHS has several young players
competing this summer and Lord
will use the schedule to allow play
ers to compete at different positions
on the field.
“The number one objective of
summer ball is to learn and improve
as a team,” the coach said. “I have to
see who can do what. Any time the
scoreboard is on, we want to win.
However, summer games are glori
fied practice and in practice you are
more concerned with getting players
opportunities.”
Summer league games are played
with a 75-minute time limit.
Substitutions are often made in the
third inning. Lord said games are
managed differently than during the
regular season.
BCHS played North Oconee last
week and benefited from a key two-
out hit by Brittany Cook which sent
the game to an extra inning tied at
four before North Oconee eventually
earned the win.
Kim Thomas and Jordan Rogers
pitched for the Lady Leopards.
BCHS led Stephens County 3-0
in the second game before seeing
its opponent rally for a 4-3 win.
Brooke Harris pitched well in that
contest, Lord said. Ashley Denton
and Madison Franklin were stand
outs at the plate.
High School Football
Coaches have to use balancing act between summer work, time off
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Blair Armstrong remembers when
he was coaching in the 1970s sum
mer workouts consisted primarily of
lifting weights.
“We would award T-shirts for
players who lifted a certain amount
of times,” the Banks County High
School head football coach said.
“That was the extent of what we did
during the summer.”
Approximately three decades later
sees much has changed in how foot
ball players, and high school ath
letes in general, spend their summer
months. Gone are the so-called lazy
days of summer. In their place are
workouts and
summer league
play.
“There’s real
ly not much of
a summer now,”
Armstrong said. “I think that’s why
the state mandates a week in July
where nothing can be done and coach
es can have no contact with players.
At some places parents felt their kids
were being pressured to always be
there with no vacation time.”
The Leopard coach said he is care
ful to balance the needs of his play
ers. Armstrong realizes there must be
a balancing act between preparing for
the next season and allowing kids to
be kids and enjoy their summer.
“If you don’t work during the sum
mer then you aren’t going to be able
to compete,” he said. “We work our
schedule out where our football play
ers can actually miss three weeks and
still meet our summer goals.”
As athletic director, Armstrong also
encourages his players to participate
in other sports. Therefore, he plans
weight lifting sessions for the morn
ing so players can have the rest of the
day for basketball camps or summer
league baseball games.
See Summer on page 2B
Countdown
to kickoff:
86 DAYS
BALANCING
ACT
Banks County
High School foot
ball coach Blair
Armstrong real
izes the need to
allow players the
chance to enjoy
summer as well
as prepare for
the upcoming fall
season.
Photo by
Randy Crump