Newspaper Page Text
June 25, 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
Much progress
shown in past
three years
I t dawned on me the other
day that I have been on the
Banks County sports scene
for three years now.
While in the grand scheme of
things, three years is not a long
time, there is a lot that can take
place in that span. Certainly that
has been the case on the local
sports scene.
Progress and improvement
are words which I would use
to describe athletics at Banks
County High School. Things are
certainly moving in a positive
direction and it goes beyond the
number of wins being recorded
by the athletic teams.
First, the facilities the BCHS
teams are using are 100 percent
better than when I arrived in
2005. A new baseball and soft
ball complex is now complete
along with new tennis courts. The
football stadium has also been
expanded with bleachers installed
on the visitor’s side as well as a
concession stand and restroom
facility.
Even the practice field the
gridiron Leopards use has been
expanded and looks better. While
this might not be something
many people notice, believe me it
is important when you are trying
to build a program into a winner.
To be fair, I do hope improve
ments can be made in the future
for the BCHS cross country and
track programs. The cross coun
try teams need some immediate
help in clearing a course to run
on and I feel confident that help
is forthcoming.
The BCHS track teams also
need a better suited place to
run as the Leopards and Lady
Leopards are not able to com
pete at home at the present time.
Given the way the Banks County
Board of Education has support
ed athletics in the past, however,
I believe help is on the way for
these programs as well.
While the summer heat is
beating on us right now, there
is already excitement in the air
about the upcoming fall athletic
season. Head football coach Blair
Armstrong and his staff are in
the middle of summer workouts
and there is potential, on paper
at least, for 2008 to be the best
season that the Leopards have
enjoyed in some time.
Armstrong has meant so much
to BCHS athletics as well as
the school and community as a
whole. Armstrong has jumped
wholeheartedly into his role at
the school and is building the
necessary level of community
support it takes to have a success
ful athletic program. Like many,
I have certainly been impressed
with what he has done in a little
more than a year at BCHS.
Given time, there is no telling
just how far Armstrong, and all
of the coaches at BCHS, can take
the athletic program. The school
has some top-notch individuals
leading the athletic programs.
From football to softball to bas
ketball to cross country to base
ball and everything in between,
it’s an exciting time to be a
supporter of Leopard athletics. I
know I’m glad to be on board as
well.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of
The Banks County News. Contact
him at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail
at chris@mainstreetnews.com.
High School Baseball
BCHS has success in recent North Oconee tournament
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Facing quality oppostion during June is something
Banks County High School baseball coach Joe Lord
likes for his team to experience.
Such was the case this past week as the summer
Leopards competed in a tournament hosted by North
Oconee. When the dust had settled, BCHS emerged with
two wins and were competitive in its two defeats as the
losses were by a combined four runs.
“This was a good tournament for us,” Lord said. “We
got to play some good competition. We extended our
pitchers a little longer in most of these games because
four games in two days is a lot. If you get a player out
there who’s pitching well and feeling OK, then it’s a
good idea to leave him in to keep a good pace to the
game.”
BCHS defeated GMC (12-4) and Monroe (10-1) in
tournament play while dropping close games to West
Forsyth (2-1) and Grayson (8-5). All teams in the tourna
ment battled hot weather conditions.
Tyler Hulsey played a key role for the Leopards at
North Oconee connecting for two homeruns which went
a total of approximately 800 feet, Lord said. Zack Dale
and Justin Gibbs continue to do well offensively and Jeff
Smith had a big performance in the win against Monroe.
Bill Redmon has stepped forward and is excelling in the
leadoff position.
See Baseball on page 3B
SUMMERTIME PLAY
The BCHS summer baseball team continues to gain experience
with each game. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Baseball Camp: Boys of Summer
WEEK OF FUN AND LEARNING
A youth baseball camp was hosted by
Banks County High School baseball coach
Joe Lord, his coaches and players last week
at the Banks County Parks and Recreation
Department. Emphasis was placed on the
enjoyment of the game in addition to learn
ing the fundamentals of the sports.
Photos by Lyn Sengupta
Summer Softball
Learning key
during work
in summer
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
It could be called a different form
of summer school.
The summer schedule for the Banks
County High School fast-pitch soft
ball team is all about learning. As
coach Josh Lord said recently, “We
want to continue to learn, myself
included.”
The Lady Leopard coach views
summer play as an early pre-season
or an exhibition schedule.
“Any time we take the field, be it
in the summer, during regular sea
son games or practice, we want to
get better,” Lord said. “Things have
gone well so far.”
One area the team has been work
ing on this summer is calling pitches
from the dugout.
“We have more pitchers who throw
a variety of pitches and our catchers
have had to learn some new signals,”
Lord said. “I am trying to communi
cate with the pitchers and catchers to
find out what they are most comfort
able throwing in certain counts. We
need our pitchers to have confidence
to throw certain pitches at certain
times. We need to pitch inside more
and we need to throw changeups for
strikes more.”
The summer games are giving the
players a chance to work on those
areas. Lord wants the pitchers to get
the softball down and to cut down
the number of walks allowed.
“I already have a much better idea
of what we can do and what needs
work,” the coach said.
BCHS should benefit from the
addition of two young pitchers on
the varsity. Taylor Purvis is a move-
in and Jordan Rogers is moving up
from the junior varsity.
The team will be without sopho
more Brooke Harris, who will miss
the season because of a shoulder
injury.
“She would have been a key con
tributor for us,” Lord said. “She
has already had the surgery and is
expected to make a full recovery,
but we won’t have her on the field
this season. She’s a tremendously
dedicated player and will work hard
to get back to full strength.”
See Softball on page 3B
Annual Contest
Paper's sports section honored by Georgia Sports Writers Association
The sports section of The Banks County
News was recently honored by the Georgia
Sports Writers Association during its annual
contest.
Sports editor Chris Bridges received several
awards from the GSWA and the paper’s sports
section tied for third in Division III, which
includes all newspapers in the state published
once, twice and three times per week.
Bridges won first in the Best Local Event
Story category for a story he wrote about new
Banks County High School football coach
Blair Armstrong and the winning pedigree he
brought to the Leopard program. All entries
were published during the 2007 calendar
year.
Bridges also took first place in the Best
Local News Story category for a story about
the death of BCHS student-athlete Ashley
Blevins and how the school remembered her
following her tragic passing in the spring of
2007.
Bridges was named the top sports columnist
for the division as he swept the award win
ning first, second and third place. He won first
place for a column published in September
which compared the football programs at
BCHS and Jackson County Comprehensive
High School. The second place column was
for an opinion piece on Fannin County High
School’s use of the Confederate Rebel as
its mascot. The column generated a massive
amount of feedback.
The third place column centered on the
ongoing saga between the Atlanta Falcons and
quarterback Mike Vick’s legal woes.
Judges for this year’s contest included Mark
Blaudschun, sports writer for The Boston Globe
and former president of the Football Writers
Association of America; Clyde Bolton, former
sports writer with The Birmingham News;
Corky Simpson, sports writer with the Tucson
(Ariz.) Citizen and Dick Rosetta, former sports
writer with the Salt Lake City Tribune.
“It is always gratifying to be recognized
by your peers in the sports journalism field,”
Bridges said. “I place a high level of impor
tance on this contest because of the quality
of judges. I have done my best to provide the
sports fans in Banks County with a profes
sional section to read each week since my
arrival at the paper three years ago.”