Newspaper Page Text
July 23,2008
Section
B
The Banks County News
Sports Editor: Chris Bridges
Contact: 706-367-2745
www.mainstreetnewssports.com
First
&
Ten
★ ★ ★
chris@mainstreetnews.com
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Work, dedication
will equal success
for Leopards
D ay by day we are get
ting closer. With the
dawning of each new
morning, the echoes for a new
gridiron campaign can be heard
more vividly.
Yes, the new high school foot
ball season is just around the
comer. For players and coaches at
Banks County High School, that
means the tempo of preparation
will only continue to increase as
the days draw shorter to the first
game against Washington-Wilkes
on Aug. 29.
So much has been going on for
the Leopards this season it takes
a notebook with blank pages
to keep track. Members of the
team have ventured to lineman
competitions and to various other
camps. There are the numerous
weight lifting sessions and condi
tioning drills.
What makes all of this so
impressive? It’s the fact that all of
the work turned in by the play
ers is voluntary. Members of the
BCHS program know, however,
that this level of work and dedica
tion is a must if success is going
to happen on the football field.
If you don’t think players at
Washington-Wilkes aren’t work
ing hard this summer then you are
mistaken. The Leopard players
know their opponents are work
ing hard and that’s why they have
decided they are going to outwork
them, outprepare them and be as
ready as possible when they meet
on the field.
This is an exciting time to be a
part of the BCHS football com
munity. The players are excited.
The coaches are excited. The
booster club members and fans
are excited. So much work has
been going on since the end of
the 2007 season that even the
most casual of fan has had to take
notice.
It’s almost as if a new attitude
has emerged from within the
program. Several of the football
players and coaches returned
from camps this past week. Head
coach Blair Armstrong was trying
to catch his breath Sunday night
as he talked about the overall air
of excitement which is surround
ing his program.
“We are excited about what the
whole county is doing when it
comes to our football program,”
the second-year Leopard men
tor said. “Everyone from the
recreation department to the
high school to the middle school
is doing everything they can to
make our varsity program suc
cessful. That is what it takes to
build a winner.”
Several of the returning BCHS
football players have shown they
have what it takes be leaders this
summer during offseason work
outs.
Armstrong knows these play
ers have the potential to carry
over that level of leadership into
preseason practice and into the
season.
The official countdown to the
first game of the 2008 season is
now down to just over a month.
The Leopard players and coaches
will accomplish a great deal in
that amount of time. One thing I
know for sure, opponents on the
BCHS schedule for 2008 had bet
ter be doing the same.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of
The Banks County News. Contact
him at 706-367-2745 or by e-mail
at chris @ mainstreetnews. com.
Recreation All-Stars
Banks 13-14 All-Stars battle tough foes at state play
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The Banks County 13-14-year-old All-Star
baseball team seemingly faced tough odds the
entire time it was in the postseason.
After competing in the regional tournament
in Blue Ridge, the squad advanced to the state
tournament in Rome. In the opening round,
Banks County held on for a 7-6 victory against
Acworth.
The local team had to deal with bad weather
all weekend and fell in the second round of
state play. Banks County attemped to regroup
but also dropped its third game at the state
tournament.
The local 13-14 All-Star squad was assem
bled at the end of the regular season with only
nine players and began postseason play fol
lowing three weeks of practice.
Coaches said the team came together and
worked hard to achieve the milestones it
accomplished in a short amount of time.
Banks County should be proud to have such a
•See Team Photo on Page
2B this week.
great group of players, coaches said.
Team members include Jay Coen, Thomas
Ward, Jared Clark, Tyler Hellmeister, Jameson
Flynn, Tyler Hewell, Taylor Foster, Blake
Allen and Avery Christian.
Jeff Coen and Cranley Ward coached the
team through the regional and state tourna
ments.
With the 13-14-year-old All-Star team com
pleting play at the state level, the recreation
baseball and softball season is now complete
for the season in Banks County. Recreation
department officials are now preparting for
fall sports which include football, soccer and
cheerleading.
For information on these activities, con
tact the Banks County Parks and Recreation
Department at 706-677-4407.
Off To Camp: Preparing for Season Opener
A CAMPING WE WILL GO
Several members of the Banks County High School football team are shown during a camp held last week at the University of
West Georgia in Carrollton. The camp is one of several events members of the football team have taken part in this offseason in
an effort to improve for the upcoming season.
'To go against this type of competition will only make us better'
Leopards venture to West Georgia for camp
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The offseason work continues
for the Banks County High School
gridiron Leopards.
Last week 34 members of the
BCHS football team loaded up
and ventured to the University of
West Georgia in Carrollton for the
Southeastern Defensive Camp.
Eight Leopard coaches also attend
ed. BCHS was one of 12 schools
which participated.
Coach Blair Armstrong’s
Leopards were the lone AA pro
gram at the camp which featured
two AAA programs along with
AAAA and AAAAA schools
including Camden County and
Peachtree Ridge. The camp lasted
four days and there were three prac
tices a day divided into individual
teaching time as well as inside and
outside drills and team time.
Brandon Law, Bill Redmon
and Nick Sosebee competed in
the defensive back competitions
and made it to the finals in some
events. Tramaine Mayfiled and
Tyler Hulsey advanced deep into
the competition of the defensive
pass rush drills with Hulsey taking
second in the entire camp which
featured 250 linemen.
“All of the Leopard players did an
outstanding job and held their own
in this dynanmic camp,” Armstrong
said.
The Leopard coach said he was
expecially pleased with how his
players held up against Peachtree
Ridge, a AAAAA program where
Armstrong previously coached.
“This is our second year attend
ing the camp and we have really
improved,” Armstrong said. “To go
against this type of competition will
only make us better. We competed
very well against all of the teams
including one AAAAA school from
Tennessee. The team work and
togetherness you achieve in this
type of environment can’t be dupli
cated at home. We are so proud of
the committment and hard work our
team has shown this summer. This
is what it takes to be a champion
ship program.”
Junior Leopard camp scheduled
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
In an ongoing effort to develop a feeder system for the varsity pro
gram, the Banks County High School football program will host a Junior
Leopard Football Camp July 29, 30 and 31 from 6-9 p.m. each evening.
The camp will be after the varsity and junior players complete their sum
mer workouts. The camp will be at the BCHS football practice field.
Parents are asked to park and drop off and pick up their Junior Leopard
players on the bascball/tennis court side of the stadium. The purpose of
this camp is to introduce recreation level players the techniques, skills,
drills and fundamentals that are expected at the middle school and high
school levels.
By coordinating the programs at BCHS, BCMS and at the recreation
department, Leopard head coach Blair Armstrong said he hopes to develop
a higher caliber player for each of the programs. The varsity Leopard
coaches will direct the camp.
The cost is $50 for three days and parents with two children in the camp
will be charged $80. Forms are now available at the Banks County Parks
and Recreation Department on Thompson Street or at BCHS.
Checks should be made payable to BCHS. They may be be mailed to
BCHS, attention Coach Armstrong, 1486-A Homer Highway, Homer, Ga.
30547.
High School Football
Next chapter of
Gladiator Wars
set for Friday
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Part of the goal of high school
football coaches during offseason
work is to make the players have at
least some level of fun.
That keeps the offseason condi
tioning from seeming too much like
work. One way Banks County High
School head coach Blair Armstrong
has done this is with the addition of
Gladiator Wars.
In these competitions, members
of the Leopard football team divide
up and battle in events such as a
55-gallon drum roll, relay races
while carrying buckets of water,
dumbbell relay races, sled pushing,
old fashioned tug-of-war and more.
The latest chapter in this old fash
ioned type of battle will take place
Friday morning at the BCHS prac
tice field from 9 a.m. until noon.
Armstrong said recently the play
ers have enjoyed competing in the
Gladiator War battles and it helps
with offseason conditioning while
adding a fun element to it as well.
High School Softball
BCHS preseason
drills scheduled
to begin Aug. 7
The Banks County High School
varsity softball team is scheduled
to begin preseason practice Friday,
Aug. 1, coach Josh Lord said this
week.
The first practice session is sched
uled to begin at 11 a.m. The Lady
Leopards will continue to compete
in Region 8-AA this fall. Several
members of the team competed on a
summer league squad in June gain
ing experience for the upcoming
season.
The Lady Leopards will begin
play in the Lanier Point Tournament
Aug. 15 against Flowery Branch.
The team will also play Providence
Christian that day. Following a game
against Pickens in the tournament,
the team’s first regular season game
is set for Aug. 19.
Local Racing
Commerce racer emerges as winner of'Wally Trophy'
BY AMY GLOVER
Special to the BCN
Every race weekend is an impor
tant one, but this weekend’s event
took on special significance out
at the Atlanta Dragway, as the
National Dragster Challenge and
Junior Dragster Challenge was held
on Saturday.
The annual event provides a
chance for bracket racers to pick
up an NHRA Wally Trophy, the
ultimate prize to represent the best
drag racers.
Mark Hancock of Commerce
earned his first Wally in the
Sportsman class, a long-overdue
triumph after previously running in
four other finals competing for the
trophy, three of them in the motor
cycle rank and one in the same ’00
Jeep Cherokee with which he won
Saturday’s race.
After his competitor in the finals,
Harold Wilson of Winder, fouled at
the start, Mark gave a surprisingly
solid run with his street car, pulling
off a .004 light and a dead-on dial-
in at 16.28.
Scott Reynolds of Cartersville
and Jeff Wagner of Jefferson placed
third.
Two-time track champion Thomas
Bell of Toccoa claimed his third
Wally in the Super Pro category,
defeating Maysville’s Ed Nalley
for the win.
The round began with a staging
battle, with neither man pulling
through the beams first. It’s a strat
egy often applied against Bell, who
is known for his habit of staging
last.
See Dragway on page 3B
TROPHY
WINNER
Mark Hancock
and his wife,
Paula, pose with
the Wally trophy
Mark received
for his win in the
Sportsman class
at the Atlanta
Dragway Saturday.
Photo by
Amy Glover