About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 2008)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2008 THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS PACE 3B BANKS COUNTY LEOPARD FOOTBALL 2008 2008 Schedule Aug. 29 @Wash.-Wilkes L14-39 Sept. 5 Riverside* 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12 Dawson County 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 @ Rabun County 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 North Oconee* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3 @ East Jackson* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 OPEN Oct. 17 Jefferson* 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 Fannin County 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 at Oglethorpe Co.* 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 @ Union County 7:30 p.m. •denotes Region 8-AA game Region Roundup 8AA Standings Team Reaion Overall Fannin County 0-0 1-0 Jefferson 0-0 1-0 North Oconee 0-0 1-0 Dawson County 0-0 1-0 Riverside 0-0 1-0 Banks County 0-0 0-1 East Jackson 0-0 0-1 Oglethorpe County 0-0 0-1 Rabun County 0-0 0-1 Union County 0-0 0-0 Last Week' s Scores Jefferson 35, Commerce 14; West Hall 28, East Jackson 28; Washington-Wilkes 39, Banks County 14; North Oconee 28, Prince Avenue 20; Fannin County 38, Gilmer 14; Dawson County 26, Lumpkin County 23; Riverside 21, Elbert County 20; Oglethorpe County 13, Athens Christian 9; Towns County 20, Rabun County 0 This Week’s Games Union County @ Rabun County; Riverside @ Banks County; Jefferson @ Dawson County; Fannin County @ East Jackson; Oglethorpe County @ North Oconee Class AA Top 10 1. Buford (1-0) 2. Charlton County (2-0) 3. Westminster (1-0) 4. Henry County (1-0) 5. Fitzgerald (1-0) 6. Lovett (1-0) 7. Thomasville (0-1) 8. Dublin (1-0) 9. Cook (1-0) 10. Jefferson County (1-0) Roadblock BY CHRIS BRIDGES oing into the season open er, Banks County High School head football coach Blair Armstrong had hoped his team would stay away from giving up big plays. As it turned out, Washington- Wilkes took advantage of just what the BCHS Leopards were trying to avoid and cashed in for a 39-14 win as both teams opened the new campaign last Friday. The loss was disappointing for Armstrong's team who had spent numerous hours dur ing the offseason preparing for the new season only to see the final score of the opener appear more one-sided than it truly was. “I believe Washington-Wilkes has one of their better teams in recent years,” Armstrong said. “They are not going to be a pushover in Class A.” The host Tigers jumped out to an early 7-0 first quarter lead but Armstrong’s team was able to answer. Senior running back Justin Beasley raced through the Washington-Wilkes defense on a 72-yard run to pull the Leopards within 7-6. Lyn Hester’s point-after kick tied the scored with 5:32 remaining in the opener quar ter. The Tigers would respond with a big play of their own, however, as they took the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown. “Those are the plays we have to eliminate,” Armstrong said. “We work to tie the score and then allow the kickoff to be run back.” Washington-Wilkes wasn’t finished with first-half big plays, however, and one late in the second quarter would prove to be the turning point of the contest. After the Tigers took a 13-7 lead on the kickoff return (the point after kick failed), BCHS was forced to pount. Washington-Wilkes then moved in front 20-7 following a 12-yard scor ing run with 11:12 left before half time. : Leopards drop opener to Tigers IN THE TRENCHES The Banks County High School offense lines up early in the first quarter against Washington- Wilkes last Friday. The Leopards suffered a disappointing loss in their season opener on the road but begin Region 8-AA competition this Friday. Photo by Chris Bridges Needing a score to remain in the contest, the Leopards answered on a drive which culminated on a fourth and 14 pass from Chris Porter to Kane Duncan with 4:19 left before halftime. Hester’s kick pulled BCHS to within 20-14. It appeared the half would end with the score remaining 20-14, but Washington-Wilkes connected on a 62-yard pass play with six seconds remaining to widen its lead to 27-14. Once again a big play had risen its head to haunt the Leopards. “That is something we simply can’t allow,” Armstrong said. “We are going to have to continue to work on this.” BCHS was unable to put any addi tional points on the scoreboard in the second half as Washington-Wilkes emerged with the 39-14 win. “The game was a lot closer than the score indicated,” Armstrong said. “I was a little disappointed toward the end we didn’t try as hard as we should have. You have to try as hard as you can until the game ends.” Once again, the Leopard coach pointed to the past winning tradition of the Washington-Wilkes program as a factor in the contest. “They have a winning tradition and we are battling the opposite,” the coach said. “We are still in the learn ing process. You learn how to win by winning. We have to keep working until you get to that point.” GAME NOTES: Captains for the season opener were Chris Porter, Tyler Husley and Demetric Dempson. A brief rain moved into the area just as the game began last Friday. Unlike last year’s season opener for BCHS when the Leopards played Jackson County, the weather did not present any threat of delaying or can celling the contest. Friday’s game was the first as var sity assistants for Tyson Baxter and Shane Wilburn. It was also the first season on the BCHS staff for defen sive coordinator Paul Hoch, who arrived from Peachtree Ridge High School during the offseason. Chuck Hudson also took over as offensive coordinator for the first time at BCHS after handling offen sive line duties in 2007. Hudson continues to work with the offensive line. Defensive line coach Tony Bowen moved from the press box to the side line for the first game while running backs coach Brandon Worley moved to the press box. Where The Pet Adopting Starts And Never Ends! i K S A humaMe 5oC|£Ty J\ckson Coun+v A Pet Adoption Day 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday, September 6 Entertainment By: NEW REVELATION BAND Playing Classic Rock & Roll Go Karts, Bumper Boats, Bumper Cars, Mini Golf, Water Wars, Climbing Walls, Laser Tag, Arcade Games, Food And Much, Much, Much More! $ 1 Per Slice Of Cheese Pizza One coupon per person, no cash value, no substitutions, good only on Saturday, September 6. Where The Fun Begins And Never Ends! 40155 Hwy. 441 Commerce, GA 30529 706-335-3866 Hours: Mon. -Thurs. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. (Until April) • Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. -11 p.m. • Sun. Noon - 9 p.m. Located at I-85 - Exit 149, go east 8/10 mile (just pastWalmart) behind CarWash Get all the information on your favorite local high school team! MainStreetNewsSPORT&com • COMMENT ~ On your favorite teams • IN-DEPTH ~ Stories, stats, players and much more • SCORES ~ And results updated frequently • COMING SOON ~ Action photos from games online MainS treetNewsSPORTS covers these teams Banks County Leopards Commerce Tigers East Jackson Eagles Jackson County Panthers Jefferson Dragons Madison County Raiders Mill Creek Hawks
