Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PACE 3B
BANKS COUNTY LEOPARD FOOTBALL 2008
Spread thin: Eagle offense too much for BCHS
DEFENSIVE STOP
The Banks County High School defensive, led by Billy Pinson
(66), makes a play against Riverside last Friday. The Leopards
will host Dawson County this week. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
2008 Schedule
Aug. 29
@Wash.-Wilkes
L14-39
Sept. 5
Riverside*
L 28-56
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
8-AA Standings
Team
Reoion
Overall
Fannin County
1-0
2-0
Jefferson
1-0
2-0
North Oconee
1-0
2-0
Riverside
1-0
2-0
Union County
1-0
2-0
Dawson County
0-1
1-1
Oglethorpe County
0-1
1-1
Banks County
0-1
0-2
East Jackson
0-1
0-2
Rabun County
0-1
0-2
Last Week's Scores
North Oconee 35, Oglethorpe County 12;
Riverside 56, Banks County 28; Jefferson 10,
Dawson County 0; Union County 27, Rabun
County 14; Fannin County 20, East Jackson, 6.
This Week’s Games
East Jackson @ Oglethorpe County; North
Oconee @ Union County; Dawson County @
Banks County; Rabun County @ Riverside;
Fannin County @ Jefferson.
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
ften times in football,
stats can be misleading.
Take for example last
Friday’s Region 8-AA contest
between the Banks County High
School Leopards and the Riverside
Military Academy Eagles.
When the final buzzer had sound
ed the Leopards had compiled 459
yards of total offense. One BCHS
player had rushed for more than
200 yards and another was close to
the 100-yard mark.
Yet, a look at the scoreboard
saw visiting Riverside leaving town
with a 56-28 victory. It was enough
to frustrate the Leopard faithful
and certainly the BCHS coaches
and players.
Riverside used its version of the
spread offense, which is quickly
becoming the offense of choice
in high school and college today,
almost to perfection last Lriday.
The fact that the Eagles played
well didn’t surprised BCHS head
coach Blair Armstrong who knew
his team’s opponent was going to
be formidable.
“We saw them in their preseason
scrimmage and felt they would be
one of the top teams in the region,”
Armstrong said. “They have sever
al new players that were added late
in the summer. Overall, they have
all the parts you need. They have
big linemen, good skill players and
good receivers.”
Despite what Riverside brought
to the contest, the Leopard head
coach felt his team had a chance to
compete and do well.
The turning point came when
BCHS led 14-7 with 8:56 left in the
second quarter. Riverside would
end up putting three scores on the
board before halftime and com
pletely change the game’s momen
tum, however.
The first came on the ensuing
kickoff following Justin Beasley’s
12-yard score and two-point con
version. Riverside returned the
kick 73 yards for a touchdown to
even the score at 14.
“We had four missed tackles
on the kickoff return,” Armstrong
said.
After the Leopards took posses
sion at their own 31, a fumble
was recovered by the Eagles and
returned 30 yards for another quick
score and a 21-14 lead with 8:26
still remaining before halftime.
“After allowing the kickoff return,
we run one offensive play and then
allow a fumble to be returned for a
score,” Armstrong said. “That was
the big turning point in the game.”
BCHS looked to respond and
put together a drive which moved
the Leopards to the Riverside 23
where it faced a fourth and six.
BCHS would turn the football over
on downs, however, and then see
the Eagles quickly march down
the field again for a 28-14 lead at
halftime.
“We are not good at overcom
ing adversity,” the Leopard head
coach said. “We were facing a team
whose skill people will make you
miss defensively. It was too much
for us to overcome.”
On the offensive side of the foot
ball, Armstrong said his team made
some positive strides although he
felt two additional touchdowns
were possible.
Beasley finished the game with
216 yards on the ground while
Demetric Dempson had 96 yards
rushing.
Class M Top 10 Leopard big-plav helmet stickers one-of-a-kind
1. Buford (2-0) O IT J
2. Charlton County (2-0)
3. Westminster (2-0)
4. Henry County (2-0)
5. Fitzgerald (2-0)
6. Brooks County (2-0)
7. Dublin (1-0)
8. Jefferson County (2-0)
9. Pepperell (2-0)
10. Thomasville (0-2)
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Football programs at the
high school and collegiate
level use a variety of ways to
symbolize big plays.
Some teams use the old
fashion stars on their hel
mets for big plays, both by
the team as a whole and by
Softball continued from page IB
After Rabun scored two un
earned runs in the bottom of
the first, the BCHS defense
settled down and Thomas
turned in another masterful
performance.
Thomas went all nine in
nings and recorded six strike
outs.
Denton led the offense with
three hits and an RBI while
Franklin had two including a
double with two runs scored
and an RBI.
The Lady Leopards record
ed their eighth win in their
last 10 games with the vic
tory against Rabun County.
JUNIOR VARSITY: The
BCHS JV defeated East Hall
1-0 and Rabun County 4-3 in
recent contests.
Taylor Purvis recorded
the win against East Hall
as Jordan Rogers, Courtney
Entrekin, Sabrina Porter and
Ashley O’Kelley paced the
offense.
Catlyn Lree scored the lone
run of the contest in the first
inning.
Purvis also got the win
against Rabun allowing no
earned runs.
McKenna Rylee had two
hits including a triple while
O’Kelley, Purvis, Entrekin
and Tori Smallwood had one
each.
Smallwood had the go-
ahead RBI in the sixth inning
after Rabun had scored three
unearned runs in the bottom
of the fifth.
Football Notebook
individual players. Others
have symbols which are
designed more specifically
for the team such as the
Ohio State Buckeye sticker
or the University of Georgia
Bulldog bone.
Florida State has long used
a tomahawk symbolizing
its Seminole mascot. The
Vanderbilt football team uses
a unique anchor symbolizing
shipping magnet Cornelius
“Commodore” Vanderbilt
for whom the university was
named.
The Banks County High
School football program
is also unique, coach Blair
Armstrong said. The team
is the only program to use a
Leopard spot to signify big
plays.
“It took us a while to get
the design we wanted,”
Armstrong said. “Finally, the
designer took a picture of an
actual Leopard and designed
the symbol from one of its
spots. From what we know,
we are the only team in the
country who uses it.”
Like all teams, stickers are
awarded for both team and
individual honors.
This marks the second year
the BCHS team has used
the Leopard stickers on its
helmets.
• ••
Back-up quarterback
Alex Banks had to enter
the Riverside game on the
Leopards’ third play from
scrimmage last week.
Starting quarterback Chris
Porter had an equipment
issue with his helmet which
caused him to temporarily
leave the contest.
• ••
Captains for the Riverside
game were Lyn Hester, Zach
Dale and Justin Bowen.
• ••
Making copies of game
footage is a long tradition for
high school coaches. What
began years ago with reel
to reel footage gave way to
VCR and video tape.
Now most programs used
DVDs, however, some are
still using VCRs, Armstrong
said.
“Some coaches still want
us to send them VCR tapes
so we still have both,” the
BCHS coach said. “I am
actually in the process of
helping one coach change
over to all DVD. You have to
be careful in what you buy
because the equipment can
really get expensive.”
Making copies of game
footage begins immediately
after contests Friday nights.
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The Jackson Co. Republican Party
Would like you to meet us for
breakfast the second Sat. of each
month, 8:00 at The Jefferson
House. For more information, call
706-652-2967 or email
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BANKS COUNTY
111 AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 pd.06/09
f§% VETERANS OF
W FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m.
Mike Buffington, Commander
Phone 706-335-6532 26.1
JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. *(706) 387-1156
Mack Cates, President
542
A UNITY LODGE
F&A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Dwight Wier* 706-367-5882
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. *(706) 367-7696
Gina Mitsdarffer, President
547
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd,07/09
Citizens Organized for
Pipeline Safety
investigating the health risks to citizens from
underground pipelines and booster stations in
Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert
Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each
month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09
JEFFERSON
Hr AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 310
White Plains Baptist Church Pd 02/09
Faith Bible Class meets every Sunday morning
at 10:00 a.m. It is a place where strangers
become friends and friends become family.
706-367-5650
White Plains Baptist Church
3650 Hwy. 124 West, Jefferson, GA 30549
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