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— www.MainStreetNewsSports.com — October 30, 2008 The Banks County News Justin Poole, Sports Editor 706-367-2348, direct line 706-387-5418, FAX justin@mainstreetnews.com A changing of hats, or in this case pens A s many readers already know, Chris Bridges is now heading up the MainStreet newspaper in Barrow County. One could assume that since it is now my name and mug replac ing the spot of his col umn that I am taking over the sports desk at The Banks County News. While you should never assume things, you would be correct this time. I know Chris is going to miss the relationships with the staff and players at the school. It is a stretch switching horses midstream, with the football season in a pres sure play for a playoff seat, softball ending, the cross country team preparing for the region race and basket ball right around the corner. Fortunately, I have an ace up my sleeve. As a former graduate of good ole’ Homer University, I hope I can relate more to the people at the high school. I stopped by the high school earlier in the week and it was a little surreal since it has been a little better than five years since being in the halls. Granted, a number of the teachers I had have moved on, but there are still a few around as well as some teachers I remember as fellow students. While it is nice to look back at the four years I spent at the high school, my atten tion is now more on the buildings outside. I have to compliment the looks of the campus; every thing that is behind the gym has been added since I grad uated. I am looking forward to the different events I will be covering at these new facilities. I am also looking forward to working with the vari ous coaching staffs at Banks County. While it might be bumpy these first few weeks, I believe that it will be a great job. There may be a bigger fan for Banks County, but one thing is certain, we are both Leopards. justin poole From the Hip Justin Poole is sports editor of The Banks County News. E-mail comments about this column to justin@mainstreetnews.com. INSIDE: Page 2B: Outdoors with Skipper Page 3B: BCHS Football review Page 4B: JV Leopards Football Check out mainstreetnewssports. com for local area teams. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Leopards won the battle but still have a war Big Blue travels to Oglethorpe Friday At A Glance: Oglethorpe (0-7, 1-7) @ Lexington Friday, 7:30 BY JUSTIN POOLE After a much needed win last Friday night, this week the fate of Banks County is almost out of the Leopards’ hands. Of course, almost only counts in horse shoes and hand gre nades; this is football. Banks County has to win the next two games. Period. If the Leopards want a shot at the play offs, Big Blue cannot slack off against Oglethorpe on Friday night in Lexington at 7:30 p.m. Statistically, Banks should roll down to Lexington and grab an easy win from the Patriots. However, the players and coaches know that statistics don’t count for much on the grass. Banks is 4-3 in the region facing a 0-7, Oglethorpe. This season the Patriots have only scored 116 points while Banks has nearly double that scoring a total of 230 points so far. The Leopards also have averaged 29 points per game to Oglethorpe’s 15. Oglethorpe has also allowed over 100 more points than Banks County. While the numbers are in Banks’ favor, looking back on the contests between the schools Oglethorpe has the most recent win. In 2005, Banks took a 33-6 loss to the Patriots. This came after a narrow win in 2004, 30-27. Banks will also be the team traveling this week. Head coach Blair Armstrong has to keep the players’ energy up, which shouldn’t be a problem with the playoff spot on the line. The Leopards know they have to bring their ‘A’ game this week and next. The Leopards are going to bring their best because “It’s just Banks County.” SIDESTEP Quarterback Chris Porter steps back and evades a Fannin County player looking for a sack. Photo by Justin Poole Leopard runners place well at home, set PRs at East Jackson BY JUSTIN POOLE The Leopard runners are coming down to the final leg of the season. With the region race this Saturday, the Banks runners have to prepare themselves for that challenge after com ing off of two meets over the past two weeks. Home race The Leopard team host ed a six-school race on October 16. The competing schools included Commerce, Habersham County, Towns County, Rabun County and Jackson County. The Banks boys finished first well ahead of the last place Commerce team. Stacked up against the com petition Banks tallied 23 points followed by: Rabun, 73; Towns, 76; Jackson, 95; Habersham, 109; and Commerce, 237. Leading runners for the blue and white, the brother duo of Jorge and Ivan Diaz set the pace for the field. J. Diaz finished first at 22:02 with I. Diaz right on his heels at 22:10. Also running an impressive race for Banks and staying ahead of the competition the boys’ top seven was rounded out by Kieffer Hellmeister, 23:33; Simon Hurtado, 23:46; Avery Chastain, 23:54; Viet Pham, 24:40; and Trey Martin, 25:01. The lady runners faced stiff competition during the race and still came in third place. Jackson took the top spot with 44 points followed by Towns with 50 points and Banks with 59 points. Rabun ended with 64 points and Commerce did not place due to lack of runners. Rounding out the top seven for the ladies Vanessa Hurtado, 27:53; Maggie McCoy, 29:09; Amy Sims, 29:14; Sarah Wolf, 30:43, Tiffany Sims, 31:17; Jessica Grisham, 31:21; and Ashley McCoy, 33:55. The Banks County course is regarded as one of the toughest in the area due to the woods and terrain layout. MainStreet Race The Leopards were one of the teams invited to partici pate in the annual MainStreet News race. This year was the seventh running of the race and includes schools inside the MainStreet News coverage area. Hosted at East County. Jackson, the competitors included teams from East Jackson, The boys finished second and the ladies finished fourth. Banks, Jefferson, Jackson County, Commerce and Madison See Cross country on page 2B # uv Qeortjuifor cardiac caver = ex closer to homer We've Done the Math for You! ■ #1 in Georgia for Overall Cardiac Services * # l in Georgia for Cardiac Surgery ■ #t in Georgia for Cardiology Services (noti-surgical) • #1 in Georgia for Coronary Interventional Procedures In fact, NGMC is one of only nine hospitals in the nation to rank irl in all four cardiac categories. These rankings exemplify how the physicians and staff at NGMC s Ronnie Green 1 lea ft Center provide exceptional cardiac earn, close to home. Ronnie Green HEART CENTER Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Inc. EX^CEriTONAL health care close re Home G-ninerwilie, G;i. | 770-5II '1840 | www.iiKFjk.ri>in For the fourth year in a row (20064)9), Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has ranked #1 in Georgia and in the top 5% in the nation for cardiac care, according to a comprehensive study released by I {ealthGcades® the nation’s leading independent healthcare ratings company, Specifically for 2009, NGMC is: