About The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2023)
PAGE 12A BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 Football: Senior Leopards honored at Fellowship game Senior Aaron Scott wards off defenders while he tries to run the ball down the field. By HANNAH CAUDELL The Banks County Leop ards football team lost to the Fellowship Christian Pala dins on Friday with a final score of 21-10. The seniors from the foot ball team, the cheer squad, and the band were also rec ognized for their dedication to their teams during their high school careers. The Leopards have fin ished their home game schedule and will be play ing against the Providence Christian Storm in Lilbum on Friday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m. This will be the last re gion game of the season. SENIOR NIGHT Last Friday, the night started off with a procession of senior Leopards from the football team, the cheer squad, and the band walk ing across the track amidst a crowd of cheering support ers. Banks County celebrat ed Senior Night on Friday, honoring the hard work and dedication of the seniors that have built up these pro grams and their peers. Amongst those recog nized from the football team include Emily May- nor, Hunter Bonds, Cohn Caudell, Zack Dickey, Ma son Dodd, Jonathon Faulk ner, Bret Griffin, Andrew Humphries, Bhrett Kamins ki, Iram Lopez, Jordan My ers, Webb Samples, Aaron Scott, John Shubert, Robert Walker, Bray Williams, and General Williams. For the cheerleaders, Car- lie Butler, Kylie Caudell, Dayla Daniels, Aleah Guynn, Alyssa Maxwell, and Katelyn Wilburn were recognized for their work on the Lady Leopards Cheer squad. For the Marching Leop ard Band, Carrigan Dills, Kendall Dove, Taylor Jor dan, Kylie Tench, Emma Williams, Alex Anderson, Marlow Barker, Randall Barton, Hunter Boy ter, Joesph Ferguson, Shelby McIntyre, Daniel Rowley, Atticus Spencer, and Sekani Tory were honored during the night’s procession for their dedication to the band and to their craft as musi cians, dancers, and color guard members. GAME TIME The game began soon af ter, with the Leopard seniors of the football team acting as the team’s leadership for the night. In the first half, the Leop ards were able to score a touchdown thanks to Senior kicker Iram Lopez, who scored a field goal during the second quarter, giving the Leopards a lead of 3-0. On offense, Seniors Aar on Scott and Zack Dickey, Aucy Jacobs, Lane Morris, and Caden Watson also car ried and downed the ball for the Leopards. On defense, Seniors Rob ert Walker, Bray Williams, and Webb Samples built the defensive wall alongside Cam Cooper, Lane Morris, Judd Shoemaker, Caden Watson, Levi Johnson, Kaz Oliver, and Jacobs, all of which were credited with tackles for the game. At the tail end of the first half, the Paladins were able to score a touchdown and a point-after-touchdown to gain a four-point lead on the Leopards with 7-3. At the beginning of the second half, the Paladins were able to score once again with a touchdown and PAT, bringing the score to 14-3. However, the Leopards weren’t ready to give up the lead yet, though the odds were against them. Their hard work on the field paid off when Jacobs was able to make a touch down at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and with a successful PAT by Lopez, the score was 14-10 in favor of the Paladins. Many other offensive plays were made during the second half, with multi ple carry efforts from Scott and Dickey, who was able to bring the Leopards back from a fourth down in the first quarter. Caden Watson and Coo per also made impressive plays during the game. Ca den Watson was able to in tercept the ball in the third quarter, leading to Jacobs’ touchdown later in the fourth. Cooper, who usually par ticipates on the defensive side, also carried for the Leopards during the game. However, the Paladins were able to make a touch down two minutes later, and with a successful PAT on their end, the Paladins end ed up winning with a score of 21-10. But Leopards’ Head Coach Jay Reid had some thing different to say about the scoreboard, especially in relation to his seniors. “This is a special group of young men,” Coach Reid said. “Their work ethic and dedication is enough to override any scoreboard in my opinion. They are win ning on the scoreboard of life, and that’s what mat ters.” Reid also spoke on how the team has impacted his time at Banks County and how their contribution to the football program has mor phed it into what it is today. Photos by Hannah Caudell “I’ve known a lot of these guys for six years,” Reid continued. “They’ve seen struggle and they fought through, staying committed in the face of adversity over and over again. It hasn’t been easy on any of us, and you hurt because they are going to move on to another phase in their life.” He added, “They’ve defi nitely left their mark on this program. Our motto is Family, Trust, Chop, and man, they did that tonight by playing for each other. In my opinion, they won tonight and they’re winning every day, and I’m blessed that I’ve gotten the oppor tunity to coach them and to watch them grow.” The Leopards sprint through the banner with the seniors leading the pack and flags raised, ready to take to the field and play Fellowship Christian. Senior Atticus Spencer strikes a pose while being recognized during Senior Night. Softball: Lady Leopards finish third place in Class 2A By HANNAH CAUDELL The Lady Leopards softball team traveled to Columbus this week to face off against the other teams in Class 2A in the Georgia High School Association Fastpitch Softball Championship. While there, they beat Toombs County and Vidalia, but fell to Appling and Jeff Davis in the final two games. The team finishes third in the state in Class 2A. Against the Toombs County Bulldogs, the Lady Leop ards played a close game with a 4-2 win, advancing in the bracket against the Vidalia Indians. Against the Indians, the Lady Leopards finished with a cool 8-0, propelling them into the Final Four bracket. “The most memorable game we played had to be against Vidalia,” Coach Rhett Carroll said after the tournament. “They’re a really good team with really good athletes. Beating them pushed us to the Final Four, which was such an incredible moment for the whole team. Things began to heat up later in the week when the Lady Leopards faced off against the Appling County Pirates. The Pirates were able to slightly overwhelm the Lady Leopards and gain the win with 2 -1. The Lady Leopards, however, weren’t down for the count yet as they were still in the bracket and scheduled to face off against the Jeff Davis Yellowjackets. “The most difficult team we faced this year was Jeff Davis,” Coach Carroll continued. “The team was loaded top to bottom offensively, and had a lot of arms they could throw at you.” In the end, the Yellowjackets won against the Lady Leopards with a final score of 11-5. The Lady Leopards finished the tournament in third place. Coach Carroll reflected on the tournament and his time with the team afterwards. “I’ll remember the fight this team had, and the fun they had,” he said. “We worked hard, but they made every day at the ball field fun. I really love this team. 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