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The Madison County Journal
INSIDE THIS WEEK
IB
MCYA signups ahead
MCYA football and cheerleading registra
tion dates and times have been __p__
announced KO Si
Thursday, April 9, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS. com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Tennis
Raider boys notch sixth win in seven matches
The Madison County boys' ten
nis team continued its comeback
story Tuesday, beating Apalachee
4-1.
Following a pair of rebuilding
seasons, the resurgent Raiders are
now 7-4 overall, 6-1 in subregion
play and winners of six of their last
seven matches.
“As the season progresses, I’m
really excited about how the boys’
team is shaping up,” coach Keith
Strickland said. “We still have a
way to go to get the seed we want
in the tournament - but the guys
are playing with a new sense of
pride and with a belief in them-
BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
•Following two losing sea
sons, the Raider tennis team
is now 7-4 overall and 6-1 in
subregion play.
selves.”
In beating Apalachee Tuesday,
Madison County won three of its
four matches in straight sets.
Jeffrey Branson dominated his
first set at no. 2 singles in winning
that match in two sets, and Blaise
Boleman "came out on fire,”
according to Strickland, at no. 3
singles, losing only two games in
that victory.
Meanwhile, Jake Scarborough
and Chris Dove won easily at no. 1
doubles, and Connor Hancock and
Josh Dooley pulled out a three-set
win at no. 2 doubles.
“Connor and Josh probably
played the best match of the day,”
Strickland said. “We had already
won the match but really needed
the extra win to help us attain our
seeding goal.”
Strickland noted that the two
“played some of their best tennis
of the season” in the deciding set,
winning 6-1.
— See ‘Tennis’ on 2B
Marcus Bowen chases a shot during recent action.
The Raider tennis team is now 6-1 in the region. Ben
Munro/staff
High school baseball
A bump in the road
Madison County squauders
big lead in first region loss
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
M adison County’s Monday night game
had a familiar start, but an uncharacter
istic end.
The Raiders watched a 7-1 lead evaporate — as
well as their perfect region record — in an 11-7 loss
to Heritage Monday in Conyers.
The defending region champions struck for 10
unanswered mns over the course of the fifth and sixth
innings to snap the Raiders’ 12-game winning streak.
It was Madison County’s first loss since March 7 at
Brookwood.
Raider coach Charlie Grifleth, whose team has won
its share of lopsided games in region play this spring,
said the loss is a reminder that “you’ve still got to get
21 outs.”
"I think we’ll be better off for it in the long ran ... I
think they will respond and it will be a good lesson,"
Grifleth said. "At the same time, you have to give
Heritage credit. They did what they had to do, too.”
Still, not all was lost.
At 10-1 in region play, Madison County still held
a one-game advantage over the Patriots (9-2) in the
8-AAAA title race at press time Wednesday morning.
So, the Raiders are still in good position for the sec
ond half of the region schedule.
"If someone said you’d be 10-1 at this point six
months ago, I would have probably told them they
were crazy,” Grifleth said.
The Raiders appeared to be on their way to region
win no. 11 Monday.
Madison County led 7-1 heading into the bottom
of the fifth behind a three-run homer from Matt Dean
and a solo shot from Matt Kennison. Bracken Turner
also delivered a big bit by doubling off the top of the
wall.
Ethan Seagraves started and worked four strong
innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. Reliever
Dustin Roberts got Madison County out of that
inning, but Heritage narrowed the Raider lead to 7-5.
The Patriots then overtook Madison County in the
sixth with six more mns.
Though the loss was disappointing, Grifleth took his
team's first region setback in stride.
"We won some that we probably shouldn’t have this
year," Grifleth said. "It kind of evens out a little bit."
Madison County entered the Heritage game with a
10-0 region record after an 11-1 rout of Cedar Shoals
Saturday.
— See ‘Baseball’ on 2B
Region 8-AAAA Baseball Standings
Madison Co.
10-1
—
Heritage
9-2
1
Winder-Barrow
8-3
2
Logan ville
7-3
2.5
Salem
7-4
3
Clarke Central
5-6
5
Rockdale Co.
5-6
5
Apalachee
4-7
6
Hab. Central
3-7
6.5
Monroe Area
1-10
9
Cedar Shoals
0-10
9.5
Bo Dalton is congratulated after homering in Madison County’s victory over Winder-Barrow
Friday. The Raiders beat Cedar Shoals Saturday, but lost to Heritage Monday. Zach Mitcham/staff
Kaitlyn Hale
serves during
recent Madison
County girls’
tennis action.
The Lady
Raiders are
9-2 on the sea
son and 7-0 in
subregion play
as they strive
for a no. 1 seed
in the region
tournament.
The 8-AAAA
tournament
is April 16-17
at Madison
County High
School.
Ben Munro/staff
Girls’ Tennis
Lady Raiders breezing through schedule
MGHS moves to 7-0
in subregion play
The Madison County Lady
Raider netters continue to steam-
roll the rest of the subregion.
The girls’ team (9-2) trounced
Apalachee 5-0 Tuesday, los
ing just four games the entire
afternoon to move to 7-0 in the
8A-AAAA standings.
“Again, the weather and wind
was very tough to play in, but
the girls were focused and used
the conditions to their advan
tage,” coach Keith Strickland
said. “Molly (Smith), Jeannie
(Bowen) and Sarah Powers and
Sam LaZear played some excel
lent tennis, winning 6-0.6-0 at all
positions.”
The Lady Raiders won by the
same score a day earlier, shutting
out Cedar Shoals.
Madison County won all but
one position in straight sets as
it started the second half of the
subregion schedule.
SCORES
MCHS 5, Apalachee 0 (April 7)
•No. 1 S Smith W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 S Bowen W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 3 S Minish W, 6-0, 6-1
•No. 1 D Powers/LaZear W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 D Supakomdej/Hale W, 6-1,
6-2
MCHS 5, Cedar Shoals 0 (April
6)
•No. 1 S Smith, W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 S Bowen, W, 6-1, 6-0
•No. 3 S Minish W, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
•No. 1 D Powers/LaZear W, 6-0, 6-0
•No. 2 D Supakomdej/Hale W, 6-0,
6-0
Sports Notes
MGHS
third baseman
named Athlete
of the Week
Madison County High
School third baseman
Seth
Fleming
has been
named
Athlete of
the Week
by the
school’s
athletic
department after putting
up some hefty numbers at
the plate recently.
Fleming went 8-for-
15 (.667 batting aver
age) during a four-game
stretch, hitting two hom
ers, driving in four runs,
scoring seven times and
drawing three walks.
Phillips competes
in national
tourney in Va.
Madison County High
School sophomore Cody
Phillips
went 0-2
in the
prestigious
Sophomore
Nationals
in Virginia
Beach, Va.
last week. PHILLIPS
Phillips lost to Zach
Isenhour from Team
Virginia in the first round,
15-6, despite having
Isenhour on his back at one
point.
He then lost to Johnny
Pellegrino from Team New
York 7-1 in the first conso
lation round.
Team Georgia finished
20th in the national event.
FLEMING
Rifle Team
Raider
sharpshooters
finish ninth
The Madison County
High School rifle team
managed a top-10 fin
ish, placing ninth at the
state championships at
Ft. Benning.
Adapting to the chal
lenge of
TOP
SHOOTERS
•Wade
Threlkeld
284
•Nathan
Coker 283
•J.S.
Fielding 279
•Casey
Brown 275
shooting
at elec-
t r o n i c
targets
(the team
shoots at
paper
targets
during
the regu
lar sea
son), the Raiders fired
1,121, finishing 35 points
behind state champion
Union Grove.
Madison County’s
2001 championship team
still holds the state record
with a 1,160.
Wade Threlkeld led
Madison County with a
284, followed by Nathan
Coker (283), J.S. Fielding
(279) and Casey Brown
(275).
Rifle team mem
bers who made the trip
to state were Dalton
Crumley, Ryan Bridges,
Jacob Holliman, Garrett
Cook, Threlkeld, J.S.
Fielding, Hanna Moon,
Tiffany Brown, Coker
and Brown.
Jeff Brantley and Doug
Butts coached the team.
STATE TOP 10
1. Union Grove 1,156
2. Henry Co. 1,146
3. Chattahoochee Co. 1,143
4. Northside 1,140
5. East Coweta 1,139
6. Colquitt Co. 1,136
7. Upson-Lee (1,134)
8. Woodward Acad. 1,126
9. Madison Co. 1,121
10. Parkview 1,119