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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 16, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS. com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Ian Drake
throws
over to first
Friday dur
ing Madison
County’s
10-0 loss to
Loganville.
The setback
dropped
the Raiders
to 11-2 in
region play.
The team
was still tied
for first in
8-AAAAat
press time.
Ben Munro/
MainStreet
Newspapers
Baseball
Raiders look to recover from rout
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Loganville unloaded on
Madison County Friday before
the rain had a chance to.
The Red Devils beat the Red
Raiders 10-0 in five innings in
Loganville. ending the game just
before serious thunderstorms
drenched north Georgia.
Madison County (15-4. 11-2)
hasn’t returned to the field since.
The Raiders' Monday contest
with Monroe Area was canceled
8-AAAA Standings
Madison Co. 11-2
Heritage 11-2
Loganville 9-3
Winder-Barrow 9-4
Salem 8-5
Clarke Central 6-6
Rockdale Co. 6-7
Apalachee 5-8
Hab. Central 3-10
Cedar Shoals 1-11
Monroe Area 1-12
twice due to rain.
The two teams will play today
(Thursday) in Danielsville at 5:30
p.m. Madison County moves on
to face Habersham Central at
home Friday at 6:20 p.m.
At press time, Madison County
and Heritage were tied atop the
Region 8-AAAA standings.
The beating at the hands of
Loganville was a reverse of
the 12-2 stomping the Raiders
administered to the Red Devils on
March 17.
“It was kind of like, different
team, but the same thing that
happened when we played them
first" Griffeth said.
— See ‘Baseball’ on 2B
Ceremony
‘92 Raider
team to be
honored Fri.
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The 1992 Madison County baseball
team had just three seniors, a largely
unproven pitching staff and a litany of
early-season injuries.
Yet the Raiders nearly won it all
17 years ago in
LOOKING
BACK...
•Madison
County’s 1992
state runner-
up team will
be honored
Friday at 5:30
p.m. before
the Raider
baseball
game with
Habersham
Central.
Class AAA.
“They were just
out there playing
... There weren’t
any expecta
tions," said
Charlie Griffeth,
who’s coached
Madison County
for the past 22
seasons. “They
were just playing
and having fun.”
Those Raiders
ended up having plenty of fun, post
ing a 26-7 record and appearing
in the state finals that year against
Columbus.
The Madison County baseball pro
gram will honor that accomplishment
Friday at 5:30 p.m. before the Raiders’
matchup against Habersham Central.
Griffeth said Friday’s ceremony hon
oring the 1992 team would be similar
to last year’s recognition of the 1998
squad.
After a modest 13-10 campaign in
1991, Madison County could have
been easily decimated by injuries in
1992.
Starting catcher and offensive cata
lyst Joe Alewine went down in an
early season game, and third base-
man Chris Smith and shortstop Jason
Autry were both lost for the season.
But Alewine eventually returned.
Jason Pierce stepped up to fill the
void at third. And sophomore Kevin
Fowler wowed coaches as Autry's
replacement at shortstop, hr fact,
Griffeth said Fowler's performance
“was probably as good a shortstop
play that we’ve ever had since I've
been here."
While Raider pitching "was up in
the air,” in the preseason according
to Griffeth, the team soon found a
solid nucleus in Casey Bates, who
pitched as a freshman in 1991; Chris
Adams, who "stepped up and had a
great year," Ben Hemphill, who
turned out a “great year," as well;
and Joey Cheek, one of the team's
three seniors (Alewine and Clay
Strickland were the other two).
Though the 1992 Raiders had fun
playing the game, the group also
took it very seriously. Griffeth
— See‘1992’on2B
High school tennis
Ready for region
Audra Minish competes at no. 3 singles for the Lady Raiders in their Thursday victory over Winder-Barrow. The Madison
County girls’ tennis team has earned a no. 1 seed for the region tournament. Ben Munro/MainStreet Newspapers
•Coming Up: Region 8-AAAA Tennis Tournament: April 16-17 @ Madison Co. High School
Lady Raiders finish off
perfect subregion run
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County girls' tennis team hopes the region
tournament goes much like the regular season did.
The Lady Raiders (12-2, 10-0) finished with an unblem
ished mark in 8A-AAAA play, beating Habersham Central
4-1 Tuesday.
Madison County now carries a no. 1 seed into the region
tournament, which starts today at Madison County High
School.
“The girls wrapped up a great subregion going 10-0,”
coach Keith Strickland said.
Before beating Habersham Central, Madison County
routed both Winder-Barrow and Clarke Central.
Madison County proved more dominant in its rematch
with Winder-Barrow April 9 than in the initial meeting.
Winder-Barrow altered its lineup, but it mattered little as
the Lady Raiders coasted to a 5-0 win. The Lady Bulldoggs
moved their no. 2 singles player to bolster its no. 2 doubles
team, but Alexia Supakomdej and Kaitlyn Hale responded
with a 6-4, 7-5 win.
At no. 3 singles, Audra Minish won in straight sets (6-3,
6-2) to avenge a loss to Crystal Powell earlier this season.
— See ‘Girls’ tennis’ on 2B
Rejuvenated Raiders netter
cap regular season with big win
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County (9-5, 8-2) kept
itself in contention for a coveted
no. 1 seed in the region tournament,
toppling Habersham Central 3-2
Tuesday.
The Raiders finished 8-2 in the
subregion, but their positioning
in the region tournament wasn’t
determined at press time. Madison
County hosts the region tournament
which starts today (Thursday).
"The boys played a tough oppo
nent very well coming out on top
this time,” coach Keith Strickland
said of Tuesday’s win.
Strickland noted Marcus Bowen's
marathon three-set win at no. 1
singles (7-5, 6-7, 7-5), while both
doubles teams finished out three-
set matches with dominating per
formances in the final sets.
Prior to beating Habersham
Central, the Raiders lost a close
subregion battle to Winder-Barrow,
April 9, with the visiting Bulldoggs
taking the top two singles and no. 1
doubles matches to edge Madison
County.
Two of the three Raider loses
came in three-set affairs, including
a lively match at no. 1 doubles.
Strickland called that encounter
“the most dramatic match of the
day."
After dropping the first set 7-5,
the tandem of Jake Scarborough
and Chris Dove won a tie-breaker
to take the second set. However,
Scarborough suffered leg cramps
in the final set and the team could
not hold on.
Madison County picked up wins
from Blaise Boleman at no. 3 sin
gles and Connor Hancock and Josh
Dooley at no. 2 doubles.
Boleman won his match in three
— See ‘Tennis’ on 2B
Boggs, May
named Athletes
of Week
Madison County High
School golfer Cortney
Boggs and
pitcher
Jack May
have been
named
Athletes
of the
Week by
the school's
athletic
department.
Boggs
was hon
ored for
earning
team low
medalist
honors in two matches
last week. She shot 49
against Elbert County
April 6 and 45 against
Banks County and
Rabun County April 8.
May was recognized
for hurling a two-hit,
complete-game shut
out against Salem in
Madison County’s 10-0
win over the Seminoles
April 8. He struck out
five batters and walked
MAY
Boys’ Soccer
Valient
effort
falls short
Raiders lose on
penalty kicks
Despite one of its
most inspired perfor
mances of the season,
Madison County's bid
for a .500 season ended
with a heart-wrenching
loss to Winder-Barrow
Monday.
Madison County fell
to the Bulldoggs 2-1,
losing 5-4 on penalty
kicks to drop to 6-9
with just one game
remaining.
"It was a heartbreak
ing loss," coach Trevor
Mangan said. “The
team played extremely
hard and I could not
have been more proud
of their efforts. Both
the Winder coach and I
agreed it was a bad way
to settle such a great
game,”
— See ‘soccer’ on 2B
Senior Spencer Baird
throws the ball in
during recent action.
Ben Munro/MainStreet
Newspapers
Priscilla
Pruett
strikes the
ball dur
ing recent
Lady Raider
soccer
action. The
Madison
County girls’
soccer team
finished
its season
Monday
with a loss
to Winder-
Barrow, end
ing the year
at 3-11-2.
Ben Munro/
staff
Girls Soccer
Lady Raiders fall in finale
MCHS finishes
three-win season
With its offense unable to
convert scoring opportunities,
the Madison County girls'
soccer team lost to Winder-
Barrow 4-0 Monday, finishing
the season at 3-11-2.
“We had some very good
chances, but we could not capi
talize on any of them,” interim
coach Trent Wilkes said. “It’s a
tough loss for the final game of
the season, especially for our
seniors, but we have some tal
ented players returning and are
looking forward to next year.”
Wilkes took over for Susanna
Hawley during the final stretch
of the season. Hawley is on
maternity leave.
"I was very proud of the way
the girls played while I had the
opportunity to coach them,”
Wilkes said.
The seniors at least won their
final home game three days
earlier, beating winless Cedar
Shoals 3-1 in Danielsville
— See ‘girls soccer’ on 2B
Track
Raiders finish fifth at Jefferson
Madison County finished fifth out of 12
teams in the large school division at the
Jefferson Relays Saturday, though it could
have placed much higher.
Three disqualifications kept the Raider
track team from a top-three finish.
“The kids and I know we should have
done better ... Saturday is behind us as we
are focused on region coming up," Coach
Marty Tate said.
The Region 8-AAAA boys’ meet is April
22 and 24 at Monroe Area High School.
T.J. McGuire had the most prolific day for
the Raiders, finishing third in the high jump
and third in the 110-meter hurdles. He
— See ‘track’ on 2B
KendrickButlercompetesduring
Saturday’s meet at Jefferson.
Justin Poole/MainStreet Newspapers
