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The Madison County Journal
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Camps come to a close
The Madison County Recreation
Department summer day campers
are pictured.
2B
IB
Thursday, August 6, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS.com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Softball: station to station
Madison County High School softball players work out at dif
ferent hitting stations Monday as the team continued preseason
practice. The Raiders open the season Aug. 17. Ben Munro/staff
Softball
Raiders reunite
Alumni softball game ahead Sat.
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
Apparently, former Madison County High
School softball players take their reunions
seriously.
Coach Doug Kesler got
word that one former pupil
plans on driving all night from
Alabama in order to suit up
for Saturday's biennial Raider
alumni game.
Meanwhile, one of Kesler's
daughters will miss a wedding
to take part in the event.
— See ‘Softball’ on page 2B
COMING
UP
■ Madison
Co. alumni
softball
game, Sat.,
4 p.m.
Members of the 2001 Madison County
softball team celebrate. Zach Miteham/staff
Picture Day
Fall picture
day ahead
this weekend
Madison County
High School will
hold is fall picture day
Saturday, starting at
7:30 a.m. at the foot
ball field.
The schedule is as
follows:
•7:30-8 a.m. — set
up.
•8-8:20 a.m. — soft-
ball.
•8:20-9:40 a.m. —
football.
•9:40-10 a.m. —
cheerleading.
•10-10:15 a.m. —
all-sports senior pic
ture.
•10:15-10:30 a.m.
— cross country.
•10:30-11:30 a.m.
— band.
•11:30 a.m. - 12:15
p.m. — volleyball.
In the event of rain,
all photo sessions will
move to the MCHS
gym.
WESTBROOK
Local Pro Athletes
Former Raider
makes another
rehab start
Former Madison
County High School
baseball standout
Jake Westbrook
made his third rehab
start as the Cleveland
Indian pitcher tries to
return from Tommy
John surgery.
Westbrook pitched
two innings Tuesday
for the AA Akron
Aeros, allowing four
hits and two runs
(both earned) as he
took the loss against
the Connecticut
Defenders.
He walked none
and struck out two.
Westbrook threw
two rehab assign
ments for Akron
back in June, pitch
ing three scoreless
innings June 6
and four scoreless
innings June 12.
The 1996 MCHS
graduate underwent
elbow reconstruction
in June 2008.
Prep football
Getting started
Raider running back Kendrick Butler works out with the first-team offense
Monday during the first day of preseason football practice. Ben Munro/staff
Madison County
assistant coach
Chris Smith
(left) stands next
to Jeremiah
NeSmith and
calls out instruc
tions Monday
afternoon as the
Raider football
team hit the
practice field.
Madison County,
coming off a
2-8 campaign,
opens the sea
son Aug. 28 at
home against
Rockdale
County.
Ben Munro/staff
Raiders start
practice after
‘excellent’ camp
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
T he Madison
County football
team hopes
preseason practice goes as
swimmingly as a recent
out-of-town trip did.
The Raiders, who
started practice Monday,
enjoyed a successful stint
at West Georgia camp
last week, with sixth-year
coach Randell Owens
calling the trip “excellent."
For what it's worth, the
Raiders went 9-1 in seven-
on-seven, non-tackling,
passing scrimmages at
West Georgia. The vic
tories included one over
state power Buford, which
hasn’t lost a real football
game since 2006.
Owens said Madison
County beat the Class AA
champs “by a few scores.”
“We handled them fairly
well, and you could tell
they didn’t appreciate it,"
Owens said. “You could
tell they had an attitude
like this ain’t supposed to
be happening.”
For the second week in
a row, the coach praised
the improved chemistry
of this year’s team and
how it seemed to build at
camp.
“We didn’t have to do
any counseling or any
thing," Owens said of the
trip.
All those good vibes
seemed to transfer to the
first day of preseason
practice Monday when
Madison County took to
the field in helmets and
shorts.
“Overall, the kids were
excited to be out there,"
Owens said.
Madison County, which
— See ‘Football’ on 2B
COMING UP
■ Madison Co. vs.
Rockdale Co., Aug. 28,
Danielsville, 7:30 p.m.
Comer’s Jimmy Little won in the Stock Four Cylinder
class Saturday at Hartwell. Little is pictured with
his wife, Christy. Submitted photo/Heather Rhoades
Racing
No ‘little’ feat: Comer driver wins at Hartwell
Comer’s Jimmy Little extended
his point lead Saturday with a win
in the Stock Four Cylinder race at
Hartwell Speedway.
The race featured 19 drivers.
Another Comer racer, Chuck
Finch, finished third in the
Modified Street class, running sec
ond for most of the race, Colbert’s
Cody Segars was second in the
Young Guns division.
Other Madison County driv
ers enjoying top-10 finishes were
Colbert's Robin Collins (fourth.
Limited Late Model), Comer’s
Ricky Chamberlain (fourth. Stock
V-8), Comer’s Bubba Russell
(fifth, Limited Late Model) and
Colbert’s Kenny Collins (seventh.
Crate Late Model).
The competition will stay at
Hartwell Speedway this Saturday,
where Enduro class drivers will
compete for a $500 payday.
C*S.
iL
Ben Munro
From the
sports desk
Remembering
some tough
Raider losses
Either I or Journal editor Zach
Mitcham has covered every Madison
County High School football game
since 1998.
That’s 112 nights of football. And
in that span, we’ve seen it all from
the Raiders.
In a November 2007 column I
recounted some of Madison County’s
top wins. Now — with football sea
son at our doorstep — I drought I’d
recall those heart-wrenching losses
since they’re very much a part of
football, too.
Here they are.
Enjoy — well
actually, don’t.
10. Habersham
Central 7,
Madison
Co. 0 (1999):
Madison County
drove inside
the Habersham
Central 10 in the
closing seconds
in Mt. Airy, but
the Raiders from
Danielsville were
thwarted by an interception near
the goal line. This time Habersham
picked it clean, with no contro
versy (see no. 2 on the list), to dash
Madison County’s hopes.
9. Commerce 22, Madison Co.
16 (1999): Madison County scored
late and recovered an onside kick
to position it for the upset. But the
Tigers (ranked no. 1 in Class A),
turned back the driving Raiders with
a fourth-down conversion stop for yet
another win in the series.
8. Franklin Co. 7, Madison Co.
6 (2002): Tlie Raiders turned the ball
over five times that night, including
an interception on their last drive, in
an excruciating one-point loss.
7. Salem 28, Madison Co. 24
(2005): Madison County recovered
a fumble on its own two-yard line
with 3:11 left and valiantly drove
for a potential game-winning score.
But a Jan'od Owens to pass the end
zone with 3.8 seconds left was batted
away, denying a miraculous win.
6. Loganviile 13, Madison Co. 10
(2008): This game could infamously
be dubbed, “The Drive.” Madison
County led 10-6 with just 1:59 left,
but Loganviile executed a perfect
85-yard drive to crush Madison
County’s upset hopes. To their credit,
the Raiders rushed down the field
in the waning seconds, but missed a
38-yard field goal as time expired.
5. Heritage 28, Madison Co. 22
(2005): Madison County led 22-20
before Heritage's Bo Harris scored
from a yard out with just 15 seconds
left. The loss, marred by six Raider
turnovers, denied Madison County a
4-0 start in 2005.
4. Commerce 31, Madison
Co. 22 (1998): Following a win
less campaign in 1997, tire Raiders
nearly upended a Monte Williams-led
Commerce team in the 1998 opener.
Madison County led 22-18 with less
than seven minutes remaining, but
Williams (tire state’s all-time leading
rusher) broke loose for a 77-yard
kickoff return that turned the tide.
3. Commerce 29, Madison Co. 28
(2002): Plenty of drama in this one.
The Raiders led 28-21 very late, but
Commerce produced a 65-yard drive
in the last 2:47 to stun the Raiders.
2. Habersham 14, Madison
Co. 8 (1998): The "simultane
ous catch” game on Homecoming
night. Looking to snap the school's
14-game losing streak, Madison
County drove to the five-yard line in
the closing moments. Quarterback
Steve Sanders threw to the end zone
where his pass was caught by both
a Madison County receiver and
Habersham Central defensive back. A
simultaneous catch is supposed to be
awarded to the offensive player, but
the play was ruled an interception and
Madison County’s woes continued.
1. Rome 31, Madison Co. 28
(2005): Rome was burning for most
of the night in Madison County’s
first playoff appearance in 22 years
as the underdog Raiders held leads
of 14-0 and 21-10 over the no. 1 seed
Wolves. Madison County even led
28-24 late before falling to Rome.
So Madison County's finest hour in
the last two decades was also its most
gut-wrenching.
Ben Munro is a reporter for The
Madison County Journal.