Newspaper Page Text
The Madison County Journal
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Sporting clays tourney is Fri.
The Madison County Chamber of
Commerce’s sporting clays tourna
ment is Friday at Brush Creek.
2B
IB
Thursday, August 20, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS.com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Volleyball
New coach has high hopes for volley Raiders
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
New Madison County High School volleyball
coach Kristin Delay doesn’t waste words when
asked if her team has any specific goals for 2009.
“Of course!,’’ Delay said via email. "We want to
be in the hunt for the region title this year.”
After serving a two-year stint as Madison
County's junior varsity coach. Delay brings plenty
of optimism and on-court experience into her new
job.
She played six seasons of volleyball between the
middle school and high school ranks in LaFayette.
NEW COACH
Name: Kristen Delay
Job: New volleyball coach
Experience: Two years as
junior varsity head coach at
MCHS
Playing experience: Played
four years at LaFayette High
School, lettering for two years
Delay, a varsity setter for two years, was part
of a LaFayette High School team that won its
region in 2001 and finished fourth in Class
AAAA. She also played four seasons of
— See Volleyball on page 2B
Madison County High School volleyball senior Emily
Burroughs gets set to serve during practice. Ben Munro/staff
Preseason Scrimmage
Franklin Co. @ Madison Co., Friday, Scrimmage, 7:30 p.m.
Raider receiver Presly McKeever (left) holds the ball tenuously as he tries to juke linebacker Donavan Carey Monday. The team
scrimmages Franklin County Friday and opens the season next Friday against Rockdale County. Ben Munro/staff
Playing it close to the vest
Raiders won’t divulge
much in scrimmage
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
t’s the game of prep football intelli
gence and counterintelligence.
Madison County coaches will scru
pulously study film from Rockdale County’s
Friday night scrimmage to gather informa
tion on their week one opponent. Meanwhile,
Rockdale, no doubt, will have its eyes on
Madison County's Friday exhibition with
LOOKING AHEAD
■ Madison Co. vs. Rockdale Co., Aug. 28,
Danielsville, 7:30 p.m.
Franklin County looking for a competitive
advantage.
So how much free advertising will Madison
County offer in its dress rehearsal?
“That’s always an interesting debate ...
How much do you want to give them?” Raider
coach Randell Owens said.
In the end, not much.
Madison County will script a few plays for
the 7:30 p.m. scrimmage, but will work with
“less than half the menu” of a regular season
playbook, Owens said.
“You keep it kind of vanilla,” he said.
Madison County starters will only appear in
half of the game, too.
Owens plans to pull his first-stringers after
the first two quarters, inserting his second
string in the third quarter. The junior varsity
squad will take over in the fourth.
Limited playbooks and playing time aside,
the Raider players view lining up against
someone else — even if it doesn’t count — as
a welcome change from weeks of preseason
— See Football on page 2B
Former Raiders
Jeffers nabs first
professional save,
Westbrook likely
done for year
Former Raider Ben Jeffers, a 2005
Madison County High School grad
uate, picked up his first professional
save Aug. 12.
Jeffers, a reliever for Milwaukee
Brewer Rookie League affiliate
Helena (Mont.), pitched a third of
an inning to close out Helena’s 3-2
win over Ogden
(Utah).
This is Jeffers’
second season in
the minors.
Elsewhere,
in independent
league baseball
(whose teams
aren’t affiliated with Major League
franchises), Travis Calloway, a 2004
MCHS alum, is hitting .237 with
one homer and four RBIs for the San
Angelo Colts.
In the Major Leagues, Madison
County High School alum and
Cleveland Indian pitcher Jake
Westbrook suffered another setback
in his recovery from Tommy John
surgery, likely ending hopes he’ll
return to a Major League mound this
year, according to MLB.com.
Westbrook, who last pitched for
Cleveland in May 2008, has devel
oped scar tissue in his elbow and
flexor tendonitis, sidelining him for
six more weeks. Westbrook, howev
er, does not have any structural dam
age in the elbow, the site reports.
JEFFERS
Middle School Softball
MGMS blanks
Jefferson 4-0
Die Madison County Middle
School softball team (4-1) recorded
its second shutout of the season,
beating Jefferson 4-0 Tuesday to start
its 10-game region schedule.
“Steady defensive play and clutch
two-out hitting were tire keys to the
game,” MCMS coach Phillip Archer
said.
Madison County,
which plays a
12-game regular
season sched
ule, hosts Prince
Avenue today
(Thursday) at ARCHER
4:30 p.m. It then
moves on to an Aug. 25 rematch at
Jefferson.
All home games are played at the
new middle school field on Hwy.
172.
Madison County hosts the region
tournament Sept. 25-26.
This year's team comprises Casie
Wade (outfield). Mallory Rogers
(first base), Haley Gordon (pitcher,
second base), Alexis Damron (pitch
er, infield), Ansley Damron (outfield),
Jorden Williams (outfield), Kayla
Argo (pitcher, first base, outfield),
Megan Boswell (outfield), Brianne
Carr (shortstop), Kristen Moran
(third base), Ivie Drake (catcher),
Cheyenne Pridgen (pitcher, first
base), D.J. Rucker (second, outfield),
Brittany Smith (outfield, catcher) and
Candice Hammond (outfield).
Todd Powell is MCMS's assistant
coach.
Local Racing
Comer’s ‘Hog Rocket’
edged in race of the season
The race of the season at Hartwell
Speedway came down to the photo
finish between Brandon Haley and
Comer’s Bubba Russell's over the
weekend.
Officials had to refer to not one, but
two different references to determine
Haley as the winner in the Limited
Late Model class.
“Hog Rocket” Russell and
“Combread” Haley both started on
the front row after qualifying. At the
drop of the green flag, Russell moved
into the lead, but nailed to his bumper
was the no. 51 car of Haley.
Lap after lap, Haley stuck his nose
under the no. 32 of Russell trying, to
The Limited Late Model race
came down to a photo finish at
Hartwell Speedway. Submitted photo
power his way around with no suc
cess. On several occasions Haley and
Russell were nose-to-nose as they
came off turn four, but Russell would
always manage to pull ahead down
the straightaways. This little cat-
— See Racing on page 2B
Softball
Raiders two for two
Haley Peeples (left) congratulates Abby
Atkinson (right) after a big defensive
play Tuesday. Ben Munro/staff
MCHS moves to 2-0
with win over LoganviUe
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Dre Madison County High School
softball team took down the defending
region champions Tuesday to move
to 2-0.
Madison County built a 4-0 lead and
held off Loganville late for a gripping
4-3 victory at home.
Raider coach Doug Kesler said Ms
team took advantage of opportunities
at the plate and on the base paths in
scoring a huge early-season win.
“I’m proud of the girls,” he said. “I
felt like we put a little pressure on them
COMING UP
■ Leadoff Classic at Madison
Co. Rec Dept, today (Thurs.)
through Saturday.
with our speed. I felt like we had some
big Mts and some timely Mts.”
Loganville hadn't lost a region game
since 2007.
Madison County scored once in the
first inning and three more times in the
second off MgMy touted Red Devil
pitcher Katy Lewis after struggling
against tire Loganville ace last year.
“I thought we did a better job of put
ting the ball in play and being selective
at the plate,” Kesler said.
Meanwhile, Raider starter Erin
Gibson (2-0) earned a complete game
— See softball on Page 2B