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The Madison County Journal
INSIDE THTS WEEK
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Brandi Osborne breaks toward home plate last Thursday
in the Raiders’ 22-0 victory over Clarke Central. Madison
County plays in the Shaw Invitational this weekend. Ben
Munro/staff
Softball
Softball Raiders hit
the road this weekend
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County is headed to
Columbus for what it hopes is
the first of two trips to that city
this year.
Columbus, of course, is the
site of the state quarterfinals.
But this
weekend
the Raiders
(11-1) are
making their
annual trek
to the Shaw
Invitational,
which fea
tures some
of the best
COMING UP
■ Shaw Inv.,
Columbus,
Fri.-Sat.; @
Hab. Central,
Tues., 6:30
p.m.
talent in the state.
The Shaw tournament has
been a staple of the Raiders’
September softball schedule
for the past 12 years.
“We’re looking forward to it
this year,’’ coach Doug Kesler
said. “Hopefully, we’ll play
well in our pool play and see
some good teams Saturday.”
Madison County played
Wednesday night against an
improved Winder-Barrow team,
but results weren't available at
press time. Madison County
went into the Winder-Barrow
game coming off a 22-0 win
over lowly Clarke Central last
Thursday in just three innings.
The Raiders scored 11 times in
the first inning and 11 more in
the second. Sarah Smith threw
a run-rule shortened no-hitter,
working three innings, striking
out nine and allowing just one
baseruner on a hit-by-pitch.
As for this weekend, the
Raiders face Hardaway and
Jordan in pool play Friday.
Who Madison County plays
Saturday depends on those pool
play games, but chances are
the Raiders will face someone
good on day two. Lakeview-Ft.
Oglethorpe, Cherokee County,
Columbus, Lowndes County
are some of the headliners of
the tournament.
“We'll see good pitching
that Saturday, so that’s good,”
Kesler said.
Madison County, however,
won't overwork its own pitch
ers trying to win the tourna
ment. Kesler points out that
Madison County faces two big
subregion tests, Habersham
Central (Sept. 15) and
Apalachee (Sept. 17), when it
returns from Columbus.
RECENT ACTION
MCHS 22, Clarke Central 0
CCHS 000 - 0
MCHS (11) (ID —22
Offense: Whieldon 2-3, 4 RBI;
Bolin 1-2, 2RBI
Pitching: Smith 3IP, 9K, 1HB
Set to serve
Stephanie Soto-Gonzalez gets set to serve the ball dur
ing recent action. Ben Munro/staff
Volleyball
Volley Raider coach praises
effort in loss last Thursday
Madison County fell twice last
Thursday when it played Morgan
County and Cedar Shoals, but
coach Kristen Delay hopes her
team can build on something she
saw late in a 2-1 loss to the Lady
Bulldogs.
“We finally found our team
intensity against Morgan County,’ ’
she said. “Everything was work
ing — passing, setting, hitting,
defense. It was amazing.”
Although her team lost, Delay
said her team “never played
harder.”
The team hopes that inspired
effort carries over today’s
(Thursday’s) matches. Madison
County hosts Heritage and Hart
County, starting at 5 p.m.
Pickers back for week 2
Check out picks for the second week
of The Madison County Journal
Pigskin Picker
2B
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS.com
Former Raiders
Allen leads Liberty in
loss to West Virginia
Madison County's Aldreakis Allen
was Liberty University's
leading rusher Saturday in
his first collegiate football
game as the Flames lost to
West Virginia 33-20.
Allen, who starred for the
Raider football team from
2005 to 2008, carried the
ball 10 times for 36 yards.
He also caught three passes
for nine yards.
ALLEN
Glance” on the school's website. To
see the interview, go to www.
libertyflames.com. Then
select “multimedia” from the
menu bar. Allen's interview,
posted Sept. 3, is entitled
"A Gridiron Glance at Allen
and Hayes.” Teammate BJ.
Hayes is also featured in the
segment.
Liberty, which plays in
the Big South Conference in
Division I-AA, is coming off of a
Allen was recently featured in
Liberty University’s "Gridiron 10-2 campaign in 2008.
Middle School Softball
MCMS softballers now 7-1
The Madison County
Middle School team recov
ered from an outbreak of the
flu last week to win
two games and up its
record to 7-1 and 3-0
in the region.
After missing 11
of 15 players due to
illness — forcing the
cancellationofagame
against Jefferson —
Madison County
beat Hart County 5-3
(Sept. 3) and Elbert County
(Sept. 4) 10-3 to move six
games above .500.
In the win over Hart
County, Madison County
overcame a sluggish start to
earn the win.
“We were able to
put runners on and
capitalize with time
ly hitting, and we
made the defensive
plays when we had
to late in the game to
hold on to the lead,”
coach Phillip Archer
said.
Madison County
then beat Elbert County
behind 13 hits, with every
starter contributed at least
one hit.
JJI .1
■5 r
ARCHER
Prep Football Week 3
Madison Co. @ Monroe Area, Fri., 7:30 p.m.
Reinvigorated
Stan Maxwell gets to the outside on a carry last week in Madison County’s 35-29 victory over Winder-Barrow. The
Raiders take on Monroe Area this Friday. Ben Munro/staff
How do Raiders respond after wild win?
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
T here’s a bit of a bug going
around the Madison County
football team right now.
But last week’s feel-good victory over
Winder-Barrow is doing wonders to treat
those symptoms of illness.
The Raiders (1-1), who play Monroe
Area Friday, won their first game of the
year by overcoming sickness, injuries and
a one-point deficit on the scoreboard late
to beat Winder-Barrow 35-29.
“It’s probably one of the proudest
moments of my career because all of
the adversity we had to overcome,”
said Raider coach Randell Owens, who
himself was feeling under the weather
Monday.
Trailing 29-28 with just over a minute
left, Presly McKeever intercepted a pass,
setting up Jacob Owens’ game-winning
score from one-yard out.
FRIDAY’S OPPONENT
■ Team: Monroe Area
■ Coach: Matt Fligg (fourth year at
Monroe Area, 5-27; 17th year overall,
65-102
■ Last week: Clarke Central 21,
Monroe Area 7; Madison Co. 35,
Winder-Barrow 29
■ Last year: Madison Co. 34, Monroe
Area 0
Coach Owens praised his players
efforts in the face of such odds.
“We had guys who gave all they had,”
he said.
It was Madison County’s first win in
nearly a calendar year — last season
ended with seven straight losses and the
Raiders dropped the 2009 opener — but
losing streaks are something coach
Owens will let those outside the program
worry about.
“It’s always exciting to win a game; I
don't really sit around and think about
that part of it,” Owens said of snapping
the losing skid. ‘This isn't last year’s
team. We didn’t win it with last year's
team ... Every season is a unique deal.”
Madison County returned to the prac
tice field Monday for its traditional 8 a.m.
workout on Labor Day to prepare for
Monroe Area. Several on the team had to
practice through illness.
"We've got a lot of people under the
weather, like me,” Owens said. “But we
don't have time to lay around."
Monroe Area is an option-oriented
team in its fourth year under Matt Fligg.
Owens is preparing for Fligg’s team with
caution.
He said it’s hard to know what Fligg, a
17-year head coaching veteran, will pull
outofhisplaybook.
“There’s no telling what he’ll do this
week... He's about as unpredictable as
anybody I know,” Owens said.
Monroe Area went 0-10 last year and
— See Football on page 2B
•INSIDE: Late INT, touchdown propels MCHS in victoiy over Winder-Barrow, PAGE 2B
Junior Varsity, Freshmen Football
Subvarsity teams swept at N. Oconee
The Madison County freshman and
junior varsity teams both lost last Thursday
at North Oconee, but in opposite fashion.
The junior varsity lost a 13-12 heart-
breaker, surrendering a North Oconee go-
ahead touchdown with 1:30 left. Madison
County tried to rally for a game-winning
score, but turned the ball over on downs
at the North Oconee 20 with 20 seconds
left.
The freshmen Raiders were hindered
by turnovers in a 34-0 loss to the ninth
grade Titans.
“We had three to four turnovers, which
really hurt us," coach William Trimier
said. “But we did not give up. It seemed
like everything was going their way, but
our kids hung in there.”