Newspaper Page Text
O
The Madison County Journal
IB
Thursday, September 24, 2009
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS.com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Middle School Softball
MCMS has
another
region crown
in its sights
The Madison County
Middle School softball
team hopes this sea
son ends the way the
previous three have —
with the
COMING
UP
■ MCMS
vs. Hart
Co/Elbert
Co., noon,
Saturday
Mustangs
hoisting
a region
title tro
phy.
With
a 7-0
record in
NEGIAA
play, the Mustangs are
again the top seed for
this weekend’s region
tournament, hosted by
Madison County.
The Mustangs receive
a first-round bye by
virtue of their no. 1
seed and play the win
ner of Hart County and
Elbert County Saturday
at noon at the middle
school softball field.
The championship is
at 2 p.m., also at the
middle school softball
field.
The NEGIAA includes
Madison County and
five other area middle
schools.
Middle School
Football
Mustangs
blank
Franklin
Co. 16-0
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
The Madison County
Middle School foot
ball team (3-1) earned
its first shutout of the
year, blanking Franklin
County
16-0
1 COMING
Tuesday
1 UP
night.
■ Vs.
The
Elbert Co.
Mustangs
@ home,
forced
Oct. 1, 5
four turn-
p.m.
overs in
holding
their bor-
der-county rivals off the
scoreboard.
“Defensively, the guys
played hard and fast, and
getting the shutout is
obviously good,” coach
Tim Drake said.
The team resumes its
schedule Oct. 1 at home
against Elbert County.
Madison County won
its third game despite
a disparity in penalties.
The Mustangs were
flagged for 14 infrac
tions, while Franklin
County was penalized
just once.
The Mustangs led 8-0
at the half after Marquez
Henson capped off a
75-yard drive with a
two-yard touchdown,
but Drake said the lead
could have been much
larger.
“It honestly should
have been more, but
‘phantom’ flags were
thrown after every big
run,” he said.
Madison County
bogged down on its
first couple of offensive
series in the second half,
but rallied around its
defense.
First, the Mustangs
came up with a huge
defensive stand when
it turned back Franklin
County from a first-and-
goal from the two-yard
line.
— See MCMS on 2B
Softball
Raiders awarded no. 1 seed
Weather problems
shorten regular season
Cortney Boggs is shown during a recent Madison County soft-
ball game. The team hasn’t played since Sept. 12 due to several
rainouts. Ben Munro/staff
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
It’s not the conventional road to
a subregion tide, but the softball
Raiders will take it.
With too many subregion games
to make up due to recent torrential
rain and not enough open dates
to conveniently to do it, region
coaches have awarded first-place
Madison County (17-1, 5-0) the
no. 1 seed out of the 8-AAAA
North division for the region tour
nament.
“Obviously, that was one of our
goals going into this season was
to finish first on our side," Raider
coach Doug Kesler said.
Since not all subregion games
could be made up, only results
from the first round of subregion
games will count. Madison County
finished 5-0 in that stretch.
Loganville is the South divi
sion no. 1 seed.
It was actually the sugges
tion of Apalachee's coach —
— See Softball on page 2B
■ INSIDE: Bodiford’s blocked punt
stuns Jags as MCHS upsets Cedar
Shoals, PAGE 3B
Prep Football Week 5
Salem @Maclison Co., Fri., 7:30 p.m.
Raider quarterback Jacob Owens keeps the ball on an option play in Madison County’s 29-28 victory over Cedar Shoals.
The victory moved the Raiders into a three-way tie for second place in Region 8-AAAA. Ben Munro/staff
The region race is on
Second-place teams to
battle Fri. in Danielsville
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A n already big game with Salem
Friday just got supersized.
Madison County (3-1) upset
Cedar Shoals 29-28 last week and now
finds itself tied with Salem and Clarke
Central for second place in a wild Region
8-AAAA.
“We've just got to keep doin' work ...
We’ve just got to keep working and look
forward to next week. Salem, baby!,"
Raider lineman Connor Boyett said after
last week’s victory over Cedar Shoals.
Madison County faces the Seminoles
(3-1) at 7:30 p.m. in Danielsville for
homecoming.
Beating a talented Cedar Shoals team
FRIDAY’S OPPONENT
i Team: Salem (3-1)
l Coach: Chad Estes (fourth year, 24-11,
sixth year overall, 32-22-1)
■ Last week: Madison Co. 29, Cedar
Shoals 28; Salem 21, Monroe Area 8
■ Last year: Salem 21, Madison Co. 14
■ Series: Salem leads 4-1
Region 8-AAAA Standings
Region Overall
Apalachee 3-0 3-0
Madison Co.
3-1
3-1
Salem
3-1
3-1
Clarke Central
3-1
3-1
Cedar Shoals
2-2
2-2
Hab. Central
2-2
2-2
Loganville
1-2
1-2
Rockdale Co.
1-2
1-2
Winder-Barrow
1-2
1-2
Heritage
1-3
1-3
Monroe Area
0-4
0-4
that advanced to the second round of the
state playoffs last year has the Raiders
believing as they continue though the teeth
of their schedule.
“This builds our confidence a lot to
get everybody up,” said Madison County
linebacker Kale Bodiford, whose crucial
blocked punt with five minutes left was
the turning point in the victory over the
Jaguars.
Raider coach Randell Owens points
to the unpredictability and parity of the
region and said Friday's Madison County
victory wasn’t as much of a surprise as
people might think.
“I didn’t see it as as much of an upset as
other people did,” Owens said.
As for Salem, Madison County faces
a team that will throw a lot of speed and
athleticism at the Raiders for the second-
straight week.
The Seminoles, who’ve won three of
the past five region titles, run a spread
option similar to that of Georgia Tech and
mix in some Wing-T, misdirection game.
Defensively, Salem is probably
— See Football on page 2B
Cross Country
Weather slows MCHS runners Sat.
Scott Barnes,
a 22:00 at the
staff
shown in recent action, ran
UGA Invitational. Ben Munro/
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Corey Brakhage logged Madison County’s
only sub-20-minute time at Saturday’s
University of Georgia Invitational, leading
the Raiders with a 19:57.
Madison County finished 21 st out of 23
teams in the varsity race.
Raider coach Tim Cornett expressed “mixed
emotions” regarding the team’s showing at
UGA, which was both a high school and col
lege meet.
The coach had hoped his team would run on
a wide-open course “with outstanding com
petition” to test its fitness.” But rainy weather
didn’t allow for that type of race.
“Instead, the course was saturated and
— See Cross Country on page 2B
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