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Taking it to the next level
Four Madison County Red Raiders sign baseball scholarships
NIX SIGNS WITH EMMANUEL
Bryce Nix, signed a baseball scholarship to Emmanuel College. He is pictured
with his grandfather Doc Brown. Also pictured (back, L-R) are MCHS athletic
director Mike Haynes, Coach Charlie Griffeth and Coach Jeff Davis. Photos by
Margie Richards/staff
SOUTH SIGNS WITH CHIPOLA
Ethan South signed a baseball scholarship to Chipola College. He is pictured
with his sister (standing) Morgan South, his mom, Cindy South, and his broth
er, Peyton South. Also pictured (back row) are MCHS athletic director Mike
Haynes, Coach Charlie Griffeth and Coach Jeff Davis.
GRIFFETH SIGNS WITH GORDON STATE
Tyler Griffeth signed a baseball scholarship to Gordon State. He is pictured
with his brother Logan Griffeth, his mom, Kelli Griffeth, and his dad, Coach
Charlie Griffeth. Also pictured are MCHS athletic director Mike Haynes and
Coach Jeff Davis.
WOOD SIGNS WITH SOUTH GEORGIA STATE
Wyatt Wood signed a baseball scholarship to South Georgia State. He is pic
tured with his brother Dewitt Wood, father Andy Wood and his mom Carol
Wood. Also pictured (back row) are MCHS athletic director Mike Haynes, Coach
Charlie Griffeth and Coach Jeff Davis.
Madison County 4-H BB team
places 25th in national competition
The Madison County 4-H
BB Team traveled to the
Daisy National BB Gun
Championship Shooting
Sports Invitational
Tournament June 30
through July 5 and placed
25 th in the nation.
The championship was
hosted by Daisy Outdoor
Sports at the John Q.
Hammons Convention
Center in Rogers, Arkansas.
The top teams from across
the country competed at
this tournament with the
Madison County 4-H BB
Team placing 25th in the
nation with a score of
2,293.
The team qualified for
Nationals by winning at the
State 4-H Target Challenge
Competition out of 80
teams at Rock Eagle 4-H
Center. Team members met
twice a week, to work on
precision shooting practice
and studying new safety
rules and standards for the
national competition. The
tournament was a week
of practicing and shoot
ing their best score and
to reach their highest test
score combined for a total
score for each member as
— See “BB” on 2B
The Madison County 4-H BB team placed 25th in a national competition in
Arkansas June 30-July 5.
Can’t wait for football
The countdown has begun
and we are now just on the
outside of a month left to
college football kickoff
2016 style. I can remember
growing up a South Carolina
Gamecock fan mainly
because my brother, at that
time, was a Gamecock fan
and I didn’t know better.
Over the years we have
both waved bye to the gar
net and black. My brother is
now a Bulldog and I traded
in those colors for orange,
white and purple after watch
ing the Gator Bowl in 1978.
It was Coach Danny Ford's
debut as head coach of the
Clemson Tigers. This was
the famous game when Ohio
State’s head coach Woody
Hayes punched a Clemson
defender following an inter
ception by the Tiger defense.
Clemson won that night
17-15 and the next day I had
my mom taxi me to a local
sporting goods store where I
purchased my first Clemson
item; a rubber orange foot
ball with 1978 Gator Bowl
Champions Clemson Tigers
stamped across the front. It
was that night in Greenwood,
S.C. that I tossed out my
Gamecock junk and became
a Tiger. Now I live in a sea of
orange and purple and even
though I live in a territory of
red and black, I'm still solid
orange more than ever.
It seems that more than
any other sport, college foot
ball can bring out the fun in
people when it comes time
to put the other person down
for their team loyalties but
it also brings out the ugly
because at times people take
college football jabs too far.
I strongly believe that friend
ly jabs between friends of
rival teams are part of the
ingredient of what makes
college football season fun.
I’m a true testimony of that
because orange and red don't
mix. The Dawgs and Tigers
are as much as a rival as
any two teams in the country
despite the fact that they only
play every so many years
now.
Now as I gear up for this
season of college football, I
have a brand new reason to
be excited after Clemson was
poised as the number one
team in the country for most
of the second half of last
season. Oh yeah and a trip
to the national championship
game also helps boost my
excitement for this season.
My expectations are higher
than ever despite Clemson
losing a handful of players
to the NFL on defense. The
Tigers come fully loaded on
offense and are led by for
mer Gainesville High School
star Deshaun Watson (333 of
491 passing for 4,104 yards
and rushing for 1,105) who
will probably be playing for
a final time as a Tiger this
season; never been a fan of
allowing a player to turn pro
after their junior season.
As the excitement builds
more and more daily, I also
find myself paying close
attention to news online about
different teams and players.
I find myself hoping that I
won’t hear any bad news of
players arrested or injured.
This is the time we cross our
fingers with hope that these
college kids stay away from
trouble during the summer
months. We hope that these
kids learn how to handle the
limelight and that they realize
their playing days and futures
can be altered by wrong deci
sions. This is a hope for us as
not only as fans of sports stars
but also parents of non-ath
letes. Despite the team you
are loyal to, it's always
impressive to hear that when
a player gets in trouble he is
punished by the staff and/or
institution. There are those
teams, that I won’t mention,
who will just slap a player
on the hand for committing a
crime, suit him back up and
stick him right back on the
field the next week. I have
always been impressed with
Clemson and Georgia alike
who have the coaches with
backbone that will suspend
a player for an ex amount of
games or perhaps the season
if they get caught making a
wrong decision regardless of
what position they play or
how successful they are.
Now with all of that said,
time to continue with the
countdown to kickoff. Here
is my pre-season top five:
1. Alabama, 2. Clemson,
3. LSU, 4. Florida State,
5. Oklahoma. Predicted
National Champion to be
determined at a later date.
Dallas Bordon is a sports
reporter for The Madison
County Journal.
o