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Sports «By Phii l Clark I Sports Could This Be The Year Of The Panther? State championships in boys basketball are not uncommon at Perry High School. Former coach Eric Staples won half a dozen. But it's been a long dry spell for this basketball hotbed. This could be the year the drought is broken. Without putting undue pressure on Carl Thomas' team, it sure looks like the team to beat, despite the fact that there are a couple of teams ranked ahead of it in the Associated Press poll. You have to wonder about the caliber of competition these two teams have faced. Perry has played and beaten fifth-ranked Peach County twice. The Panthers lost to Region 1-AAA East runner-up Monroe in the Albany KFC Classic. The Panthers' only other loss was to Class AAAA number eight Central Macon. If the AP poll in any indication, the strength of Class AAA lies in the south, where seven of the top teams are located. However, at least two of them will be eliminated in region tournaments this week, since three of the ten are in Region 4- AAA. Number four Richmond Academy, number eight Westside, number nine Thomson and only two teams will survive the region tournament. In Region 1-AAA, number six Westover lost in their sub-region tournament to Dougherty and must play number seven Albany in the opening round of the 1-AAA tournament. Only one of them will qualify for the state tournament In the first round of the state playoffs, region 2-AAA (Perry's region), will be paired against Region 1-AAA (the Albany region), while 3-AAA favorite Peach County will be matched with Region 4-AAA, which will be the Augusta-Thomson region. Beating Peach County twice over the final six days of the regular season should certainly give Perry the momentum going into the region tournament this week at the Perry gym. Perry, the top seed, will not play until Friday night at 8:30, when it meets the winner of the Ware County-Jones County game. The one week layoff should not be a factor. Perry’s last two runs at the state championship came in 1980-81 and 1984-85. The 80-81 team, consisting of Darryl Albritton, Carlton Clarrington, Chuck Langston, Lonnie Boone and Steve Stokeling, finished as the number three team in the final AP poll despite losing in the state quarterfinals. Perry beat eventual state champion West Laurens by 23 points in the region tournament The ’B4-’BS team consisted of Jeff Williams, Rico Durham, Stan Lynn, Eric Rios and Tim Boone. After beating one of the top teams in the state and one of the pre tournament favorites, Gainesville, in the semifinals in overtime, the Panthers came out flat against Lee County the next night and could never get untracked against Butch Watts' underdog Trojans. Lee County went on to win the state title. By the way, Patrick Hamilton was on that Gainesville team. Hamilton went on to a fine college career at Georgia, and Chris Carpenter, who played baseball, was the punter on the Georgia football team. Both the 'BO-81 and the 'B4-85 Gainesville teams were coached by Melvin Sweat, now at Central Gwinnett. If Perry survives the region tournament, and it should, it will play Thursday, March 3 at the Albany Civic Center. If the Panthers advance as the number one team (2-AAA tournament champions), they would play at 5:30 p.m. As the number two team (tournament runner-up), they would begin play at 4 p.m. The Class AAA state finals will be played at Alexander Coliseum on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta beginning March 10. WmHm s I I P ' '' ■v Jyajl ‘-at; ' J w Jf- *jß| ' jjg- : i|JF% \gj§- SL h gt . t, M Angela Leggett will pace Perry Into Its quarterfinal game of the Region 2-AAA tournament tonight against Jones County. Hornets Open Playoff Action By BILL OVERTON Sports Editor Despite the bitter disappointment of a 21-point loss Friday night, the Westfield boys basketball team will get another chance Thursday afternoon. The Hornets had their six game winning streak broken after Athens Christian rolled to an 80-59 win in the GISA Region 2-AAA championship game. The quest for a region championship was lost but not the season. The Hornets had already qualified for state tournament play with a second place regular season and now ' Bfr -^-■ a * Jol '' 4 ft, .WK W-- ■"ii #I S * I j<> « " » jiW jflfijf SHH|En mm . wmm v # Westfield senior Jeff Dortch has been a big part of the Hornets' success during the 1993-94 season. have new life. Westfield, with a second seed in its sub-region, will play third seeded Brookwood Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Macon. It is a chance for the Hornets to return to their winning ways, just in time. But first-year coach Jim Massey knows that another loss will not be so kind to the Hornets. A defeat would signal the end for good. However, Massey is taking stock in a home-court advantage. No, Westfield will not be playing in the comfortable confines of its own gymnasium. But the Hornets will be making Please see HORNETS, page 2B Houston Times-Journal 1994 GHSA 2-AAA Tournament Perry, GA Girls Bracket Today Friday Saturday (3) Ware County 5:00 p.m. (6) Appling County 4 p.m. (2) Dodge County 6:30 p.m. (7) Fitzgerald 7 p . m . Champion (4) Perry 8:00 p.m. (5) Jones County 7 p.m. (1) Wayne County Region Tournament Begins By BILL GVERTON Sport* Editor The Perry High School girls basketball team owes a lot to the 21-2 boys squad. Thanks to the boys’ perfect 12-0 region record, both teams get to host the Region 2-AAA Tournament, which starts this evening. So the girls, despite their 10-14 overall record and 5-7 region mark, know that they won’t have to get in a bus and travel to some site that could be up to three hours away. Panther coach Max Vickers also knows that the team will have the added edge of having a bipartisan Panthers suffer in opener By BILL OVERTON Sport* Editor Perry's group of youth and inexperience paid the price Tuesday afternoon in Macon. Playing in the Lem Clark Invitational at Central High School, Jackson pounded the young Panthers 10-0 in a game that was called for darkness after five innings. The humbling experience was not due to the Red Devils' potent lumber attack Jackson only had three hits. However, the Panthers helped the Devils along by committing five errors and Perry pitching walked a total of 11 batters on the day. Then there was the Jackson pitcher Randerik Moore, who no-hit the Panthers. Perry was not even able to get a ball to the outfield off the strong pitching of Moore. Jackson broke it open in the third. Down 2-0, Perry pitcher Dallas Waldrip walked batters to first and second and after an error by first baseman Tim Allen, there were runners at first and third. Jackson's Danny Smith got a hold of a 3-1 pitch from Waldrip and took it for a ride over the left center field fence to give the Devils Rodeo Comes to Agricenter Stock Show Highlights 4-H and FFA Students By BILL OVERTON Sport* Editor The fourth-annual Georgia National Stock Show and Rodeo begins today at the Agricenter, promising something for all ages. Thousands of spectators are expected to come through the gates to experience the event, which runs through March S. This week will highlight outstanding 4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America) students. There'will be several segments, including showmanship of swine and steer. "Its the 'super bowl' of the 4-H and FFA programs, if you will," said Dale Redeker, Agriculture and Youth Director at the Agricenter. Wednesday, February 23,1994 Houston Times Journal - crowd. Vickers hopes that will lead to an increased intensity level. "If we play with high intensity on defense and shoot the ball well," he said the Panthers could make a run at the region title. "If we play with a lot of intensity," he stressed. The first step is an 8:30 p.m. game with Jones County tonighL Perry and Jones played the home-and-home series during the regular season, with each team gaining a win. Jones won the first contest in Gray 52-34 after building a 23-point lead at one point. Perry won the second contest by three after leading by 15 early in the fourth quarter, nearly allowing w I . ■ , %* v %? 4 8 m •> 'I 1 v ■jLj'Jf .# #^¥PPP'«^^* r Perry coach Bob Jonaa tosses a pitch during some work with his catcher In Monday's practice seaslon. a comfortable 5-0 lead. Jackson sewed five more runs in the fourth inning on not a single "It all comes to a year's fruition." In addition to the several contests and shows open to the 4-H and FFA youngsters, there will be a beef quiz bowl and a swine quiz bowl, which will test a four-person team's knowledge. This year, a new feature will be carnival rides, which include kiddie, major and spectacular rides. The rodeo will again be a large part of the event. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) will again have a three night performance beginning Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Some of the top rodeo stock will be on hand, including some bulls and bucking horses which were used in the national finals in Las Vegas. page 1B Jones a comeback win If Perry is to knock off the fifth seeded Greyhounds, it will likely have to stop Jones' leading scorer Heather Hauser. Hauser, obviously a big fan of Michael Jordan, has choked the Panthers for 23 points in each contest Perry will counter will leading scorer Angela Leggett, who scored a team-high 18 points in the win over Jones. Whichever team escapes from the first round today, it is likely to run into a huge roadblock Friday night in the form of unbeaten Wayne County, which crushed both Please see REGION, page 2B hit, as two Perry pitchers walked five batters and hit one. Please see BASEBALL, page 2B There will be six events for cowboys and cowgirls, including saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling and women's barrell racing. Approximately IS-2S entrants will be participating in each category. Each night's rodeo begins at 7:30 p.m. On Friday night and Saturday night, a pair of country music acts will double up with the rodeo. Brother Phelps will play Friday night, while Highway 101 will be on hand Saturday night. Tickets are on sale at Reaves Arena at the Georgia National Fairgrounds.