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Sports
Bill |
Overton I
ffij Sports editor §
Good Riddance
to Kerrigan in
Disney World
Saturday, I said that I was glad
the Nancy-Tonya thing was coming
to an end. I said it was insane that
our world revolves around their
incident, including the other figure
skaters. I said that I wasn't going to
talk about it anymore.
I lied.
Sorry. I really hate to do this. I
know you're sick and tired of
hearing about these two (or are
you?). But I want to come forward
and say something that I don't think
some people are going to like.
Don't put me on the Nancy
Kerrigan fan bandwagon. I don't
want any part of it
When I came home Friday night,
I turned on the VCR and watched
taped performances of the ladies'
free skate. I knew that Oksana Baiul
had won the gold medal thanks to
the wonders of cable television, but
I had also heard that Kerrigan skated
well and it was very close.
So it was with great anticipation
that I watched Friday.
I watched Kerrigan's
performance. Excellent. Graceful.
Well-done. I was impressed.
I was still rooting for her at this
point. Go Nancy! The gold is
yours.
Then Baiul skated and the
program was just as marvelous.
Great stuff. So moving that she
collapsed, crying in her coach's
arms, overjoyed.
As we know, Baiul won the gold
by one-tenth of one judge's score.
TTiat’s tough to take, but Kerrigan
accepted the fact that she had skated
as well as she could.
She was happy. I was happy.
She did her best, but it wasn't quite
good enough.
That’s where my contentment
stops.
What bothers me about Kerrigan
is her off-the-ice attitude. She
comes across to me as being very
cocky. And impatient. And a big
spoiled Nat.
First of all, she didn't participate
in the opening ceremonies. Why? It
was too cold.
"Coat" is the operative word
here. Maybe "gloves and toboggan"
could be added. The really ridiculous
part is the whole U.S. hockey team
was out there, despite the fact that
it had to play in less than 24 hours
against France. Kerrigan didn't have
to skate competitively for almost
two weeks.
What about the medal ceremony?
Officials couldn't find a copy of the
Ukranian National Anthem for
Baiul. Kerrigan thought that the 10-
minute holdup was because Baiul
was putting on makeup. She ranted
and raved, "come on."
But I guess there was a reason
for the hastiness. She had to hop a
plane in a day so she could go to
Disney World.
In so doing, she missed the
closing ceremonies. One of the 13
medal winners for the U.S., I would
be willing to bet she was the only
one not to show up. She was too
busy earning her $2 million with
Disney.
What am I trying to say here?
Basically, there are literally scores
of other people that I will think of
before Kerrigan when I think about
the Games of '94.
Dan Jansen winning a gold,
taking his baby for a spin that
was a great moment. Bonnie Blair
winning her sixth Olympic medal
great moment. I thought the
Swedes beating the Canadians in a
hockey shootout may have been the
best of them all.
But Kerrigan does not stick out
in my mind because she doesn't
represent the Olympic spirit. She
came, she skated, she got out of
Dodge. She missed out on what
everyone claims to be the real
defining moment of the Games
the experience.
THE "JUST IN CASE
YOU CAUGHT IT DEPT."
I played a trick on you in
Saturday's paper. When I spoke on
ski jumpers, I said the U.S. should
have no problem getting waxed by
the Fins, the Norwegians, or the
Japanese. Or Budapest for that
matter.
Okay, I knew Budapest was the
capital of a country, in this case,
Hungary. Really. I just wanted to
see if the loyal readers would catch
it.
Threesome
wins Wiggins
Scramble
By PHIL CLARK
Staff Writer
The annual Eddie Wiggins
Scramble is generally considered die
beginning of the golf season in
Middle Georgia. Forty teams braved
the cold and wind Saturday and
Sunday in the 36-hole tournament
played over the picturesque Houston
Lake layout.
The wind and cold couldn't
hinder the consistency of the
Warner Robins team of Doug
Johnson, Shaw Blackmon and Neil
Hendee, which shot back-to-back
rounds of 61 for a two-day total of
122 and a one-shot win over Rick
Farage, Wade Roundtree and Hicks
Queener.
The threesome won second place
with a playoff "pitch-off" win over
Steve Lane, Newt Hiley and Tony
Ellerbee. Both teams had finished a
shot back at 123, shooting a 62 on
Saturday on a 61 on Sunday.
The team of David Brown, Larry
Biles and Mart Baxter broke out of
a four-way log jam in the first
flight with a closing round of 61 to
take first place with a 125.
In the second flight, the team of
C.W. Sanderson, Doug Pyron and
Rusty Floyd broke a tie with Tom
Beil, Trevor Aiken and Lanny
English with a closest to the pin
pitch-off. The Warner Robins team
of Ed Varner, Mike Long and Mac
Hardin finished third.
Please see WIGGINS, page 8A
Overcoming The
Albany Roadblock
By BILL OVERTON
Sport* Editor
The title aspirations will start in
Albany. And that may not be a very
good sign for the Perry Panthers.
But Perry, 23-2, and the winner
of eight straight, will get the
opportunity to avenge one of its
two losses Thursday night in the
opening round of the GHSA Class
AAA Tournament
Perry will take on Monroe of
Albany, a team that handed the
Panthers their first loss 73-64 back
on Dec. 19 in the first round of the
KFC Classic.
Thursday night's game will take
on a more significant meaning,
with the victor advancing into the
round of eight. But Perry will once
again have to fight off the stigma
of playing one of four strong
; ij
Buck Garllngton won the saddle brone competition.
Garlington Pockets The
Change And Moves On
By VETO F. ROLEY
Staff Writer
Back Garlington's check for
first place in the saddle brone
competition at the Georgia
National Rodeo in Perry allows
him to rodeo a few more days.
Garlington is unlike most
rookies in the Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association. At
33, he is making his second
attempt at rodeo stardom. In
1983, Garlington won Rookie of
the Year honors on the
International Professional Rodeo
Association circuit.
However, shortly after
winning Rookie of the Year,
ijiiifi* j|
Jls
Tarvlah Felton corrals a rebound from Dodge's Robert Carr.
Albany city teams. And the
Panthers will have to do it in a
building (Albany Civic Center) that
should provide comfort for the
homestanding Tornadoes.
"This should be a fine, well
contested game," said Perry coach
Carl Thomas. "If you play as well
as you can, you can beat them. If
they play as well as they can, they
can beat you."
Perry, winner of Region 2-AAA,
led much of the way in the first
contest, before crumbling under
Monroe’s man-to-man pressure in
the fourth quarter. Ironically,
Monroe (20-7) reminds Thomas of
his own squad.
"They are the closest thing to
Perry High School than any other
team," Thomas said. "They remind
Please see ALBANY, page 8A
Garlington left the rodeo circuit
for seven years.
"I'm back to play," he says.
And, back to play he is. This
past weekend was a good
weekend for Garlington. Before
coming to Perry, where he
posted a first place win with a
76 (Mi High Pockets, he put in a
77 in the saddle brone competi
tion in Baton Rouge, leaving the
rodeo in second place with one
more day of competition.
Garlington believes that he
has a chance for National Finals
Rodeo. Part of the reason comes
from his senior year in high
Please see RODEO, page 8A
GHSA Ciass^^A.^yrnament
Thursday Saturday March 11
Albany
4 P.M.
Dodge Countv
Peach County 5:30 P.M.
8:30 P.M.
Thomson
Perrv
5:30 P.M.
Monroe
Westside 8:30 PM-
7 P.M.
Kendrick J
AH games at Albany Civic Center
Hornets'
Season
Ends
Boys
Stratford 64
Westfield 61
By BILL OVERTON
Sports Editor
The Westfield boys basketball
team didn't look like it wanted any
part of Stratford Academy early on
Saturday afternoon.
The two teams were doing battle
in a GISA state quarterfinal, and
Stratford had the upper hand in
everything, including the most
valuable indication the
scoreboard. The Eagles led by as
many as 19 points in the first half.
But Westfield didn't just take
punishment; the Hornets dished it
out, coming all the way back,
sending the game to overtime
before bowing out of the
tournament with a 64-61 loss.
With the defeat, Westfield ends
its season at 17-12 after starting the
season with just eight wins in its
first 17 games. And that gives
Hornet first year coach Jim Massey
some solace.
"Our kids showed a tremendous
amount of character and a
tremendous amount of heart,”
Massey said. "I'm sure a lot of
folks on both sides were saying this
thing's over in the first half.
"But our kids didn't quiL They
fought tooth and nail to get back in
the ball game. It's a testament to
their character."
All-state selection Joey Cranford
spelled the end fra- Westfield. The
Eagle guard scored his regular 30
points, including 19 in the first
Please see HORNETS, page 8A
Houston Times-Journal
Wednesday, March 2,1994 Houston Times -Journal -
Perry Captures
Region Title
By BILL OVERTON
Sports Editor
With the cringing memory of
one year ago set firmly in their
minds, the Perry basketball team
went out on a mission.
The mission was simply to win
a Region 2-AAA championship.
But there was a little added
incentive.
Last year, Perry won the regular
season region title but had to take a
trip to Eastman for the finals with
Dodge County. The Panthers'
dreams of a region championship
were quickly thrashed by Dodge 92-
But Perry was able to avenge
last year's loss with a 74-53 victory
over the Indians in its own
gymnasium. For the Panthers and
their seven seniors, it was
something worth waiting for.
"This means a lot after what
happened last year," said Tarvish
Felton, who scored 12 in the
contest. "[Dodge] played a real good
game last year. They outhustled us
and got out to a big lead.
"This is kind of sweet to turn
the tables and beat them in the
championship game."
On paper, the Indians didn't
appear to offer much of a test for
the veteran Panthers. Dodge's
youthful team consists of only
three seniors and eight freshmen and
sophomores.
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In your face/ John Shipley la muggod by Andrew Collier.
page 7A
Boys
Perry 74
Dodge County 53
But Willis Jones' club rebounded
from the two spankings Perry gave
it in December and January (35 and
37 points). Dodge came into the
Panthers gym, where Perry had noi
lost in two years, and took a 12-10
lead at the end of one quarter.
Dodge's aggressive defense was
the culprit, causing plenty of Perry
turnovers and missed shots. The
Panthers struggled to find a rhythm,
especially on the offensive end.
The second quarter gave Perry a
little more frustration but not
enough that the Panthers couldn't
still manage a 33-27 lead.
"We played a pretty good
defensive first half," said Panther
head coach Carl Thomas. "But our
offensive execution was a disaster."
"Our defense is what kept us in
the game," said senior Eric
Richardson, who scored a team-high
14. "We didn't execute offensively.
But we knew the game wasn't
going to be won in the first half.”
In the second half, the Panthers
turned the game into what they
wanted a track meet. The
continued defensive pressure finally
translated into easy baskets which
Perry was able to convert. After
Please see PERRY, page 8A