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Sports
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bjSi Roley 8
•. ■ Sports editor
Stratford
explodes on
arrival at park
I need to stop watching
Westfield play Stratford.
Earlier this season, I went over
to Stratford after a deadline just to
take photos. I made it to the Macon
school in the sixth inning, with
Stratford coming to bat.
The game was close, with the
Hornets behind 5-1. However,
Stratford must have sensed my
presence, for they exploded for five
runs in the sixth.
When the Eagles came to
Westfield, I saw the entire game.
Once again, the first half-inning I
saw was a Stratford explosion. The
Eagles’ brought the big bats out,
exploding for eight runs before the
Hornets ever took a bat.
Last night, I was late to Macon
for the game after taking photos of
the Panthers' first day of Spring
football.
I felt good walking up to the
Stratford diamond. After all, the
Eagles were one of the toughest
schools in the GISA and the
Hornets were down by four, 4-0.
However, it did not stay that
way for long. Immediately after my
arrival, the Eagles went out and
scored five runs to stretch their lead
to 9-0. One inning later, the Eagles
had back-to-back-to-back homers.
If I am here next year, perhaps I
should avoid the Stratford-Westfield
game. But, that will be hard as the
Hornets will be in the same region
as Stratford next year.
*****
The loss to Stratford ends the
season for Westfield. Although the
Hornets had a losing season, the
season was good, with Westfield
going to the quarterfinal round of
the state playoffs.
Westfield could've perhaps have
gone farther if they had not ran into
Stratford as early as they did. The
Eagles are undefeated on the year, a
season of 25 games.
Other than the fact that very few
teams are able to overcome the odds
and finish a season undefeated,
especially a season with as many
games as a baseball team plays,
there are few reasons why Stratford
should not win the state champi
onship.
The Eagles are strong in every
phase of the game. And, if they
continue as the host team, the
Eagles should be able to power
themselves out of any troublesome
spots with the short fences at their
field.
After 13 games, it was unclear if
the Hornets would even make the
playoffs. The team's record stood at
a dismal 2-11. It would have been
easy for the Hornets to write the
season off, and play out the string.
But, the Hornets rebounded,
winning five of their next six re
gion games to finish second in the
region. After not winning a single
regular-season game against a non
region foe, Westfield beat Terrell in
the first round of the state playoffs.
While the season could have
been better, given the Hornets prob
lems early in the season with the
fifth, sixth and seventh innings, it
wasn't a bad season. Everyone
would like a season like Stratford's;
but, everyone does not have the tal
ent of Stratford.
Westfield won the games that it
had to win. And, in the final analy
sis, that is the bottom line.
Looking back over the season, they
won those games when many teams
would have went home.
Early in the season, I asked Bert
Brown if he thought the Hornets
were having a successful season. He
said if wins and losses were used to
measure success, than the Hornets
were not. But, he said, if improve
ment was the measuring stick, then
the Hornets were getting better.
The Hornets didn't quit when
they could. They got better. And,
while the record was not the best,
they had a successful year.
*****
The South's second favorite
sport is started at both Perry high
schools this week.
Over 50 players reported for
coach John Stephens and the Perry
Panthers for Spring drills on
Monday.
At Westfield, over 40 reported
for Ronnie Jones on Tuesday.
Many of these players turned in
Pleas® see Roley, page 8A
El
Thad Hawk Is caught at the plate In the sixth Inning against Stratford Academy In the
second round of the GISA state playoffs. It would be the Hornets last chance to
score.
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John Raber speaks at the
PHS All-Sports banquet.
All-sports banquet honors top Perry High athletes
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
Boris King, Paul Kemp, Angela
Leggett, Stan Gann, Mamie Mills,
Dallas Waldrip, Amber Fendley,
Terrance Hill and Natalie Taylor
took home a lot of hardware from
the Perry High School all-sports
banquet Friday night.
However, when the final award
was given, Tarvis Felton took
home the male athlete of the year
award, and Rickieva Jackson walked
away with the female athlete of the
year award.
The athlete of the year awards
were awarded to athletes who com
peted in two or more sports, and
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Boris King (seated, center) signs a letter of Intent with Piedmont College as his
parents and coaches witness the event.
Boris King to take talents to Piedmont
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
Boris King will take his inside
game to North Georgia after sign
ing a letter of intent with NAIA
Piedmont College Friday afternoon.
"We saw Boris play two games
during the year," said Todd Brooks,
head basketball coach of Piedmont
College. "He should be a very good
Perry High School athletes show off their trophies
following the 1994 Perry High School AII-SDorts
who made a major contribution in
one of the sports.
Felton won two other major
awards on the night. He was a
member of the basketball team,
where he won the floor leader
award, and track team, where he was
named most valuable player.
Jackson also won major awards
in two sports. In addition to the
female athlete of the year, she was
recognized with the hustler award in
women's basketball and most coop
erative award in women's track.
Leggett took home the women's
scholastic award, while Kemp took
home the men's scholastic award.
Although he was not named
player at the NAIA Division I
level."
Brooks said the team was inter
ested in King as an inside player.
"Although he is short," said
Brooks, "he is strong and intelli
gent. He uses his body very well.
His big strength is power inside."
Not only did King impress the
Piedmont staff with his athletic
Houston Times-Journo!
male athlete of the year, the night
almost turned into Boris King
night, as the senior picked up
awards in three different sports the
night after signing a letter of intent
to play basketball at Piedmont Col
lege in North Georgia. King took
home the coach's award in basket
ball, M.V.P. honors in football and
a field event award in track and
field.
Like King, Fendley also took
home awards in three sports. She
turned her defensive skills into a
gold glove award in softball, took
the coach's award in basketball and
tennis.
Hill was also a three sport star,
presence, he also impressed them
with his character. "We were im
pressed with him as a person," said
Brooks. "He is a fine young man."
Brooks said that King could play
in his first year on the team. "We
have a young team. Boris (King) is
exactly the type of young player we
are looking for," he said. "He can
Please see King, page 8A
Wednesday, May 11,1994 Houston Times -Journal-
Stratford knocks
Westfield out of
baseball playoffs
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
Five o'clock lightning struck the
Hornets Monday night as the Strat
ford Eagles put on a late inning
power show to knock Westfield out
of the GISA baseball playoffs.
In the fourth and fifth inning,
the Eagles used five homers, includ
ing back-to-back-to-back shots in
the fifth, to break open a 4-0 game,
pushing five runs across the plate
in each inning. Stratford would go
on to win 16-0.
"They are just a very talented
baseball team," said Westfield coach
Bert Brown. "They don't have any
weaknesses. They are fundamentally
sound in all areas of the game.
"They are capable of scoring 25-
30 runs on anybody they play,” said
Brown, "they don't have any weak
nesses in the lineup.
"We played pretty well in the
first two-three innings. We were
putting the bat on the ball, but we
were hitting the ball right at some
Banquet. Tarvls Felton and Rlckevla Jackson were
named Athletes of the Year.
getting awards from football, track
and wrestling.
Before the awards were handed
out. Dr. John Raber, a national
wrestling authority, told the ath
letes, boosters and parents that they
could succeed.
"We carry around a pocketful of
excuses why we can not accomplish
a goal," Raber told the audience,
saying that a person had to believe
that he could achieve before he
could achieve.
Raber said that he was an exam
ple of what someone could achieve.
He told the audience that he was
from a single family home, that his
dad left his mother with six kids to
Westfield Lady Hornets
finish sixth at state meet
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sport* Editor
The Westfield Lady Hornet thin
clads finished the 1994 track season
with a sixth place finish in the
GISA state meet held Friday and
Saturday in Albany.
Westfield coach Donna Camp
bell said the finish was the highest
in the state of a women's track team
at Westfield since she joined the
staff nine years ago.
Once again, it was Jennifer
Smith setting the pace for the Lady
Hornets. Smith, who appeared in
five of the six events that Hornets
qualified in, was the high point
winner for Westfield, finishing the
meet with 21.5 points.
Smith's 21.5 points was behind
third place state high point finisher
Kara Leppert of Stratford, who fin
ished the day with 26 points. FPD's
Mandy Woods took home first
place honors with 34.5 points, and
Windsor's Laney West finished sec
ond with 30.5 points.
Stratford won the state title in
both men's and women's track. The
Eagles' men's team beat Tattnall
Square by 17, 100-83, while Strat
ford’s women’s team doubled FPD,
129-65.
Westfield, with a 26, was just
six points behind fifth place fin
isher Westwood, and two points in
front of Brentwood.
"I thought we did well," said
Page 7A
oody.
"We were only down 4-0 after
three innings. We were still hang
ing in there."
Brown said the game could have
turned in the third inning when the
Hornets failed to capitalize on a po
tential double play on a line drive
hit to short. A double play would
have kept the game at 2-0; but, the
throw from short to second went
into the outfield. Two runs would
score later in the inning.
Westfield would have one of
their best chances to score in the
third, when Thad Hawks' looping
foul ball down first fell foul with
runners at second and third. Brown
said that would given some positive
momentum to the Hornets heading
into the last few innings.
In beating Westfield, the Eagles
kept their perfect season intact.
Stratford has not been beaten in 25
games this season.
With the loss, the Hornets finish
Please see Hornets, page 8A
raise. His dad later came back, but
left again before a seventh child was
bom. Raber said he was the seventh
child.
As a child, Raber said that he
was kicked off the Little League
baseball team in Pennsylvania by a
coach who told him, ""You will
never be a good athlete.'" Raber
went on to win a Pennsylvania
state championship in wrestling,
win a college scholarship, be named
coach of the year in wrestling and
coach in the World Championships.
"Make up your mind tonight
that you will do the right thing,"
said Raber, "that you will be the
Please see Awards, page 8A
Campbell of her team's season, not
ing her thinclads won four meets,
finished well in the Tattnall relays
and won the runner-up trophy in the
region. "I'm real pleased with the
season.
"It was one of the best seasons
we've had of late," said Campbell.
"I was glad it went as well as it did.
"A lot of girls gave me a good
effort. Jennifer Smith had a phe
nomenal track year."
Smith competed in three indi
vidual events, finishing in the top
three of the state in each event.
After taking third in the high jump
on Friday, Smith took a third in the
100 meter dash on Saturday, just
three-tenths of a second behind
Woods, who won the event with a
time of 13.0, and second in the 400
meter dash behind West, who won
the event in a meet record time of
58.68 seconds.
In addition to the individual
events. Smith also competed on the
400 meter and 1600 meter relay
teams. Smith was joined by Windy
Biggers, Jennifer Lane and
Stephanie Barr on the 400 meter
team, which ran to a fourth place
finish in the state. The 1600 meter
team finished fifth with Smith,
Biggers, Lane and Amy Harold.
Audrea Calvin ran to an eighth
place finish in the 3200 meter
event.