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Sports Farewell to WHS’ Donna Campbell I’ve had the opportunity to be associated with high school sports in Perry for a long time, having first come here in 1968 to work for WPGA radio. Through those years, I've done a lot of play by play in football, bas ketball, baseball and softball. And through those years, I've had the opportunity to become acquainted with lots of coaches. Believe me, you'd be hard pressed to find a more dedicated pro fession. Coaches work countless un-noticed hours to make their teams, and their players, better as performers and better as people. One of those coaches whom I admire immensely is leaving the ranks after this school year. Donna Campbell has resigned at Westfield after nine years as softball and basketball coach. She has also served through most of those years at girls and boys track coach. Since softball is a fall sport in high school, Campbell's year began be fore the start of school every year, and with track responsibilities fol lowing basketball, her year seem ingly never ended. Understand, it is not the work load that is taking Campbell away. She loves every minute of it. Donna is going back to school her self. She will continue studies to earn her Masters' degree beginning June 21st, taking summer courses at Georgia College. Donna told me earlier this week, though, that she will be able to take about 45 of the 60 hours needed at the Macon facilities of Georgia College, so she will con tinue to live in Macon while con tinuing her studies. Let me tell you a little about Donna Campbell. First of all, she is the most pleasant interview a writer or broadcaster could ask for. That aside, let's take you back to her high school days and years, when she was an outstanding soft ball, basketball and track star at River North Academy. She was good enough to earn a scholarship to play softball and basketball first at Middle Georgia College, then at Georgia College. Donna’s interest in athletics took her to the Macon-Bibb County Recreation Department for her first job after college, working in her home town. But soon the urge to coach and teach young people won out, and she took her first high school job. That was in 1985. And, of course, that job was at Westfield. Being familiar with the school from having played in the SEAIS (now the GISA), Campbell jumped at the opportunity to come to Westfield as head softball coach and Percy Hardy’s assistant in girls bas ketball. In two years, she was also head basketball coach. It was in softball that Campbell's teams realized the most success. Her second team, in 1986, won the state championship. With virtually the same players back, the team repeated in 1987, giving the Lady Hornets back to back state championships. They were also re gion champions four times, and the 1991 team was state runnerup. In all, Campbell's softball teams won 165 games while losing just 79. Donna is quick to point out that, when she came here, she in herited a softball team full of out standing players, like Allison Barry, Aimee Smith, Tabatha and Kimberly Griffin, Cherry Andrews, Johanna Compton, Kim Forbes, Kelly Tribble and others, making her first years a lot easier. Later she would have the Horsting sisters, Christie and April, Angela Santiago, Kerry Smallwood and others who contributed so much in latter years. I asked Donna if Allison Barry was the best athelte she coached. After a few seconds of careful 1 though, she said, “I think so. She was so aware of everything, on the softball field or the basketball court. She was so easy to coach." Campbell will continue her own softball career this summer as a member of the USSSA Class A state champion Blaze of Macon, Please see Clark, page 6A Talton/Smith named 'Athlete of Year' By VETO F. ROLEY Sports Editor Lon Talton and Jennifer Smith were the big winners at the 1994 Spring Sports Banquet at Westfield Schools Tuesday, May 17. Talton, who won the Eric P. Staples Award in basketball, M.V.P. award in football, after quarterbacking the Hornet team to the state runner-up position, and best offensive player in baseball, took home the honors for Male Athlete of the Year. Talton also ran the 800 meter dash in track. Smith paced the women's track team, which had its highest finish in G.I.S.A. state track action at sixth, finishing the season with 152-and-three-quarters points. She was also named the M.V.P. in women's basketball and the defen sive player of the year in softball during the fall sports banquet. Tuesday night, she went home with the Female Athlete of the Year award. Laurie Thompson won the Eric P. Staples award for the women's basketball team. The award is given for commitment, loyalty, hard work and dedication to the basketball program. The women's thinclad team had their best season in years, said women's track coach Donna Camp bell. The women scored 477 com bined points in four meets this year, compared to 198 points in six meets last year. Westfield won three of the four track meets it partici pated in, and finished sixth in the state. Of the 26 members of the Ft. Valley State announces '94 gridiron schedule Ft. Valley St. '94 schedule Date Opponent Location Ti me y/3 North Alabama (20th annual Macon, Henderson Field 7pm Shriner's Classic) 9/10 Morehouse (Operation Education Ypsilanti, Mi. 7 p.m.° Football Classic) Eastern Michigan Univ. 9/17 Valdosta State Valdosta 7 p . m 9/24 Morris Brown* Macon 7:30 p.m. 10/1 Clark Atlanta * Atlanta, Georgia Dome 2 p.m. 10/15 Miles College Birmingham, Miles College 1:30 p.m 0 10/22 Alabama A&M Fort Valley F3opm Homecoming K ‘ 10/29 Tuskegee* Fort Valley 1:30 p.m. 11/5 Savannah State* Savannah 1:30 p.m. H/12 Albany State Columbus l - 30 pm sth annual Fountain City Classic Memorial Stadium =Central Standard Time *=S.I.A.C game Parks and Rec. looks for expansion By VETO F. ROLEY Sports Editor The Perry Parks and Recreation Department is positioned for major improvements, Ben Hamrick, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, told the members of the Perry Exchange Club Thursday afternoon. "There is a lot going on," said Hamrick, who said the department was offering a full slate of activities to city residents only four years after its founding. He added that the department offered something for every resident from five to adulL Currently, Hamrick said the Parks and Recreation Department was offering fishing, adult softball and youth sports. Coming during the summer will be tennis and swimming lessons. Hamrick also said that the Parks and Recreation Department was working on a summer golf program, "Hook a Kid on Golf." He said there were still details to work out, particularly arranging time on a local golf course. "Every child (in the program) will get a starter set of clubs, free play and lessons," said Hamrick. On Saturday, the Parks and Recreation Department will offer its annual youth fishing rodeo. The rodeo is free to participants. Hamrick said the rodeo was normally held in June or July, but that there was little attendance. He said if there was little attendance, the department would try to hold another rodeo later in the year. Rozar Park will also be undergoing some major changes in the next few years, said Hamrick. Currently, the park offers youth baseball fields, softball fields, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, bass, bream and catfish fishing on a three acre and five acre team, only one will not return next year. The 477 points scored by the women's team was equal to the to tal scored in half the 1991 season and all of the 1992 and 1993 season combined. Most of the damage was done by Smith, who took the high point award. Although the men's team did not have the success of the women's team, coach Larry Bennett said the team improved each meet. Brad Walton was named the high point producer for the men's team. The Hornet golf team enjoyed another blazing year on the links, winning its fourth consecutive re gion title. In the state meet, the golf team fell eight strokes short of the championship, finishing in fourth position. Edward Strickland and Todd Rig don set the pace for the golf, win ning recognition on the all-region team. Rigdon came away with the low medallist award, edging Strick land by less than a stroke. Two doubles teams from the Westfield tennis team made it to the state finals. While Leslie Davis and Susanna Turner were knocked out after a tough opening round in the women's bracket, Travis Watson and John Shipley finished as the third ranked men's team in the state. Davis was named M.V.P. of the women's team, while Watson was named M.V.P. of the men's tennis team. Both Watson and Davis were named to the all-region team. The "B" team baseball team gave Hornet varsity baseball coach Bert pond, a picnic and playground area, and horseshoe pitching. Hamrick said the department was set to occupy the community center, which is being built at Rozar Park, at the end of the year. In addition to housing Parks and Recreation offices, the community center will also have a gymnasium with full locker and shower facilities, a community room, a game room and a senior citizens area. "The center will allow us to expand the recreation department, and get into other areas," said Hamrick. Although construction is on going at the community center, Hamrick said that the city was still raising money to build the center. Besides a new community center, Hamrick said other areas of Rozar Park could look very different than thev do now. :!* * ‘ -'V The community center at Rozar Park is nearing completion The Perrv Parke a „w Recreation Department hopes to move in at the end of the year. V an< * Houston Times-Journal Several Westfield students took home plaques at the Westfield Spring Sports Ban quet Tuesday night. Brown some reason to smile over the future, having a good season and beating Stratford 10-1. Part of the reason Brown could smile was the play of J.R. Moore, who led all Hornet players, varsity and "B" team, with a .524 batting average. The varsity baseball team fin ished the season with a disappoint ing 8-15 record. However, they won six of their last 10 games, and seven region games to finish as re gion runnerups. The most improved player was Clay Smith, who played second base for the Hornets. Smith fin ished the season with a .225 batting Hamrick said the master plan for the park called for the tennis courts to be moved next to Kings Chapel Road with a tennis "pro" shop set up in the area. A third field would be built in the area the tennis courts currently occupy. The basketball courts between the two current fields is also scheduled for a move to beyond the outfield fence of the big softball field. Hamrick said the area currently occupied by the basketball courts would be used as a playground or horseshoe pitching area. "We have an up-and-coming horseshoe club (in Perry)," said Hamrick, "and they need someplace permanent to play.” Additionally, Hamrick said there would be more parking around Rozar Park once the community center was finished. Saturday, May 21,1994 Houston Times-Journal- average and six RBIs, getting most of his production in the second half of the season. Brian Staines was tagged as the best defensive player, while Lon Talton won honors as the best of fensive player. Staines anchored the defense at short, and on the mound. Talton was the second leading hitter on the team, batting .297 and driv ing in 19 RBIs. While Thad Hawk received the nomination from Mt. dc Sales as Hornet M.V.P., he did take home the coach's award. Hawk hit .265 with a homer and nine RBIs, most of the damage coming against the Fort Valley State College head coach and athletic director Douglas Porter recently announced the 1994 Wildcat football schedule. Once again, the Wildcats have one of the tougher schedules in Division II football as they face three teams that were ranked at one time or another in the Division II top 20, two that were participants in the Division II playoffs, including the defending national champions. The Wildcats will open with the defending national champions, North Alabama, in Henderson Stadium in Macon on Sept. 3. The Wildcats will play two games in Macon, two games at home in Fort Valley and single games in Valdosta, Atlanta, Columbus and Savannah. Homecoming will come Oct. 22 against Alabama A&M. "It's going to be a very interesting season," said Porter, who will field ing his 15th edition of the Wildcats this fall. "For the second year in a row, we will be facing the defending national champions and teams that participated in the playoffs. "We start out with some tough games in the early part of the season, but we are looking at those matchups to help us be a better ball club in the latter part of the year." Porter has seen the SIAC develop into one of the more competitive leagues in Division 11, and he feels that 1994 will once again see parity reign supreme when it comes to conference play. "Everybody will be rebuilding in one way or another," said Porter. "But, at the same time, those teams will also have some key personnel re turning. The SIAC also did well in interconference play against some other leagues, and that only improves a team when it is time to play in confer ence action." Fort Valley was 6-4-1 last year, and was second in the SIAC with a 5- 1-1 mark. The Wildcats chalked up their 37th winning season since 1945. Pennington 111 wins by one By JIMMY SIMPSON StaN Writer Two teams used a late-inning rally to push across potential win ning runs, but only one could stand the test of time in girl’s junior softball action Thursday at Ochlahatchee Field. Pennington 111 Plumbing saw their lead falter in the final inning of their clash with First Family Finance, only to push across the winning mark in the bottom half of that same frame to post a 22-21 win. Jessica Pennington, who crossed the plate to account for the final run of the game, shared top honors with Ashley King for standouts of the game. In the night’s second battle, Graffiti Hair Salon outdistanced Family Footwear by a 33-6 score. Page 5A Cavaliers. Troy Nuss was named M.V.P. Nuss had a batting average of .389 with three homers and 20 RBIs He also walked 19 times and was hit by a pitch seven times for an on base average of .722. Brown said Nuss' batting average would have been a "lot higher if people had the guts to pitch to him." The Hornets had four unanimous selections to the all-region team with Talton, Nuss, Hawk and Staines getting the nods. Nuss and Talton were also named to the all state team. Graffiti continues to stand atop the league standings with a 9-0 mark. Family Footwear leaped into second with a 3-5-1 slate. Pennington 111 is in the third place slot with a 3-6 record, while First Family Finance is just behind at 2- 6-1. In Tuesday action, Graffiti downed First Family by a 15-5 score, while Family Footwear chalked up an 18-9 victory over Pennington 111. Family Footwear and First Family Finance will square off this Tuesday to decide the outcome of an earlier game that ended in a tie. The special one-inning tiebreaker will be followed by a regularly scheduled game between the two teams. Pennington 111 and Graffiti will clash immediately following that contest. Omega Psi Phi hot shot basketball Omega Psi Phi will hold a hot shot basketball contest at Northside Middle School in Warner Robins Saturday, May 28,1994. Registration will take place be tween 10 a.m and 10:30 a.m. Events will begin at 10:30 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. Events include a free throw con test, three point contest, and three on-three contest. Registration will be $5 per event. Trophies will be awarded in each event in two cate gories, middle school (age 12-14) and high school (age 15-18). Admission to the day is $2.