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Sports
■L Sports
I
How are the
first year
coaches doing?
When head coaching changes oc
cur in high school football, there is
always aprehension. Will it be for
the better? Will a new coach reju
venate a stale program? Will a new
coach be able to continue winning
traditions at schools that are used to
winning? You be the judge.
At the start of this school year,
there were 87 new head football
coaches in the 327 GHSA football
playing schools. Eighty five were
moving from one school to an
other, or being promoted from
within, while two of the positions
were created by the addition of new
schools at Collins Hill in Suwanee
and North Forsyth in Gumming.
At the midway point of the sea
son, we thought it would be inter
esting to take a look at some of
those coaching changes, particularly
around the mid state, and see just
how tilings are going.
When former Warner Robins
player Chip Stuart was let go at
Irwin County in Ocilla, Ross New
was brought in from Bradwell
Institute in Hinesville. Now, you
may wonder why a coach would
leave a job at a AAAA school to
come to a single-A school to begin
with, but Bradwell has been down
for several years, so New saw the
chance to move away from the
coastal area, even if it was to a
smaller school.
At the midway point this year,
his new school, Irwin County, was
1-4, while Bradwell, under Jim
Walsh, was 0-6. Walsh, by the.
way, made a lateral move, going
from Johnson Savannah to
Bradwell, both in Region 3AAAA.
Luther Welsh became disgruntled
at Camden County when the ath
letic director’s job was separated
from the head football coach, and
given to a non-coach. So the vet
eran coach began looking else
where, including an application for
the vacant Peach County job.
Welsh ended up at Greene-
Taliaferro, where Charlie Winsletle
had won the 1993 state A A cham
pionship before departing Grecne-
Taliafcrro for Quad-A Coffee
County, where Bonwell Royal had
retired. Welsh, at Greene, was 1-3-1
at the midway point of this season,
while his old team, Camden
County, was 4-1 under new coach
Jeff Caldwell. Meanwhile Winslette
has Coffee County at 4-2, playing
in tough Region lAAAA.
Caldwell, by the way, is in my
estimation one of the brightest
young coaches in the state. He had
built Hawkinsville into respectabil
ity before moving to Brooks
C'ounty. lie had been successful at
Brooks, too, before the chance came
to move to Quad-A at Camden.
Playing in region 3AAAA, Camden
is virtually assured of a playoff
spot. |
Perhaps the move that gained the
most attention locally was Neal
Rumble's decision to leave Peach
County and return to his native
Thomasville as coach of the
lhornasville Bulldogs, a position
left vacant when George Bohr) de
cided to take an assistant's job at
Class A Annuchee, with long time
friend Tommy Welch.
Bobo, who had coached with
Welch at West Rome and
Thomasville, said he wanted to be
closer to Athens, where his son
Mike plays for the Bulldogs.
But Rumble's return to
Thomasville has been anything but
pleasant His Bulldogs made the
turn at 1-4, and they tire now 1-5
after losing Friday night to cross
town rival Thomas County Central,
winner of the last two Class AAA
state titles. Thomasville is wir.less
in Region lAAA with four games
left to play, and face missing the
region playoffs, with Central,
Please see Clark, page 7A
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Michael Davis crosses the goal line for a touchdown against FPD in Friday night's 41-
6 homecoming thumping of the Vikings.
Panthers claw Bears 19-14
By VETO F. ROLEY
News Editor
Perry High School bolted to a
19-7 lead and held on to beat Hous
ton County in a key 3AA Region
battle Friday night 19-14.
The win virtually assures Hous
ton County will not make the
playoffs in 1994. The Panthers,
holding the fourth and last playoff
spot in the region, improve to 3-2
on the season, while the Bears drop
to 1-4 on the season.
With three games remaining on
the region schedule for both teams,
Perry has to lose all three games
and Houston County has to win all
three games for the Bears to make
an appearance in the playoffs, one
year after going to the semi-finals.
"We did some crazy things
tonight; but, we were able to over
come our mistakes," said Perry
Coach John Stephens. "Our mis
takes didn't hurt us tonight."
Stephens said the win against
Houston County came at a good
time for the Panthers, who were
coming off two tough region losses
and facing Mary Persons Friday
night. "If we had lost this game,
then our morale would have been
shot to pieces. It makes all the dif
ference to us."
Perry special teams also played a
big role in the win. With time run
ning out in the final quarter of play,
the Panther hands team recovered an
on-side kick to give Perry a chance
to run out the clock.
"That was crucial," said
Stephens of the on-side kick recov
ery.
Please see Panthers, page 7A
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Houston Times -Journal
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Hornets celebrate
41-6 homecoming
6A
By Phil Clark
Sports Editor
By the time FPD's Nick King
pushed over a touchdown late in the
fourth quarter Friday night,making
the final score 41-6 in favor of the
Hornets, most Westfield fans had
long since turned their thoughts to
Friday night's meeting with South
land in Americus.
That's because the game has
taken on immense importance as
the two teams will batde for second
place in region lAAA and a home
field advantage to open the GISA
playoffs. Westfield is 2-1 in region
play while Southland is just 1-1,
but the winner will get second place
even though Southland would have
a region game left with Windsor.
After Jeanna Bishop relinquished
the crown of Homecoming Queen
to Leslie Davis, Ronnie Jones and
his staff turned the offense over to
the reserves.
Jones said "We had the opportu
nity to let everybody get into die
ballgame and play some substantial
minutes."
Ben Hulbert quarterbacked the
entire last half as the starters
watched from die sidelines while
die Hornets had the ball. The rest
probably came at a good time, too,
since Southland had an open date
and will surely be rested and ready.
Against the Vikings, the West
field defense was awesome, pressur
ing FPD quarterback Nick King all
over the field in die first half, forc
ing three interceptions that led to
Westfield scores.
The Hornets wasted no time in
getting the offense rolling, even
diough assistant coach Bert Brown
said before the game, "We're afraid
it will take a little time to get the
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team up after that disappointing
setback last week."
But the fears were unfounded as
the Hornets rolled down the field
after forcing a Viking punt. Matt
Shepley hit split end Todd Rigdon
in the back comer of the endzone
for the game's first score, a 25-
yarder, and the first of two Shepley
TD passes on the night.
Alex Gambill's PAT attempt
was wide right, and the Hornets set
tled for a 6-0 lead. But not for long,
as they came right back on their
next possession and marched 53
yards for another first quarter score
as John Morton took it in from
eleven yards out. A two-point con
version pass from Shepley to Brian
Nash made it 14-0 Westfield.
Then the defense really went to
work. After Shepley hit Tim Allen
from 12 yards out for a Hornet
score, Allen intercepted King to set
up a touchdown run of eight yards
by Michael Davis.
Lindsey Harrell then picked off a
pass and returned it 40 yards to the
one, from where Michael Williams
went over.
Before the crowd could settle
back into their seats, defensive
tackle Mike Shepard picked off a
pass and returned it 23 yards, again
to the one yard line, where again
Williams took it in. That gave the
Hornets a 41-0 lead at halftime.
Davis had nine carries for 60
yards to lead the Hornets, but nine
players handled the ball in the back
field. Morton picked up 53 yards,
Williams 29, J.R. Moore 25 and
David Walker 24 for Westfield.
Shepley hit two of five passes,
both for touchdowns, and had a two
point conversion pass to Nash. In
Please see Westfield, page 7A
Put
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