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Times Journal Photo by trie Zellars
ROLLING AROUND Perry wrestler Quinton Johnson (on
top) works for a pin during Perry Invitational action last week.
Several Panther
wrestlers reach finals
of Perry Invitational
By ALLINE KENT
For the Times-louknal
Perry played host to wrestlers
from across the state this past
weekend at the Perry Invitational
at the high school.
Gracious hosts though they
were, the Panthers still sent sever
al wrestlers into the semifinals of
the two-day tournament.
Going into the semifinals,
Perry held a respectable 7th place
of 16 schools. Two Perry
wrestlers, Demetrius Williams at
135 and Quinton Johnson at 145
participated in the semifinals.
Williams placed 4th in his class
while Johnson took third in his
class.
Freshman Jadis Ming com
pleted one of the fastest matches
of the event when he pinned a
competitor from Brunswick in 25
seconds. Ming has only partici
pated in eight matches at the var
sity level.
Panthers competing in the
finals included Ernest Howard at
112, Ben Kashtor at 119 and Fred
Ridley at 215. All three finished
second in what PHS Wrestling
Coach Sean Moistner called
Four Perry wrestlers
claim county titles
Bv ALLINE KENT
Fort; iETimes-lournal
Quinton Johnson was one of
several Perry wrestlers to go unde
feated during the Houston
County Championships held at
Northside High School Jan. 26
The event includes the four
Georgia High School Association
public high schools in the county;
AAAA schools Warner Robins,
Northside, and Houston County
and AA Perry.
Johnson defeated his oppo
nents with solid wins in each
inatcn.
Also un defeated in the county
tournament were Perryans Ernest
Howard, Fred Ridley, and Ben
f? ' ■ |p 'Sh f \
Times-Journal Photo by Eric ZeMars
DOWN THE DRANE - Johnny Watkins (12) dribbles the ball
while the Panthers watched their undefeated region season go
down the drain at Draneville last week.
“very tough matches”.
Howard lost his match to a
three-time state champion from
Irwin County. Fred Ridley fell 5-
4 in his match after a highly con
troversial call.
Moistner commented that he
“couldn’t be prouder of their
effort.”
Much work and effort went
into the two-day event. The team
and its sponsors had been prepar
ing for several months.
Moistner was very pleased
with way so many people worked
together to make the event a suc
cess.
“I would really like to thank all
the people from the community
who provided support for our
wrestlers especially our wrestling
parents,” he said.
The Panthers and their parents
sold ads in a program to help raise
money for traveling expenses and
sold raffle tickers during the meet
for several items including a
handmade quilt and afghan.
The Panthers travel to Vidalia
this weekend for the Georgia
High School Association Area
Class AA championships.
Kashtor.
Maurice Hamilton, Josh
Brickie and Eddie Waller each
went 2-1 on the evening.
The Perry wrestling team is
coached by Sean Moistner and
Dwayne Dimsdale.
Assisting the coaches in their
duties are the Chief Managers for
the team. Seniors Melissa Santos
and Lauren Henderson lighten
the coaches’ load by keeping the
scorebooks, videotaping the
matches and organizing home
matencs.
The girls are also key in pro
viding motivation and overall
support for the team.
Page 6A
Wed., Feb. 3, 1999
Stratford holds off Westfield,
takes overtime win, 61-58
By PHIL CLARK
Times-lournai Sports
MACON The Westfield
Hornets led the favored Stratford
Eagles for most of regulation, but
lost a heartbreaker here Jan. 26.
Stratford grabbed a late lead
only to have Westfield’s Brian
Hartley send the game into over
time with a buzzer-beating three
pointer. The Eagles hung on to
win 61-58 in double overtime.
With Westfield leading most
of regulation, the Eagles pulled
into a 45-45 tie with just over two
minutes left in regulation.
Tyler Fleming’s two free
throws at 1:51 gave Stratford the
lead by two, but Hartley cut the
lead in half with one of two from
the foul line.
After Stratford rebounded the
missed second shot, they turned
the ball over to the Hornets.
However, Westfield couldn’t get a
shot off, and a jump ball gave
MdS takes 47-35 win from Hornets
By PHIL CIARK
TIMES-lOURNAL SPORTS
The Mount de Sales Cavaliers
took advantage of some extremely
cold Westfield shooting in the
second half here Jan. 29 for a 47-
35 region 1-AAA win over the
Hornets.
Getting first half three-point
ers from Brian Hartley and
Ernest Greene, the Hornets offset
nine points by Michael Walton
for a 27-25 halftime lead.
Even though Westfield went
cold in the third quarter, with bas
kets by Robert Causey and Will
Sexton producing the only points
of the quarter, the Cavaliers
weren’t setting things on fire
themselves, scoring just 10 points
Southland takes non-region GISA
win from Westfield Hornets, 49-41
By PHIL CLARK
Times-Iqurnal Sports
The frustration continued for the Westfield
Hornets Jan. 30 as the Southland Raiders took
advantage of the Hornets’ prolonged shooting slump
to jump out to a 17-6 first quarter lead on the way to
a 49-41 non-region win over the Hornets.
Robert Causey managed Westfield’s only three
baskets in the quarter as the Raiders continually
drove the ball inside.
A Hartley three-pointer, one of four for the night,
led a nine-point second quarter, matching the
Raiders who got seven points from Micah Walker.
Southland had a 26-15 halftime lead, meaning
the Hornets had scored just 23 points during the
previous four quarters of play going back to the Jan.
29 game against Mount dc Sales.
A visibly frustrated coach Rennie Atkinson said “1
just don’t know what we’re gonna have to do. We
outshot them from the field 36-31, but they hit 15
free throws in a row before missing and finished with
18 out of 23. We only shot 10. But we’ve got to snoot
better all around, and protect the ball a little better.
We gave them some easy baskets.”
Eleven of those free throws came in the final
Panthers’ undefeated region run goes
down the Drane to Tri-County
Eagles cost Perry faithful a long drive home after 67-57 loss
By ALLINE KENT
For the Times-lournal
DRANEVILLE lt was a long drive for the
Perry faithful as Panther fans traveled dark, two lane
roads for 1 1/2 hours to see Perry take on region rival
Tri County. Unfortunately, it was even a longer drive
home after the Panthers lost their first region game
of the season 67-57.
The game was highlighted by aggressive play from
both teams and several calls by officials which some
Perryans questioned. Several times, Perry battled
back only to see a foul call send the Eagles to the
line.
Perry got in the hole early letting Tri-County go
up 8-1 until Dannorris Harvey dunked the ball and
got the momentum going for the Panthers.
Dontarrius Thomas scored twice in the first and
Johnny Watkins helped hold Tri County by stealing
the ball away several times to keep the score at 20-11
after the first quarter of play.
The Panthers kept the Eagles at bay during the
first minutes of the second quarter allowing only two
points. An-eight point run by Perry, featured Jphnny
Watkins hustling the court twice for iayups, pulled
the score to 22-20.
Tri-County answered with their own run taking
the score back out to 34-21. It seemed like a lifetime,
until Watkins stole the ball away from the Eagles on
a pass and threw the ball to Harvey who scored.
Thomas followed with two from the foul line and
the Panthers went to halftime down by 11.
Dontarrius Thomas sunk a three-pointer to open
the third quarter followed by two put up by Watkins.
Houston Tims-Journal
Stratford possession with 26.7
seconds left and leading by a
point.
Patrick Sullivan, a reserve and
later the hero, gave Stratford a
three-point lead, 49-46, but
Hartley hit a three-pointer with
less than a second left and
Stratford quickly called time out.
When play resumed, there was
a second and a half on the clock
after an officials’ huddle, but it
wasn’t enough time for Stratford
to score, forcing the first over
time.
Stratford appeared to gain the
upper hand, scoring six straight
points in the overtime period, but
Hartley was fouled trying a three
pointer, and made all three free
throws.
When Westfield managed to
!;et the ball back with just seconds
eft, Hartley again hit a three
pointer, sending the game into a
second overtime.
Getting first half three-pointers from Brian Hartley and
tmest Greene, the Hornets offset nine points by Michael
Walton for a 27-25 halftime lead.
to gain a 35-31 lead after three
quarters.
Daniel Weir scored the first
basket of the fourth quarter, then
Sexton scored on a lead pass from
Greene to tie the game at 35-35
with seven minutes left in the
game.
That was all the points the
Hornets could score, going the final
seven minutes without scoring.
Meanwhile, Stephano Danese
scored eight points in a Mount de
7 just don't know what we re gonna
hare to do. We outshot them from the field
36-31, but they hit 15 free throws in a row
before missing and finished with 18 out of
23. We only shot 10. But we've got to shoot
better all around, and protect the ball a lit
tle better. " WHS Coach Rennie Atkinson
quarter as the Hornets were forced to foul to stop the
clock. The Hornets outscored Southland 15-13 in
the quarter, and 26-23 over the final two quarters.
But it was too little, too late to pull out a win.
Hartley with 15 and Causey with a dozen led the
Hornets while Walker score 17 and Ryan Haworth
13 for Southland. Seven of Haworth’s points and six
of Walker’s came from the foul line.
Westfield (41) Causey 12, Hartley 15, Sexton 2, Weir 8, Trevor
[ones 4.
Southland (49) Oscar Williams 2, Walker 17, Haworth 13,
Carson 7, Cripc 4, Horne 2, Barksdale 2, Cutwright 2
Halftime: Southland 26, Wetfield 15
Three-poiners: Westfield 4 (Hartley 4) Southland 1 (Walker)
“We hung tough after a very poor start,
stabilized and got back in the game in sec
ond quarter. “ PHS Coach Carl Thomas
Another three-pointer by Kris Asbury put Perry in
reach of the Eagles, down by only two. From the foul
line, Tri-County once again made it a three-point
game until Harvey answered with two making the
score 37-36.
Tri-County kept drilling the Panthers, however,
and once again pulled back ahead going up by seven
before the third period ended.
The Panthers kept closing in on the Eagles, with
Harvey once again sinking two in a row and making
it a one-point game. The last few minutes of the
game saw Tri-County take off and the game ended
with Perry down by 10.
“They shot the ball well in the first and we pan
icked a little offensively, “ said head coach Carl
Thomas after the game. “We hung tough after a very
poor start, stabilized and got back in the game in sec
ond quarter. We had a few lapses and they just took
advantage of them.”
Periy still holds the number one spot in Georgia
High School Association sub-region 4-AA South.
With two region games left on the their schedule,
the Panthers expected to take the number one seed in
the playoffs next week at Dodge County in Eastman.
Perry (57) Tri-County (67)
Green 3, Robinson 5, Watkins 8, Thomas 20, Asbury 3, Harvey
18
With the score tied and time
running out, Sullivan launched
one from the right wing, giving
the Eagles a 61-58 region 1-AAA
win.
Hartley scored 21 for
Westfield, including 5 three
pointers, giving the Westfield
senior 85 for his three years of
varsity play.
Robert Causey scored in every
quarter and in one of the overtime
periods, scoring a total of 18
points while sophomore Daniel
Weir , who also scored in every
quarter, had 15. Stephen
Anderson’s 15 was best for the
Eagles.
Westfield (58) Causey 18, Hartley 21,
Will Sexton 2, Weir 15, Trevor Jones 2
Stratford (61) Sullivan 5, Anderson 15,
Rich Liipfert 13, Matthew Terry 5, Fleming
7, Thomas Alexander 5, Kyle Johnson 11
Halftime: Westfield 28, Stratford 24
Three-pointer: Westfield 5 (Hartley 5)
Stratford 4 (Johnson 2, Sullivan, Liipfert)
Sales 12-point run.
Greene’s eight points topped
Westfield scorers, while Danese
had 16 and Walton 13 for the
Cavaliers.
Westfield (35) Robert Causey 4, Brian
Hartley 6, Matt Moore 2, Greene 8, Daniel
Weir 5, Trevor Jones 2, Bo Hart 2, Don
Walker 2.
MDS (47) Andy Knight 2, Walton 13,
Nick Richardson 4, Vari Brown 8, Branden
Gcddis 2, Eddie Hearn 4, Danese 16.
Halftime: Westfield 27, MDS 25
Three-pointer: Westfield 3 (Hartiev 2,
Grene) MDS 1 (Walton)
Phil
Clark
TlntM-Jouraal
Sports
Sharpe tongue
I’m sure you kept up with the
barrage of exchanges between
Denver’s Shannon Sharpe and
the Falcons’ Ray Buchanan in
the weeks and days leading up
to the super bowl.
Sharpe was very talkative, but
I believe it’s just in a good natured
way. I’ll tell you why I say this. My
friend Charles Stephens, who is
now in Montezuma but has
resided in both Folkston and
Glenville as a manager for Alltel
(then GTE), talks admirably
about both families.
Charles and I play golf
together, and when we play
together, there’s plenty of time
for talking about things like
football and the people who
make up the game. You see, we
spend a lot of time in the woods
and rough, looking for lost balls.
Charles, as they say, can hit
the ball a ‘ton’, but he has never
learned what the fairway is for.
He says, “if they charged ‘fair
way fees’ instead of‘greens fees’,
I could play for nothing!”.
Charles has great admiration
for the Baileys and Sharpes. He
says the two families are a great
deal alike. Both are hard work
ing, God fearing families who
fried to raise their young'uns
properly.
Charles takes pride in having
known them. The Bailey broth
ers, of course, all ended up at
Georgia. Ronald, Champ and
Boss were all outstanding high
school players, and all excelled
in school and in the community.
Charles was visibly upset a
few years ago when a story came
out of Folkston that the high
school phenom, Champ Bailey,
had been accused of a sex crime.
Charles’ first response was “it’s
either a set-up by someone who
doesn’t like the Baileys, or the
girl is lying”.
It turned out Charles was
right. Bailey went on to a great
career at Georgia, and has opted
to enter the NFL draft,
although he has a year of eligi
bility left. Boss, who played a
great deal as a freshman line
backer, will carry on the Bailey
tradition at UGA.
The Sharpes, too, are well
respected in their community of
Glenville. Sterling, the older of
the two football playing broth
ers, is now a studio analyst for
ESPN after a neck injury cut
short an outstanding career at
Green Bay.
But it’s Shannon who has
been in the spotlight the past cou
ple of weeks because of what he’s
been saying. He sports his huge
Super Bowl ring for all to see.
As I write this, he’s trying for
two in a row. How much did
Sharpe actually contribute to
Denver’s Super Bowl XXXII
win? Four catches, 38 yards!
Hardly all-pro statistics.
Sterling Sharpe is a good
announcer, whose excellent
voice and enunciation belies his
deep south Georgia upbringing.
Shannon, who suggests that he
might want to follow in his
brother’s footsteps in both foot
ball and the announcers’ booth,
is getting in plenty of practice in
recent weeks.
Again, I believe it’s all good
natured jibe. If Charles
Stephens is right about the
Sharpes and Baileys, it just
wouldn’t be his nature to be vin
dictive or insulting in a serious
manner. And I have never
known Charles Stephens to tell
me anything that wasn’t on the
up and up.
Well, one time he did tell me
he birdied a hole while playing a
round by himself)
His assessment of the Baileys
and Sharpes as good, solid citi
zens whose families brought
them up that way is stamped
indelibly in my mind. So, as I
watched all of the pre-Super
Bowl XXXIII hoop-la, with all
of the media hype about the
Sharpe-Buchanan (and all of
the other Falcon secondary)
squabble, I took it as just that,
media hype.
Every major newspaper in
the country had reporters by the
droves in Miami for a week,
plus the wire services and televi
sion networks, so it is under
standable that they had to
search for, or manufacture, sto
ries.
Shannon Sharpe talks a lot.
He gets paid to play football.
Sterling Sharpe talks a lot, too,
and gets paid to do that. So
which of the brothers did the
most talking last week?