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At Perry High School ...
Soccer squad in rebuilding mode
ByALLINE KENT
Fol THE TIMES-kHItKAL
After making the region plevotts for the first time
in school history last year, Perrys soccer program is
in the midst of a rebuilding year.
The Panthers graduated five seniors last season
which in soccer equals losing half die team.
“The guys we lost were either talented soccer
players or talented athletes or both, “ said Coach
Robert Zell.
“They were leaders on die field and a driving
force behind the team," he added.
Zell will be looking to seniors Brandon Pfleegor
and Joe Bearden to pick up that role this year.
Not only did Zell lose half his starters to gradua
tion, several of the younger team members did not
Bozeman counting on returning
players to lead tennis team
ByALLINE KENT
Fob the Times-Iqurnal
Tennis season is under way at
Perry High and with many mem
bers returning from last year,
expectations are high for both the
girls and boys teams in 1999.
Nine girls who played for Perry
last season are back this year. The
experience, combined with the
talent is a plus for the Panthers.
So far, the girls have a 1-1
overall team record. The girls lost
in a tough match against Macon
County but rebounded and beat
Dodge County.
The girls doubles team of
Kristin Harrell and Sherry Nipper
and Ginnie Brown and Coby
Willard are undefeated.
Jones rebounds to down Panthers 2-1
ByALLINE KENT
FortheTimes-louhmai
Thanks to a home run by
David Coffey in the first inning of
Jilay, Perry kept , a 1-0 lead over
ones County until the 4th inning
when Jones County answered
back with a homer of their own.
Defensive errors by the
Panthers sent Jones County ahead
for good in the next inning.
Panther starting pitcher Kent
Franklin pitched the entire game
against Jones County, recording
seven strikeouts.
Franklin, who batted .567 for
At the Westfield Schools ...
Windsor pitcher throttles Hornet baseball team
Bv PHIL CLARK
Times-lournai. Sports
Westfield’s hitting woes continued at the Hornets’
Nest March 15 as Windsor lefthander Todd Harris
struck out 17 batters in a 6-inning, 13-0 Windsor
win.
Harris struck out every Westfield starter twice
exceprfor freshman catcher Chance Jones, who did
n't fan.
At the plate, Harris went 3-4 with two doubles
and a grand slam home run to help his-own cause.
The Knights also got home runs from Shawn
Greer and Brian McGreggor in their 12-hit attack
against three Westfield pitchers.
Trevor Jones looped a one-out single to right cen
ter with one out in the first inning and Gary Virden
dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line in
the. third for the only two hits by the Hornets.
Harris struck out the side in the first, second,
fourth, fifth and sixth innings and picked up two
more in the third.
It was the first region lAAA game for the
Hornets, whose overall record fell to 1-5.
The Hornets meet Mount de Sales at 4 p.m.
March 18 at the Hornets’ Nest in another region
lAAA matchup.
Trinity pitchers master Westfield batters for doubleheader win
By PHIL CLARK
Spoffrs
DUBLIN lt was an
uneventful Saturday excursion to
Dublin for the Westfield Hornets
as Trinity teammates Nathan
Smith ana Sam Perry combined
to pitch one-hit ball for a double
header sweep over the Hornets on
a windy, chilly afternoon.
Smith escaped a shaky first
inning to post an 11-2 no-hit vie- -
tory in game one and Smith fol
lowed by allowing just one hit in
the nightcap 12-1 Trinity win.
Westfield was able to take the
lead in both games by scoring first
inning runs, but drey couldn’t
score after the first in either game.
Gary Virden, Trevor Jones and
Jacob Walker drew consecutive
see a lot of playing time last season.
“Due to the talented seniors that took up the
squad,“ he explained, “we have a lot of kids who have
not played as regularly and don’t have as much play
ing experience. Their skills are a little rusty.”
One member of the team who has stepped up for
the Panthers this season is sophomore Bill Sanaifer,
playing goalkeeper. Zell mentioned Sandifer’s out
standing job so far this season saying “He is doing
great and I applaud his performance.
Perry’s play is getting better and better as they
progress through me season including their second
region game where they tied Thomasville 3-3 after
an over time period.
The Panthers travel to Albany and Brookstone
this week.
“We got off to a bad start with
die loss to Macon County,” said
Coach Bert Bozeman.
“But then we beat Dodge. All
our games are sub-region games,
so they all count toward moving
on after regular season.”
A team must place either first
or second in the region to move
on to state.
The boy’s team also fell to
Macon County but picked up a
smashing victory against Dodge
County, winning 5-0.
Singles players Dwayne Head
and Brandon Pfleegor are both
seniors and are both undefeated.
The boys doubles team pairs
are mostly newcomers to the
Perry program.
the Panthers last season, recog
nized that having a good pitching
fame affected his hitting game.
ranklin usually starts in center
field for Perry.
“I was concentrating on pitch
ing, and it threw my hitting off a
little. You have to change your
mindset to pitch,” he explained
after the game.
Coach Lee Whatley is still
moving people around and trying
players in different positions
including finding a place for late
comers Dante Holmes and
Johnny Watkins.
Windsor 0 4 1 116 13
Westfield 00 0 00 0 0
Leading hitters: Westfield Trevor Jones and Gary
Virden each 1-3
Windsor: Harris 3-4 (2 doubles, home run) Pete
Self 2-4, Shawn Greer 2-4 (home run), Brian
McGreggor 2-4 (home run) Shane Wells 2-3 (dou
ble)
Winning pitcher Todd Harris; Losing pitcher
Jacob Walker (1-1)
Adult ball registration set
Special to the Timbs-lournal
Registration of teams for the 1999 Men’s,
Women’s and Church Adult Softball League will
begin on March 25, according to Tom Morris,
Director of the City of Perry Recreation
Department.
The season will be from April through June, with
a cost of S4OO per team. The age limit is 18 and older.
A coaches meeting will be held March 25 at 7
p.m. at the Rozar Community Center, further infor
mation, call 988-2860.
walks to open the first game.
With one out, Chance Jones was
hit by a pitch to force in a run, and
with two outs, Matt Hardy was
also hit by a pitch to force home a
run.
Trinity wasted little time in
taking the lead for good in their
half of the inning. After a walk to
Dan Bryant leading off and a
double by Terry Evans, Trinity
catcher Todd Gilder launched a
Hardy fastball over the left field
fence to give Trinity a 3-2 lead, a
lead they never lost.
The only thing fans had to
keep an eye on the remainder of
game one was whether Westfield
could manage a hit off Smith.
Trevor Jones”fifth-inning bouncer
to shortstop was the closest they
Page 4B
- Wed., Much 17. 1999
Bozeman said that although
the players are real young “they
are coming along nicely.”
This is Bozeman’s second year
at PHS, his first coaching the ten
nis team.
Beginning his program at
Perry was not difficult because of
his familiarity with his players.
“I knew the kids, nave taught
some and had seen most of them
play last season,” he said. “It
makes for an easier first year,
when you know the kids already.”
The program has a strong fol
lowing, from both parents ofplay
ers and other students.
Home matches are played at J.
Frank Rozar Park.
Between the changes in the field,
and a schedule which has placed the
Panthers against top 10 teams from
classes AAA and AAAA
The changes in the field and
playing top 10 teams in AAA and
AAAA give the team that won
the Region 3-AA championship
lastyear a 2-5 this year.
The Panthers will face oppo
nents in Region 4-AA later in the
season. Before then, they face
AAAA Hardaway of Columbus
March 17. The next day, they play
Dublin. Perry has a home game
against Shaw March 19 at 5 p.m.
came.
When Evans had a little trou
ble getting the ball out of his
glove, Jones beat it out, but it was
scored an error on the shortstop.
Perry picked up in the second
game where Smith left off in the
first, but again the Hornets were
able to take a brief first inning
lead.
Left fielder Nathan Skinner
opened the game by drawing a
walk, then stole second base.
After Tate Parker walked, Daniel
Weir dropped a single down the
right field line to score Skinner,
but Perry escaped further damage,
even though he walked another
batter and Evans made an error at
shortstop.
The Crusaders were able to
Houston Times-Jemal
Demons hold off Perry, again
ByALLINE KENT
F9»TffiTlMB-jQy«NAL
WARNER ROBINS After
being down 9-1 and rallying
against the Demons during the
Perkins-Grier Tournament the
first week of the season, the
Panthers let a second chance at a
comeback slip through their
gloves losing to Warner Robins
11-6 last week.
The Panthers traveled to
Warner Robins for the game, the
last meeting of the two teams this
season.
Perry took the lead in the first
with the first hit of the evening.
Lead-off hitter, David Coffev
Middle School eighth graders
plot another run at championship
ByALLINE KENT
For the Times-Iqurnal
A new format in middle school
baseball this year, could be good
or bad for the Perry Middle
School Panthers, according to
Coach John Warlick, head coach
for the Bth grade team.
Twelve games are on the Perry
Middle schedule for the season,
but there will be no playoffs and
no championship game. The
Houston County middle school
team with the best record in the
county at the end of the season
will be crowned county champi
ons.
“Every game counts this year,”
Warlick said. “It’s already hard to
win away games, but the addition
al pressure could make it even
harder to win away from home."
Also, for the first time this
year, there is a two-hour time
limit on games. This also has the
potential to hurt a team, explained
*■' V \ 1/
Westfield golfers open season March 18
By PHIL CLARK
Times-Iqurnal Sports
The Westfield Hornets will open their quest for a third state golf
championship in the last four years March 18 as they meet Tattnall
Square and Central Fellowship in a non-region three-way match at
Perry Country Club. The first groups tee off at 2 pm.
Coach Marvin Arrington’s team won state titles in 1996 and 1997,
then lost the 1998 tide by a single stroke to Southland on the Raiders’
home course. Qualifying for the team was still being completed as the
Timts-Jowmal prepared to go to press.
throw Parker out at the plate after
retrieving a wild pitch with the
bases loaded. Gilder ran the ball
down at the backstop and threw
to Perry covering the plate to get
Parker out trying to score.
The Hornets managed just two
base runners after the first inning
on back-to-back walks to Weir
and Virden in the third inning.
Sandwiched around the walks,
Perry struck out the side.
In all, Trinity pitching struck
out 22 Westfield batters.
Westfield coach Billy Sellers
said “they have good athletes here,
we knew that. They finished sec
ond in basketball and had an out
standing football team, and the
same kids play all sports, so we
knew they were competitive. We
sent the ball straight over the cen
ter field fence during his first at
bat
Perry had gone down 11-3 in
the sixth when Tripp Morath hit
a home run on a 0-2 pitch.
The home run sent two in and
convinced the Panther fans
frozen in the stands that a repeat
of the last Warner Robins game
was in reach.
That was not to be. The next
two Perry batters struck out and
the game ended after the top of
the 7th.
Freshman Caleb White had 2
RBIs in the game.
Warlick.
“Teams carrying a lot of play
ers, can’t get as many subs in once
you go ahead, “Warlick said.
“This cuts down on game experi
ence for a lot of kids.
Sixteen young men make up
the team including several with
out much more experience than
vacant lot pick-up games.
“Our program has a lot of new
faces.” said Warlick,
“Some have moved in to the
area and some didn’t play for us in
the seventh grade,” he added.
One face who is returning and
won’t be welcome to Warlick or
the Panthers is left handed pitch
er Wesley Parker at Rumble. The
Imps Bth grade starter returns
from a 7th grade championship
and is according to Warlick prob
ably the the team to beat this year.
The Panthers were runners up
in the 7th grade last year.
didn’t expect to be dominated this
way, though.”
Game one:
Westfield 200 000 0-2
Trinity 621 020 x- 11
Leading hitters: Evans 2-4, Gilder 2-3,
Kevin Williams 2-3, Josh Floyd 2-2, Holiday
2-2
2B: Evans, Williams (Trinity) HR:
Gilder (Trinity) Winning pitcher Nathan
Smith (no hitter) Losing pitcher Matt
Hardy (0-1)
Game two
Westfield 1 0 0 0 0 x -1
Trinity 255 0 x -12
Leading hitters: Weir 1-1 (Westfield)
Scott Bradley 2-2, Perry 2-2, Floyd 2-3
(Trinity)
2B: Terry Evans, Bradley, Floyd
(Trinity)
Winning pitcher Sam Perry, Losing
pitchei Daniel Weir (0-1)
Phil
Clark
Tlroes-Ooumal
Sports
Ouch! It’s
March Madness
The NCAA selection commit
tee must be thinking the name real
ly means something this year. It’s
been madness so far, with high
seeds dropping like flies.
During die opening round, for
example, the number nine seeds
beat number eight seeds, and the 10
seeds beat the sevens in all four
regions. A few upsets here and
there are expected, but surely not in
all four regions.
I don’t suppose you’d really have
to consider a win by a number nine
seed over an eight an upset, but why
didn’t the committee seed the teams
die other way? What criteria do
they use? When all four number
10s beat number sevens, it really
raises some eyebrows.
In the West region, third seed
North Carolina was beaten by 14
seed Weber State, which then car
ried number six Florida into over
time in the second round. Should
Weber State have been seeded
higher? Apparently so.
The only other top four seed to
lose on opening nignt was in die
Midwest, where number 13
Oklahoma eliminated number four
Arizona 61-60.
OK, you say. So the number 10s
slipped up in the first round and
knocked off the number sevens. So
what. The seeds are close enough
together that the games could go
either way.
Is that so? Then let’s take a look
at the second round. Three of the
number 10 seeds still survive! In the
South, number two Maryland was
able to handle Creighton 75-63,
but the other number 10s won. In
the West, Gonzaga beat number
two Stanford, while in the East,
Purdue beat number two Miami,
FL, 73-63. In the Midwest Miami,
Ohio beat number two Utah 66-58.
Only in the South did all four top
seeds advance.
The interesting stories so far in
the tournament come out of the
East, where Southwest Missouri
State has knocked off number five
Wisconsin and number four
Tennessee. Southwest Missouri
State is coached by former Indiana
All-American Steve Alford. Alford
is assisted by his father Sam, whose
20-year high school coaching career
included coaching his son.
Southwest Missouri State has
advanced to the East regional semis
where they will meet number one
seed Duke.
The other interesting story is in
the Midwest, where Miami (Ohio)
standout Wally (World) Szczerbiak
had caught the fancy of fans every
where after his electrifying 43
points against number seven
Washington in the opening round.
He came back to lead his team to a
66-58 win over second seed Utah.
The Red Hawks will now meet
number three seed and defending
national champion Kentucky in the
Midwest regional finals.
The Cinderella stories don’t end
there, however. Number 10
Gonzaga has eliminated number
two Stanford in the West regionals
and will meet number six Florida,
while in the East, number 10
Purdue continues to knock off
higher seeds, eliminating Miami
(Fla), the number two seed. The
Boilermakers now face number six
Temple, a winner over number six
Cincinnati.
Look for more upsets this week
end in the Regional semi-finals and
finals. In the South, the pairings are
just what die selection committee
hoped for. It’s number one Auburn
facing number four Ohio State,
while number two Maryland takes
on number three St. John’s.
The West should be pretty pre
dictable with number one
Connecticut taking on number five
lowa State while number six
Florida meets number 10 Gonzaga.
The East will also have a couple
of games that should go to the
favorites as number one Duke will
fact surprising Southwest Missouri
State, the 12 seed, while number six
Temple squares off against number
10 Purdue.
In die Midwest, it should be
even more predictable with number
one Michigan State meeting num
ber 13 Oklahoma while number
three Kentucky must get by num
ber 10 Miami (Ohio).
If early round games are any
indication, anything can happen in
the next two weeks. But when the
dust settles Sunday afternoon, the
final four should look more like a
championship tournament.
Duke should advance out of die
East, Kentucky looks strong in die
Midwest despite the presence of
number one seed Michigan State,
while in die East it could be any
body's ball game, but whichever
teams advance, they will be legiti
mate contenders. Connecticut
appears to be the favorite to
advance out of the West.