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Sports Panthers claim region golf title PHS to play for state May 10 By Jj JOHNSON — Perry captured the Region 4-AA £lf title earlier thi* week at bulon. The Panthers took the win with a four-stroke victory over Harris County at the Cedars Golf Course. Perry recorded a 340 for the Bgjß |t;« Spainhour day, up from a score of 314 on the same course a week before. “Playing conditions were not good," Panther golf coach Johnny Barton said. “The conditions affected the scores of all the teams,” Barton said. “The greens were very slow, and the pin placements were terrible." The victory enables the Panthers Westfield golfers tune up for state meet with pair of wins By PHIL CLARK Times-Iqurnal Ssorts The preliminaries are nearly over for the Westfield golf team, with a final regular season tune-up April 29 with Stratford and Drcrfield, played at Stonebridge, the site of the state tournament. Playing at Riverside in Macon April 20 against FPD and Mount dc Sales, the Hornets extended their regular season unbeaten streak, but posted a score of 328, far above their season stroke average, and far above what it will no doubt take to win their third state cham pionship in the past four years. Jon David Kennedy led the Hornets with a 77, followed by Joe Todd at 78, Mitch Greer at 86 and Matt Moore at 87. FPD shot a team total of 334, Central Fellowship overcomes Hornet lead, picks up win By PHIL CLARK iiMajmßNALSro.yis The Westfield Hornets failed to hold on to an early lead here April 20, and Central Fellowship Academy went on to pick up a cru cial 7-4 region lAAA win over the Hornets as the two teams battled for the final region playoff spot. After Central scored a run in the top of the first inning with the help of a Westfield error, the Hornets came right back with three runs in their half of the first. Gary Virden led off with a base on balls and Trevor Jones singled. After Jones stole second base, both runners scored on a Will Sexton double, giving the Hornets a 2-1 lead with nobody out. After a wild pitch put Sexton on third base, cleanup hitter Jared Shell delivered a sacrifice fly to score Sexton. But the Hornets’ bats went silent as they watched Central tie Windsor s Harris outduels Weir Hornets fall 6-0 in region 1-AAA battle By PHIL CLARK Completing one of his best days this season, Westfield sophomore Daniel Weir battled Windsor’s Todd Harris on even terms through four innings before die Knights combined four hits with two Westfield errors to break open a dose game in a 6-0 region 1 AAA baseball game played at Windsor April 22. Weir struck out 10 Knights batters while allowing just eight hits, no more than one to any Windsor batter. But the Westfield, offense was stymied by Harris, a big left-hander who beat the Hornets for the second time this season, and for the second time, struck out 16 Westfield batten. Harris allowed just a solid single in the fifth inning by Chance Jones, the only Westfield starter who did not strike out against Harris. The Hornets managed just five baserunners, and got two runnen on bass only in the seventh inning on a to advance to the Georgia High School Association Class AA state golf tournament at Hartwell May 10. Barton said the team would travel to Hartwell for a practice match on the course next week. “1 don't know much about the course except there will be lots of hills and water," he said. Brandon Spainhour led Perry with an 80, good enough for the region low medalist title. Steve Lowery had an 86 while Joseph Fountain finished at 87. Greg Brantley also finished with an 87. Perry won the region title two years ago, and won the state cham pionship in 1995. Barton said he was very pleased with the region win, especially con sidering the youth of the 1999 team. Spainhour is the only senior on the club. Sixteen teams qualify for the state title round. while Mount de Sales came it with a 373. Kennedy’s 77 took low medalist honors. Two days later, playing on their home course, the Perry Country Club course, the Hornets shot a team total of 308 to beat Stratford and FPD. Kennedy was again low medalist for the Hornets and for the match, firing a 74 over the par 71 Perry course. Matt Moore shot a 74, Joe Todd 77 and Mitch Greer 83. R.G. Lamar is the fifth member of the Westfield squad, which has been pared to five players for the tourna ment. Perry’s Whitney Christie was low medalist for Stratford with a 77 while Chaz Robbins led FPD with his 81. the game with two runs in the third, then take the lead for good with two more in the fourth, including a home run by third baseman Brian Lemley. Westfield managed just one more run, that coming in the sixth inning. Chance Jones led off with a walk and after a passed ball put him on second, Jacob Walker scored him with a solid single to left field. Kip Ashley got the win for Central while Matt Hardy was the hard-luck loser. Central Fetlowahip 102 211 0 7 Westfield 300 001 0 4 Winning pitcher Kip Ashley Losing pitcher Matt Hardy Leading hitters: Westfield Jacob Walker 3-3, Will Sexton 1-2 (2 RBI) Central Fellowship: Jason Poole 1-2 (3 runs) Brian Letnlev 1-2 (HR) Casev Collins 1-1 (RBI) one-out walk to pinchhitter Will Sexton and an error at second base on a grounder off the bat of Chance Jones. Michael Durough and Shawn Greer each scored two runs for Windsor. Weir earlier in the day led the Westfield B-team to a 10-7 victory over the Knights, with a double, his first home run of the season and a walk, scoring twice and driving in three of Westfield's runs. Kory Kitchens had his best day of the year with two angles and two doubles in five appearances, scoring three times while driving in one run. Mark Hulbert had two hits, including a double, and scored twice, while Griffin Hamsley, who went all the way on the mound to pick up the victory, also contributed two base hits. Jordan Hob and Clayton Lewis each had doubles for the Hornets, (Sac WEIR, Page SA) Page 4A - Wed.. April 28. 1999 ,—-■• - — iSBBSnV f mf 148 fek 0, fi 0 ffl rV a ht fPlll ImHF .. ..i yaw wp % PICK A PAIR - Named Most Valuable Players for the 1998-99 Perry High Lady Brown, Thomas take top Lady Panther awards ByALLINEKENT EVE THE The varsity girls team from Perry High School cele brated their season April 19 by holding their Basketball Banquet at Qunicy’s. The event was attended by team members, parents and coaches. Although the Lady Panthers ended with the 1999 season with a 11-14 record, head coach Max Vickers said that the season should be considered successful. “I learned a lot this year, I do every season. And the girls did too.” Kiki Woodard was selected by Vickers as the Most Harris County ends Panther hope of second baseball crown ByALUNE KENT Perry ended their season last weak and their hopes of back to back region championships with two losses to Harris County in the first round of the 4AA playoffs. With the win the Tigers move on to face Bleckley County this week for the region championship. It is the fourth year in a row that Harris County has made the region playoffs. They entered the match with a 12-game winning streak. Perry lost the first game of the Harris County, Jackson take Perry out of region tennis play ByALUNE KENT FognjpTwtprJomiNAK. Dwayne Heard ended his senior year undefeated on the year but it was not enough to push the Panthers past the region playoffs. Both the boys and the girls tennis seasons came to an end last week as the Panthers fell in the first round of the region playoffs. The boy’s lost to Harris County while the girls were defeated by Jackson. > Heard, Perry’s number one singles player ended the season without a loss. He only lost one match as a junior. Perry is graduating only one other senior off the ten nis team, Brandon Pfleegor, the number two singles Westfield golfers win region 1-AAA tide Freshman Jon David Kennedy fires 71 at Houston Lake for win By PHIL CLARK foffmUMia-Jftyim; ... Westfield’s Jon David Kennedy fired a one under par 71 over the tough Houston Lake Country Club Course here April 26 to lead the Westfield Hornets to the region lAAA golf champi onship. The win is the first step in the Westfield bid to win their third state tide in the past four years. Three Hornets were named to the lAAA all-region team, includ ing Kennedy, Matt Moore and Joe Todd. Marvin Arrington was named region coach of the year. Kennedy, a freshman, birdied number nine (his fin ishing hole, the teams started play on the back nine) to dose out a round of 36-35 and beat Stratford’s Chris James by three shots for low medalists honors. Moore and Stratford’s Whitney Christie tied for third with 755. James, Christie and Stratford teammate Nash Rolfez were also named to the all-region team. Westfield finished with a team total of 308 to beat Stratford by seven shots. The Eagles 315 was 43 shots better than third place finisher Mount de Sales. The Cavaliers shot a team total of 358, tournament hosts Central Fellowship Christian Academy came in with a 380 and Windsor dosed out their season with a 400. The state tournament will be held at Stoncbridge in Hesstu Tims-Jurat Panthers are Krystall Brown and Brandie Thomas. Awards were presented April 19. Improved player. Woodard, a sophomore, saw consider able playing time during the season and scored in the double digits in several key games helping the Panthers earn a third place seed in the region playoffs. The Coaches award was presented to Bonnie Fagin, a senior. “She is a leader on the floor, very coachable," Vickers said. “She always did whatever 1 asked of her." Outstanding players of the year. Krystal Brown and Brandy Thomas were leading scorers for the Panthers and both were “leaders on the floor". The two were the only returning starters on this year’s team. doubleheader played in Hamilton 10-9. David Talley hit a home run early in the game with a runner on base. ~ ; 5 jiiJH The game, tied up in tfrb-sev enth, stretched out three extra innings before Harris County scored a run and took the win. Perry lost the second game 13- 8. Head Coach Lee Whatley said that although his team had spent a lot of time practicing for the type of game Harris plays, the Panthers just didn’t execute. “It seemed like we just couldn't player. Both of these young men have been instrumen tal in the team’s success for the last four years, according to their coach Bert Bozeman. “They have both been staples of our team," said Bozeman. “They both have a lot of experience and both set a good example. “ Bozeman went on to praise all the members of both teams for their sportmanship. “Some players allow the game to bring out flaws in their character. Not these kids. They are all rood kids, they compete well and hold their heads high. They play the game the way it should be played." Both teams finished with a winning record and sec ond place in the sub-region. Albany. Westfield, Stratford and Deerfield will play a warm up match at the course April 29 in preparation for the May 1 state meet. The Westfield Hornets qualified in 12 events for the May 1 state qualifier, and the Lady Hornets will be represented in six events after the region lAAA meet held April 26 at Stratford. The qualifier, which pits regions one and two against each other while regions three and four com pete in the other meet, determines which athletes qual ify for the Georgia Independent School Association state meet in Albany the weekend of May 7-8. The Lady Hornets’ Connie Thompson will have a chance to qualify for state in both the shot put and dis cuss, while Katie Byrd will compete in both the 100 m and 200 m dashes. Ann Peake will give it a go in the 10cm hurdles, while the 4x400 relay team of Lauren Byrd, Rachel Moore, Nicki Dean and Katie Byrd will (See TRACK, Page SA) Times- Journal Photos by Charlotte Perkins do anything right. We missed catches, played bad on the field, couldn’t hit or throw. Nothing went our way,” Whatley said. Perry will graduate many key seniors next month among them University of Georgia signec David Coffey, who batted .567 this season. Whatley expects other members of his team to play on the college level, including David Talley and Kent Franklin. The Panthers recorded some milestones this season including wins over top ten ranked Warner Robins and Bleckley County. Westfield, Deerfield, Southland and Stratford will be the tournament favorites. Southland is defending champion, while Westfield won in both 1996 and 1997. GISA Region 1-AAA and 2- AAA state track qualifier is May 1 Phil Clark Tlmo-JeMmal Sports Westfield basketball sidelines change Michael Drake, Headmaster at Westfield Schools, announced a couple of coaching changes last week that have a far-reaching affect on the athletic picture at Westfield. There will be only one new face, but the sidelines at basket ball games take on a whole new look. In girls’ basketball, assistant coach Leigh Ann Johnson has been promoted to head coach. "She will, if effect, be the girls’ head coach”, Drake said. “We wanted to establish more stability, and we looked back on die Donna Campbell years when she was head coach for girls' softball, basketball and track. We are doing the same in Leigh Ann’s case, and we feel like she will establish just the continuity we are looking for." Drake said, ‘Coach Billy Sellers will now be free to devote his time to baseball, in addition to assisting with football, and playing a role at basketball games other than on the side lines. He will have planning time in the winter months for his spring baseball program. That should help the baseball program tremendously. “This is in no way a reflection on Coach Sellers’ ability as a bas ketball coach. We had just got ten to the point that we were stretching him out a little too far,” Drake continued. “We are satisfied with the decisions we have made along these lines.” At the same time, Duane Hunter was introduced as the new boys’ basketball coach. Hunter will replace Rennie Atkinson, who is leaving Westfield after two years to return to Tattnall Academy, where he will be the athletics director and assist in football, with no basketball responsibili ties. Atkinson said “1 am just sim ply burned out on basketball, at least for the time being. After coaching for so many years, I just feel I can be better in some other capacity. The opportunity to be the athletics director at Tattnall is simply something I can't pass up." Hunter comes to Westfield from nearby Fullington Academy in Pinehurst, where his boys team split regular season games with Westfield last sea son. Hunter served as head coach for both the boys and girls teams, but at Westfield, he will coach only the boys in basket ball, and will help with football as well. Prior to the Fullington job, Hunter had been an assistant at Monroe Academy from 1993- 1995. Ironically, Hunter assumed the assistant's job at Monroe when Jim Massey left to become head coach at Westfield in 1993. Hunter is also a versatile coach, which fits in well at Westfield. He was head baseball coach at Monroe, and is the golf coach at Fullington. Perhaps just as impressive in Hunter’s case is his classroom credentials. Drake, in an inter view last week, said “Coach Hunter brings excellent class room credentials to Westfield. He has been STAR teacher for two straight years at Fullington, where his Economics classes are three-time winners of the Georgia Stock Market Game. Aside from Economics, Hunter teaches world geography, gov ernment and psychology.” For Johnson, it will be her first head basketball coaching assignment. She has been an assistant to Sellers in girls’ bas ketball, though, and coached the Lady Hornets B-team. Johnson said of her appoint ment “1 am both shocked and pleased. I didn’t expect it to hap pen, but I appreciate the oppor tunity, especially at Westfield, where I really feel comfortable. I had a couple of other job oppor tunities, but I just wasn’t mady to make a move to anothei »~.ioo'. But 1 am delighted at the oppor tunity I will have here at Westfield." Coach Ronnie Jones, the ath letics director and head football coach at Westfield, said “I thought coach Sellers was doing a good job in girls' basketball, but now he will have more time to devote to baseball. 1 hated to lose Rennie Atkinson, more so (See CLARK< Page SA)