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Perry Panthers take second
straight Region 4-AA track title
Team heads to state all classes meet in Jefferson this weekend
Bt ALLINE KENT
Jowwal Staff
COCHRAN For the second
year in a row. Perry High School
boy’s track team has run away
with the region championship, so
to speak.
The Panthers scored an unbe
lievable 155 total points during
the two day region 4-AA Georgia
High School Association competi
tion held in Cochran at Bleckley
County High School.
The two teams closest in scor
ing to Perry were Bleckley with 76
points and Dodge County with 65
points.
Dontarrious Thomas scored
first place wins in the Triple
Jump. 400 meter dash, the 300
meter hurdles and as a member of
the 4 x 100 m relay team. The
team also includes Marnezo
Taylor. Anthony Lane and
Donovan Kendrick.
The Panthers entry into the 4 x
400 meter relay also placed first
Krystal Brown inks grant with Middle Georgia
By ALLINE KENT
Hnirn .inuKWAL Staff
It seemed like a family
reunion more than a schol
arship signing.
That’s because more
than a dozen members of
Krystal Brown’s family
crowded into the Perry High
School media center, along
with the coaches and play
ers from the entire Panther
basketball program to
watch Brown commit her
basketball skills to Middle
Georgia College.
Among the family in
attendance were her moth
er Verna Lester And her
grandmother Eldora Lester.
Brown’s god parents,
Matilda D. White and
Coffey uses determination to reach UGA scholarship with 11-1 loss to Stratford
By ALLINE KENT
Home Joukhal Staff
You could hear the con
stant sound over the chat
ter of the soccer players on
the field and the cheers of
their fans gathered at the
Panther Pit.
Over and over again the
pounding continued as
David Coffey spent his
Friday evening in the bat
ting cage practicing his hit
ting game.
It is the kind of determi
nation and dedication that
have made this young man
a success and earned him a
baseball scholarship to the
University of Georgia.
Athough a gifted athlete
and a natural talent, it has
been hard work the year
Musings on a day at the GISA qualifying track meet
Covering the Georgia
Independent School Association
state qualifiers every year is a
day-long endeavor, and during
the long and drawn out day,
there’s time to reflect on other
things that are going on.
Early in the day on Saturday
at Stratford, in the first event of
the day, in fact, I ran into
Charles Clarke, whose son
Buddy is the outstanding dis
tance runner at Central
Fellowship Christian Academy.
As we talked, I was not aware
that we knew each other from
many years ago. As we watched
Buddy set the pace in the 3,200
meter run, I mentioned to
Charles that my name was also
Clark.
He said, “Oh, I know who you
are. I played football at Fort
Valley High when you were doing
play by play over WFPM radio"!
Charles told me, in fact, that I
once did an interview with him
after a game.
As best I recall, Charles was a
kicker. But then, that was in the
late 60s!
Chuck and Melanie Byrd soon
and included Thomas, Lane
Monterris Engram and Jermaine
Allen.
Panther Michael Robinson
placed first in both the 1,600
meter run with a time of 4:49 and
the 3,200 meter run with a time of
10:45 while Anthony Lane fin
ished first in the 200 meter dash
at 22.24.
State qualifiers include
Robinson, members of both relay
teams, Thomas, Lane, Kendrick
and Taylor.
The 4 x 100 meter relay team
finished 2nd last year in AA state
competition while the 4 x 400
meter team finished in 3rd in the
1998 finals.
Coach Carl Dixon said the team
would make a serious run for the
state title to be held in Jefferson
this weekend.
These young men have per
formed under pressure all year
and to be honest they are ready to
run," Dixon said.
Spencer Ricks made the
two-hour trip down from
Atlanta for the 10-minute
signing ceremony.
Brown’s father, John D.
Brown Sr., was also among
those gathered and referred
to the event as “Mt Everest"
for his family.
“She is my first child
going to college. We are
very, very proud of her," he
said.
Among her other activi
ties at Perry High School,
Krystal Brown is involved in
Future Business Leaders of
America. Fellowship of
,JChQSti4n Athletes, Prayer
Club and Arrive Alive. 1
She is also a member of
the yearbook staff.
around that landed Coffey
the chance to play for the
Bulldogs.
Coffey knew early,
according to his coach, Lee
Whatley, that he wanted to
play on the college level.
Coffey has attended sev
eral college baseball camps
every summer since his
freshman year and even
displayed his skills at a few
local pro-tryouts for the col
lege scouts that typically
attend.
Several four-year schools
were interested in him dur
ing his junior year, but the
Bulldogs won out.
“He liked Georgia and
Coach Sapp." said Whatley,
“David was excited about
the opportunity to play for
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
arrived, although it would be
more than two hours before their
two daughters would perform in
their first event.
We talked about several
things, as we always do at athlet
ic events. A Chuck
had told me how surprised he
was while reading a list of the
members of the Georgia Sports
Hall of Fame that Butler's
Norman Carter is not a member.
How can this be. I wonder.
Carter’s team in the 60s were
simply unbeatable, winning sev
eral state championships while,
also establishing a consecutive
games winning streak that may
never be broken.
Butler's 132-game winning
Region 4-AA track results
nw htff RjfVftTf ■■■ ■ ■ ™
COCHRAN Here are Perry High results of the
Region 4-AA track meet.
Pole Vault 6th - Quinton Johnson
Shot put 4th - Carlton Brock; Bth - Matt Dennis
High Jump 2nd - DSnorrls Harvey
Triple Jump lst - Dontarrious Thomas 44'4"
1600 meter run lst Michael Robinson; 3rd Chris
Dugger
3200 meter run lst Michael Robinson; 3rd - Chris
Dugger
400 meter Dash lst Dontarrious Thomas 47.9
100 meter Dash lst Donovan Kendrick 10.79; 2nd
Mamezs Taylor 10.82
110 meter hurdles 2nd Mamezs Taylor 15.2; 3rd
Michael Fluellen 15.5
200 meter dash lst Anthony Lane
300 meter hurdles lst - Dontarrious Thomas; 3rd
Monterris Engram
4 x 100 meter relay first place 42.9. Mamezs
Taylor, Dontarrious Thomas, Anthony Lane, Donovan
Kendrick
4 x 400 meter relay first place. Jermaine Allen.
Monterris Engram, Anthony Lane, Dontarrious Thomas;
Fourth place, Dannorris Harvey, Michael Fluellen,
Quinton Crane, Marnezs Taylor
Several •of Brown’s
teacher attended the sign
ing and all praised her tal
ent off the basketball court.
“I guess I know her better
as a person than a basket
ball player, “ said Karma
Hayes, a business educa
tion teacher at Perry. “She
wanted to further her edu
cation. Basketball is giving
her a way to do that."
Billy Murry, the head
coach of the girls' program
at Middle Georgia had only
been on the Job two weeks
when he was given the
opportunity to sign Brown.
“1 have been to Perry
many times to watch these
kids play. I love the way the
fans follow the team. They
him."
Georgia was impressed
by Coffey’s statistics which
include a. 565 batting aver
age, eight home runs this
season and 27 RBIs.
Thirteen of his hits this
year have been doubles
with two triples and 16
stolen bases.
The Bulldogs also liked
the fact that he is a left
handed batter and has
incredible speed. The young
man is expected to see play
ing time his freshman year,
an impressive fact in itself.
Hard work, determina
tion and skill aside there is
one more important factor
in being a successful ath
lete; you have to enjoy what
you do.
■
Page 6A
t—Wed., Mays. 1999
streak was halted, ironically, by
the Peny Lady Panthers of Coach
Bob Morrow. How Carter can not
be in the Hall of Fame wonders
me!
That’s the same way I feel
about Macon County's Carl
Peaster. Although Peaster never
coached a state championship
team, his teams did win 458
games. And more importantly,
Peaster sent 23 girls to college on
scholarships, even though schol
arships weren’t given to girls in
basketball until 1975!
Jack Lee was there to watch
Tate Parker in the long Jump.
Jack had a while to wait, too, so
we talked about one of his
favorite subjects, Auburn foot
ball.
Jack asked me about
Dontarrious Thomas, the out
standing athlete the Tigers have
signed out of Peny High School.
What I could tell Jack about
Dontarrious Thomas would bring
a sparkle to any War Eagles’
eyes.
Thomas is perhaps the best
athlete I've seen in this decade.
His ability on the football field is
have a lot of great talent,
their local and we’d like to
get them all. “ Murry said.
“Perry is just a great bas
ketball town," Murry
added.
“Coach Max Vickers runs
a great system here. He has
done a great Job of prepar
ing Krystal fundamentally.
She is also a good student
and Middle Georgia strives
for the best student-ath
letes possible."
Murray, who only recent
ly took over the girl’s pro
gram, has been on staff at
Middle Georgia for two
years as aJ£ assistant for
the boy’s team which has
chalked up an impressive
49-13 record
According to everyone
who knows him, David
Coffey has a great time
playing baseball.
“David just loves the
game and it shows”, said
Whatley. “He is a student of
the game and picks things
up. He can read pitchers
and knows where to hit the
ball.”
Coffey seems to be a well
grounded young mem, who
is completely aware of the
challenges that lay ahead of
him.
“It kind of scares me," he
said. “1 am 6'o, 170 pounds
and 1 will be going up
against a lot bigger guys,
guys from LSU, Tennessee.
1 like challenges, this will be
my biggest one yet."
Houston Urn Journal
qualify in half dozen
GISA state track events
track team, the Westfield
onrtadn nevertheless
qualified in half a dozen
events for the Georgia
Independent fi t School
Association
Altmny.
Senior Connie
Thompson was the lone
qualifier fear Leigh Ann
;Johnson’s girls team. She
will compete in the dis
cus May 7 during the
field events. Thompson's
throw of 81 feet seven
inches was third best hi
the regions 1 and 2 qual
ifier at Stratford Academy
tenso.
Also May 7, Larry
Bennett’s Hornets will
have both Tate Parker
and Gary Virden tn the
the qualifi
er with a leap of 20 feet,
six inches, more than a
foot greater than his
region lAAA winning
jump just five days earli
er. Virden's jump was 18
feet, five inches, placing
him third in the qualifier.
Both athletes also
qualified in the triple
jump, with Virden’s 39-
10 putting him in second
place. Parker qualified
fourth with a Jump of 39-
01 .
In both events, they
will be facing the top
jumper in the GISA,
Brentwood's Daniel
Heldreth.
May 8 in the track
events, Westfield’s 4 by
•• i ■
Hornet baseball team closes
By PHIL CLARK
Home Joukkal Staff —
The Westfield Hornets
baseball season ended last
week just the way it started
with a loss to the
Stratford Eagles at
Stratford.
The Eagles scored 10
runs in the first two
innings, then James Poe’s
fifth inning single drove in
Robbie Sovie with the win
ning run in an 11-1
Stratford victory ended by
the 10-run rule.
The Hornets managed
just one run on five hits,
scoring their only run in
their half of the fifth inning,
averting a shutout when
Ron Marshall singled to
open the inning and finally
awesome. He was recruited as a
defensive back, but Thomas
could also play wide receiver, a
position Jack says the Tigers are
woefully weak at. Auburn will be
proud of Dontarrious Thomas,
on and off the field, as well as in
the classroom.
Westfield coach Ronnie Jones
was there, and we had a little
time to chat. We were both
amused by the story out of
Albany concerning Ray Knight's
altercation with another parent
at a youth softball game.
Reports say that Knight and
one Jimmy C. Smith got into an
argument after Knight had urged
a player to hustle down the first
base line. Smith, according to
reports, told Knight, in no uncer
tain terms, to mind his own busi
ness.
But then Smith might ‘have
gone too far. He apparently told
Knight “you couldn't play with
the big boys, and you couldn’t
manage with the big boys, so
now you want to come down here
and coach a girls softball team."
Wrong. Ray Knight could play
with the big boys, and he has a
Events are daily
May 7-8 at Hugh Mils
Stadium in Albany.
100 relay team will try to
take home first place
against some really out
standing teams, includ
tag Tattnall, Brentwood.
First Presbyterian and
Southland. Tattnall and
Brentwood ran almost
identical times in win
ning the two qualifying
races, and the state event
figures to be one of the
best races of the day.
Jared Shell had to wait
until the end of the day to
find out he’d qualified in
the 100-meter run.
At the finish of the
race, it appeared that
Shell finished out of the
top four, but a review by
officials at the end of the
slate of races determined
that several runners had
gotten out of their lanes
some 40 yards before the
finish, forcing Sheil from
second back to sixth.
He was credited with a
third place finish after
the ruling was made.
Westfield's other quali
fier is Will Sexton in the
300-meter intermediate
hurdles. Sexton finished
second behind Stratford’s
Ty Watson.
Events begin about 10
a.m. each day. Fans are
reminded of a new ruling
that prohibits individual
coolers into Hugh Mills
Stadium. Only soft drink
coolers belonging to com
peting teams can be car
, ried insfcfo thi^ear.
came around to score with
out the benefit of another
hit.
The Hornets produced
three .300 hitters among
their full time players.
Jared Shell finished at .364
to lead the team officially.
Will Sexton finished at
.429, but had only 14 offi
cial at-bats.
Trevor Jones hit .308
and Jacob Walker finished
at an even .300.
Gary Virden was almost
in the .300 group, ending
his Hornet career by hitting
.289.
Freshman catcher
Chance Jones, one of the
most consistent players on
See BASEBALL, page 7A
World Series Most Valuable
Player Award to prove it.
Whether he could manage or
not, 1 can’t say. He didn’t have
much to work with in Cincinnati.
Certainly if Davey Johnson
couldn’t win his last year in
Cincinnati, Knight should not
have been expected to.
By the way, both Knight and
Smith were charged with disor
derly conduct after they report
edly confronted each other phys
ically after the game.
Down on the infield I spotted
Ben Cravey. The longtime Vidalia
High School coach has been in
the GISA his retirement from
public schools several years ago.
Cravey is at Pinewood i
Belleville, Just outside of Claxton.
Cravey is a throwback to the
old style of football coaches who
didn’t necessarily think that
designer clothes and shoes made
a good coach.
And I’d like to say a little bit
about courage. Westfield’s Katie
Byrd, running in the 100 meter
race, lost her footing about 60
See CLARK. Page 7A