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Sports
It’s a football jamboree!
HEADED DOWNFIELD
Donovan Kendrick (35),
a senior running back for
Perry, heads downfield
against Peach County in
the Peach Jamboree Aug.
20. Providing blocking
against the Trojans are
junior Laron Davis (74),
Junior Rashad Winn (7),
and Junior Willie Simon
(62).
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GIVE ME SOME HELP Panther running back
Michael Fluellen (2), a junior, looks to Tray Green (25),
ajellow junior, for help as he looks for room against
Peach County, The Panthers tied I'eacti *7-7 in the
minute jamboree game.
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It s August, so it must be time for high school football
I know, it's much too hot to be
thinking high school football.
But that time is here again. Boot
ball fans will have to brave mos
quitoes, even gnats, and the
players will have to endure heal
and humidity uncommon to loot
ball, but the season is here.
The first game of the new sea
son takes place Aug 26 as Mount
de Sales hosts defending Georgia
Independent School Association
class AAA champion Tattnall at 8
p.m. at the Mount de Sales ath
letic complex.
That’s just for openers. The
following night, most other GISA
teams kick into action. The West
field Hornets, with Ronnie Jones
set to begin his seventh season
Ht the helm, with play at Fulling
ton Aug 27 at 8 p.m.
That same night. Ricky Ellis
takes his Windsor Knights on the
road to play at Brentwood in
what could be a matchup of
teams that will go deep into the
playoffs this year. Southland will
host Southwest Georgia as Craig
Rhodes tries to get his Raiders
back into championship con
tending form. Stratford, one of
the preseason favorites in GISA
class AAA, will meet another
playoff contender as Cater
Pierce’s First Presbyterian
Vikings host the Eagles.
While the Georgia High School
- *
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
Association doesn't start for
another week for most schools,
there is the Corky Kell Classic at
the Georgia Dome Aug 28. The
four-game program, which kicks
off at noon, features the same
teams as a year ago, with a
change in opponents in the AAAA
games
A year ago in AAAA. MeEach
ern beat Parkview 32-7 on the
way to the state final, while
Brookwood beat Colquitt County
21 16. This year. Parkview plays
Colquitt while McEachern meets
Brookwood. A year ago, besides
McEachern reaching the state
finals. Brookwood and Colquitt
reached the semi-linals while
Parkview lost in the quarterfi
nals.
In other Kell Classic games
this year, the class AA game fea
tures state champion Carrollton
against Elbert County again.
Elbert finished just 5-5 a year
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I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN Panther defensive
back Quintin Johnson (31), a senior, races to block a
Warner Robins punt in the first game of the three-game
Jamboree. His effort fell just short as Warner Robins
got the kick away. The Demons scored two quick touch
downs against Perry, and held on in an otherwise very
evenly matched game to win 14-0. Peach downed Warn
er Robins 7-0 in the second game.
Horae Journal Photos by Jj Johnson
GETTING SOME HELP Rashad Winn (7) opens a
hole against Peach County for Donovan Kendrick (35).
Kendrick, a four-year player for the Panthers, is expect
ed to carry a heavy load from the backfield this season.
The Panthers used junior Philip Gentry in a 40-yard
field goal effort on the final play of the game. Gentry's
kick fell wide but had the distance to clear the crossbar.
A penalty on the play gave Gentry a chance 10 yards
closer, but the effort was blocked, leaving the teams tied
7-7. Perry opens the regular season Sept. 3 at the Pan
ther Pit with Vidalia, the only non-region 4-AA team the
Panthers face during the season.
ago and missed the playoffs. The
AAA game again has Thomas
County Central facing Danila.
Thomas County reached the set
ond round a year ago while Dae
ula lost in the first round.
A week later in the GIISA.
everybody jumps into the fray.
The Perry Panthers, coming oil
an impressive 7-3 season in
which they barely missed the
playoffs, will meet the Vidalia
Indians in the season opener Sep
3 at the Panther Pit. It is Perry’s
only non-region 4 AA game. The
Panthers won last year in Vidalia
20-19. Thev meet Lamar County
Sept 10.
Over in Fort Valley, the Peach
County Trojans come off a near
miss season in which they made
it to the state finals before losing
to Dougherty County. Long-time
assistant coach Alan Rodemaker
was promoted to head coach
when Rodney Walker decided to
leave for Sandy Creek, a region
4-AAA school in Tyrone. Rode
maker was the popular choice of
fans, booster club members and
players, so the transition should
be smooth.
The Trojans again open the
season with always-tough class
AAAA Northside of Warner
Robins. The game a year ago was
a blowout, the Eagles winning
38-0, one of just two regular sea-
Page 6A
Wed.. Aug. 25, 19‘>9
Houston Home Journal
Lady Hornets claim
three wins at Pinewood
Westfield goes 3-1 in day-long tourney
BY PHIL CLARK
Home Journal Sports
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Leigh Ann Johnson, begin
ning her second year as
head of the Westfield Lady
Hornets softball program,
used the Pinewood Christ
ian Academy preseason
tournament to fine-tune
her team for the regular
season, and look for
answers to questions at a
couple of positions.
Johnson used her entire
squad of 16 players during
the tournament as she
watched her team win
three times, with the only
loss coming to host
Pinewood, a perennial
Georgia Independent
Schools Association soft
ball power.
The Lady Hornets pound
ed out 46 hits, including
eight for extra bases, in
scoring 43 runs during
their four games. All of the
offense came in three of the
games, though, as
Pinewood scored a 15-0
three inning win in the
Lady Hornets' third game of
the day. In that game. West
field managed just a single
by Stephanie Burdeshaw.
Otherwise, though, the
offense was productive as
Ann Peake and Stephanie
Thompson each recorded
seven hits in 10 at-bats,
with Burdeshaw collecting
five. Hannah Barrett and
Amber liunnieutt had four
each.
liunnieutt let the team
with seven runs batted in
and hit the only home run
for Westfield, an inside-the
park drive that went deep
into the right field corner
for the right hand hitter.
It was a day of sevens'
for the Lady Hornets. Hun
nicutt led with seven RBI.
Rachel Moore scored seven
runs, while Peake and
Thompson each collected
seven hits. The team col
leeted eight extra base hits,
including Hunnicutt's
homer, two triples each by
Moore and Patty Dudley
and one by Barrett, plus
doubles by Julee Todd and
Rebecca Dudley.
Defensively, the team
turned two double plays.
The first came in game two
against Memorial. With
runners at first and sec
ond, Hunnicutt speared a
sharp grounder and tagged
the runner moving toward
third, then tossed to
Thompson covering at sec
son losses for Peach County last
season. Conrad Nix took the
Eagles all the way to the AAAA
quarterfinals before losing to
McEachern 24 21. after North
side had eliminated Lowndes
County the week before
In other matchups on opening
weekend. Richard Fendley takes
his Warner Robins Demons
south to Diwndes County where
Milt Miller will have the Lowndes
County Vikings ready to go to
war. A year ago, in Warner
Robins, Drwndes- won 29-7. so
the Demons have something to
prove.
Robert Davis, the longtime
Warner Robins coach now at
West side Macon, will also be
traveling to Valdosta. His Semi
noles, a surprise playoff team in
their first year of varsity competi
tion. will meet the state champi
on Valdosta Wildcats, who
scalped the Seminoles 35-6 in
last year’s meeting.
You must admire Fendley and
Davis, though. Opening night
competition is most often a non
region affair, and a lot of coaches
will go out and schedule an easy
game. Not so in this case,
though. Lowndes and Valdosta
are always tough. They are
almost unbeatable at home in
non-region games.
Doug Johnson will take the
i Westfield
A vs. Stratford
26 '
p.m.
y at Stratford
ond to force the runner
moving up from first.
The second double play
came in the team's fourth
game, against Trinity
Christian With a runner at
first and none out, Trinity’s
Woody hit a pop just in
front of the plate to the
right of the mound. Julee
Todd made a diving catch
of the pop, then tossed to
Rebecca Dudley at first to
double off the runner.
In their 3-1 tournament
performance. Westfield
scored beat Augusta Chris
tian 15-9, Memorial 14-4
and Trinity 14-6, while los
ing 15-0 to Pinewood.
Ann Peake went 4-4 in
the win over Trinity, while
Stephanie Thompson was
3-3 against Memorial.
Hunnicutt was and Katie
Stewart each went 2 2 in
the Memorial game.
The Lady Hornets were
able to confine the oppo
nents' offense to the top
five hitters in the lineup for
the most part. In the three
wins, the bottom half of the
batting order scored a total
of two runs, and even in
the loss to Pinewood, the
bottom of the order scored
just three of the 15 runs.
Johnson also got a look
at some B-team players
who will be counted on to
travel with the varsity as
well. Katie Stewart was 2-3
in the two games she saw
duty in. Ann Adams was 1
3 with a run scored while
Amanda Murph was the
winning pitcher over
Memorial and also was 1-2
with two runs scored.
Brittany Sullivan and
Nikki Dean each started a
game in the outfield for the
Lady Hornets. Erin Adkins,
the starting catcher, saw
duty at second base in one
game as Johnson experi
mented with various com
binations of players. Emily
Bennett, who started one
game in the outfield,
caught in two others.
The Lady Hornets open
the GISA Region lAAA
schedule Aug 26 at Strat
ford at 4:15 pm.
Houston County Bears to Jack
son to meet the Red Devils again.
The Bears look the measure n!
Jackson 32-7 in a matchup of
AAAA against AA teams. Dodge
County, of region I AA. will host
Toombs County in their opener
A vear ago. Dodge County won
15 14 on the same night Perry
was beating Vidalia 20-19. The
games were played in sites just
six miles apart.
Coach Chris Reeves enters his
second season at Macon County
after succeeding C.B. Cornet.
Reeves took his team two games
deep into the playoffs lasi year
alter finishing 7-3 in the regular
season, a win over Perry putting
them into the playoffs and deny
ing Perryc The Bulldogs open
with AAA state champion
Dougherty County, a 40-7 win
ner a year ago on the way to the
state championship.
Bleckley County will be at
Hawkinsville in the opener for
both teams. Bleckley, of class
AA, beat the class A Red Devils
21-14 a year ago while Jim Mor
rell was still the head coach at
Hawkinsville. However, Morrell
has moved on to take the job at
Harris County, and the Red Dev
ils have brought back one-time
assistant Lee Campbell, who was
the head coach at Montgomery
County last season.