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SUPER SOPH lt's not a bird, it’s not a
plane. It’s super soph Cole Carter [79) fly
Tiftarea no match for Hornets
By Phil Clark
Home Journal Sports
['lie Westfield Hornets
ran uu almost 400 yards in
total ottense nere sept to in
beating region lAAA
Tiftarea in a Georgia Inde
pendent School Association
non region football
matchup.
The victory was costly.
The Hornets lost all-pur
pose backup player Justin
Williamson for the season
when he suffered a knee
injury in the first half.
\Ullll'imcnn nloirpH ftn
r ~
both offense and defense
and was a backup long
snapper for kicks.
"I hate it for Justin,”
coach Ronnie Jones said
after the game. “He has the
best attitude I’ve ever seen,
and I just hate to see him
hurt like that.”
Tiftarea, in just it’s sec
ond year in GISA Class AAA
competition, kept Westfield
off the scoreboard until the
Hornets third possession.
Beginning then, Jacob
Walker scored four times in
five West field possessions to
give the overflow crowd at
the Hornet’s Nest some
thing to cheer about, run
ning up a 28-7 halftime
lead.
Walker’s first touchdown
came on the final play of the
first quarter. A Tiftarea punt
gave the 1 lornets the ball at
midfield. Chance Jones
bolted for 25 yards on first
down, and a Bo Hart-to-
Daniel Weir pass completion
good lor 21 more yards put
the ball on the Tiftarea four
yard line.
Walker scored on the next
play and Nathan Skinner
kicked the extra point to
make it 7-0 at the quarter.
Folks in North Carolina still called him Jim Hunter
Friends and family around Hert
ford. N.C. didn't accept the nick
name "Catfish.’.' a name given Jim
Hunter by the legendary Charles
"Charlie O.” Finley. To them, he was
still Jim, or to some of his closest
friends. Jimmy. To opposing hitters
in the American League for 15
years, he was one tough customer.
Finley discovered Hunter in Hert
ford. liked what he saw and signed
the youngster to a contract. The
Athletics were still in Kansas City.
Always the promoter, Finley
thought Hunter needed a nickname
that would quickly identify him.
“Catfish" was the name Finley
chose. And “Catfish” he became to
millions of baseball fans for 15 sea
sons. Hunter endeared himself to
west coast fans after the A s moved
to Oakland.
He solidified himself as a fan
favorite when he won 21 or more
games for five straight seasons,
leading the A s to the World Series
championship with 21 wins in both
1972 and '73, and 25 in the A's
third straight championship sea
son. 1974.
I lunter had to share the spotlight
in all three of the A's Wond Series
ing through the air to make a tackle on a
Tiftarea ball carrier.
The Westfield defense, led
by a 6-yard Michael Giles
sack of Tiftarea quarterback
Scott Fulp. forced another
punt anct the Hornets took
over at their own 48-yard
line.
Hart kept for two yards
before Walker broke into the
secondary and scampered
50 yards for the second of
his three first half scores.
Skinner's point after kick
made it 14-0.
The Hornets’ defense did
it again on Tiftarea when
Knru Kitrhpnc rprnvererl a
fumble at the end of a 13-
yard run by Tiftarea's Allen
Pate. It was Kitchens’ sec
ond fumble recovery in the
past two games.
After forcing a Westfield
punt, Tiftarea mounted
their only scoring drive of
the first half, a nine-play
drive aided by a holding call
"y'-- « :s . x ’4ft. -• •
' i-y-■ T, V> fl' 1 i
MORE ROOM, PLEASE Hornet quarterback Bo Hart
(11) follows blockers Matthew Hulbert (32) and Jacob
Walker (18) against Tiftarea Sept. 10.
Phil
Clark
Home
Journal
Sports
championships. In 1972, backup
catcher Gene Tenace hit home runs
in his first two series at-bats, went
on to hit two more and became the
surprise star in Oakland's seven
game series win over Cincinnati.
Rollie Fingers relieved in six of the
seven games for Oakland, winning
one and saving two other victories.
Hunter, with his 21-7 record and
2.04 ERA over the regular season,
was just “one of the guys” in the
Series. Fact is, he didn’t even win
the Cy Young award for his league.
Gaylord Perry, of Cleveland did.
In 1973, Hunter again won 21
games, losing just five. There was
another star in the World Series as
the A's beat the Mets in seven
games.
Home Journal Photo by Rob Mead
on Westfield and highlighted
by a 20-yard seramble by
Fulp. He was saeked by Cole
Carter on the previous play.
Fulp hit Jay Slocum for a
13- pickup during the
scoring drive and Pate broke
through for 25 to the Hor
nets' six-yard line before
Pate hit Slocum on a half
back option pass for the
touchdown. Slocum kicked
the extra point to make it a
14- game.
Matthew Hulbert
returned the Tiftarea kickoff
IP vards to the Westfield 37.
Hart connected with Ernest
Greene for a 63-yard score,
Skinner’s kick making it 21 -
7.
Hulbert then intercepted
Fulp’s pass on the Panthers'
first play following the
touchdown, returning thfe
See HORNETS, Page 8A
Wed., Sept. 15, 1599
Page 6A
Reggie Jackson won the series
MVP award, while Fingers had
given way to Darold Knowles as the
A s closer. Knowles pitched in all
seven games, saving two of the vic
tories for Oakland. But it was, as in
1972, Jim “Catfish” Hunter who got
the A’s to the dance.
Oakland captured a third con
secutive World Series title in 1974
with Hunter winning 25 games dur
ing the regular season. Fingers was
back in the World Series spotlight
for Oakland. He had a hand in all
four victories, winning one and sav
ing the other three. It won him the
series MVP award. Joe Rudi and
Bert Campanaris were the hitting
stars for Oakland.
Hunter, who finally won the Cy
Young award with his 25 wins, soon
left the A’s. His departure set the
stage for today’s humongous
salaries. Finley failed to make pay
ments on an annuity which was
part of Hunter’s contract with Oak
land. Arbitrator Peter Seitz declared
Hunter a “free agent.” The reserve
clause was still in place, but the
error on Finley’s part won Hunter a
right to negotiate with another
team.
Panthers work on mistakes in
preparing for Dodge County
Bt ALLINE KENT
Hotn Jouax/u. Srorrs
It is a position no football
program wants to find itself
in. The Perry Panthers enter
the toughest part of their
schedule with a 0-2 record
and their next two oppo
nents on the road.
It is a situation which
calls for calmness and even
thinking. For Panther fans
that equals head coach
George Collins.
Collins isn’t dwelling
much on the mistakes made
in the first two games. He’s
dealing with those things at
practice and is content to
look toward the future.
His Panther team got to
work early Sept. 11, spend
ing the weekend preparing
for the next Georgia High
School Association Region
4AA football game.
“There were some mis
takes in the opening game
we improved on this week,
and some new things we will
straighten out this week
during practice. The kids are
making the effort.” Collins
said.
In their opening game,
Perry fell 28-21 in overtime
to non-region toe Vidalia.
Sept. 10, Perry dropped a
13-0 loss to Lamar County.
“Football is always a
process of making correc
tions; which is easier to do
when you are winning. We
had some bad luck but we
made the decision we are
going to get better,” Collins
said.
The near future for Perry
involves traveling to East
* r ii _ n—% * ~ n
iiiclii LU laLL LAIV. uuugv LUCAIi
ty Indians Sept. 17. The
Indians enter the game 2-0,
coming home from a 21-0
upset last week of Class AA
4th ranked Manchester.
Dodge County, under
Coach John Peacock, fin
ished up with a 6-4 seasoh
last year barely missing
I 1 Jf R If j
— m. i ■ '
GANG TACKLE LEFT Members of the
Perry Panthers close in on the Lamar
County quarterback. Jumping into the
Houston Horn Journal
y fsßf
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-
Home Journal Photos by Jj Johnson
WHERE NOW Panther running back Rashad Winn
(7) looks for more room while turning the corner against
Lamar County Sept. 10.
making the playoffs for the
third consecutive year.
One of the teams they fell
to in 1998 wa« Perrv. which
beat Dodge 10-7.
The Indians return their
backfield including quarter
back Rick Kirklev, fullback
Brandon McClendon, and
halfbacks Alfonso Washing
ton and Jeffery Thomas. At
6-2 and 205 pounds,
Thomas, a three-year starter,
has close to 3,000 yards
rushing in his years at
Dodge.
Collins refers to him as the
“Uonl V*«-» »-»1r »»»r» sirlll fono fVllc
uwui uucts ** v- ■» »«» *mww »-* •»*-•
year.”
Although the offensive line
is a question mark for Pea
cock, the defensive line
returns strong. The front
four average about 230
pounds each and bring plen
-4y -®f experience to the field.
However, those players are
The New York Yankees won and
Hunter signed what was then an
astonishing contract! He was paid
something like $3.75 million over
five years to become to the Yankees
what he had been with Oakland, a
team leader who could show the
young Yankees how to win again.
Hunter was a great pitcher, win
ning 224 games in just 15 major
league seasons. He was crafty in
the mold of a Whitey Ford or Eddie
Lopat, former Yankee lefthanders.
He had a good repertoire of pitches.
His strong suit was his excellent
control and his willingness to “go
inside' on any hitter who happened
to be in the batter's box. Today, that
often brings a charge to the mound,
but in Hunter's case, it seldom hap
pened. Respect is what it was
called.
Ironically, the Yankees went to the
World Series in three of Hunter's first
four seasons with the team, but his
statistics in New York never matched
those he posted in Oakland, aside
from his first year in pin stripes,
1975. That year, he won 23 games
with a 2.58 ERA, but the Yankees
didn’t make it to the World Series.
As his individual stats began to
four out of the six returning
starters on defense, so some
of his more experienced team
members have to play both
ways.
On the line, Alan Gordon
and Greg Archer play both
sides of the ball. Washington
and' Kirkley will both see time
at linebacker with Thomas
also on defense in the sec
ondary.
Perry will enter the game
after losing their region open
er to Lamar County. Perry
played a tough defensive
game Sept. 10, stopping
T nmor inciHp thp 00-varH
line three times in the first
half.
- “We did some real good
things on defense against
Lamar and that is exciting,”
said Collins. “Our team just
needs to regroup and cut out
See PANTHERS, page 8A
action are Jonothan Whitfield (70) and
Philip Gentry (10).
dwindle, though, the Yankees’ for
tunes began to risen. They won the
American League pennant in 1976
as Hunter won 17 games. They
were swept by Cincinnati's “Big Red
Machine” in the World Series,
though.
The next two seasons, Hunter
saw his teammates win the “big
one” in back-to-back seasons.
Hunter was only 9-9 in 1977 and
lost his only series start. In 1978,
as he neared the end of a brilliant
career. Hunter posted a 12-6
record, won one and lost one in the
series as the Yankees beat the
Dodgers 4 games to 2 for the sec
ond straight year.
By the end of 1979, the “C-atf
Hunter story was over. He retired to
his North Carolina farm. He
became just plain Jim again. He
had just been released from a hos
pital after a four-week stay when he
passed away at his home on Sept 9.
He had lost his battle with
amyotJhropic lateral sclerosis. It was
more commonly known as Lou
Gehrig's disease.
Jim “Catfish” Hunter was just
53. He was elected to baseball's Hall
of Fame in 1987,