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Panthers face
sixth ranked
Mary Persons
in Forsyth
BrALUNEKENT
hq*« —_
Last year, Perry host
ed Mary Persons and
upset the Bulldogs the
week the ’Dogs moved
into the number 1 rank
ingin Georgia Class AA.
This year, it is sure
that the 6th ranked
Bulldogs will enter their
game with the Panthers
with their eyes wide
open.
Coach Steve Chafin is
in the midst of only his
second year as head
coach of the Mary Per
sons program and is
once again looking
toward post-season
play. Last year, the
Bulldogs finished with a
11-3 record, going four
rounds in
the play
offs f ]
before 3
falling to
Early Co 33-
7 in a Georgia AA foot
ball semifinal.
Mary Persons fell only
twice in regular season
last year, once to the
Panthers and once to
Manchester. The team
has picked up one loss
this year, a 34-14 defeat
by Dodge County in
Eastman.
Fortunately, for the
Panthers, the Bulldogs
have had a chance to
lick their wounds
already. While, Perry
enjoyed the off-week,
Mary Persons took on
Macon County last week
and beat those Bulldogs
28-14 improving their
season record to 4-1.
Despite four
turnovers, Mary Per
sons led the game 14-0
at the half, and 21-7
after the third quarter.
Although the Bull
dogs only returned
seven starters on both
sides of the ball, two of
them are as good as
high school football
players get.
Senior running back
Jamario Smith (6, 190)
and senior tight end
Andre Zellner (6-3, 228)
are considered top
prospects for the Divi
sion 1-A college level.
Both are counted on
strongly on both sides of
the ball.
The game begins at 8
p.m. Oct. 22 at Mitchell
Field in Forsyth. Use
Exit 60 off 1-75. Go over
the interstate and about I
one mile to a stop sign.
Turn right on U.S. 41
and watch for signs.
Prep football second season arrives region play
For member schools in the
Georgia Independent School Asso
ciation, the second season is here.
Most schools have not played a
region game yet. Beginning now,
the games that really count toward
playoff seedings are here.
Some schools, like Westfield,
will have a week off toget ready for
the region opener. The Hornets,
members of GiSA region lAAA, will
begin their bid for a fifth region
championship in seven seasons
under Ronnie Jones.
Mount de Sales will be the oppo
nent at the Hornet's Nest Oct 22.
then the much-awaited battle with
the number one Stratford Eagles
will come at Stratford the following
Friday night. The last of the short
three game region schedule comes
Nov. 5 when Windsor comes to the
Hornet's Nest for homecoming.
Westfield has been relatively
untested except for the 14-14 tie
With Tattnall, a game which the
Hornets feel they should have won.
What this has done is enabled
coach Ronnie Jones and his
coaching staff to do a little experi
menting with personnel. What
they have been able to do is take a
thin, inexperienced squad and
Westfield stings Brentwood 40-3 for sixth win
By Phil Clark
Home Joukhal Sports
Just like Ole Man River,
the Westfield Hornets Just
keep rolling along. They
Sicked up their sixth win of
le season against a single
tie in a 40-3 thrashing of
Brentwood at the Hornet's
Nest Oct. 8.
The Hornets increased
their GISA-best total yardage
output to 2,573 vards in
recording 344 yards on the
ground and another 112
through the air against the
Eagles. Westfield senior
Jacob Walker took over the
lead in rushing yardage in
the Georgia Independent
School Association, rushing
for 178 yards on just 11 car
ries, and his three touch
downs brings his total to 18
in seven games.
Walker shares the West
field school record with 20 in
a single season with Chris
Small, who turned the trick
in 1985. Walker has rushed
for 874 yards to overtake
Deerfield-windsor’s J. Car
swell, whose team was idle
last week.
About the only pretty’ thing
about this game, tnough,
was the final score. The Hor
•••> 9l ; m&mHk - * |tr':^#
* ** '
Softball season ends in playojfs for Westfield Hornets
By Phil Clark
Home Journal Sports
LEESBURG it was a dark,
threatening day at the Lee County
Recreation Complex here Oct 9 for
the qualifying round of the Georgia
Independent School Association soft
ball playoffs.
The Westfield Ladv Hornets did a
little threatening of their own in a bid
to eliminate region 4AAA runner-up
Brentwood in the second meeting of
the day between the two teams.
After losing to Brentwood 8-3 in
their first game of the day, the Lady
Hornets then disposed of Athens
Christian 7-0 before meeting Brent
wood again after the Eagles had lost
17-6 to Southland.
Westfield actually out hit Brent
wood 13-12 in the opening game for
both schools, but the Eagles were
Phil nsr”
Clark
Journal
shape a team that is able to play
mostly one-platoon football.
A few players go both ways,
including ’ fullback-linebacker
Chance Jones, split end-free safe-
S! Ernest Greene and tight end
efensive end Daniel Weir. While a
few others play some on both
offense and defense, for the most
part, they are regulars on one side
of the belli and backups on the
other.
Jacob Walker has not been
called on to play defense as much
as last year with the rapid develop
ment of Kory Kitchens at strong
safety. Matthew Hulbert, who
started the season as a running
back-defensive back, has been
switched almost exclusively to
dWc'hso, a portion L says “1 love
nets lost two fumbles early in
the game, but the Hornets’
superiority prevented the
Eagles from taking advan
tage of the miscues.
After scoring on their first
possession, a 5-play, 59 yard
drive that took less than two
minutes, the Hornets then
bobbled the ball on a punt
after holding the Eagles to
11 yards.
By half-time, the Hornets
owned a 19-3 lead with 141
rushing yards and another
79 through the air, despite
being their own worst enemy.
Getting the football when
Brentwood won the toss and
deferred, the Hornets
marched down the field in
just five plays. Will Holt got
the night started with a
seven-yard run. Walker
broke open for 23 and 13
yard runs and after Chance
Jones got four, Walker bolted
into the end zone from 12
yards out. Nathan Skinner’s
try for point after was wide
left and the Hornets settled
for a 6-0 lead just a minute
53 seconds into the game.
Forcing a punt from the
Brentwood 46, Westfield
couldn't hang on to a fair
catch at the 28, and the ball
three in the bottom
of the first to take a lead the Lady
Hornets could never overtake.
Westfield picked up two runs in
their half of the third to cut the
Brentwood lead to 4-2. Anne Peake
and Amber Hunnicutt drove in runs.
Julee Todd had one of her three tour
nament doubles in the inning and
scored one of the runs.
The Eagles came back with two in
their half of the inning, though, and
Westfield could never get any closer.
Rachel Moore, Peake. Emily Bennett
and Rebecca Dudley each collected
to play. Defense is my game. I'd
much rather be on that side of the
ball all the time."
Jones does not play his quarter
back, Bo Hart, on defense,
although he was a defensive
starter last year. Will Holt, who has
gone both ways, is seeing more
offensive time now thkn he does on
defense since the Hulbert move.
It is along the line where the
most improvement has been made.
The addition of Kent Keener at
nose guard has helped to solidify
the defensive line, and it allows
Jones to start 10 different players
at the five interior line positions.
Matthew Eve, Patrick Harris, Ben
Brannen, Joel Stevens and
Stephen Baxter have steadily
developed into a good offensive line
that has allowed the Hornets to
amass nearly 2,600 yards of
offense in seven games.
It also allows Cole Carter, Keen
er, Michael Giles, Don Walker and
Golden Goss to lineup almost
exclusively as defensive players.
Weir spells Goss at defensive end
and Ben Brannen plays some or\
the defensive line, but the develop
ment of several young players has
been one of the keys to a 6-0-1
Page 8A
Wed., Oct. 13, 1999
squirted upfield to the West
field 35 where the Eagles
recovered. They were able to
convert the mishap into their
only points of the game after
stalling at the Westfield 12-
yard line when junior Cliff
Smith booted a 29-
yard field goal with
2:43 left in the i
first quarter.
Bo Hart
continued
his pin
point
passing, f
pfe
ing with
Holt for a
36-vard pick
up ' after the ■?§£' J|
Brentwood ■Bl *
kickoff. Walk
er got four By
before mNfr
the Hor- w C O B
nets fumbled WALKER
and Brent- fHe now
wood has 18
again recov- m TDs.
ered. ***
A defense
headed by Ernest Greene,
who had three tackles in the
Eagles’ next possession,
forced another Smith punt
and this time the big junior
BIG D Cole Carter
(79) closes in for a tackle
of a Brentwood ball carri
er. Rushing in to assist is
Ben Brannen (74). Mean
while, Will Holt (22, to the
right) looks for running
room against Brentwood.
Trailing him is Jacob
Walker (18). (Home Jour
nal Photos by Rob Mead.)
■ ... , PVjyih
g able to bunch
' their hits well
enough to
score in five of
their six turns
at bat. Brent
wood tallied
Houston Horn Journal
nailed a 53-yarder that
Greene returned two yards
to the Westfield 36-yard line.
Hart finished off a five play
drive with a 25-yard touch
down pass to Daniel Weir on
which the junior tight end
broke out of a Brentwood
tackle at the 20 and muscled
his way past the final two
defenders for his third
touchdown of the year.
| Skinner tacked on the
point after for a 13-3 West
field lead.
Brentwood’s Don* "March
man rolled the dice and went
for a first down on a fourth
and-one at the Brentwood
44-yard-line on the Eagles
ensuing possession. The
decision backfired when the
Hornets stopped quarter
back Charlie Durden in his
tracks for no gain.
The Hornets then needed
just three plays to convert
Sf jgpfe:" % „„ 4 ,
two hits for Westfield.
Falling into the losers' bracket,
Westfield faced Athens Christian in
the second game. Athens had been
humiliated by Southland 20-3 in
their first game. The Lady Hornets
flicked up three runs in the first and
our in the second to account for all
of the scoring in the 7-0 shutout win
behind freshman Amanda Murph.
Athens managed just four hits in the
game.
Rachel Moore walked to open the
Lady Hornets' first inning, on the way
to a perfect three-for-three day. Julee
Toda reached on an error, but was
erased on a fielder's choice grounder
off the bat of Anne Peake. Hanna
Barrett sent one run home with a
single, and another scored when
Athens Christian hobbled the ball in
left center. Barrett came around to
start for Westfield.
Since there are just four teams
in region lAAA ana three of them
make the state playoffs, the pres
sure is not nearly as great as it is
at Perry High School, where George
Collins' Panthers play in one of the
toughest regions in Georgia High
School Association football regard
less of classification.
Four teams from the region qual
ify for the state playoffs, the four
with the best regular season region
records. Most of the teams in the
region were idle last week, while the
Mary Persons Bulldogs edged a bit
closer to a playoff berth by nanding
Chris Reeves' Macon County Bull
dogs their third region loss.
Mary Persons nas won three
while losing one region game to fol
low Dodge County in the stand
ings. Macon County’s three losses
is about all the team can afford,
and they still have several tough
games left.
Three region losses was good
enough for the fourth spot a year
ago, but an improved Dodge Coun
ty adds another team to the mix.
The Indians missed the playoffs
last year. Lamar County has also
lost just one region game and Har
the score as Walker picked
up 30 on first down and
scored from the seven after a
Chance Jones pick up of
eight yards. The run for a
two-point conversion failed
and Westfield led 19-3 with
just under four minutes left
in the first half.
Despite trailing by 16
points, Brentwooos March
man chose to stay in his
wishbone offense, and
although the Eagles moved
the ball a little against the
Hornets, they never threat
ened to score again until late
in the game.
With 3:45 left in the half
when the Eagles got the ball
back on the Westfield kickoff,
M archman kept his troops on
the ground, using up nearly
three minutes before giving
up the ball at the Westfield
See WINNERS, Page IQA
score the third run of the inning on
another Athens error after a single by
Emily Bennett.
The Athens defense tightened up
in the second, but the Westfield bats
remained hot as Rebecca Dudley got
a one out single and moved up when
Muiph singled. Moore’s single loaded
the bases and Todd drove in all three
runners when her finer sailed over
the left center fielder's head for a
triple.
Todd then scored on Peake's sacri
fice fly, giving Westfield a quick 7-0
lead.
The 7-0 victory sent the Lady Hor
nets against Brentwood again after
Southland’s 17-6 victory put the
Eagles into the losers' bracket.
With rain coming down through
See SOFTBALL, Page 10A
ris County two. Perry, with losses
to Lamar, Dodge County and Man
chester, now finds itself in a must
win situation.
Manchester and Persons, two of
last year’s playoff teams, appear
set to repeat. Dodge is leading the
region standings. Lamar and Har
ris are knocking on the door while
Macon County and Jackson could
be left out this year.
Perry’s game at Mary Persons
Oct 15 is the key to the season. If
they can beat the Bulldogs, and
they certainly have the talent, then
they could be in good shape
although their loss to Lamar
County could come back to haunt
them, as could the overtime loss to
Vidalia in a non-region game,
should the second tie breaker
come into the picture.
Perry beat Mary Persons last
year. They can do it again. And
they must. There are no region
champions anymore in the GHSA,
only number one seeds.
Perry’s last, and only, region
championship was in 1959. They
glayea Americus for the region title
l 1979. Could they be running in
20-year cycles? Could this be the
year they return to the playoffs?