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♦ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2004
12A
Lady Mustangs hoping to spike
the interest of local players
By Joe Sersey
HHJ Sports Writer
WARNER ROBINS
For girls who love vol
leyball, Warner
Robins has a 17-
under traveling team called
the Lady Mustangs.
Formed this year by Perry
Beaver and Heidi Hintz, this
club team is a member of the
Central Georgia Volleyball
Association.
“We want the word to get
out that we now have a jun
ior Olympic club,” Beaver
said. “We have two teams.”
Volleyball came about in
Houston County because
Jami Beaver wanted to play
volleyball. Until two years
ago, none of the area schools
had a team.
Jami moved here as a
freshman from Dayton,
Ohio, where volleyball has
been going strong for years.
“I love volleyball,” Jami
said. “When we moved down
here, they didn’t have any
volleyball. They had an open
sport under the gender equi
ty law, so my dad and I went
to the school board and ask
for a team.”
The board turned down
the Beavers’ request.
Finally, two years ago,
Houston County became the
first county school with a
volleyball team.
Warner Robins joined last
year. Northside and Perry
have yet to follow.
“I’ve played since the sev
enth grade,” Jami said. “I
love the game. It requires
teamwork, but you can still
show individual strengths.”
A setter for the Lady
Mustangs, Jami is a killer at
heart. “I love to spike.”
The Lady Mustangs are
made up of girls from
Warner Robins and Houston
County high schools, with a
Warner Robins Middle
School player, Morgan
Hollars, included.
“We’re not as advanced as
Savannah and Atlanta high
SWUNG—
From page 10A
The coaching staff, work
ing from set and distinct
packages, Conley said, set
up work stations for both
the offense and defense.
Then they put them through
the paces.
The coaches had from
day one one mqjor goal,
Conley said. First and fore
most, he said, they have to
ensure the “kids have mas
tered to some degree at least
the various blocking rules,”
he said. "... the tackling pack
ages with various fronts and
alignments.”
Also, he said he challenged
them to each day come up
with the name of a kid who
caught their eye.
“In a perfect world, you’d
FOUR
From page 10A
years. The past few years,
he’s (George Walton coach
John Lucas) always had a
very quick and steady point
guard that kind of controls
and runs his offense. This
year is no different - she’s
young, but she’s good.”
“He’s always had size.
He’s been really patient with
the game. He’ll get into a
half-court game, even
though he’s got speed at the
point. He’ll walk it up and
pound it inside.
“And they play good, solid
defense,” he added. “He
doesn’t press a lot; but he’ll
make you earn every point.
It’s just a good, solid game
plan every time.”
Senior leadership is one
more asset the Lady Lancers
bring to the table. Whetecl
says their play was a big rea
son Central Fellowship
played as well as it did in
Friday’s win over Southland.
“I think that’s important.
I don’t think you can put a
price tag on it this time of
the year. We’ve not been to
the Final Four before. I
thought we played with a lot
Jfe ■ By® '
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HHJ/Joe Sersey
Members of the Lady Mustangs traveling volleyball team
practice Thursday in Warner Robins.
school players,” Beaver said.
“This club is for the future.
My daughter may not bene
fit, but others will.”
Club dues are $45. The
Lady Mustangs (1-7) are
scheduled to play in at least
five more tournaments this
season. They play four or
more matches per tourna
ment.
For more information
about joining the Lady
Mustangs, call 442-1305.
“Mercer, Wesleyan,
Valdosta State, they have
volleyball teams,” Beaver
said, “but they have to go
out of state to recruit. We
want them to be able to
recruit from here. That’s
what this club is trying to
do; give girls a chance to
compete for college scholar
ships.”
The Lady Mustangs
played in the Woodstock
tournament at North Cobb
High School Saturday.
“They may be putting too
much pressure on them
selves,” Brewer said. “After
the second match, we told
sit down at the end of the day,
go down the roster and say
something good about this
kid or this kid. But being in
high school athletics, it’s hard
to do that.
“I told the kids going in,
‘Your job is to get noticed.’”
The biggest trouble Conley
said he personally had in
some cases was keeping in
mind who he was dealing
with.
“We keep the eighth
graders separate from the
varsity,” he explained. He
spent at least a fair amount
of time working one-on-one
with would-be quarterbacks.
“And, you have to be careful.
I can’t just jump into the
meat.
“When you’re dealing with
'They're having a good time, and than
their goal. Than what they want to do,
to we'll go as far as they take us.'
Central Fellowship girls head basketball coach Todd Whetsel
of poise Friday night. We had
less than 10 turnovers in the
game and shot over 40 per
cent from the field, which is
pretty good for us. The way
we were playing defense I
liked that formula.”
“We just hope that can
continue. At this point, you
just want to keep extending
your season. They’re having
a good time, and that’s their
goal. That’s what they want
to do, so we’ll go as far as
they take us.”
Whetsel says Central
Fellowship’s practices have
been very strong, partly
because of the invaluablo
service the younger girls on
the scout team have provid
ed.
"Our scout team has been
doing a fabulous job of run
ning the other teums’ stuff,”
he said. “I’m very, very
them to relax and just have
fun, and they played 100
percent better.”
Although they lost four
matches, the Lady
Mustangs gained much
needed experience. That’s
the killer for Central
Georgia Volleyball
Association. With volleyball
such new sport in Houston
County, it will be awhile
before they can become com
petitive.
“There’s two leagues, the
power and the club,” Brewer
said. “The power is the more
advanced and we’re just
playing in the club.”
Opposing coaches are
telling team members keep
going. They’ve been there,
too
“We all have a common
goal, advance volleyball,”
Brewer said. “If they can get
a college scholarship out of
it, that’s super.”
The Lady Mustangs play
March 13-14 in the
Peachtree Classic in
Atlanta, exact location to be
announced.
the eighth-graders, you have
to be very careful when you’re
explaining formations ... the
very finite nuts and bolts.
“I catch myself sometimes
(in violation of that)... I want
to do so much so fast, when I
should just slow down and
teach.”
One note in that regard,
however, Conley said he has
been very pleased with the
kids’ knowledge of the system
after only a season under
Perry Middle School athletic
director Randy Moss, who
was formerly with the high
school.
“In terms of some of the
terminology we use,” Conley
said, “alignments and stance,
they already know it. That’s
huge!”
impressed with them.
They’re a big part of every
thing we’re doing too. A lot
of them haven’t played in a
while, but they’re practicing
every day.”
Whetsel is confident his
team will be motivated for
Thursday’s state semi-final -
cheerleading may not be nec
essary in the moments lead
ing up to tip-off.
“They’ve worked really
hard to get to the Final Four.
I don’t think I’ll have to give
any ‘rah-rah’ speeches
before the game. I think
they’ll be ready to go ...
ready to get after it and give
it our beßt shot.
“They expect that of them
selves, and I know that’s
what will happen. We’re
going to leave it out on the
floor ... and I think we’ll like
the result.”
SPORTS
AMERICAN
From page 10A
Her time was 24.65, which
just missed the high school
All-American time of 24.46,
Parker said.
“After the 50,1 sensed that
Brigitte was a little disap
pointed about her finish,” he
said. “(But) after reminding
her that she was the only
freshman who had just
placed in the top five in the
state, I saw her confidence
come back."
She then raced to third in
the 100-yard freestyle, swam
a personal best time of 53.06,
which was a high school All
American qualifying time.
“Brigitte's third-place fin
ish is even more impressive
when you consider that both
the first and second place fin
ishers were seniors,” Parker
added.
The girls 200-yard
freestyle relay team of Rhea,
Gausche, Katie Carpenter
and Jennifer Rhea swam to a
fifth place team finish.
“To finish the meet
Lauren, Brigitte, Katie, and
Jennifer swam what was for
me the most exciting race of
the night,” Parker said. “The
girls qualified to swim in the
finals with a 3:45.65 three
seconds faster than their
qualifying time.”
The girls went on to win
the consolation champi
onships with a high school
PERRY —
From page 10A
“They defended well and
were selective with their
shots. We’re going to have to
turn it into a faster game.”
That worked against
Washington County.
The Panthers demonstrat
ed they could run with the
Golden Hawks but the key to
their victory was when they
switched to a match-up zone
and forced Washington
County into a half-court
offense.
“We had to do something,”
Hardy said. “They proved
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W • r
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J Name of Team Members —— i
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1 knew that good things wore going to hap
pen. I could soe that our girls wore ready to
do what wo had planned and worked for al
year. AH of a sudden, I could see In the girts'
faces that they were ready'
Houston County assistant swim coach James Parker
All-American time of 3:41.65.
“After last year, I knew we
had the potential to do really
good things at the state meet.
During the preliminary
rounds the kids did what hey
had to do, but I was a little
concerned about what would
happen in the finals because
I didn't see the same excite
ment as there was at last
years state meet.
“My concerns about what I
saw as a lack of excitement
went away after we warmed
the kids up before the finals.
“I knew that good things
were going to happen. I could
see that our girls were ready
to do what we had planned
and worked for all year. All of
a sudden, I could see in the
girls' faces that they were
ready.”
Parker added that last
year, Houston County had
done what no other local high
school had done and that
was place swimmers in the
consolation finals.
“I started thinking about
they could run.”
It is that adaptability that
should hold the Panthers in
good stead. Perry plays good
fundamental defense. On
offense, the Panthers will
press to create turnovers.
“You have to do what
you’ve done all year long,”
Hardy said. “We want to
emphasize post play. We’U
have to have a big game out
of Tarvis (Billings).”
Perry faces off against
Monroe at 8:30 p.m.
Thursday in Savannah
State’s new gym.
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
this year's team as soon as
the finals were over last
year,” he said.
The team finished the reg
ular season 39-2.
Also of note, Parker said
was the sacrifice of
Carpenter.
He said he asked her a
finalist last year in the
breaststroke to sacrifice her
personal glory to help the
relay team make All-
American.
“I knew I had three solid
girls in freestyle, Lauren,
Brigitte, and Jennifer," he
said. "But if we could find one
more girl, we could make All-
American in a relay.
“I also knew that we could
fall short of our goal, but
Katie never questioned my
decision to focus solely on her
freestyle, which probably
cost her a chance of making
finals in the breast.
“But she and the other
girls can (now) proudly pro
claim they have achieved All-
American status.”
DIRECTIONS:
Take 1-16 into Savannah and
exit onto 516 which turns into
Deßenne. Take Deßenne to
Skidaway, go left on Skidaway
to Laßoche.
Make a right on Laßoche and
an immediate left onto the cam
pus. Your landmark is the foot
ball stadium at the comer of
Laßoche and Skidaway.
When you turn onto the cam
pus, that road will run between
the football field and the base
ball field.
Stay on it until it ends at a
three-way stop. Go right and
you will find the gym.