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TOp^minral
SCOREBOARD
High school basketball
J.B. Hawkins Christmas
Tournament
Thursday
■ Northside 79, Crawford
County 32 - Lady Eagles
crowned tourney champs
ON TAP
High school basketball
Today
■ Warner Robins at Carver-
Columbus, 6 p.m.
■ Central Fellowship at First
Presbyterian Day, 6:30 p.m.
■ Northeast at Perry, 6 p.m.
■ John Milledge Academy at
Westfield. 6 p.m.
■ Northside at Westside, 6
p.m.
Friday
■ Central Fellowship at Mount
de Sales, 6:30 p.m.
■ Perry at Washington County,
7 p.m.
■ Houston County at Colquitt
County, 7 p.m.
■ Westfield at FPD, 6 p.m.
Saturday
■ Warner Robins at Houston
County, 6 p.m.
■ Southland at Central
Fellowship, 4:30 p.m.
■ Westside at Perry, 6 p.m.
■ Northside at Peach County,
7 p.m.
High school wrestling
Today
■ Warner Robins, Rutland and
Baldwin at Northside, 5 p.m.
Houston County at Perry, 5
p.m.
Friday
■ Houston County at Eagle
Classic at Northside, time
to be announced (through
Saturday)
High school swimming
Saturday
■ Warner Robins at Bainbridge,
time to be announced
IN BRIEF .
CGSA gearing iv lor
spring session
The Central Georgia Soccer
Association is currently gear
ing up for its upcoming spring
session.
To that end, the group is
conducting on-line registration
- it’s open to children ages
4-19 - from now through Jan.
23.
Registration for the Select
Academy is scheduled to
begin Jan. 17, 2005 and run
through Feb. 25, 2005. The
CGSA Web site can be found
at www.gasoccer.org/cgsa.
Contact Bette Dillon at 987-
2455 for more.
Appfcations accepted
tor basketbal camp
Applications are now being
evaluated for the Ten Star All-
Star summer basketball camp.
The camp is by invitation
only, and open only for boys
and girls ages 10-19.
Past participants, according
to a release include: Michael
Jordan, Tim Duncan, Vince
Carter and more.
Camp locations are through
out the U.S. including Atlanta.
Call (704) 373-0873 for more
information.
TRIVIA : TRIVIAL
Quick quz...
In what year did work on the
Houston Astrodome begin?
On this date...
1943 - For the first time in
NHL history a goal with three
points all came from the same
family. Reg Bentley scored
with assists from his brothers
Max and Doug.
Answer: 1962
TUESDAY,
JANUARY 4, 2004
Rewind 2004
Demons’ state title highlights year in local sports
By DON MONCRIEF
HHJ Sports Editor
This past year might
very well be remem
bered as the year of
the Demon.
Not only was the school
busy making news by win
ning a state football cham
pionship, but there were
the headlines leading up to
that.
For starters, there was
Robby Pruitt moving back
to Fitzgerald and the confir
mation Bryan Way was tak
ing over as athletic director.
Scott Lamb gave up base
ball and Chad Simmons
took over - or will.
Warner Robins High
School also marked firsts
in cross country and swim
ming.
As for the rest, here’s a
glance at how their year’s
played out:
JANUARY
◄4◄ -4 4 The month
opens with high school bas
ketball in full swing.
◄ 4-4-4-4 The Westfield
Schools hosts its inaugu
ral Wayne Morris Hornet
Invitational wrestling
tournament - won by
Southland.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Willie Hill wins
the Georgia Recreation
and Parks Association’s
Volunteer of the Year Award
for his tireless efforts assist
ing the Warner Robins
Recreation Department.
•4 4◄ ◄ ◄ The Houston
County Board of Education
approves its new rezon
ing plan and “no sir,” they
didn’t like it.
At least those at Warner
Robins High School - spe
cifically then-athletic direc
tor Robby Pruitt who gives
notice he is returning to
Fitzgerald a month later
- didn’t.
The Demons (and Pruitt’s)
tale of woe: “Where’s the
true feeder system you
promised?”
•4 ◄ Houston County
High School captures the
county title in wrestling.
They take it from Perry
High School, which in turn
took it from Northside High
School (which had owned it
forever), the year prior.
File
Lee Pope instructs the
Bears. He also led them to
their first-ever county title
in wrestling.
FEBRUARY
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Can you say
more high school basket
ball? Midway through the
month the playoffs start.
Central Fellowship’s boys
and Perry’s girls are the
first to be eliminated (first
round of the region tourna
ment). The Lady Hornets
make it into - but not out
of - the first round of the
Georgia Independent School
Association’s AAA tourna
ment.
The Hornets make it to
the Elite Eight before run
ning up against Tattnall.
As far as the Lady Lancers,
read about their exploits in
March.
Houston County’s girls,
Warner Robins’ boys and
Perry’s boys are the only
two Georgia High School
Sports
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Warner Robins’ Justin Brown (65) holds the vaunted AAAA state title trophy during a presentation at the school in
December, while teammate Jonathan Crenshaw and head coach Bryan Way look on.
Association schools in the
county to make it out of the
region and to state.
The Demons fall in round
one. The Panthers fall to
eventual state champion
West Laurens shortly there
after while the Lady Bears
make it all the way to the
Sweet 16 before being top
pled.
j|fM t
File
Tarvis Billings helped the
Panthers go far, just not
past eventual state cham
pion West Laurens in the
AAA playoffs.
MARCH
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Close but ...
Central Fellowship’s girls
fall short in the GISA
AAA title game. The Lady
Lancers led Deerfield-
Windsor at the half but the
third and fourth quarters
turned out to be nightmares
in a 41-21 loss.
44444 Baseball begins
in the county. Westfield
begins the year 4-0 while
hosting its Clint Brannen
Baseball Bash. The only
thing that can apparently
stop their early momen
tum: Pitching. Augusta
Christian no-hits them in
the semifinals to capture
tourney honors and rele
gate the Hornets to second.
At Houston County, base
ball starts under the leader
ship of new head coach Jim
Turner. Also under way:
Soccer, golf, track and field,
tennis and even football as
Perry conducts its two-week
spring football workout ses
sion.
44444 Steve Fanucchi,
formerly an assistant pro at
Healy Point in Macon, joins
the staff of Houston Lake
Country Club. He brings
four years of golf pro expe
rience into the fold.
◄ ◄◄◄◄lt’s official: The
Houston County Board of
Education approves Bryan
Way to be the next athletic
director for Warner Robins
High School. Wonder how
that will turn out?
◄◄◄ ◄ ◄ The Central
Georgia Soccer Association
holds TOPSoccer-Rama,
a program designed to
introduce children ages 4-
19 to soccer. Also during
the month, the organiza
tion turns on its newly
purchased/installed lights
allowing for night play.
◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ After 30 years of
teaching/coaching Houston
County’s Buzz Porch goes
into semi-retirement (he
still conducts weight train
ing for the Bears’ football
team).
◄◄◄ ◄ ◄ The Warner
Robins American and
Warner Robins National
and Perry Junior leagues
hold opening day.
APRIL
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Perry basket
ball standout Moreemi
Davis signs a letter of intent
for Clemson.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Warner Robins’
girl’s tennis team avenges
its only regular season loss
by beating Stockbridge
in the opening day of
the region tournament.
Houston County’s boys get
past two opponents - one
of them being the Demons.
Both squads qualify and fin
ish runner-up at state.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Warner Robins’
boys repeat as Houston
County track and field
champions. On the girls’
side of the house, Northside
dominates the field.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ On the heels of
a 9-1 regular season, Perry’s
girls clinch a postseason
berth.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Warner Robins’
boys finish the regular sea
son 7-0-2 (23 points) and
edge out Houston County
(6-0-3 and 21 points) for the
Region 2-AAAAA title in
soccer. Both easily advance
past the first round - but
their school counterparts
don’t fare as well, neither
does Perry’s girls - and head
into the second (see the not
so-merry month of May).
◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ Christine
Conley, daughter of then
Perry athletic director
Chuck Conley, is selected to
the University of Georgia
cheerleading team.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ As the month
draws to a close, Westfield’s
baseball team, at 19-7 and
in the postseason for the
first time in 10 years, is
busy disposing of-Tattnall
Square to earn a Final Four
appearance in the AAA state
tournament.
MAY
◄◄◄◄◄ it was fun
while it lasted but both the
Demons and Bears soccer
teams fall in the second
round of state.
◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ Houston
County, Northside and
Warner Robins, Westfield
and Central Fellowship
begin its two-week spring
football session.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Warner Robins
baseball head coach Scott
Lamb announces he’ll step
down to concentrate more
on his football duties - he
also takes over as head golf
coach in place of Way.
Assistant Chad Simmons
replaces Lamb. A cou
ple of weeks later, the
school announces Central
Fellowship head baseball
coach Jeff Sans has also
joined the club as an assis
tant.
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File
They were supposed to be
in a rebuilding year and
yet the Hornets narrowly
miss out on the GISA’s
AAA title.
JUNE
◄ ◄◄◄◄ The Hornets
earn a spot in the GISA
AAA baseball finals by
getting past Augusta
Christian two games to
one. Unfortunately, after
taking the opener against
Southland, the squad loses
the next two and finishes
SECTION
B
runner-up.
◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ Houston County
and Perry also earn a post
season berth in baseball.
Both make it to the Sweet
16 but Lee County and
South Effingham, respec
tively, ensure it’s no further.
Two weeks following that,
the Houston County Board
of Education announces
Panthers baseball coach
Andy Gentry is moving
to take over the Houston
County High School’s base
ball program. Later, Perry
announces assistant Shawn
Masters will take over the
Panthers’ program.
JULY
◄ ◄◄◄◄ The Westfield
Schools announce Jeff
Eubanks from Rabun
County takes over the Lady
Hornets’ basketball pro
gram.
◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄ Perry
Horseshoe Pitchers club
member Howard Kuehn
wins the state title in the
Class A bracket. Seven oth
ers - Larry Myers, Dave
McKim, Rick Thompson,
Dane Clark, Ronnie Miller,
Mary Ann Gibbs and Marcus
Walters - place at the annu
al tournament, this time
held in Perry.
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Football is in
the air again as the local
schools begin summer work
outs.
AUGUST
◄ ◄◄◄◄ Jon David
Kennedy captures the 2004
Houston County Amateur
Championship held at The
Landings.
The Perry High School
grad shot a second round
score of 65 for a two-day
total of 138, to earn hon
ors. The accomplishment
was made that much more
gratifying considering the
fact he had lost in a playoff
in 2002.
◄◄◄ ◄ ◄ Local high
schools take part in football
jamborees as season start
nears.
◄◄◄ ◄ ◄ The Warner
Robins American Little
League Junior girl’s All-
Star team qualifies for the
finals in the Little League
Southeastern Regional
tournament.
Leading up to that
moment the squad had
posted two district wins,
and captured a title; four
state wins, and captured a
See REWIND, page 3B