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SUNDAY,
JANUARY 30, 2005
ON TAP
High school basketball
Saturday
■ Warner Robins at West
Laurens, 6 p.m.
■ Mary Persons at Perry, 6
p.m.
■ Houston County at Valdosta,
6 p.m.
High school swimming
Saturday
■ Warner Robins at
Westminster, time TBA
High school wrestling
Saturday
■ Westfield at region tourna
ment in Americus, time TBA
High school cheerleading
Saturday
■ Houston County, Northside.
Warner Robins and Perry at
region, time TBA
High school swimming
Monday
■ Houston County champi
onship at Fort Valley State
University (rescheduled from
Wednesday), 3:30 p.m.
IN BRIEF
Perry to hold
touchdown meeting
Perry High School will hold a
touchdown club meeting Feb.
10 at 7 p.m., in the school
cafeteria.
National to hold fal
bal regstration
The Warner Robins National
League will be having base
ball and softball registration for
5-18-year olds Saturday and
Feb. 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at
Simpson Field.
Perry Jinor League
sets Simms
The Perry Junior League will
hold registration for children 3-
18 Saturday and Feb. 5 from 9
a.m.-noon at the Ochlahatchee
Club House. Call Warren
Offenberg at 256-4471 for
more information.
Umpres association
to hold meettigs
The Warner Robins Umpires
Association will hold its first
two meetings of the year, one
Jan. 31 and the other Feb. 7 at
the Warner Robins Recreation
Department.
If you are interested in
umpiring, call 328-8995 or 923-
6038.
Perry rec looking to
form bowing league
The Perry Recreation
Department is interested in
forming a bowling league. Call
988-2860 for more.
Vefcybaa group
looking for players
The Central Georgia
Volleyball Association is seek
ing girls for its under-15 team.
Potential players cannot have
reached 15 prior to Sept. 1. Call
442-1305 for more information.
TRIVIA TRIVIAL
From 1919-1921, how many
games in the “best-of” decided
the World Series?
On this date...
1904 - The University of
Chicago awarded lettered blan
kets to all seniors that played
football. It marked the begin
ning of the letter tradition.
He said it...
“No, the meat's too tough,
and the horns get stuck in my
teeth."
- Yogi Berra, on mousse
Answer: Best-of-nine. In the 15
before and it was the traditional
seven.
Houston County girls, boys
entrenched in region batde
By JOE SERSEY
HHJ Sports Writer
WARNER ROBINS -
Houston County’s
boys and girls
basketball teams
managed to get a rare
Tuesday off this past week,
but heading into the week
end, both find themselves
locked a battle for the
region.
The Bears and Lady Bears
are each 4-2 in GHSA region
1-AAAAA, and each is also
tied for second place.
The goal for both is to
finish first or second. That
way they will be guaran
teed a slot in the state play
offs. Any other finish, and
they have to play in the
region tournament, which,
with one loss in that format
would end their season.
The Bears are in the midst
of a 3-0 win streak. They
defeated Tift County Jan.
21 and Lowndes Jan. 22.
“We’re going good,” said
Bears head coach Greg
Nix. “The last three games
we’ve won 55-49, 51-50 and
64-50. Those scores lead me
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HHJ Joe Sersey
Perry swimmer Meg Williams works out at practice Tuesday. She became the first Panther in school history to qualify
for the state tournament when she posted a time of 1:14.6 in the 100-meter breaststroke at a recent tournament.
Perry swimmer makes history with state qualifier
By JOE SERSEY
HHJ Sports Writer
PERRY -
Meg Williams was
born in Perry 16
years ago and has
since spent four years in
England and four years in
Germany.
Her family returned to
Perry four years ago but
Williams says she still gets
antsy every four years.
Since she can’t change
Dragway goes under new management; racers set schedule
Macon National Dragway
had a management change
- somewhat - during this
offseason. Richard DeLisle still owns
the Twiggs County track, but Chris
Phillips has leased it for the 2005 sea
son and who knows?
“There’s a good chance it will be
more,” he said, adding he had tried to
strike a deal with the previous owner a
number of times several years ago. “If
things go like they’re supposed to.”
Phillips said he has been involved
Sports
'lt doesn't
matter who we
play. If we don't
win, It makes
everything
tougher.'
- Houston County head coach
Greg Nix
to believe we’re playing real
good defense.”
Nix also said that his
team was not giving up a
lot of offensive rebounds or
second chance shots.
“Also, our offensive execu
tion is good,” Nix said. “We
like to run and fastbreak.
We have good size.”
Nix isn’t surprised that
his team is in the middle
of the race. He credits his
team with playing to their
potential.
“That’s what a team
does,” he said. “We have
good senior leadership.”
He is referring to Justin
Shipp, Warren Gregory and
Meg's leg
locations,
Williams
makes her
moves in
the swim
ming pool.
The Perry
High
School
junior is
the first
swimmer
WILLIAMS
from the school to qualify
for state.
RACE NOTEBOOK
Compiled by Don Moncrief
in the sport for 20 years. Part of that
has been as a driver - “I’ve raced just
about every division,” he said. - and a
portion of that has been as a car owner.
He said he has had as many as five
- currently it’s four - and he gets to
drive “maybe five or six times a year if
I’m lucky,” he said.
Hank Harriell.
He’ll need that leadership
for the remainder of the
Bears schedule.
They were to play Colquitt
County at home Friday. At
Colquitt, the Bears lost by
four.
But, as Nix doesn’t
hesitate to point out, this
region may not be decided
until everybody’s last game
of the season.
For the Bears, that’s Tift
County, which lost to Coffee
by two.
So Houston County,
Tift County and Colquitt
County are tied for second
with two losses each.
“I like the way things
are setting up,” Nix said.
“Colquitt is here and we’re
pretty good at home.”
Coffee County comes here
Friday. That’s senior night
and the team and the HoCo
Locos should be fired up.
“It doesn’t matter who
we play,” Nix said. “If we
don’t win, it makes every
thing tougher.”
The Lady Bears face the
See BATTLE, page 4B
She swam a 1:14.6 in the
100-meter breaststroke at a
tournament this past week,
to beat the required 1:16
time.
That was another move
she made.
Until this summer,
Williams swam the butter
fly. Then Aquanauts’ coach
James Parker asked her to
compete in the 50-meter
breaststroke in recreation
events.
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HIM Joe Sersey
Houston County’s Avery Wright (22) goes up for a layup
in the team’s win over Tift County Jan. 22. Looking on
is teammate Warren Gregory. With four region games
remaining, both the Bears and Lady Bears find them
selves locked in a close battle against other contenders
in Region 1-AAAAA.
“The butterfly was her
best event,” Parker said.
“Coaches shouldn’t let their
swimmers focus on one
event. As sometimes hap
pens, her breaststroke kind
of took over.”
She showed immediate
improvement and finished
eighth in the state in recre
ation league competition.
“Last year, I was pushing
for the butterfly,” Williams
See SWIMMER, page 2B
He is also a co-owner of Montgomery
Motorsports Park, a quarter-mile drag
strip in Alabama.
His interest in the local track, which
he said he has raced on numerous
times, is simple.
“We wanted something that did a
better job of attracting spectators,” he
said. “And this track has been known
for years as a special place that does
just that.”
His plan, he added, was to provide
See DRAGWAY, page 3B
SECTION
B
§
| WsmM,.
('Wki
Joe Sersey
HHJ Sports Writer
jscrsey@evan.snewspapers.cotn
Never try
to 'skirt'
the issues
Recently my
Imperious Leader
wrote a column
apologizing to coaches for
something he had writ
ten.
Don learned his sense
of fair play from Andy
Griffith. I learned mine
from a Marine drill
instructor named Gilpin.
His philosophy was, “If
you’re so sorry, why did
you do it? Come here so
that I can slap you.”
Gilpin’s other philoso
phy was, “You’re sorry all
right. The sorriest human
being I’ve ever seen.
Come here so that I can
slap you.”
• I, too, am a victim of the
Mayberry era. I wouldn’t
have the heart to tell Aunt
Bea her pickles stink. Let
her continue on her way,
happily canning dills that
would make a Taliban
prisoner glad he’s on a
hunger strike.
I must admit that in
all honesty, I’m jealous
of the Exalted One. At
least somebody is reading
his column. I never get
feedback. It is my opinion
that subscribers are too
quick to wrap their fish in
the issue that my column
appears. Another reason
I’ve never cared for the
sport of fishing. That’s
also why I don’t eat fish.
I have no desire to con
sume something that is
better read than I.
I wrote all of the above
to explain why I’m not
going to apologize for
what I’m writing next.
This is a true story and
from the experience, I
See SERSEY, page 3B