Newspaper Page Text
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
The 40 takes the spotlight
By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer
INDIANAPOLIS - Mike
Williams ran. Matt Jones ran
fast. Jerome Mathis ran very
fast.
Maurice Clarett ran, but
looked as though he was
walking.
Oh, what 120 feet can do
for a football career.
The NFL combine is all
about interviews, physicals
and drills. But the focal point
always is the 40-yard dash
that many - but hardly all
- prospects run.
During the weekend,
Williams, who originally said
he would pass on the 40,
changed his mind and ran a
pair of 4.595. Not great for
a wide receiver, but at least
Williams put himself on the
line and produced a time,
something several other
wideouts didn’t. Including
the top player at the posi
tion, Michigan’s Braylon
Edwards.
But many did perform -
and perform well.
“It was good to see Mike out
there running,” Tennessee
coach Jeff Fisher said of the
Southern Cal receiver who
sat out last season in the fall
out from Clarett’s failed legal
challenge go the draft. “It’s
SPRING
From page 1B
the beginning of the season,
then in the end of the sea
son.”
In addition to weather and
conflicting sports, rehabili
tation time may have played
a factor.
Last season the projected
starter at quarterback tore
his ACL. Not that it didn't
work out well and then some
with Mark Wright Jr. taking
over the helm, but with this
workout so early in the year,
a player would have time to
come back and play after his
injury had healed.
The Demons were in high
spirits this past week. No
one seemed to mind that
just a short two and one half
months ago they finished
their last game.
The sounds of pads pop
ping could be heard through
out Demon Valley. The play
ers especially seemed to
get fired up for the “inside
drill.”
In this drill, the offense
and defense lines up between
two dummies and “goes at
it.”
The running backs are
forced to stay between the
barriers, making big hits
inevitable.
This is one of the kinds of
drills the coaches said they
use to look for younger and
inexperienced players to step
up for a starting job.
■f Jl * j» JP .•„. ' Jtf' " " ' 's~ ~*' *~*"~~ '^4>A^^^y!^^?^X^
## / fr**fc/jZM'ii -Wtnu&m
® ii< * ■ unf 8 * JIIMmHL . .___Zj
HHJ/Joe Sersey
Houston County's Harold Harriet drives to the basket in the Bears' GHSA AAAAA state
tournament loss Friday in Macon.
HOCO
From page 1B
and hit 8-of-20 field goal
attempts.
Houston County was
down 62-41 before they got
on track and closed out the
contest on a 13-1 run.
Marcus Northern led
Houston County with 17
COMBINE
great for the clubs to see so
many guys running.”
Williams wants to play
wide receiver in the pros,
although some teams believe
he could be a tight end or H
back. Two definite wideouts,
Miami’s Roscoe Parrish and
Oklahoma’s Mark Clayton,
ran swift 4.435.
“Clayton earned himself a
lot of money by doing that,”
NFL draft expert Gil Brandt
said.
Mathis, who played at
Hampton in Virginia, was
the fastest wideout at 4.32.
Brandt and Cowboys coach
Bill Parcells caught him in an
incredible 4.25, which would
have broken the best regis
tered combine time of 4.28 by
Deion Sanders.
That time could shoot
Mathis’ value way up. A
small college All-American,
Mathis certainly improved
his stock. He already had a
big Gridiron Classic, scoring
on a 26-yard reception and
a 38-yard run off a reverse.
Mathis had 108 yards of total
offense in that game.
Jones has become an
intriguing prospect. A quar
terback at Arkansas, where
. >
Jf /. liM
m A HB
El.
HHJ Jamie Britton
A pair of Demons clash during a spring workout session
Feb. 22 at the school.
With major losses on the
offensive line and backfield,
Warner Robins will be look
ing for a new generation of
standouts.
“We’re fortunate that we
have a couple of running
backs that we’re going to
move around who do have
game experience,” said
offensive coordinator Stacey
Harden. “We have a little bit
points, and Warren Gregory
finished with 14.
“I’m proud of this team
and what it accomplished,”
Nix said. “They didn’t
quit.”
SCOREBOARD
STEPHENSON 63,
he also played basketball,
his 4.41 time was the fastest
ever by a quarterback at the
combine.
“Veiy impressive,” Fisher
said.
Jones is looked at as a wide
out or an H-back by many
pro teams. He apparently has
very good hands, too.
Of the true QBs, former
Florida State player Adrian
McPherson ran a 4.72 before
he tweaked his quadriceps.
That was the quickest at the
position.
Courtney Roby of Indiana
sped to a 4.36 to trail Mathis
among wideouts.
All of them would have
left Clarett in the dust. The
former Ohio State sensation
- for one year at least - badly
set back his cause with slow
40s. His best was in the 4.75
range, with no official time
released because he wasn’t
in the top five in his running
backs group.
“I think we were all as
disappointed in his time as
he was,” Titans general man
ager Floyd Reese said. “It
looks like he’s in better shape
than last year. It wasn’t quite
what he hoped when he ran
40s. And it doesn’t help when
guys around him run 4.45.”
Including a quarterback.
of inexperience.”
The Demons' defense,
which posted six shutouts
last season, should continue
to be dominant with seven
returning starters.
“(We have) a year of this
system under our belts,” said
defensive coordinator David
Bruce, “so we’re going to
be able to do more polishing
and be more aggressive.”
HOUSTON COUNTY 54
ST: 14 13 17 19-63
HC: 6 12 14 22-54
Halflime: (ST) 27-18. Scorers: (ST)
Rison 2, Edmondson 2, Scott Bynum 15,
Fred Christopher 10, DeAndre Coleman
10, Alade Aminu 22, Edwards 2; (HC)
Johnson 4, Pero 2, Marcus Northern 17,
Shipp 2, Wright 2, Warren Gregory 14,
Banks 7, Moore 6.3-pointers: (ST) Bynum
2; (HC) Northern 2, Johnson, Gregory.
SPORTS
SLIP
From page 1B
three games.
Lakeshia Levi, who fin
ished the game with 20
points, scored six - four on
offensive rebounds - to put
Northside up 6-0 to start
the game. She also had eight
during the first quarter.
Jones County phenom
Chimere Jordan managed
only three in the first half, a
three point play that tied the
game at 15 midway through
the second quarter.
Most of the Lady
Greyhounds’ scoring came
from Samerian Pitts who
scored seven of her 11 points
in that frame.
Her three-point play, gave
Jones County its first lead
with less than a minute
left in the half at 20-19.
Manuel added a free throw
and Jones County led 21-19
at the half.
Jones County made five
of-six free throws in the
second quarter. Northside
made no visits to the line.
Northside controlled the
boards throughout the con
test 37-15, but they couldn’t
defend against the impos-
STORM
From page 1B
Northside 54, Sandy Creek 35
If Sandy Creek could
have figured out Lakeisha
Levi, they might have had
a chance.
The Northside stand
out scored 10 of the Lady
Eagles’ first 11 points. She
went on to put 24 on the
board - leading all scorers
- in a 54-35 GHSA AAAA
Sweet 16 state tournament
win over the Lady Patriots
Friday in Columbus.
Levi’s effort enabled
Northside, which started
the game on a 6-0 run, to
- after Sandy Creek, which
finished they year 25-5, had
rallied - go up 8-7 after one
quarter of play.
The Lady Eagles shot
only 2-for-9 from the field
fey
Auction & Raffle
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Heritage Hall
Georgia National Fairgrounds & AgriCenter
Over 100 Live and Silent
Auction Items including...
A Hunting Trip to Wyoming
Two Nights at Henderson Village
A Custom Built Children's Playhouse
Original Artwork
Handmade & Handpainted Furntiure
Two Round Trip Airline Tickets to Cancun
Gun Safe
Special Raffles for A Treasure Chest of Fine Jewelry
and A Year’s Tuition...
sible shots.
Ayana Ferguson, with
help from Shunkia Turner
and Brittany Holder, held
Jordan in check during the
first half. Jordan started
shooting from three feet
beyond the arc later and
making them.
She hit two treys in the
third quarter and Patterson
added two more. Despite
Jones County’s sudden long
range insurgence, however,
Northside took advantage of
a 9-0 run to take a 28-26
lead.
It lasted until Patterson’s
first 3-pointer. Northside’s
Kaisha Underwood then
responded with a put-back.
Then it was back-to-back
treys from Jordan then
Patterson and Jones County
was up 35-30.
Northside went on anoth
er run, 8-2 and retook the
lead 38-37.
Jones County’s Renee
Harvey put the Lady
Greyhounds back on top
39-38 with a 12-foot buzzer
beater.
During the topsy-turvy
third quarter, the Lady
in the second quarter but
four trips to the free-throw
line and a 5-of-8 effort kept
them even with the Lady
Patriots, which shot 4-of
-12 from the field and l-of-4
from the charity stripe dur
ing the same time.
The two were tied at 17 at
the break.
Northside then came out
and hit 6-of-18 attempts
from the field in the third -
Levi had eight of its points.
Sandy Creek made only 3-
of-15. The Lady Eagles also
out-rebounded the Lady
Patriots 16-7 during that
time.
That coupled with seven
turnovers provided the Lady
Eagles with some much
needed breathing room.
They led 32-24 heading into
Celebrating 35 Years of Westfield
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2005 ♦
Destination
G/estfield...
A World of
Opportunity
TICKETS
S3OO Tables (seats 8)
$25 for Individuals
Treasure Chest Raffle -
$25
Tuition Raffle - SSO
Call 987-0547 for tickets
Eagles went 3-for-9 from the
free-throw line.
The lead changed five
times in the first two min
utes of the fourth quarter
until Northside put together
another run of six points
and went up 48-42.
With the score 50-45
Northside with 2:57 left in
the game, Jones County hit
4- free throws, including
two by Jordan and then she
capped the attack with her
last trey of the evening to
give the Lady Greyhounds a
52-50 lead.
Jones County was hitting
nearly every basket they put
up. At one point, Harvey
was falling down from 10-
feet out and still making
the shot. Jones County was
5- from the field in the
fourth quarter.
Worse, the Lady
Greyhounds were hitting
their free throws. They hit
7-of-8 from the stripe. They
shot 14 free throws in the
game and made 11 of them.
Northside shot 17 and
made seven.
“I didn’t know it was that
bad,” Wilson said.
the final eight minutes of
play.
From there Northside
was never threatened. Six
to-two scoring in its favor
pushed the lead to 14, 40-
26, with 5:10 left to play.
The closest Sandy Creek cut
it from there to the buzzer
was 11, 44-33, with 1:45 to
go.
The Lady Eagles was
7-for-10 from the field in
the fourth while the Lady
Patriots were 3-for-13 dur
ing the same time. The Lady
Eagles were also sent to the
free-throw line seven times
and connected on 8-of-13.
Janay Wilson, who played
a key role in staving off
Sandy Creek’s constant
pressure, added 12 for
Northside.
3B