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OUR
SANPLOT
ON DECK
Today
Major League Baseball
■ Atlanta at Florida. 7:05 p.m.,
Fox Sports Network
BRAVES CORNER
Marlins 4, Braves 1
MIAMI (AP) - The Florida
Marlins have become used to Josh
Johnson's
strong pitch
ing. On I
Tuesday night
they also ben
efitted from his offense.
Johnson pitched six strong
innings and had an RBI double
in the Marlins' 4-1 victory over the
Atlanta Braves.
With Florida leading 2-0,
Johnson doubled off the left-field
scoreboard to drive in Alfredo
Amezaga and key a two-run fifth
inning. Earlier, Miguel Olivo's sac
rifice fly scored Cody Ross, who
reached on a leadoff single and
advanced to third on Amezaga's
one-out single.
Johnson (5-4) allowed one run
and seven hits. He struck out
seven and walked two.
Andruw Jones. Bnan McCann
and Jeff Francoeur hit consec
utive singles to start the sixth
and cut Florida's lead to 3-1.
Francoeur's hit bounced off the
wall in left, barely missing a home
run. Ross retrieved the ball to limit
Francoeur to a single.
Johnson avoided additional
trouble by forcing Adam Laßoche
to ground into a double play and
retiring Matt Diaz on a fly out to
right field.
The Braves stranded nine run
ners. John Smoltz (4-5) lost his
third consecutive start, allowing
three runs and five hits in six
innings. He struck out four.
The Braves have lost 12 of their
last 15 and are 2-10 in June.
IN BRIEF
Youth center sets registration
The Robins Air Force Base
Youth Center’s sports registration
will be held July 15. Parents may
resister from 1-6 p.m. on that day
and from 3-6 p.m. the following
Monday-Friday. Youth may reg
ister for cheerleading ages 5-12,
NFL flag football ages 5-10, tackle
football ages 11-12 and fall soccer
ages 5-16. Registration will con
tinue until teams are full.
Also, the center is currently
accepting applications for volun
teer cheerleading/football/soc
cer coaches. No experience is
required. Training will be provided
though the youth center. Apply in
person at Robins Youth Center or
call Ron Hayes at 926-2110 i
Cross country series dates set
Warner Robins High School
head cross country coach David
Erpelding is preparing to host
the Sixth Annual Middle Georgia
Cross Country Summer Series
at Pearl Stephens Elementary
School in Warner Robins.
The races are open to every
one and the following races are
planned:
■ Today: 3000 meters
■ July 6:4000 meters
■ July 20: 5000 Meters
Each race is slated to start at
7:30 p.m. on the Thursdays listed
above. Awards will be given for the
top five in each age group male
and female. 14-and-under, 15-19
and 20 and over. The entry fee is
$5. Runners register on race day.
Contact Erpelding at 328-3208 or
via e-mail at Erpelding@bellsouth.
net for more information.
YMCA to hold goll tourney
The Houston County YMCA
will hold the YMCA Camp Can
Do Golf Tournament Friday at
Waterford Golf Course.
The tournament is slated to
begin at 1115 a.m. with lunch
served by Outback Steak House.
The format is four-man team
scramble with a shotgun start
at 12:30 p.m. Individual entry is
SSO per person, which includes a
mulligan. There will also be door,
skills and team prizes awarded.
Complimentary gift bags will also
be provided. Hole sponsorships
are available at the $250, SSOO,
and SI,OOO levels. Money raised
will benefit “Camp Can Do.’
To sign up or for questions
concerning sponsorship, contact
Natasha Gibbons at 922-2566 or
e-mail pfograms@hocoymca.org.
THURSDAY,
JUNE 15, 2006
Jackson gets a
taste of Olympics
By MATTHEW BROWN
HHJ Sports Writer
Not many young athletes
have the opportunity to hear
inspirational stories and
learn life lessons from U.S.
Olympic athletes.
Steven Jackson, a 20-year
old student-athlete at Fort
Valley State University from
Warner Robins, had just that
chance as one of 30 chosen
nationwide for a program
called FLAME, which stands
for Finding Leaders Among
Minorities Everywhere.
On June 9-11, Jackson
went to the U.S. Olympic
Training Center in Colorado
Springs, Colo., to meet gold
medal winners, hike through
the Rocky Mountains and do
fFW I W ¥
Logo for the International City Warriors, a football team based out of Warner Robins and part of the Southern
Football League’s American Conference.
Local football team gears up for season start
By MATTHEW BROWN
HHJ Staff Writer
Once upon a time, a
semi-professional foot
ball team known as the
Middle Georgia Stallions ruled the
Southern Football League with a
two-year grip on the champion
ship title. This domination didn’t
just happen around the southern
states; it was felt all over the
nation.
But all of that ended after the
2004 season.
Now, that franchise is being
reborn in a new format and with
a new name. They’re called the
International City Warriors.
According to J.R. Hamp, general
manager of the Warriors, some
of the players on the Stallions
- which went undefeated in both
2003 and 2004 and captured an
EFA national championship - kept
in contact with each other after
the team folded. He said those
players also wanted to get back
on the playing field together and
worked to find new ownership and
new management.
Hamp said phase one of the
operation was accomplished
under new owner SNG Global, an
Internet service provider.
Hamp said this new team also
wanted to be based in Warner
Robins (The International City),
a town known for backing strong
football at the high school level.
That was phase two - complete
as well.
As for the nickname Warriors ...
“We wanted to pay tribute to the
armed forces and servicemen,”
Sports
a little networking.
Jackson relayed some of his
experiences in a telephone
interview with the Houston
Home Journal Tuesday.
When he met with the other
participants chosen for the
FLAME program, Jackson
said they all had the same
aspirations he did of making
it big through hard work.
What Jackson saw at the
Olympic Training Center
was “amazing.”
“We saw how they train,”
he said. “It’s top of the line.
There was a shooting range,
an Olympic-sized pool. The
weight room was big. There
was a training room like
the one in the commercial
See TASTE, page 2B
Out to play
International City Warriors
2006 schedule
July 8 at Gadsden, Ala.,
Avengers
July 15 at West Georgia
Renegades
July 22 at South Georgia
Stars
July 29 vs. Phenix City,
Ala., Falcons
Aug. 12 vs. West Georgia
Renegades
Aug. 19 vs. Gadsden, Ala.,
Avengers
Aug. 26 at Phenix City,
Ala., Falcons
Sept. 2 vs. South Georgia
Stars
SFL playoffs begin Sept. 9
Championship game, Sept.
30
EFA playoffs begin Nov. 4
Championship game, Dec.
2 at Atlantic City, N.J.
said Hamp, referring to the fact
Robins Air Force Base is a major
part of Warner Robins.
Currently, Hamp said there are
more than 30 players practic
ing for the Warriors team, but
they are edways looking for more.
Practices take place Mondays
through Thursdays beginning at
6:30 each night at Perry Primary
School on James Ave.
Darrell McNeil is the head coach
for the Warriors. In addition to
players, Hamp said International
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submitted
Former Warner Robins High School football standout and current Fort Valley State
University student-athlete Steven Jackson stands next to a vehicle baring the Tyson
logo. The organization helped sponsor his trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center as
part of the Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere program.
City would also welcome additions
to the coaching staff.
The International City Warriors
isn’t a strict reunion of the Middle
Georgia Stallions.
“We have a lot of new guys who
are dedicated and want to excel,”
said Hamp, who once worked as
a consultant for the Macon Blaze
professional basketball franchise.
“They are eager to win. We see
great potential. We are also look
ing to get scouts here to watch our
games.”
As for the Warriors’ schedule
for the 2006 season, International
City is playing in the West Division
of the Southern Football League’s
American Conference.
There is an East Division in
this conference in addition to a
National Conference with two
divisions. In the regular season,
the Warriors will play the other
four teams in their division twice
(home and away.)
The home venue is Lucas Field
at Central City Park in Macon.
The 2006 season kicks off on
July 8 at the Gadsden, Ala.,
Avengers. The first home game is
July 29 against the Phenix City,
Ala., Falcons.
The other two teams in the
American West Division are the
West Georgia Renegades and the
defending SFL champions, the
South Georgia Stars.
For a football team at any pro
fessional level to succeed, it needs
money.
Hamp said sponsorships
are low right now because the
See TEAM, page 2B
SECTION
B
PY pitchers
toss way to
pairollirsts
From staff reports
Five members from the
Perry Horseshoe Pitcher’s
Club competed this past
weekend in the Cobb Classic
in Marietta.
As far as Buddy Ayer was
concerned, it should have
been four.
Not really, he would never
wish ill will on one of his
fellow club members/good
friends. It’s just that he fin
ished second in the tourney
to Tom Carter also from the
Perry club.
Both were pitching in the
D Class. Carter finished
with a record of 6-1, while
Ayer finished 5-2.
Carter also had 70 ring
ers - out of 280 horseshoes
available - while Ayer had
50.
John Rackley of the Perry
Horseshoe Pitcher’s Club
also competed in the tourna
ment and finished first.
Unlike in the other divi
sion, however, he was the
only local represented in the
C Class.
He finished with a 4-0
record, connecting for 68
ringers out of 200 horse
shoes available.
The other Perry club
members in the tournament
were Dane Clark and Doyle
Johnson. Both were in Class
B. Clark finished fourth with
a 3-3 record and Johnson
sixth at 2-4.
Clark had 85 ringers out
of 240 horseshoes available
and Johnson 71.
Charles Mathis won their
class with a 5-1 record.
Hendon cnmes up
short at qualifier
From staff reports
Luke Hendon of Bonaire
came up short in his quest
to secure one of three avail
able primary or one of the
two available alternate posi
tions for the Blßt annual
U.S. Amateur Public Links
Championship, which is
slated to be held at Gold
Mountain Golf Course in
Bremerton, Wash., July 10
- 15.
Hendon shot a 70 the first
day, Monday, of . Sectional
qualifying at River Pines Golf
Course in Alpharetta for the
aforementioned event.
That enabled him to make
the 30-player cut - three
other Houston County golf
ers didn’t fare that well - as
well as put him two shots off
the lead.
See HENDON, page 2B