MACON — Bethlehem Christian Academy junior Ray Peevy had been quiet the whole second half of Saturday night’s GISA Class AAA quarterfinal contest against Brookwood School at Stratford Academy. But with the game on the line, Knights coach Robert Strong’s confidence wasn’t shaken in a three-year starter with a knack for 3-pointers.
And when his time came, Peevy hit the biggest shot of his life, drilling a 3-pointer with 18.3 seconds left in overtime to lift the Knights to a 46-45 victory over the Warriors and send them to their first Final Four in program history.
“I knew I had played bad the whole game, to my standards, but I just knew when I got my moment, I would take advantage of it,” Peevy said following a raucous postgame celebration in the Knights’ locker room. “I’m just thankful for my teammates for putting me in that position.”
“I couldn’t be happier for Ray,” Strong added. “I had a feeling that if we got down late, he would be the guy I’d need to step up. He’s one of our main leaders and he stepped up in a big way.”
Saturday’s win for the Knights (23-6), the No. 3 seed out of Region 4, had the feeling of a transformational moment for a program that has struggled mightily the last few seasons. A year ago, they stumbled to an 8-16 record in Strong’s first season at the helm. That followed a 4-16 mark in 2016-17.
But this season’s Knights have had a different edge to them — more defensive intensity, more clutch shooting and more players stepping up to make big plays at critical times, exemplified by Peevy’s heroics Saturday night.
“This is what I came here for; to help build and be a part growing something,” said Peevy, who finished with 9 points. “We’ve worked hard, our coaches have worked hard and we deserve this. We just play hard. Our goal tonight was to play hard for 32 minutes and leave it all on the floor.
“We didn’t know it would end up being 36 minutes, but four more didn’t hurt us.”
For BCA point guard Travis Taylor, who scored a team-high 13 points, the win served as further validation for his decision to move to the school and join the Knights for his senior season.
“When I walked into this program, all these other schools told me I shouldn’t come here because they didn’t have this and they didn’t have that,” Taylor said. “But we’ve been the underdogs the whole season, and for us to come in and win in the Elite Eight and go to the Final Four is just beyond me, honestly.”
Saturday’s game was a tight, back-and-forth contest — in which neither team had a lead greater than six points — largely dominated by the defenses. After Taylor drove the lane and scored to tie it at 41-41 with 3:46 left in regulation, neither team tallied a point the rest of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime.
The Warriors (18-11), the No. 1 seed from Region 3, grabbed a 44-41 lead with 2:24 left in the extra period on a successful three-point play by 6-foot-4 junior power forward Harrison Owens, who led all scorers with 15 points.
Following a basket by BCA’s Adam Gano, Owens got the ball again and drove inside, drawing a foul. Owens hit only one of his two free throws, and the miss — Brookwood’s 10th of the night from the line — ultimately gave the Knights the opening they needed.
Down 45-43, BCA had a chance to tie, but Taylor’s baseline runner missed with 55 seconds to go. The Knights then came up with a steal but were called for a travel on the play. Still, they got one more chance when Brookwood turned the ball over 30 seconds left and Strong called timeout to set up the play that culminated in Peevy’s game-winning shot.
“We had a lot of guys step up tonight,” Strong said. “We had Andrew Richey (5 points) come up big off the bench. We had Laine (Jean Francois) rebounding, and all of our guys played great defense. We’ve got things we need to improve on, but I’m proud of what they’ve been able to do. This is all about buying in and working hard to get to where they are.
“They did our school proud today.”
BCA will now make the trip down to Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus for the Final Four next weekend. The Knights will take on Region 1 champ The Heritage School (20-10) at 8 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.
Strong and the Knights understand they won’t be favored around the state, but they’re ready to accept the challenge and take on the Hawks — with the mentality of the Jim Valvano-coined phrase, “survive and advance.”
“This is nothing new to us, being the underdog all the time,” Taylor said. “We love adversity and we’re just ready for the next game.”
—
BCA 14 10 9 8 5 — 46
BWS 12 8 12 9 4 — 45
BCA: Travis Taylor 13, Ray Peevy 9, Makyal Cooper 8, Adam Gano 6, Laine Jean Francois 5, Andrew Richey 5
BWS: Harrison Owens 15, JP Chatman 12, Kurtis Brown 7, Sam Barrett 6, Jack Boltja 5
Entries from February 2019
Historic end: Jefferson’s streak of 18-straight traditional state wrestling titles snapped
If streaks are made to be broken, the Jefferson wrestling team somehow defied that cliché for an astonishing 18 years.
But not even the Dragons could outrun the inevitable.
Jefferson finished third — behind Sonoraville and North Hall — in the three-day Class AAA traditional state tournament in Macon, ending a historical run of 18 consecutive traditional state titles that began back in 2001. To put that into context, wrestlers on this year’s team either weren’t alive back then or were in diapers if they were.
“It was going to come,” Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond said Saturday. “And it’s been a long time coming … This has been an amazing dog fight over three days between Sonoraville, North Hall and our team.”
While the program’s streak of 18 straight dual titles is still intact (the team won the dual title in January), Jefferson was in quite an unfamiliar position without a traditional title this year.
“It definitely hurts to lose a streak like that,” said senior Dragon wrestler Ryan Hurd. “Streaks are meant to be broken, and this year it happened. It stings but we’re going to keep our heads up and keep on working.”
Sonoraville will go down in history for ending the Dragons’ streak as it repeated as Class AAA champions (Jefferson wrestled in a different classification than Sonoraville last year) with 172 points. North Hall took second with 168.5 points. Jefferson placed just behind the Trojans with 165.5 points.
“Hats off to Sonoraville, hats off to North Hall,” Thurmond said. “We had a couple of matches that could have very easily gone the other way, and things would have been different, but they aren’t, and I’m OK with this. It’s good.”
On a positive note for Jefferson, the Dragons had three first-time individual champions with Mason Mingus winning the 106-pound title, Hurd taking the 160-pound championship and Gavin London winning the 285-pound title in the final bout of the tournament.
“I haven’t won before, and I loved going out on a win,” Hurd said. “I can’t believe it. My two teammates that also won it, I’m so proud of those guys. I’m proud of everybody, all of them.”
“Our little guy won it, and our big guy won it,” Thurmond said, referring to Mingus and London. “That was absolutely wonderful.”
Thurmond added that he was “proud of Ryan Hurd” for winning his championship.
Others placing for Jefferson were Jared Blackburn (third, 120) and Nolan Sorrow (fourth, 152).
Jefferson gave itself a shot to protect its near two-decade-long streak by putting six wrestlers in the championship bouts Saturday — the most of any in Class AAA — and producing its three state winners, tying with North Hall for the most in Class AAA.
But Jefferson didn’t generate as many points during the consolation rounds this year compared to years’ past with only two Jefferson wrestlers placing in that portion of the bracket.
“That’s where we would have needed to have caught up some points,” Thurmond said. “A couple of our guys just got beat by the skin of their teeth and so it made a big difference.”
The tight race for the Class AAA title came down to the finals matches as Sonoraville held a 10.5-point lead over Jefferson and a 7.5-point lead over North Hall heading into the final round.
Sonoraville won two of its five finals matches, which was enough to hold off the Trojans, who went 3-1 in their finals bouts, and the Dragons, who went 3-3.
The finals round started well for Jefferson with Mingus pulling off a 7-6 win in the 106-pound class over Jackson County’s Joey Sosebee in the fourth meeting this season between these two wrestlers from neighboring schools.
Tyson Thurmond fell 11-0 to North Hall’s Jacob Pedraza at 113 pounds, and Ian Statia lost 9-4 at 132 pounds to Pierce County’s Todd Carter, but Hurd won at 160 pounds over Cook's Shandon Henley with an 11-6 decision.
Mason Corbett then lost 6-2 in the 170-pound finals to Morgan County's Donovan McElligott, and London earned a 6-4 win over North Hall's Bowie Eisenburg at 285 pounds to close the tournament.
London’s win over Eisenburg actually prevented North Hall from winning the title. Had Eisenburg won, the resulting four points would have put the Trojans a half a point ahead of Sonoraville in the final standings. It was a close race for second, too. If North Hall’s Seth Carlton had not pulled off a 5-4 win at 220 pounds, Jefferson would have finished as runners-up.
The end of an 18-year streak allowed Thurmond to reflect on the program's long-time body of work.
“It’s amazing,” Thurmond said. “It says a whole lot about all the guys that wrestled at Jefferson and it says a whole lot about all the coaches that have been involved and helping. My hat’s off to all the guys that wrestled and kept the streak going and all the coaches that helped, and we’ve had some good ones — that’s wrestlers and coaches. That’s kind of a nice thing. I’ve had a lot help.”
Thurmond called it “a blessing” to have shared a state-championship experience with 18 teams. That includes his four sons having each wrestled on a state-title team.
“You can’t put a price tag on that,” he said. “You can’t put a price tag on being with kids and having kids working for a goal and I know how much wrestling teaches young men, and it’s just a wonderful thing.”
Thurmond also put leaving the state tournament without a first-place trophy — the first time since 2000 — into perspective.
“I’m good, God’s good, everything’s good,” Thurmond said. “Ain’t nobody bleeding. Nobody’s dying. It’s OK.”
But not even the Dragons could outrun the inevitable.
Jefferson finished third — behind Sonoraville and North Hall — in the three-day Class AAA traditional state tournament in Macon, ending a historical run of 18 consecutive traditional state titles that began back in 2001. To put that into context, wrestlers on this year’s team either weren’t alive back then or were in diapers if they were.
“It was going to come,” Jefferson coach Doug Thurmond said Saturday. “And it’s been a long time coming … This has been an amazing dog fight over three days between Sonoraville, North Hall and our team.”
While the program’s streak of 18 straight dual titles is still intact (the team won the dual title in January), Jefferson was in quite an unfamiliar position without a traditional title this year.
“It definitely hurts to lose a streak like that,” said senior Dragon wrestler Ryan Hurd. “Streaks are meant to be broken, and this year it happened. It stings but we’re going to keep our heads up and keep on working.”
Sonoraville will go down in history for ending the Dragons’ streak as it repeated as Class AAA champions (Jefferson wrestled in a different classification than Sonoraville last year) with 172 points. North Hall took second with 168.5 points. Jefferson placed just behind the Trojans with 165.5 points.
“Hats off to Sonoraville, hats off to North Hall,” Thurmond said. “We had a couple of matches that could have very easily gone the other way, and things would have been different, but they aren’t, and I’m OK with this. It’s good.”
On a positive note for Jefferson, the Dragons had three first-time individual champions with Mason Mingus winning the 106-pound title, Hurd taking the 160-pound championship and Gavin London winning the 285-pound title in the final bout of the tournament.
“I haven’t won before, and I loved going out on a win,” Hurd said. “I can’t believe it. My two teammates that also won it, I’m so proud of those guys. I’m proud of everybody, all of them.”
“Our little guy won it, and our big guy won it,” Thurmond said, referring to Mingus and London. “That was absolutely wonderful.”
Thurmond added that he was “proud of Ryan Hurd” for winning his championship.
Others placing for Jefferson were Jared Blackburn (third, 120) and Nolan Sorrow (fourth, 152).
Jefferson gave itself a shot to protect its near two-decade-long streak by putting six wrestlers in the championship bouts Saturday — the most of any in Class AAA — and producing its three state winners, tying with North Hall for the most in Class AAA.
But Jefferson didn’t generate as many points during the consolation rounds this year compared to years’ past with only two Jefferson wrestlers placing in that portion of the bracket.
“That’s where we would have needed to have caught up some points,” Thurmond said. “A couple of our guys just got beat by the skin of their teeth and so it made a big difference.”
The tight race for the Class AAA title came down to the finals matches as Sonoraville held a 10.5-point lead over Jefferson and a 7.5-point lead over North Hall heading into the final round.
Sonoraville won two of its five finals matches, which was enough to hold off the Trojans, who went 3-1 in their finals bouts, and the Dragons, who went 3-3.
The finals round started well for Jefferson with Mingus pulling off a 7-6 win in the 106-pound class over Jackson County’s Joey Sosebee in the fourth meeting this season between these two wrestlers from neighboring schools.
Tyson Thurmond fell 11-0 to North Hall’s Jacob Pedraza at 113 pounds, and Ian Statia lost 9-4 at 132 pounds to Pierce County’s Todd Carter, but Hurd won at 160 pounds over Cook's Shandon Henley with an 11-6 decision.
Mason Corbett then lost 6-2 in the 170-pound finals to Morgan County's Donovan McElligott, and London earned a 6-4 win over North Hall's Bowie Eisenburg at 285 pounds to close the tournament.
London’s win over Eisenburg actually prevented North Hall from winning the title. Had Eisenburg won, the resulting four points would have put the Trojans a half a point ahead of Sonoraville in the final standings. It was a close race for second, too. If North Hall’s Seth Carlton had not pulled off a 5-4 win at 220 pounds, Jefferson would have finished as runners-up.
The end of an 18-year streak allowed Thurmond to reflect on the program's long-time body of work.
“It’s amazing,” Thurmond said. “It says a whole lot about all the guys that wrestled at Jefferson and it says a whole lot about all the coaches that have been involved and helping. My hat’s off to all the guys that wrestled and kept the streak going and all the coaches that helped, and we’ve had some good ones — that’s wrestlers and coaches. That’s kind of a nice thing. I’ve had a lot help.”
Thurmond called it “a blessing” to have shared a state-championship experience with 18 teams. That includes his four sons having each wrestled on a state-title team.
“You can’t put a price tag on that,” he said. “You can’t put a price tag on being with kids and having kids working for a goal and I know how much wrestling teaches young men, and it’s just a wonderful thing.”
Thurmond also put leaving the state tournament without a first-place trophy — the first time since 2000 — into perspective.
“I’m good, God’s good, everything’s good,” Thurmond said. “Ain’t nobody bleeding. Nobody’s dying. It’s OK.”
Heartbreak in OT: Leopards fall to Callaway 86-83 in round 1 of state playoffs
For the first time since the 2013-14 season, the Banks County Leopards aren’t dancing in the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs.
The Leopards (19-10) fell to Callaway High School 86-83 in overtime Saturday night in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs. The Leopards trailed 36-25 after the first half, but outscored Callaway 44-33 in the second half to force overtime. Callaway outscored the Leopards 17-14 in overtime.
The Leopards were led by Carl Cleveland’s 55-point performance. He added 14 rebounds to post a double-double. Dakota Orr scored four points but grabbed 11 boards to go along with six assists and six blocks. Pierce Martin eight points. Wes Ledford had seven points and five rebounds.
Callaway’s Demetrius Coleman didn’t match Cleveland’s point production, but he played as an equalizer. Coleman dropped 37 points. Antinez Blount added 22 points.
After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Leopards watched as Callaway went on a 9-0 run to take the lead. Callaway never trailed again until four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Orr scored his four points in the first quarter. The Leopards trailed 14-8.
The second quarter saw Callaway extend its lead to as many as 16 points. Cleveland started the quarter off with a bucket and ended the quarter with a pair of free throws. He scored 15 of the team’s 17 second-quarter points. Garrett Presley scored the other two points. The Leopards trailed 36-25 at the break.
The offense woke up and exploded in the third quarter. Cleveland started the quarter off with five-straight points. Then Martin followed with a 3-pointer, which Cleveland followed with one of his own, and Callaway’s lead was trimmed to four points, 40-36. Callaway kept the Leopards at arms-length in the third quarter. Down 56-51 with hardly any time left in the quarter, Noah Rylee hit a tip-in after a Cleveland miss, and the Leopards trailed 56-53 entering the fourth.
Trailing 60-57, the Leopards had been able to cut the gap to one point twice in the fourth quarter, but it was a Clay Gosnell 3-pointer from the right side that tied the game with 5:18 left to play. Callaway responded with a bucket for a 62-60 lead. Cleveland hit one free throw and the lead was 62-61. Then it was Ledford’s turn to take center stage and seize the moment, which he did as he hit a layup at the 4-minute mark to give the Leopards their first lead since the first quarter at 63-62.
Callaway responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead back at 67-63. The lead didn’t last as Gosnell and Cleveland hit back-to-back 2-pointers to tie the game at 67-67.
Callaway regained the lead at 69-67, but Cleveland wasn’t going to be denied in tying the game as he hit a layup with 44 seconds left. Callaway then missed two from the charity stripe, but the Leopards couldn’t convert on the extra opportunity as they turned the ball over with 21 seconds left.
Callaway had a chance to hold for the final shot but opted to go for a quick basket but failed to find the hoop, giving the Leopards one last opportunity with 3.8 seconds left. The Leopards weren’t able to get a shot off as the ball was stripped as time expired in regulation.
In overtime, Callaway jumped out to a quick 73-69 lead. But an and-1 from Cleveland, plus a free throw from Ledford, tied the game with 2:26 left on the clock. Callaway then scored another four points to take a 77-73 lead. Trailing 80-75, Martin hit a 3-pointer with 43.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to two points at 80-78.
A quick foul put Callaway at the line, where they went 1 of 2 and led by on three. After Cleveland hit one free throw at the other end, Callaway hit 2 of 2 from the line and the lead was 83-79 with just under 30 seconds left to play. Cleveland hit a 2-pointer to cut the lead back to two points at 83-81. Having to foul, the Leopards put Callaway back at the line with 14.6 seconds left, where they converted both shots to push the lead to 85-81. With four seconds left, the Leopards had one last chance to tie the game with a beyond half-court 3-pointer, but the shot missed, giving Callaway an 86-83 win.
The Leopards (19-10) fell to Callaway High School 86-83 in overtime Saturday night in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs. The Leopards trailed 36-25 after the first half, but outscored Callaway 44-33 in the second half to force overtime. Callaway outscored the Leopards 17-14 in overtime.
The Leopards were led by Carl Cleveland’s 55-point performance. He added 14 rebounds to post a double-double. Dakota Orr scored four points but grabbed 11 boards to go along with six assists and six blocks. Pierce Martin eight points. Wes Ledford had seven points and five rebounds.
Callaway’s Demetrius Coleman didn’t match Cleveland’s point production, but he played as an equalizer. Coleman dropped 37 points. Antinez Blount added 22 points.
After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, the Leopards watched as Callaway went on a 9-0 run to take the lead. Callaway never trailed again until four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Orr scored his four points in the first quarter. The Leopards trailed 14-8.
The second quarter saw Callaway extend its lead to as many as 16 points. Cleveland started the quarter off with a bucket and ended the quarter with a pair of free throws. He scored 15 of the team’s 17 second-quarter points. Garrett Presley scored the other two points. The Leopards trailed 36-25 at the break.
The offense woke up and exploded in the third quarter. Cleveland started the quarter off with five-straight points. Then Martin followed with a 3-pointer, which Cleveland followed with one of his own, and Callaway’s lead was trimmed to four points, 40-36. Callaway kept the Leopards at arms-length in the third quarter. Down 56-51 with hardly any time left in the quarter, Noah Rylee hit a tip-in after a Cleveland miss, and the Leopards trailed 56-53 entering the fourth.
Trailing 60-57, the Leopards had been able to cut the gap to one point twice in the fourth quarter, but it was a Clay Gosnell 3-pointer from the right side that tied the game with 5:18 left to play. Callaway responded with a bucket for a 62-60 lead. Cleveland hit one free throw and the lead was 62-61. Then it was Ledford’s turn to take center stage and seize the moment, which he did as he hit a layup at the 4-minute mark to give the Leopards their first lead since the first quarter at 63-62.
Callaway responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead back at 67-63. The lead didn’t last as Gosnell and Cleveland hit back-to-back 2-pointers to tie the game at 67-67.
Callaway regained the lead at 69-67, but Cleveland wasn’t going to be denied in tying the game as he hit a layup with 44 seconds left. Callaway then missed two from the charity stripe, but the Leopards couldn’t convert on the extra opportunity as they turned the ball over with 21 seconds left.
Callaway had a chance to hold for the final shot but opted to go for a quick basket but failed to find the hoop, giving the Leopards one last opportunity with 3.8 seconds left. The Leopards weren’t able to get a shot off as the ball was stripped as time expired in regulation.
In overtime, Callaway jumped out to a quick 73-69 lead. But an and-1 from Cleveland, plus a free throw from Ledford, tied the game with 2:26 left on the clock. Callaway then scored another four points to take a 77-73 lead. Trailing 80-75, Martin hit a 3-pointer with 43.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to two points at 80-78.
A quick foul put Callaway at the line, where they went 1 of 2 and led by on three. After Cleveland hit one free throw at the other end, Callaway hit 2 of 2 from the line and the lead was 83-79 with just under 30 seconds left to play. Cleveland hit a 2-pointer to cut the lead back to two points at 83-81. Having to foul, the Leopards put Callaway back at the line with 14.6 seconds left, where they converted both shots to push the lead to 85-81. With four seconds left, the Leopards had one last chance to tie the game with a beyond half-court 3-pointer, but the shot missed, giving Callaway an 86-83 win.
WRESTLING: Commerce wins sixth-straight State Championship
All State Championships are sweet, according to head coach Kendall Love. But this 2019 1A Traditional State Championship is extra sweet considering the Tigers faced their best competition in the tournament in years with Darlington right on their heels.
[Full Story »]
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: East Jackson’s breakthrough season ends in first round of state tourney
ATLANTA — The East Jackson girls’ basketball team enjoyed a historic season but was unable to extend that history an additional round in the postseason.
Playing in the program’s first-ever state tournament game, the Eagles fell to No. 2 seed Pace Academy 42-37 Friday on the road, finishing the season at 11-18.
“I’m proud of what these girls have accomplished,” Eagle coach Donnie Byrom said. “I hope in life they realize how much they can accomplish facing adversity … We’ve been working really hard to teach them in life you never give up.”
After starting the season 4-11, the team recovered and earned its way into the state tournament as a No. 3 seed. The team entered the tournament as winners of four of its last five games and gave itself a chance for a first-round upset, holding the Knights in the low 40s offensively. A hot-shooting team from the outside, Pace Academy (17-7) wasn’t shut down from beyond the arc but was contained somewhat with just seven made 3-point attempts. Ann Rafeedie finished with 18 points to lead Pace Academy.
Freshman Haven Rollins accounted for over two thirds of East Jackson’s offense with a stellar night, scoring 27 points.
But the Eagles got off to a slow start they couldn’t afford, quickly falling down 11-0.
“It’s been a problem,” Byrom said. “We have to coach attitude and effort, and that’s an East Jackson situation where the kids at East Jackson for years have thought that they were going to lose. We battle ourselves before we realize that, ‘Oh, wait, we might can win this.’’’
But the team stayed afloat in the first half in large part behind 16 points from Rollins in the first two quarters.
“I’m very pleased with Haven’s effort,” Byrom said. “Offensively, she has the ability to put the ball in the basket. She has a talent in basketball. She’s a very talented young lady.”
The Eagles trailed 28-22 at the half and never by more than nine points in the second half, twice cutting the lead to four points.
East Jackson remained within striking distance due to Rollins’ offensive contributions and Brynna Cozzens’ dogged defensive effort on Pace Academy’s top player, Joelle Zelony. Zelony, who will play at Tufts University next year, scored just one point.
“Brynna Cozzens has just continued to do the best she could to deny someone the ball,” Byrom said. “The girl she was guarding was their best player, and we kind of took her out of the game.”
East Jackson cut the lead to 41-37 with 2:31 left with a 3-pointer from Rollins, but Pace Academy clinched the win by holding the ball in the final minutes. The Eagles were never able to generate a turnover and were forced to foul.
After the loss, Byrom praised the efforts of senior Abbie Howington running the offense at point guard “when no one else wanted to” and the strides made by sophomore guard Kenzie Whitehead late in the season, in addition to the defensive contributions of Cozzens in stopping other teams’ best players.
Byrom said his team was able to make memories with its late-season run, which included two region tournament wins.
“This team played in more meaningful games in the last three weeks than the East Jackson girls have in their history,” he said. “That’s memories to last a lifetime. That was one of our goals when we started the season was, ‘Ladies, I want to help you make memories.’ I know this is a season that they’ll never forget.”
A state tournament banner will hang on the wall of the East Jackson gym as evidence of that for future teams. Byrom — who also led the school to a breakthrough with a softball state title in 2016 — hopes the success of this year’s team serves as motivation for the teams that follow.
“Somebody has to be first so that somebody can follow in those footsteps,” Byrom said. “The problem we have at East Jackson is we don’t have enough banners saying ‘state playoffs’ … The goal is to take your team to new heights and we’ve tried that in softball and were successful and now in girls’ basketball we’ve found a way to get to new heights and to experience a state playoff game.”
Playing in the program’s first-ever state tournament game, the Eagles fell to No. 2 seed Pace Academy 42-37 Friday on the road, finishing the season at 11-18.
“I’m proud of what these girls have accomplished,” Eagle coach Donnie Byrom said. “I hope in life they realize how much they can accomplish facing adversity … We’ve been working really hard to teach them in life you never give up.”
After starting the season 4-11, the team recovered and earned its way into the state tournament as a No. 3 seed. The team entered the tournament as winners of four of its last five games and gave itself a chance for a first-round upset, holding the Knights in the low 40s offensively. A hot-shooting team from the outside, Pace Academy (17-7) wasn’t shut down from beyond the arc but was contained somewhat with just seven made 3-point attempts. Ann Rafeedie finished with 18 points to lead Pace Academy.
Freshman Haven Rollins accounted for over two thirds of East Jackson’s offense with a stellar night, scoring 27 points.
But the Eagles got off to a slow start they couldn’t afford, quickly falling down 11-0.
“It’s been a problem,” Byrom said. “We have to coach attitude and effort, and that’s an East Jackson situation where the kids at East Jackson for years have thought that they were going to lose. We battle ourselves before we realize that, ‘Oh, wait, we might can win this.’’’
But the team stayed afloat in the first half in large part behind 16 points from Rollins in the first two quarters.
“I’m very pleased with Haven’s effort,” Byrom said. “Offensively, she has the ability to put the ball in the basket. She has a talent in basketball. She’s a very talented young lady.”
The Eagles trailed 28-22 at the half and never by more than nine points in the second half, twice cutting the lead to four points.
East Jackson remained within striking distance due to Rollins’ offensive contributions and Brynna Cozzens’ dogged defensive effort on Pace Academy’s top player, Joelle Zelony. Zelony, who will play at Tufts University next year, scored just one point.
“Brynna Cozzens has just continued to do the best she could to deny someone the ball,” Byrom said. “The girl she was guarding was their best player, and we kind of took her out of the game.”
East Jackson cut the lead to 41-37 with 2:31 left with a 3-pointer from Rollins, but Pace Academy clinched the win by holding the ball in the final minutes. The Eagles were never able to generate a turnover and were forced to foul.
After the loss, Byrom praised the efforts of senior Abbie Howington running the offense at point guard “when no one else wanted to” and the strides made by sophomore guard Kenzie Whitehead late in the season, in addition to the defensive contributions of Cozzens in stopping other teams’ best players.
Byrom said his team was able to make memories with its late-season run, which included two region tournament wins.
“This team played in more meaningful games in the last three weeks than the East Jackson girls have in their history,” he said. “That’s memories to last a lifetime. That was one of our goals when we started the season was, ‘Ladies, I want to help you make memories.’ I know this is a season that they’ll never forget.”
A state tournament banner will hang on the wall of the East Jackson gym as evidence of that for future teams. Byrom — who also led the school to a breakthrough with a softball state title in 2016 — hopes the success of this year’s team serves as motivation for the teams that follow.
“Somebody has to be first so that somebody can follow in those footsteps,” Byrom said. “The problem we have at East Jackson is we don’t have enough banners saying ‘state playoffs’ … The goal is to take your team to new heights and we’ve tried that in softball and were successful and now in girls’ basketball we’ve found a way to get to new heights and to experience a state playoff game.”
Road Block: Lady Leopards shutdown Bremen to advance in the state tournament
For the first time under head coach Steven Shedd, the Banks County Lady Leopards played a road playoff game.
Judging by how the team started both the first and third quarters, one would think the team was playing in the friendly confines of home. But it was indeed the Bremen High School gymnasium.
The Lady Leopards (23-6) dominated in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs, defeating Bremen 52-29. The Lady Leopards were led by Amber Williams’ 17 points. Jaycie Bowen dropped 16 points including six straight in the first quarter as part of an 8-0 run to start the game. Heather Vaughan added 13 points.
The Lady Leopards will play at Frederick Douglass High School next week in the second round. Time and date are still to be determined. Shedd said that winning on the road will give his team a “tremendous” amount of confidence going into round two and another road test.
“I feel like now we’ve proven that we can go on the road and in an environment where you’ve never been before,” he said. “I think the great equalizer all the time is our defense.
“I thought tonight there was nothing I could say bad about our defense. I thought our defense played just outstanding. I thought we limited (Bremen) to very few shots. When they shot the ball, they didn’t get too many offensive rebounds. I think that’s one of the good things about (the) team. We limit teams to one or no shots at all and we continue to play good defense. I think (if) you play good defense on the road, late in the season like this, I think you give yourself a chance to win.”
In the first quarter, the defense smothered Bremen, giving up only three points. The defense gave up only 13 first-half points. But Shedd admitted there’s still things that need to be cleaned up ahead of the second round.
“We’re going to go after it and we’re hungry,” Shedd said, “try to get to that next step, get to the Elite Eight.”
Shedd added the seniors have taken on the “refuse to lose” mentality. The Lady Leopards made it to the Elite Eight last season.
“The farther you go in (the playoffs), the tougher the teams are going to be,” Shedd said, “and that’s the way it’s set up to be. We know we’re in for a challenge, but we’re going to go back to the drawing board and watch some film and come up with a plan and see what we can do.”
The Lady Leopards opened the first-round matchup with an 8-0 run. Williams dropped the game’s first bucket. Bowen followed with six-straight points including a steal off an inbounds pass. Williams followed with four more points and the Lady Leopards led 12-2 with 4:26 left in the opening quarter.
Bowen added another steal, which led to an assist for a Jenna Reeves bucket. Vaughan followed with a 3-pointer and Bowen closed the quarter with her fourth bucket. The Lady Leopards led 19-2.
In the second quarter, though, the offense sputtered, scoring only seven points. Williams scored four points in the quarter. The team missed 12 shots under the basket in the game.
Shedd said Bremen’s press defense got his group out of its game in the second quarter. He felt his group took “quick” shots instead of running the offense.
“That’s something else we’ve got to work on a little bit,” Shedd said.
The start of the third quarter was a lot like the first quarter for the Lady Leopards. Girls found the basket often. Bowen, Vaughan and Williams scored all 14 third-quarter points. Vaughan hit two 3-pointers and finished with eight points in the quarter. The defense held Bremen to eight points.
It took almost five minutes for the Lady Leopards to score a bucket in the fourth quarter. Bremen trimmed the lead down from 19 to 15 until Williams got the offense going again. In the final three minutes, the Lady Leopards outscored Bremen 12-4. The team hit eight free throws down the stretch.
“I was proud of them at the end when we pulled away,” Shedd said. “I’m just real proud of them. There are a lot of teams going home tonight and their season is over with, and we’re not one of them. So, you’ve got to be pleased with that.”
Judging by how the team started both the first and third quarters, one would think the team was playing in the friendly confines of home. But it was indeed the Bremen High School gymnasium.
The Lady Leopards (23-6) dominated in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs, defeating Bremen 52-29. The Lady Leopards were led by Amber Williams’ 17 points. Jaycie Bowen dropped 16 points including six straight in the first quarter as part of an 8-0 run to start the game. Heather Vaughan added 13 points.
The Lady Leopards will play at Frederick Douglass High School next week in the second round. Time and date are still to be determined. Shedd said that winning on the road will give his team a “tremendous” amount of confidence going into round two and another road test.
“I feel like now we’ve proven that we can go on the road and in an environment where you’ve never been before,” he said. “I think the great equalizer all the time is our defense.
“I thought tonight there was nothing I could say bad about our defense. I thought our defense played just outstanding. I thought we limited (Bremen) to very few shots. When they shot the ball, they didn’t get too many offensive rebounds. I think that’s one of the good things about (the) team. We limit teams to one or no shots at all and we continue to play good defense. I think (if) you play good defense on the road, late in the season like this, I think you give yourself a chance to win.”
In the first quarter, the defense smothered Bremen, giving up only three points. The defense gave up only 13 first-half points. But Shedd admitted there’s still things that need to be cleaned up ahead of the second round.
“We’re going to go after it and we’re hungry,” Shedd said, “try to get to that next step, get to the Elite Eight.”
Shedd added the seniors have taken on the “refuse to lose” mentality. The Lady Leopards made it to the Elite Eight last season.
“The farther you go in (the playoffs), the tougher the teams are going to be,” Shedd said, “and that’s the way it’s set up to be. We know we’re in for a challenge, but we’re going to go back to the drawing board and watch some film and come up with a plan and see what we can do.”
The Lady Leopards opened the first-round matchup with an 8-0 run. Williams dropped the game’s first bucket. Bowen followed with six-straight points including a steal off an inbounds pass. Williams followed with four more points and the Lady Leopards led 12-2 with 4:26 left in the opening quarter.
Bowen added another steal, which led to an assist for a Jenna Reeves bucket. Vaughan followed with a 3-pointer and Bowen closed the quarter with her fourth bucket. The Lady Leopards led 19-2.
In the second quarter, though, the offense sputtered, scoring only seven points. Williams scored four points in the quarter. The team missed 12 shots under the basket in the game.
Shedd said Bremen’s press defense got his group out of its game in the second quarter. He felt his group took “quick” shots instead of running the offense.
“That’s something else we’ve got to work on a little bit,” Shedd said.
The start of the third quarter was a lot like the first quarter for the Lady Leopards. Girls found the basket often. Bowen, Vaughan and Williams scored all 14 third-quarter points. Vaughan hit two 3-pointers and finished with eight points in the quarter. The defense held Bremen to eight points.
It took almost five minutes for the Lady Leopards to score a bucket in the fourth quarter. Bremen trimmed the lead down from 19 to 15 until Williams got the offense going again. In the final three minutes, the Lady Leopards outscored Bremen 12-4. The team hit eight free throws down the stretch.
“I was proud of them at the end when we pulled away,” Shedd said. “I’m just real proud of them. There are a lot of teams going home tonight and their season is over with, and we’re not one of them. So, you’ve got to be pleased with that.”
Basketball: Lady Bulldoggs fall to New Manchester in first round on overtime buzzer-beater
An unprecedented four-year run of success for the Winder-Barrow girls basketball team has brought with it some postseason heartbreak.
And that heartbreak reared its ugly head again Friday night.
After several misses underneath the rim, New Manchester senior Skylar Robinson grabbed her own offensive rebound and put up a shot that made its way into the basket as overtime expired, giving the Lady Jaguars a 54-52 victory over the Lady Bulldoggs at Winder-Barrow in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAAAA playoffs.
New Manchester (25-4), the No. 3 seed from Region 5, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen to take on Northview, while the second-seeded Lady Bulldoggs (18-10) from Region 8 were left dejected, victims of a playoff loss of two points or fewer for a second year in a row and third time in four seasons.
“I’m tired of these closes losses,” a somber Winder-Barrow coach Kimberly Garren said. “The girls played their butts off and I’m proud of them. At the end of the day, this team has beat multiple teams that are better than them. And (New Manchester was) the better team, and we played them and the game should have been ours. The refs shouldn’t have decided it at the end of the game.”
Garren was referring to a wild end of regulation in her criticism of the officiating. The Lady Bulldoggs, capitalizing on 10 missed free throws by New Manchester down the stretch, had fought their way back from a seven-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining to take a 46-45 lead on a pair of free throws by Kiona Lindsey with 6.1 seconds left. But coming out of a timeout, New Manchester got the ball to Kamryn Bates, who quickly drove the court and drew a shooting foul by Winder-Barrow senior guard Chellia Watson, who was called for reaching in with 0.9 seconds remaining.
Bates hit her first free throw to tie it, but missed the second one and the fourth-quarter clock ran out.
Watson’s foul was unofficially her fifth of the night, but, unbeknownst to the Lady Bulldoggs, the official book at the scorers’ table only had her with four and she missed most of the extra four-minute period.
The game was tied 52-52 and Winder-Barrow had just been awarded possession with 34.9 seconds left following a three-second lane violation by New Manchester when the discrepancy was realized and Watson re-entered the game to play for the winning shot.
Watson got open in the corner, but an errant inbound pass deflected off her leg and out of bounds, turning the ball back over to the Lady Jaguars and setting the stage for the deciding basket by Robinson.
It was a bitter end to a record-breaking career for Watson, a four-year starter and Cincinnati signee who led all scorers Friday with 17 points — 13 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter — and finishes her time at Winder-Barrow as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
“She’s really grown as a person and a player,” Garren said of Watson, who was the only returning starter and only remaining player with significant varsity experience from a team that made three consecutive Elite Eight appearances, including a state runner-up finish in 2015-16. “I think she’s done what she needed to do to continue to keep the expectations high in our program as well as gain what she needed to gain to be an even bigger asset to Cincinnati than she was when the season started.”
The taller and faster Lady Jaguars came out of the gate aggressively on defense, forcing several Winder-Barrow turnovers that helped them start the game on a 9-0 run and build an early 11-2 advantage. And while Watson had been lethal from 3-point range throughout her career, she didn’t get many looks Friday as New Manchester guarded tightly on the outer edge and Watson finished with just 4 points and one field goal in the first 16 minutes.
But the Lady Bulldoggs got some strong play from others who picked up the slack and aided an 18-2 run that put Winder-Barrow up 20-13. Sophomore Keonna Hamler, who scored a career-high 13 points, and junior Daisia Stillwell (9 points) hit two 3-pointers apiece to fuel that surge before New Manchester rallied to cut the lead to 23-22 at the break.
Makayla Jones, the only other senior on the team, led the way on defense and finished with 5 points.
“Keonna and Daisia really hit some huge shots,” Garren said. “We go in at halftime up and our best player and leading scorer only has 4 points. That’s saying something. The young girls did much more than I could have expected of them. Makayla’s really been a defensive threat for us, especially as the season has gone on and she’s grown into that role.
“She’s been our vocal leader and brought a lot of our energy to the table, and I’m proud of her.”
While Watson’s departure, following a four-year stretch that saw Winder-Barrow go 92-28, signals the beginning of a new era for the Lady Bulldoggs, Garren is confident the program is on solid ground, especially with the growth this year of its underclassmen. Along with Stillwell’s and Hamler’s contributions, freshman forward Taniyah Parrish emerged as a strong player on the inside this season, though she was limited Friday by early foul trouble. Sophomores Lindsey and Teonna Hamler saw significant minutes Friday while junior Keirsten Jackson came off the bench and contributed 4 points.
“I feel good about where we’re at,” Garren said. “I think we’ve instilled high expectations in our program, and we have enough kids coming back who will understand what those expectations are. I don’t care who’s on the court, who gets the job done, how the job gets done.
“We’re going to do our thing and make the adjustments we need to make in order to be more successful.”
—
NMHS 11 11 12 12 8 — 54
WBHS 7 16 11 12 6 — 52
NMHS: Kyndall Golden 14, Hannah Wright 13, Makaila Cange 10, Anaya Cone 6, Kharyssa Richardson 5, Skylar Robinson 4, Kamryn Bates 2
WBHS: Chellia Watson 17, Keonna Hamler 13, Daisia Stillwell 9, Makayla Jones 5, Kiona Lindsey 4, Keirsten Jackson 4
And that heartbreak reared its ugly head again Friday night.
After several misses underneath the rim, New Manchester senior Skylar Robinson grabbed her own offensive rebound and put up a shot that made its way into the basket as overtime expired, giving the Lady Jaguars a 54-52 victory over the Lady Bulldoggs at Winder-Barrow in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAAAA playoffs.
New Manchester (25-4), the No. 3 seed from Region 5, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen to take on Northview, while the second-seeded Lady Bulldoggs (18-10) from Region 8 were left dejected, victims of a playoff loss of two points or fewer for a second year in a row and third time in four seasons.
“I’m tired of these closes losses,” a somber Winder-Barrow coach Kimberly Garren said. “The girls played their butts off and I’m proud of them. At the end of the day, this team has beat multiple teams that are better than them. And (New Manchester was) the better team, and we played them and the game should have been ours. The refs shouldn’t have decided it at the end of the game.”
Garren was referring to a wild end of regulation in her criticism of the officiating. The Lady Bulldoggs, capitalizing on 10 missed free throws by New Manchester down the stretch, had fought their way back from a seven-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining to take a 46-45 lead on a pair of free throws by Kiona Lindsey with 6.1 seconds left. But coming out of a timeout, New Manchester got the ball to Kamryn Bates, who quickly drove the court and drew a shooting foul by Winder-Barrow senior guard Chellia Watson, who was called for reaching in with 0.9 seconds remaining.
Bates hit her first free throw to tie it, but missed the second one and the fourth-quarter clock ran out.
Watson’s foul was unofficially her fifth of the night, but, unbeknownst to the Lady Bulldoggs, the official book at the scorers’ table only had her with four and she missed most of the extra four-minute period.
The game was tied 52-52 and Winder-Barrow had just been awarded possession with 34.9 seconds left following a three-second lane violation by New Manchester when the discrepancy was realized and Watson re-entered the game to play for the winning shot.
Watson got open in the corner, but an errant inbound pass deflected off her leg and out of bounds, turning the ball back over to the Lady Jaguars and setting the stage for the deciding basket by Robinson.
It was a bitter end to a record-breaking career for Watson, a four-year starter and Cincinnati signee who led all scorers Friday with 17 points — 13 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter — and finishes her time at Winder-Barrow as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
“She’s really grown as a person and a player,” Garren said of Watson, who was the only returning starter and only remaining player with significant varsity experience from a team that made three consecutive Elite Eight appearances, including a state runner-up finish in 2015-16. “I think she’s done what she needed to do to continue to keep the expectations high in our program as well as gain what she needed to gain to be an even bigger asset to Cincinnati than she was when the season started.”
The taller and faster Lady Jaguars came out of the gate aggressively on defense, forcing several Winder-Barrow turnovers that helped them start the game on a 9-0 run and build an early 11-2 advantage. And while Watson had been lethal from 3-point range throughout her career, she didn’t get many looks Friday as New Manchester guarded tightly on the outer edge and Watson finished with just 4 points and one field goal in the first 16 minutes.
But the Lady Bulldoggs got some strong play from others who picked up the slack and aided an 18-2 run that put Winder-Barrow up 20-13. Sophomore Keonna Hamler, who scored a career-high 13 points, and junior Daisia Stillwell (9 points) hit two 3-pointers apiece to fuel that surge before New Manchester rallied to cut the lead to 23-22 at the break.
Makayla Jones, the only other senior on the team, led the way on defense and finished with 5 points.
“Keonna and Daisia really hit some huge shots,” Garren said. “We go in at halftime up and our best player and leading scorer only has 4 points. That’s saying something. The young girls did much more than I could have expected of them. Makayla’s really been a defensive threat for us, especially as the season has gone on and she’s grown into that role.
“She’s been our vocal leader and brought a lot of our energy to the table, and I’m proud of her.”
While Watson’s departure, following a four-year stretch that saw Winder-Barrow go 92-28, signals the beginning of a new era for the Lady Bulldoggs, Garren is confident the program is on solid ground, especially with the growth this year of its underclassmen. Along with Stillwell’s and Hamler’s contributions, freshman forward Taniyah Parrish emerged as a strong player on the inside this season, though she was limited Friday by early foul trouble. Sophomores Lindsey and Teonna Hamler saw significant minutes Friday while junior Keirsten Jackson came off the bench and contributed 4 points.
“I feel good about where we’re at,” Garren said. “I think we’ve instilled high expectations in our program, and we have enough kids coming back who will understand what those expectations are. I don’t care who’s on the court, who gets the job done, how the job gets done.
“We’re going to do our thing and make the adjustments we need to make in order to be more successful.”
—
NMHS 11 11 12 12 8 — 54
WBHS 7 16 11 12 6 — 52
NMHS: Kyndall Golden 14, Hannah Wright 13, Makaila Cange 10, Anaya Cone 6, Kharyssa Richardson 5, Skylar Robinson 4, Kamryn Bates 2
WBHS: Chellia Watson 17, Keonna Hamler 13, Daisia Stillwell 9, Makayla Jones 5, Kiona Lindsey 4, Keirsten Jackson 4
Bridges: Football in February can only be viewed as a good thing
Through the years, the Super Bowl has signified the curtain call for another football season.
At one time, the Pro Bowl was played the week after the Super Bowl but it is now played the week between the conference title games and the Super Bowl. In reality, this is really more of a glorified exhibition and has gotten to the point even I can’t watch it anymore.
This year though we have the debut of the Alliance of American Football. Atlanta has a team (the Legends) along with franchises in Birmingham, Memphis, Orlando, Arizona, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Diego.
Filmmaker Charlie Ebersol was inspired to create the AAF in late 2016 after making the documentary “This Was the XFL” for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series. According to reports, upon researching and examining the history of the XFL, Ebersol came to the conclusion that the concept was viable but that the finished product was both poorly executed and, from an on-field standpoint, bad football. He is right.
He began developing the AAF in December 2017, about the same time that word had come out that XFL co-founder Vince McMahon was possibly reviving the old XFL brand. (McMahon has since announced the XFL will try again in 2020.)
The new AAF has some known names as head coaches, including Steve Spurrier, Mike Singletary, Rick Neuheisel, Dennis Erickson, Mike Riley and Mike Martz. Kevin Coyle is the head coach of the Atlanta team, stepping in after original head coach Brad Childress stepped down a couple of months ago. Longtime successful college head coach Jim Grobe is the defensive coordinator for San Antonio.
Teams are allowed to draw players from colleges in their area. For example, Atlanta has the rights to players from the state of Georgia (there are numerous colleges in Georgia which field football teams), along with players from North Carolina and Virginia.
The AAF also has a tie-in with the NFL and CFL. The Atlanta Legends, for example, have ties with players who has been with the Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars and Redskins of the NFL as well as the Toronto Argonauts from Canada.
There have been other attempts at start-up football leagues of course, most notably the old United States Football League from the 1980s. All have failed for various reasons with the main one being you simply cannot compete with the NFL.
There is a legitimate place for a spring professional football league, though. If marketed correctly, a league of this nature can make a go of it. There will always be plenty of players who want to continue their careers and earn a paycheck while doing so. Many of the players in the new AAF have been in the NFL and are trying to get back to that level.
The AAF certainly has laid a solid foundation to make this work. Ebersol hired a team of experienced football players, coaches and executives to prepare the league for launch. The AAF will be overseen by former NFL general manager Bill Polian, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, and executive J.K. McKay. Advisers also include former Steelers receiver Hines Ward, former New York Giants and Oakland Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck, retired referee and current Fox NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira and Ebersol’s father, retired NBC Sports executive (and co-founder of the original XFL) Dick Ebersol.
To ensure professional-level football at launch, the AAF set out to hire coaches with professional football coaching and championship experience.
On April 7, 2018, the first team, Orlando, was announced with its coach Steve Spurrier. By June 2018, the league had announced its eight inaugural teams and their cities.
The AAF has a 10-week season lined up. The four-team playoff will be capped with the league’s championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, planned for the weekend of April 26–28.
On paper this has the potential to work. Of course, it all comes down to fan interest and the always important television ratings.
The way I view it we get to watch live football in February. That can only be a positive for football fans who never get enough of their favorite sport.
And it was certainly fun watching the Old Ball Coach on the sidelines again. His Orlando team routed Atlanta as Spurrier’s offense looked in mid-season form.
In fact, Orlando played so well and dominated the games much I don’t think Spurrier even had to consider throwing his hat. (He was wearing a hat instead of his customary visor.)
—
Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former sports editor for the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards for his column writing from the Georgia Sports Writers Association, the Georgia Press Association and the National Newspaper Association. He is also a two-time winner of the Furman Bisher Sweepstakes Award for excellence in sports journalism. You can send comments about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.
At one time, the Pro Bowl was played the week after the Super Bowl but it is now played the week between the conference title games and the Super Bowl. In reality, this is really more of a glorified exhibition and has gotten to the point even I can’t watch it anymore.
This year though we have the debut of the Alliance of American Football. Atlanta has a team (the Legends) along with franchises in Birmingham, Memphis, Orlando, Arizona, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Diego.
Filmmaker Charlie Ebersol was inspired to create the AAF in late 2016 after making the documentary “This Was the XFL” for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series. According to reports, upon researching and examining the history of the XFL, Ebersol came to the conclusion that the concept was viable but that the finished product was both poorly executed and, from an on-field standpoint, bad football. He is right.
He began developing the AAF in December 2017, about the same time that word had come out that XFL co-founder Vince McMahon was possibly reviving the old XFL brand. (McMahon has since announced the XFL will try again in 2020.)
The new AAF has some known names as head coaches, including Steve Spurrier, Mike Singletary, Rick Neuheisel, Dennis Erickson, Mike Riley and Mike Martz. Kevin Coyle is the head coach of the Atlanta team, stepping in after original head coach Brad Childress stepped down a couple of months ago. Longtime successful college head coach Jim Grobe is the defensive coordinator for San Antonio.
Teams are allowed to draw players from colleges in their area. For example, Atlanta has the rights to players from the state of Georgia (there are numerous colleges in Georgia which field football teams), along with players from North Carolina and Virginia.
The AAF also has a tie-in with the NFL and CFL. The Atlanta Legends, for example, have ties with players who has been with the Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars and Redskins of the NFL as well as the Toronto Argonauts from Canada.
There have been other attempts at start-up football leagues of course, most notably the old United States Football League from the 1980s. All have failed for various reasons with the main one being you simply cannot compete with the NFL.
There is a legitimate place for a spring professional football league, though. If marketed correctly, a league of this nature can make a go of it. There will always be plenty of players who want to continue their careers and earn a paycheck while doing so. Many of the players in the new AAF have been in the NFL and are trying to get back to that level.
The AAF certainly has laid a solid foundation to make this work. Ebersol hired a team of experienced football players, coaches and executives to prepare the league for launch. The AAF will be overseen by former NFL general manager Bill Polian, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, and executive J.K. McKay. Advisers also include former Steelers receiver Hines Ward, former New York Giants and Oakland Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck, retired referee and current Fox NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira and Ebersol’s father, retired NBC Sports executive (and co-founder of the original XFL) Dick Ebersol.
To ensure professional-level football at launch, the AAF set out to hire coaches with professional football coaching and championship experience.
On April 7, 2018, the first team, Orlando, was announced with its coach Steve Spurrier. By June 2018, the league had announced its eight inaugural teams and their cities.
The AAF has a 10-week season lined up. The four-team playoff will be capped with the league’s championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, planned for the weekend of April 26–28.
On paper this has the potential to work. Of course, it all comes down to fan interest and the always important television ratings.
The way I view it we get to watch live football in February. That can only be a positive for football fans who never get enough of their favorite sport.
And it was certainly fun watching the Old Ball Coach on the sidelines again. His Orlando team routed Atlanta as Spurrier’s offense looked in mid-season form.
In fact, Orlando played so well and dominated the games much I don’t think Spurrier even had to consider throwing his hat. (He was wearing a hat instead of his customary visor.)
—
Winder resident Chris Bridges is a former sports editor for the Barrow News-Journal. He has earned awards for his column writing from the Georgia Sports Writers Association, the Georgia Press Association and the National Newspaper Association. He is also a two-time winner of the Furman Bisher Sweepstakes Award for excellence in sports journalism. You can send comments about this column to pchrisbridges@gmail.com.
WRESTLING: Tigers eye state title No. 6 in Macon
The second leg to winning a sixth-straight title was complete this past Saturday for the Commerce Tiger wrestling program.
The mission was to get as many of the team’s 14 wrestlers from the state sectionals to the GHSA traditional championships in Macon. The accomplishment: Commerce was able to put through 13 of the 14 wrestlers.
The Tigers produced five first-place finishers at sectionals: Dawson Legg (113 pounds), Tucker Flint (152), Nick Patrick (160), Josh Frates (182) and Elijah Burns (195). Three wrestlers finished third: Jake Frates (170), Ethan Epps (220) and Jeffery Barnard (285). Daniel Nash (106) and Bryson Flint (120) finished fourth. Lance Roberts (132) and Collin Hall (138) finished fifth and Michael Sherman (145) finished sixth.
“It was like any tournament, there was some I felt we could’ve won that we lost,” head coach Kendall Love said, “maybe some that we maybe on paper we shouldn’t have won.
“The guys worked hard.”
Darlington, the host school for the Class 1A Section B tournament also had five sectional champions. But the Tigers put through only nine wrestlers vs. Commerce’s 13.
Love called the sectional tournament “brutal” for all the teams.
“We beat up on each other,” he said. “I feel like the top three teams in the state are from the same sectional that we were in.
“Anytime that’s the case, you just get as many through as you can and try to get healthy for the state tournament. We are banged up a little bit.”
Love said the team is “excited” for the challenge of trying to win a sixth-straight state title. Legg is going for another individual title in Macon. Flint and Patrick are looking to turn last year’s second-place finishes into first-place finishes.
“I think we’ll be ready,” Love said.
With the potential of points being spread out among more teams this year at state vs. the past, Love said his team has its “hands full” to deal with the likes of Darlington, who he said could put several of its nine competitors into the finals.
“I feel like we’ve got six or seven kids, too, that can place real high,” Love said, “and I think the others ones that we’re taking can also, maybe, get on the stand.
“We’ve just got to have our minds right and be ready to go to war.”
Love added he has preached “every point matters” to his team this week. If one of his wrestlers gets an opponent on their back, he hopes to see a pin.
“The kids know,” Love said. “They actually saw Darlington for the first time this weekend. They know what we’re up against and that every point does matter.
“We’re preaching that this week and we’re preaching all the way through Saturday night. We need every point we can get. We stepped into a hostile environment this weekend at Darlington, because they hosted, and we found out real quick that they think they’ve got a shot to win, and they do. It fired our kids up some, and seeing the competitive nature of them and their fans, I think it lit a fire under our guys, and we’ll be ready.”
The mission was to get as many of the team’s 14 wrestlers from the state sectionals to the GHSA traditional championships in Macon. The accomplishment: Commerce was able to put through 13 of the 14 wrestlers.
The Tigers produced five first-place finishers at sectionals: Dawson Legg (113 pounds), Tucker Flint (152), Nick Patrick (160), Josh Frates (182) and Elijah Burns (195). Three wrestlers finished third: Jake Frates (170), Ethan Epps (220) and Jeffery Barnard (285). Daniel Nash (106) and Bryson Flint (120) finished fourth. Lance Roberts (132) and Collin Hall (138) finished fifth and Michael Sherman (145) finished sixth.
“It was like any tournament, there was some I felt we could’ve won that we lost,” head coach Kendall Love said, “maybe some that we maybe on paper we shouldn’t have won.
“The guys worked hard.”
Darlington, the host school for the Class 1A Section B tournament also had five sectional champions. But the Tigers put through only nine wrestlers vs. Commerce’s 13.
Love called the sectional tournament “brutal” for all the teams.
“We beat up on each other,” he said. “I feel like the top three teams in the state are from the same sectional that we were in.
“Anytime that’s the case, you just get as many through as you can and try to get healthy for the state tournament. We are banged up a little bit.”
Love said the team is “excited” for the challenge of trying to win a sixth-straight state title. Legg is going for another individual title in Macon. Flint and Patrick are looking to turn last year’s second-place finishes into first-place finishes.
“I think we’ll be ready,” Love said.
With the potential of points being spread out among more teams this year at state vs. the past, Love said his team has its “hands full” to deal with the likes of Darlington, who he said could put several of its nine competitors into the finals.
“I feel like we’ve got six or seven kids, too, that can place real high,” Love said, “and I think the others ones that we’re taking can also, maybe, get on the stand.
“We’ve just got to have our minds right and be ready to go to war.”
Love added he has preached “every point matters” to his team this week. If one of his wrestlers gets an opponent on their back, he hopes to see a pin.
“The kids know,” Love said. “They actually saw Darlington for the first time this weekend. They know what we’re up against and that every point does matter.
“We’re preaching that this week and we’re preaching all the way through Saturday night. We need every point we can get. We stepped into a hostile environment this weekend at Darlington, because they hosted, and we found out real quick that they think they’ve got a shot to win, and they do. It fired our kids up some, and seeing the competitive nature of them and their fans, I think it lit a fire under our guys, and we’ll be ready.”
WRESTLING: Dragon coach expects Class AAA title race to go down to the wire
Jefferson emerged from a knock-down, drag-out in January to win the state duals title.
A month later, the Dragon wrestlers will have to muster heroics if they want to protect the program’s historic streak of traditional state titles.
Jefferson has won 18 consecutive championships but has perhaps never faced a field like this at the traditional state tournament, which runs from Thursday to Saturday.
“What it’s going to take is every one of our guys doing what they’re capable of doing and are supposed to do, and we’re going to have to have some help from some other places,” coach Doug Thurmond said.
The Dragons qualified 11 wrestlers from this past weekend’s state sectional tournament to the state tournament, but North Hall is sending 13 qualifiers and Sonoraville 12. Jackson County advanced 11 wrestlers as well.
The margin of error is razor thin as the Dragons enter this tournament, one where Jefferson can’t afford any upset losses.
“If our guys do what they’re capable of doing, then I would think we’d be right in the thick of it, but you just never know,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond expects this to be one of the closest state tournaments he’s seen in his 19-year run as the Dragons’ head coach. He said the tournament could be decided in wrestle backs, but the title might come down to the finals matches.
“It’s going to be real tight I think,” Thurmond said. “I would be really surprised if it’s not a down-to-the wire deal — kind of like the duals.”
Jefferson emerged from the sectional tournament, which the Dragons hosted Friday and Saturday, with six first-place finishers and two second-place finishers.
Mason Mingus, (106), Tyson Thurmond (113), Ian Statia (132), Nolan Sorrow (152), Ryan Hurd (160) and Gavin London (285) all won their brackets. Jared Blackburn took second at 120 pounds, as did Mason Corbett at 170 pounds.
Also qualifying were Christian Parten (fourth, 126), Jake Brown (fifth, 145) and James Phatorus (sixth, 195).
“We had several weight classes that were absolutely loaded to the gill,” Thurmond said. “We didn’t know what we were going to do there, but we came out pretty good. I was very, very pleased with what happened. Some of our guys put themselves in a really good position as far as where they are in the bracket.”
Injuries played a factor in the Dragons not advancing more than 11.
Jefferson has been without returning state champion Cole Potts (he won the 138-pound title last year) all year due to a shoulder injury, while it lost Cannon McKinney, the teams 220-pounder, from the lineup recently. McKinney was involved in an automobile accident.
Thurmond said this team has navigated those setbacks well.
“No matter what happens, I surely hope we don’t fall apart, but I’ve been really pleased with this group just because they’ve had a lot of adversity and they’ve come through it pretty dang good,” Thurmond said.
And now they’ll be tested one more time.
With North Hall, Sonoraville and Jefferson all with sights on winning a state title, along with teams like Jackson County, which will compete near the top, this stands to be a three-day pressure grinder for the 18-time defending champs.
“As far as three teams that any of the three could win it … yeah, it’s going to be pretty tough,” Thurmond said.
A month later, the Dragon wrestlers will have to muster heroics if they want to protect the program’s historic streak of traditional state titles.
Jefferson has won 18 consecutive championships but has perhaps never faced a field like this at the traditional state tournament, which runs from Thursday to Saturday.
“What it’s going to take is every one of our guys doing what they’re capable of doing and are supposed to do, and we’re going to have to have some help from some other places,” coach Doug Thurmond said.
The Dragons qualified 11 wrestlers from this past weekend’s state sectional tournament to the state tournament, but North Hall is sending 13 qualifiers and Sonoraville 12. Jackson County advanced 11 wrestlers as well.
The margin of error is razor thin as the Dragons enter this tournament, one where Jefferson can’t afford any upset losses.
“If our guys do what they’re capable of doing, then I would think we’d be right in the thick of it, but you just never know,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond expects this to be one of the closest state tournaments he’s seen in his 19-year run as the Dragons’ head coach. He said the tournament could be decided in wrestle backs, but the title might come down to the finals matches.
“It’s going to be real tight I think,” Thurmond said. “I would be really surprised if it’s not a down-to-the wire deal — kind of like the duals.”
Jefferson emerged from the sectional tournament, which the Dragons hosted Friday and Saturday, with six first-place finishers and two second-place finishers.
Mason Mingus, (106), Tyson Thurmond (113), Ian Statia (132), Nolan Sorrow (152), Ryan Hurd (160) and Gavin London (285) all won their brackets. Jared Blackburn took second at 120 pounds, as did Mason Corbett at 170 pounds.
Also qualifying were Christian Parten (fourth, 126), Jake Brown (fifth, 145) and James Phatorus (sixth, 195).
“We had several weight classes that were absolutely loaded to the gill,” Thurmond said. “We didn’t know what we were going to do there, but we came out pretty good. I was very, very pleased with what happened. Some of our guys put themselves in a really good position as far as where they are in the bracket.”
Injuries played a factor in the Dragons not advancing more than 11.
Jefferson has been without returning state champion Cole Potts (he won the 138-pound title last year) all year due to a shoulder injury, while it lost Cannon McKinney, the teams 220-pounder, from the lineup recently. McKinney was involved in an automobile accident.
Thurmond said this team has navigated those setbacks well.
“No matter what happens, I surely hope we don’t fall apart, but I’ve been really pleased with this group just because they’ve had a lot of adversity and they’ve come through it pretty dang good,” Thurmond said.
And now they’ll be tested one more time.
With North Hall, Sonoraville and Jefferson all with sights on winning a state title, along with teams like Jackson County, which will compete near the top, this stands to be a three-day pressure grinder for the 18-time defending champs.
“As far as three teams that any of the three could win it … yeah, it’s going to be pretty tough,” Thurmond said.
Recent Comments