Columns

It’s no secret that the Apalachee High School football team has a strong squad this season.

Going into last week’s Battle of Barrow contest, the Wildcats were undefeated and already ranked in the Top 10 for AAAA schools. However, by the time the night was over, coach Shane Davis’ team had shown it just may have something special. A 56-0 dismantling of county and region rival Winder-Barrow was surprising not for the fact AHS won, but in how dominating fashion it did so. [Full Story »] 

Even now, more than 20 years after I graduated from high school I still remember our biggest rival.

It didn’t matter the sport, whenever our two teams would meet there was a sense of anticipation that was hard to match. Probably the only way the intensity of the rivalry could have been cranked up any higher would have been if our schools somehow met for a state championship in some competition.

That never happened, but classic events on the football field, basketball court, baseball diamond and everything in between did take place.
Twenty years later I still remember.
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You seldom hear their names mentioned, unless it is in a negative light.

However, the “players in the trenches” certainly made an impact in a positive way for the Apalachee High School football team last Friday against visiting Clarke Central High School.

The offensive linemen helped clear the way for a Wildcat victory and in the process established AHS as the likely team to beat in Region 8-AAAA. For now, that certainly is the case.
[Full Story »] 

After cutting the Cedar Shoals lead to 19-13, the Winder-Barrow High School football team forced the Jaguars to turn the football over on downs following a fourth and nine sack by Kendrick Davis.

The Bulldoggs then went on an impressive drive picking up four first downs along the way. Eventually, a fumble would end a possible go-ahead change and host Cedar Shoals would tack on some late scores to make what had been a competitive game well into the second half seem one-sided. [Full Story »] 

The cooler temperatures from earlier in the week have gone away. Late summer continues to hold on as the first game of the 2009 Winder-Barrow High Scool football season finally arrives.

It’s 6:15 p.m., still more than an hour before kickoff. Players have yet to take the field for pre-game warmups. The stands on both sides of W. Clair Harris Stadium are empty.
[Full Story »] 

Work for the 2009 football season at Apalachee High School began months ago. Offseason conditioning, work in the weight room, spring drills, summer camps and preseason practice all led up to Friday’s season opener against Monroe Area at R. Harold Harrison Stadium. As the final hours, minutes even, ticked away, players, coaches and fans anxiously awaited a new campaign. [Full Story »] 

“This is the reason you lift all those weights.”
— Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells during a game as head coach of the NY Giants
•••
After months which have included offseason conditioning, working in the weight room, spring practice, summer camps and now preseason practice, the Apalachee High School football team has something special within its sights.

The Wildcats will begin their 2009 season Friday when the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes make the short trek to Winder. This is what the players work for. They will finally step on the field again for a game that counts.

[Full Story »] 

The inevitable happened last week as an NFL team decided to sign former Atlanta Falcon Mike Vick. Quite frankly, all the hoopla surrounding the event was a waste of my time, your time and the time of anyone with an ounce of decency about them.

There’s been much debate about Vick since it came to light that he was heavily involved in the underground world of dogfighting. It should be noted that while dogfighting in and of itself is deplorable enough, published reports indicated Vick and his cronies also took part in the brutal execution of dogs who were not up to the task of competing in this barbaric action.

(Note, dogfighting is in no way on par with the sport of ultimate fighting as I heard one clueless caller to a sports talk show try to imply. The reason? People have the choice to participate in ultimate fighting, dogs have no such choice.)
[Full Story »]