Entries from February 2019
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Raiders survive first round match with Cedartown
In the State Playoffs, no team can be taken lightly. The Red Raiders found that out Friday when they trailed to No. 4 seed Cedartown 30-24 at halftime and 38-30 just minutes into the third quarter.
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WRESTLING: Josh Kincaid ends a magnificent season with a State Championship
On Saturday, after six minutes of completive wrestling, Josh Kincaid’s season came to its conclusion. A lifetime of hard work and dedication paid off. You could see that on his face. As he jumped in head coach Richie Houston’s arms after the match, and as the referee presented him as the 2019 4A State Champion in the 113-lb. weight class.
[Full Story »]
GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Jefferson to face GAC in Sweet 16
The Jefferson girls’ basketball team disposed of round-one opponent Cedar Grove, setting up a Sweet 16 match up with Greater Atlanta Christian this week.
A date and time for that round-two game has not yet been announced.
The No. 2-seeded Dragons (24-3) downed Region 5-AAA No. 3 seed Cedar Grove 53-40 Saturday at home behind 17 points from both Natalia Bolden and Livi Blackstock. Bolden also had six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Deshona Gaither had a strong floor game with five points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Jefferson ran out to a 25-9 halftime advantage and led by as many as 19 points early in the second half.
Cedar Grove (11-11) eventually cut the deficit to nine points late in the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Saints came. Jefferson maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter in moving onto the next round.
In round two, the Dragons will face Region 7-AAA champion GAC (17-11), which finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in Class AAA. The Spartans beat Ringgold 61-47 in the opening round of the state tournament.
The winner of this game will play the winner of Johnson (Savannah) and Morgan County in the Elite Eight. The Dragons have reached the Elite Eight the past two seasons.
See the Feb. 20 edition of The Jackson Herald for more over the Dragons' first-round win over Cedar Grove.
A date and time for that round-two game has not yet been announced.
The No. 2-seeded Dragons (24-3) downed Region 5-AAA No. 3 seed Cedar Grove 53-40 Saturday at home behind 17 points from both Natalia Bolden and Livi Blackstock. Bolden also had six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Deshona Gaither had a strong floor game with five points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Jefferson ran out to a 25-9 halftime advantage and led by as many as 19 points early in the second half.
Cedar Grove (11-11) eventually cut the deficit to nine points late in the third quarter, but that’s as close as the Saints came. Jefferson maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter in moving onto the next round.
In round two, the Dragons will face Region 7-AAA champion GAC (17-11), which finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in Class AAA. The Spartans beat Ringgold 61-47 in the opening round of the state tournament.
The winner of this game will play the winner of Johnson (Savannah) and Morgan County in the Elite Eight. The Dragons have reached the Elite Eight the past two seasons.
See the Feb. 20 edition of The Jackson Herald for more over the Dragons' first-round win over Cedar Grove.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL: Jefferson exits state tourney in first round
The Jefferson boys’ basketball team’s season ended earlier than it hoped with a 53-50 overtime loss to Westminster in the first-round of the state tournament Saturday.
The game was tied 24-24 at the half and 43-43 at the end of regulation.
Jacob Radaker led Jefferson (17-11) with 12 points and nine rebounds, followed by Daniel Parker (10 points) and Donsha Gaither (10 points and seven rebounds).
The Dragons, who jumped out to leads of 10-0 and 13-2, shot just 28.1 percent in the loss.
For more on Jefferson’s loss to Westminster, see the Feb. 20 edition of The Jackson Herald.
The game was tied 24-24 at the half and 43-43 at the end of regulation.
Jacob Radaker led Jefferson (17-11) with 12 points and nine rebounds, followed by Daniel Parker (10 points) and Donsha Gaither (10 points and seven rebounds).
The Dragons, who jumped out to leads of 10-0 and 13-2, shot just 28.1 percent in the loss.
For more on Jefferson’s loss to Westminster, see the Feb. 20 edition of The Jackson Herald.
Basketball: Apalachee boys fall to Douglas County in first round
The Apalachee boys basketball team took some early punches, threw a few of its own, then dropped its first-round state playoff matchup against Douglas County Saturday, falling 80-62.
The Wildcats capped off their season, which included a surprise region title run, with an 12-17 record. Douglas County (20-9) entered the game as a No. 4 seed despite sitting at No. 11 in the GHSA Class AAAAAA rankings.
“That No. 4 seed is really skewed, because they are a top 10 team in the state,” said Apalachee head coach Ty Rowland after the game. “It was a tough draw for us. And give all the credit to them. They’ve got guys that play super hard on the offensive glass. Number 2, the sophomore (Omarian Smith), he’s going to be a player.”
The visiting Tigers pulled ahead 16-6 with 4:09 to go in the first quarter. But Apalachee didn’t buckle after the opening run by Douglas County. Jamonte Wallace hit Shaan Cook on an inbounds pass for a quick lay-in with just 0.8 seconds to go in the first quarter to cut the lead to 20-14 after one period. Apalachee trailed 38-30 at the half.
“Starting out, they made a few tough shots and we dug ourselves in that hole, down 10 early,” said Rowland. “It makes it tough to dig it out against a team that good.”
But the coach said his team showed the resilience he’s seen all year, even as the Tigers pushed the lead back out to double digits for much of the second half.
“It’s been a testament to us all year, no matter what circumstance we’re in, that’s not going to stop our effort,” said Rowland. “And we battled all the way down to the end. The last timeout we talked about we’ve been the team that battles every single possession of every single game and we’re not going to give in these last two minutes just because we’re down 16 and sub out our guys. We’re going to keep fighting, because that’s what we do.”
Apalachee had some success from deep Saturday, draining six threes. The Wildcats were led by Wallace, who tallied 24, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Brayson Hayes and AJ Millbrooks also scored in double figures, with 11 apiece. Other scorers included Jay German, 6; Rayne Knowles, 5; Kendall Bradley, 3; and Cook, 2. Smith and Jay-Jay Richards led Douglas County with 19 each.
After the final buzzer, Rowland talked first about his seniors: Millbrooks, Knowles, German and Bradley.
“Man, I just want to give a shout out to my seniors,” he said. “The seniors all year have been the glue guys for us, making that run at the region championship like we did when no one thought we could do it. Everybody counted us out. It was those guys putting the team on their backs. It was them deciding they’re going to give every ounce to this program. That’s the way they’re going to leave it here. I’m just so thankful for the example they set for our young guys.
“Now our young guys can see what it takes to win a region title and what it takes to make the state tournament. That’s something I’ll forever be indebted to those seniors for doing.”
Looking forward to next year, the coach said there will certainly be some talent returning. He said he Wallace is a special player.
“Jamonte Wallace, my point guard, he is a dog,” said Rowland. “He just gets after it, one of the best ball stoppers and ball pressure guys there is. He makes tough shots. He can shoot it, drive it. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten more looks by colleges already.
“He’s kind of that unsung guy flying under the radar and I think this summer he’s going to blow up and have a great year.”
The coach said he looks for big things from others, next year, too.
“You got Brayson Hayes coming back, he really came on this year,” he said. “You got Shaan Cook, who’s the energy guy. He plays two sports, plays football and creates that energy for us. You got Quincy Tate, our big man, who’s raw but he’s got a lot of potential.”
But Rowland said the seniors deserve the focus at the moment.
“We have something coming back, but those four seniors really led us down that stretch,” he said.
The Wildcats capped off their season, which included a surprise region title run, with an 12-17 record. Douglas County (20-9) entered the game as a No. 4 seed despite sitting at No. 11 in the GHSA Class AAAAAA rankings.
“That No. 4 seed is really skewed, because they are a top 10 team in the state,” said Apalachee head coach Ty Rowland after the game. “It was a tough draw for us. And give all the credit to them. They’ve got guys that play super hard on the offensive glass. Number 2, the sophomore (Omarian Smith), he’s going to be a player.”
The visiting Tigers pulled ahead 16-6 with 4:09 to go in the first quarter. But Apalachee didn’t buckle after the opening run by Douglas County. Jamonte Wallace hit Shaan Cook on an inbounds pass for a quick lay-in with just 0.8 seconds to go in the first quarter to cut the lead to 20-14 after one period. Apalachee trailed 38-30 at the half.
“Starting out, they made a few tough shots and we dug ourselves in that hole, down 10 early,” said Rowland. “It makes it tough to dig it out against a team that good.”
But the coach said his team showed the resilience he’s seen all year, even as the Tigers pushed the lead back out to double digits for much of the second half.
“It’s been a testament to us all year, no matter what circumstance we’re in, that’s not going to stop our effort,” said Rowland. “And we battled all the way down to the end. The last timeout we talked about we’ve been the team that battles every single possession of every single game and we’re not going to give in these last two minutes just because we’re down 16 and sub out our guys. We’re going to keep fighting, because that’s what we do.”
Apalachee had some success from deep Saturday, draining six threes. The Wildcats were led by Wallace, who tallied 24, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Brayson Hayes and AJ Millbrooks also scored in double figures, with 11 apiece. Other scorers included Jay German, 6; Rayne Knowles, 5; Kendall Bradley, 3; and Cook, 2. Smith and Jay-Jay Richards led Douglas County with 19 each.
After the final buzzer, Rowland talked first about his seniors: Millbrooks, Knowles, German and Bradley.
“Man, I just want to give a shout out to my seniors,” he said. “The seniors all year have been the glue guys for us, making that run at the region championship like we did when no one thought we could do it. Everybody counted us out. It was those guys putting the team on their backs. It was them deciding they’re going to give every ounce to this program. That’s the way they’re going to leave it here. I’m just so thankful for the example they set for our young guys.
“Now our young guys can see what it takes to win a region title and what it takes to make the state tournament. That’s something I’ll forever be indebted to those seniors for doing.”
Looking forward to next year, the coach said there will certainly be some talent returning. He said he Wallace is a special player.
“Jamonte Wallace, my point guard, he is a dog,” said Rowland. “He just gets after it, one of the best ball stoppers and ball pressure guys there is. He makes tough shots. He can shoot it, drive it. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten more looks by colleges already.
“He’s kind of that unsung guy flying under the radar and I think this summer he’s going to blow up and have a great year.”
The coach said he looks for big things from others, next year, too.
“You got Brayson Hayes coming back, he really came on this year,” he said. “You got Shaan Cook, who’s the energy guy. He plays two sports, plays football and creates that energy for us. You got Quincy Tate, our big man, who’s raw but he’s got a lot of potential.”
But Rowland said the seniors deserve the focus at the moment.
“We have something coming back, but those four seniors really led us down that stretch,” he said.
Basketball: Peevy’s 3-pointer in OT lifts BCA boys past Brookwood in quarterfinals
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
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
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.
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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.”
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