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JHS lights up the court against GHS in season opener BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
A new era has begun for the Lady Panthers volleyball team at Jackson County Comprehensive High School. They have a new coach and a new gym in which to compete; now all they need is a winning season. Head coach Cora Andrews said she is pleased with the effort her team put in during the summer but acknowledges she won’t know exactly what her team can do until they actually get on the court. “We are all excited. It has really been a great turnout during the summer. They didn’t have to be here. We’re ready,” stated Andrews. “It’s scary though because you never know what’s going to happen until you get into that first game.” This may be her first year at the helm for the Panthers but Andrews kept a close eye on Jackson County long before she took the coaching job. It’s in a head coach’s nature to keep an eye on players to make sure they are on the right track and Andrews commended her squad for their behavior on and off the court. “I went to some of their games last year to watch them. You always have kids in your class and you want to support them. But as a coach, you are always assessing their athleticism, conditioning or their attitude and again I’m impressed with how hard they’ve been working,”
2 Dragons selected to AA All-State team lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
Latrice Williams The Paper
Lindsey Nilsen led the pack with 10 kills. Dragons saw powerful hitting by Avery Mixon and Nilsen that allowed them to keep the game close. “Playing the net is my favorite position because you get to block and hit,” Nilsen said. Within the blink of an eye, Jefferson pulled ahead 18-14 and closed the game with a 2516 win behind the strength of outside hitter Abby Wood who punished Gainesville with a defiant kill that sucked out any momentum left in Gainesville. Up 2-0 in the third, the Lady Dragons knew they didn’t want to force a game four. They fell behind early in the match but pulled ahead late and did not relinquish its lead. “I think everyone was excited when we got in the third set. The game started to get fun and we really get into it,” said Nilsen. The Dragons will return to action today at home against Habersham Central High School at 5 p.m. and Hebron Christian Academy at 7 p.m.
Jackson County ready for new era lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
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BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
The Lady Dragons were just getting their feet wet in a new offense before they opened the season against Gainesville High School but they played as if they knew the system inside and out. The Jefferson High School volleyball team defeated the Red Elephants in three straight sets (26-24, 25-16, 25-19). Not only does the win send a message to other 4A teams but, it gives the Dragons a good a taste in their mouth to start the season. “It felt great to get back on the court. It has me pumped for the rest of the season,” said Lindsey Nilsen. The Lady Dragons were not intimidated by the Red Elephants or the score. After being down by seven points, Jefferson powered back to tie the game at 24 all and finished with a 2-point win. “We opened the match very nervous and played very tight early. During a timeout, we talked about relaxing and that things would get better,” said head coach Mike Paul. Nilsen said there were a few preseason jitters but once they settled down they were able to find their rhythm which didn’t take long since many of them play club volleyball together. “I think everyone was a little nervous because we are a young team,” Nilsen stated. “[The good thing is] a lot of us have played together. We know each other pretty well and we have a lot of chemistry. Some of us play on [a team together outside of school], so we are pretty familiar with each other.” JHS faced a similar situation in the second set. After getting off to an intense start, Gainesville pulled ahead 10-6 but the
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Andrews said. Andrews doesn’t want to discuss the strength of the schedule or marquee matchups. She stressed the importance of not allowing her players to get ahead of themselves. Right now, they have their eyes fixed on the Forsyth Challenge Tournament where Andrews is anxious to see her team get into a good rhythm. “We have decided to take the season one game at a time. We have a lot to build on but we have a lot of work to do,” said Andrews. “Of course we’ll be excited about the very first game because we haven’t had a chance to play anyone. We haven’t even had a scrimmage game. “The first tournament will definitely give us an idea as to where we need to go; however, none of the teams [in the tourney] are in our region so as far as I’m concerned it’s a good chance to see what they can do,” stated Andrews. Last season, Jackson County sat below .500, but many of the other teams winning ways is starting to rub off on them. Andrews says she believes this could be the year they see change in the volleyball program and it’s going to start with the upperclassmen. “We have a lot of seniors and they want to go out on a high note. They are creating a legacy. Whatever they do this season will be remembered next year. They are hungry to win,” Andrews stated.
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Georgia High School Football Daily has named Donnie Hatfield and Jordan Tyler to the AA Preseason All-State team. Hatfield, a tight end, and Tyler, an offensive lineman, were part of Jefferson’s AA state championship win a year ago. While Hatfield and Tyler are honored to be recognized, they aren’t patting themselves on the back just yet. “This award adds hype to the preseason but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t prove that you deserve to be on the list,” Tyler said. “We earned the pre-season awards but we have to play hard once the season starts,” Hatfield said. Tyler said he was especially surprised about his recognition as the
big guys up front are usually left out from pre-season conversations. “I was surprised honestly. It feels great. I wasn’t expecting that kind of award at the beginning of the season,” said Tyler. Hatfield noted it as an achievement but said the team has been working hard to keep its eye on the prize: another trip to the Georgia Dome. “It was a goal accomplished but it’s not the biggest goal. The biggest goal is to come out and play with intensity in every game, win football games and do what we did last year and that’s win it all,” Hatfield said. Tyler, who is a senior, was one of the many Dragons who had to bare the hardship of listening to outsiders question the potential of this team. Even when Jefferson defeated Greater Atlanta Christian, there was so much chatter about them not being able to hang tough against Cal-
houn High School, and that didn’t sit too well with Tyler. “I play angry because people kept saying we were small and we weren’t good. The offensive line that was here before us was pretty big. We had a pissed off attitude,” said Tyler. Hatfield said last year’s success didn’t stem from him alone. It was a collective effort by the team but, in particular, quarterback Bryant Shirreffs, who is now at North Carolina State University, and linebackers Kody McDonald and Wesley Simonton played a major role in how they made history. “We had a great team last year. We had a bunch of people around us that were great. We had three All State players that took some of the spotlight off of us. We did want we needed to do when we got the ball and it paid off for us,” Hatfield said.
Doug Chellew The Paper
From left to right: Donnie Hatfield and Jordan Tyler are on the hunt for a two-peat at Jefferson.
Felton pushing for 1,000 yards BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
so hard and I am really excited to see what he does once the season starts. I’m very proud of his work ethic,” said head coach Shannon Jarvis. “Summer camp went well not just for me but for the team as well. The coach pulled me aside and told me in private that I’ve been doing well and that I’ll have a great season and I think so, too,” stated Felton. To make matters worse for defenders, Felton anchored the Hawks track and field team and helped lead the squad to a region championship. He re-
corded his best time in the 6A region championships in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.89. You better believe he’ll be utilizing all the techniques he learned from track to aid his running game. “Participating in the 100-meter dash has really helped me gain more speed. It will help me get off to a faster start,” said Felton. “I’ll have a bigger burst when I take off. When I get the ball, I’ll be able to get through the hole faster.” After being a couple hundred yards shy of a 1,000 yard season, Felton
plans to vacation in the end zone more often this season. Mill Creek High School “I set personal goals; continues to produce elite I want to rush for a minirunning backs and Demum of 1,000 yards. I want Vozea Felton is on the list. to contribute to my team,” Last season as junior, Felton stated. Felton racked up 798 rushEvery great running ing yards and seven touchback attributes their sucdowns by foot. And when cess to the big guys up he wants to, he can be front. Having one of the pretty smooth in the passmost skilled offensive ing game as well. Felton linemen has made his run caught three touchdown to pay dirt a little easier. passes and had 331 receiv“It helps that we have ing yards. He’ll be lethal great guys on the line. We no matter which way he have Coach [Josh] Lovetouches the ball. lady and he is one of the “DeVozea had a great a best offensive line coaches spring camp. He worked around. Some of our offensive linemen aren’t that big but they are great athletes. For instance, Jake Lund isn’t that big but he’s physical and he plays fast so it’s great playing behind them,” Felton said. Felton may look like a flawless back but he admitted he had three fumbles last year, including two in the game against North Gwinnett High School. It was tough for him to recover mentally in such a significant matchup but he’s grateful his coaches didn’t send him back to the sideline. “After the second turnover, the coach told me he was going to keep giving me the ball so I might as well put those two fumbles behind me,” said Felton. “This year, we want to limit our turnovers. We want to score in the red zone. We want to make sure we complete every pass. We’ve been working on limiting turnovers a lot this year.” Felton will open his 1,000 yard season campaign on Aug. 30 against Latrice Williams The Paper cross-town rival Dacula High School. DeVozea Felton blocks a defender during a scrimmage game last Friday. lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
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LOCAL FOOTBALL
JCCHS baseball travel team tryouts
NASA returns to Road Atlanta
3 teams suit up for preseason action
Tryouts for the Jackson County Junior Panther 11U and 12U travel teams will be held on Aug. 18. This will be the final tryout. The Panthers are sponsored by the JCCHS baseball coaches as we all as the JCCHS Booster Club. It will take place at the Jackson County baseball facility at 2:30 p.m. For more information, contact head coach Tommy Fountain at 770-530-8975 or Jason Youngblood at jmyblood@bellsouth.net.
The National Auto Sports Association will make its second appearance at Road Atlanta Sept. 13-14. Eric Palacio went home as the victor when NASA recently held an event in Braselton earlier this month. NASA is made up of a host of divisions including the ever so popular Spec E30. For more information, including ticket prices, call 770-967-6143. Also check out nasaproracing. com for more information on NASA events.
Jackson County Comprehensive, Jefferson and Mill Creek High School will compete in scrimmage games tomorrow. All games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Panthers will host Athens Academy; JCCHS went 6-5 a year ago and broke a 20-year playoff drought. Jefferson will take on Morgan County High School at MCHS. The Dragons finished 14-1 and won the 2AA state title. Mill Creek will host Parkview High School. The Hawks are coming off a 9-4 year and made an appearance in the quarterfinals.