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sports
Former Jefferson High pitching standout Chris Beck recognized with national honor 2B
Online: Visit ClickThePaper.com for up-to-date scores of area high school baseball, lacrosse and soccer games.
SECTION B | THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012
track and field — jackson county boys’ championships
Panthers place 2nd, JHS 3rd at county By MATT MAUNEY mmauney@clickthepaper.com
Matt Mauney The Paper
Runners take off their blocks during the 200meter dash at the Jackson County Boys Championship meet last week.
high school football
Mill Creek defensive duo signs
The Jackson County and Jefferson boys’ track teams were able to get a small glimpse at some of the competition they will see later this year at the Jackson County Championships, held at Jefferson High’s Memorial Stadium last week. Jackson County finished second on the day with 53 points, while Jefferson took third with 51. East Jackson repeated as county champions with 62 points. “I felt like our kids came together and ran well together,” said JCCHS coach
David Darling. The Panthers used their speed to their advantage, performing well in most of the sprinting events. Keyshawn Curry finished first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.67 seconds while freshman Todd Woodring placed first in the 400meter, running a 54.47, just .03 seconds ahead of second-place Tyree Rakestraw from East Jackson. Johan Reynolds took the top spot in the 110 hurdles (15.79) and the 300 meter hurdles (40.17). The Panthers also took first in the 4x100 relay (45.40) and the 4x400 relay
(3:38.70). During the 4x400, the final event, JCCHS beat out East Jackson’s and Jefferson’s varsity teams to move into second place in the team standings ahead of Jefferson. “We had an injury in one of the field events (Dustin Scott), so we had to make a sub with our 4x100 team, so I was pleased to see them come out and win that event,” Darling explained. “We ran well in the hurdles. Johan kind of anchors us and is a big part of what we do,” he added. Layson Giles placed first in the high
See boys track, page 2B
high school SOCCER
Gaining attention
Coleman, Leconte to play at next level From staff reports A pair of Mill Creek High School defensive standouts signed on to play at the next level last week. Middle linebacker Taylor Coleman decided to sign with Valdosta State, after previously being verbally committed to the United States Naval Academy. According to Mill Creek head coach Shannon Jarvis, Coleman had a “change of heart” and is “excited about the Coleman opportunity to play for Valdosta State.” Coleman was a staple at middle linebacker for the Hawks as a junior and senior. He recorded 45 total tackles (29 solo) and one interception last season for Mill Creek. He also had a fumble recovery as a senior. Valdosta is a perennial power at the Division II level. The Blazers went 6-4 last fall, following an 8-3 year that included an NCAA DII playoff appearance in 2010. Another Mill Creek defensive standout, defensive end Phillip Leconte, will be a part of the inaugural class of the new program at Reinhart University. The Eagles begin practice in the fall to prepare for their inaugural season in Leconte 2013. Reinhardt will compete at the NAIA level in the MidSouth Conference. Leconte recorded 74 total tackles (50 solo and 24 assists) as a senior for the Hawks. He also had 13 quarterback hurries, four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Matt Mauney The Paper
Jefferson’s Hannah Pasko prepares to kick the ball while being defended by Jackson County’s Sydney Baird during a game last week in Jefferson. Jefferson clinched the Region 8B-AA with the win and JCCHS took the No. 2 seed after beating East Jackson.
Jefferson wins 12th straight team title, has two individual champs By MATT MAUNEY mmauney@clickthepaper.com In America, soccer has always taken a backseat to the “big three” sports of football, basketball and baseball. In Jackson County, it is no different. High school soccer in the county is often overshadowed by the dominate spring sport — baseball. Even high school football, a fall sport, regularly gains more attention than soccer with spring practices kicking off. While soccer may never surpass football
or even baseball in popularity, girls’ high school soccer in the county is quickly gaining notice. The Jefferson High soccer team is coming off a big 2-0 win over Jackson County last week. Jackson County came into the game ranked No. 7 in Class AA. Jefferson entered unranked, but came in with a 7-1 record. Both teams entered the contest with an unblemished sub-region record and Jefferson clinched Region 8B-AA with the win. The Lady Dragons (8-1, 5-1) fell just short of reaching the state rankings this week, while Jackson County fell out of the
top 10. The Lady Panthers (11-3, 5-1) did pick up a win last Thursday over East Jackson, beating their rivals 2-1 and securing the No. 2 seed out of the sub-region. The stands and sidelines were packed with fans at the Jefferson Parks and Rec fields last week for the JHS-JCCHS game — a rarity in the history of the two programs. It felt like a state playoff game. The intensity was high and the emotions were running on overload. For the coaches of the two
See attention, page 2B
track and field — jackson county girls’ championships
Lady Dragons easily take county bragging rights By MATT MAUNEY From staff reports COMMERCE — The Jefferson girls’ track team ran away with the county championship last week at East Jackson Comprehensive High School, scoring more points than the other two opponents combined. The Lady Dragons preformed well in both field and track events and accumulated
89 points, taking first ahead of host East Jackson (48) and third place Jackson County (30). “It was was a great meet for us,” coach Chad Cheatham said. “We had a lot of girls give really good performances, so we’re coming along nicely,” he added. Jefferson started slow with third- and fifth- place finishes in the shot put, the meet’s first event, with East Jackson’s Santana Davis and Randi Slizewski taking the top two spots. Maggie Newman placed third for
Jefferson with a throw of 28-10, followed by Jackson County’s Daphne Melton (26-10) and Jefferson’s Callie Jackson (24-08.25). Things picked up with the second field event, when Newman took first in the discus with a throw of 89-10. Teammate Cassidy Davis placed second with a throw of 77-06. Jefferson then went one and two in the long jump and triple jump with Jaclyn Coleman taking first in the the long jump (14-11.75) and Eden Starnes placing second (13-06). Starnes then took first in the triple
jump (31-08) followed closely by Abby Carson (30-00). The field events concluded with Savanna Holland finishing second behind East Jackson’s Robin Adair in the high jump before Rebecca Stoudenmire and Carson took one and two in the pole vault. Stodenmire’s vault of 8-06 was a new personal best. When the field event portion had
See girls track, page 2B
outdoor
motorsports
high school baseball
ZOOMA run scheduled at Lake Lanier
Big Kahuna returning to Road Atlanta
Annual JCCHS alumni game set
The ZOOMA Atlanta Half Marathon and 5K debuts at Lake Lanier Islands Sunday, April 22. The event is for walkers, joggers and runners and is open to men and women. An after-party expo and live music will be a part of the finish-line celebration. The cost of the half marathon is $95 while the 5K is $55. This year’s event supports the The Orange Duffel Bag Foundation. Participants will receive a goody bag with a ZOOMA performance shirt and a Muscle Milk Light beverage. For more info, visit zoomarun.com.
The AMA Pro Racing series will return to Road Atlanta in Braselton April 20-22 with the Big Kahuna. The event ran at Road Atlanta from 1998-2002 and the AMA Pro Racing Series last raced the track in 2010 with Blake Young sweeping the National Guard SuperBike doubleheader weekend. Fans can expect to see their favorite AMA riders and bikes attacking Road Atlanta’s 2.5-mile course at speeds up to 190 mph. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased by calling 303377-3278 or visiting m1powersports.com.
The annual Jackson County High School baseball alumni game will be Saturday, April 14 at 2 p.m. at JCCHS. A homerun derby will start at 1 p.m. If you are a former player and interested in participating or would like to find out more information about this event, contact JCCHS head coach Tommy Fountain at tfountain@jackson.k12.ga.us or call him at 770530-8975. The cost to enter either or both events is $15. The fee will include a commemorative Tshirt.