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The Paper | Thursday, March 7, 2013
Showing heart, Panthers sneak by Hart Co. Bulldogs in extra time cphelps@gainesvilletimes.com
BY CHARLES PHELPS
HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
After losing the first two games to start the season, the Jackson County Comprehensive High School boys’ soccer team racked up its second straight victory on Friday night by beating the Bulldogs of Hart County 3-2 in extra time. Head coach Philip Vincent said the team still has some work to do but he was glad to pick up a win in their first region game of the year. “We’ve got a spread of players. We’re kind of senior-heavy and then we’re
freshmen-heavy,” Vincent said. “It’s just trying to get these guys to work together and gel a little bit better. It’s a pretty good gap. We’ve got to work on communication a little bit better.” The Panthers were led by junior Patrick Ventura who scored all three of the Panthers’ goals. His first two came during the first half of play. Ventura scored his third goal 16 seconds in double overtime. With a 2-0 deficit, the Bulldogs’ Sasha Howard scored to cut the
deficit to one heading into halftime. Bulldog Jonathan LeCroy tied the game at 2-2 with a goal near the 12-minute mark in the second half of play. “(Hart County) brought it. They came to play,” Vincent said. “Their goalie played a phenomenal game; he took away some opportunities away from us. His leg put us on our feet all night long.” Vincent also said his team showed a lot of heart on Friday night because they’re
dealing with injuries and illness right now. “[We are] dealing with a few injuries right now, too; we had one with the flu and he’s playing through the game. It showed me one thing about this team: they’ve got some heart,” said Vincent. “They played through the injuries, feeling sick and whatever else and stuck with it. Taking (Hart County) to overtime like that and being able to put one away, especially our first region game, felt really good,” he said. The Panthers will host Athens Academy tomorrow at 7 p.m.
UT CAREER
Continued from 1B not even making it to the region meet to jumping 14 feet and 2 inches in one year. I won state as a sophomore and set the single A classification record.” Porter had a ton of success at Jefferson but, just as he was on the verge of becoming a Volunteer, the unthinkable happened. Porter broke his back and was told he would never be able to compete at a high level again. From there, he did what most athletes would do: Prove the doctors wrong. “The recovery was rough. I ended up competing both indoors and outdoors instead of redshirting and I only jumped 16 feet and 1 inch. I thought the doctor might have been right,” said Porter. “Over the next year, I got faster and stronger and the pain has slowly disappeared as I keep training. I jumped 17 feet and 1 inch and it was my first personal record in a year which is huge for me considering the doctor told me I would never jump that high again. I proved him wrong,” Porter said. Porter says he is hopeful that he can someday make an appearance in the Olympics. However, even if he never makes it to the Olympics, he reminds himself that success is not determined by athletic abilities but by character. “If I do eventually jump 18 feet in my time here at Rocky Top, I would consider becoming elite and work toward the ultimate goal – the Olympics,” said Porter. “I believe that UT is the place I need to be if I start to work toward the Olympics. It is the most pole vault-friendly city in the world. “My number one priority is to make my family proud. It’s not about winning or losing; it’s about carrying yourself like you are a champion no matter the outcome of certain meets,” said Porter. For the extended version of this story, visit clickthepaper.com.
KOZLOWSKI Continued from 1B
Doug Chellew The Paper
Fighting for possession was key for the JCCHS Panthers in their relentless effort over Hart County.
Dragons boys’ tennis team looking to carry on 2-match win streak BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
They may have started out on a slippery slope but the Jefferson High School tennis teams have refurbished their racquets and the season by earning their first two wins of the season. It is a savory taste to a 0-2 start that left a bitter taste in their mouth. The Dragons opened the season against Morgan County High School where both teams had their fair share of struggles. Head Coach Michael Paul said the loss was “to a very solid Morgan County team. The girls’ match was very close as we won [the] No. 1 and 2 singles but lost [the] No. 3 singles and one double[s]. Morgan won the No. 2 doubles by default as Jefferson was short-handed due to players still involved in basketball.” “In the boys’ match, the Jefferson boys fought very hard and competed in every match but Morgan County proved
to be too tough,” said Paul. “I am very proud of our effort in our first match of the season. We knew that Morgan County would be strong and that is why we scheduled them. We want to play as tough a schedule as possible prior to region play.” In the second match, the Dragons fell 0-2 to North Oconee High School. Paul noted, “while the scores didn’t reflect it, every match had long rallies and close games. Our inexperience showed in many matches. We were not able to win the close points or games. Both teams lost in highly competitive matches to North Oconee.” The Dragons had enough of being on the losing side of things and notched their first win of the year against Franklin County High School. It was a hardfought match that turned into a slugfest for both squads. “[It had] to be the closest match ever for the Dragons. Throughout that day, the boys’ and girls’ teams completed a
total of five tie-breakers in 10 matches. The boys won 5-0 while the girls won 3-2,” said Paul. The Dragons were not satisfied with just one win in the record books and went after another against Elbert County High School and came out as the victor. Paul described it as “what could have been the coldest night to play tennis,” yet JHS was not intimidated by their opponent or the weather. “As we enter region play next week, we feel we have improved greatly as a team and individually. We have a very young team and they are growing up fast with the tough schedule so far,” said Paul. “To say I am proud of this group would be an understatement.” Jefferson will return to the court today at home. The boys will face off against Riverside Military Academy while the girls will take on Greene County High School. Both matches are set for 4:30 p.m.
Panthers improve on the diamond BY LATRICE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@clickthepaper.com
The Jackson County Comprehensive High School Panthers may have had some early season jitters in the team’s first match of the year as the fell 11-4 to Lumpkin County High School on Feb 20. Head coach Tommy Fountain described the loss as easy things that went completely left field. “[The issues were] walks and errors,” said Fountain. “We walked 16 and made eight errors. Baseball is a simple game of catching and throwing. When you can’t catch it or throw it, you don’t deserve to win and things get ugly. Basically, that’s what happened the last three innings.” Coleman Barbee, the starting pitcher for the Panthers, is a freshman who performed well in his first game at the high school level. Fountain was proud of Barbee’s performance and didn’t think he played timid. “If he was nervous, he didn’t show it. He went three innings and gave up one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts. That’s not a bad stat line for a 14-year-old kid throwing his first ever varsity game. We took him out because of his pitch limit, not because he was struggling,” Fountain said. Despite the loss, Fountain never pressed the panic button. He said he knew the po-
tential and level of talent on the team and said they must learn how to, “stop the bleeding when something goes wrong.” Jackson County returned to the diamond against East Hall High School on Feb. 22 where they fell 7-1. Fountain noted a different spell of issues against EHHS. “We improved from game one to game two, but not enough to get the win. We still had problems throwing strikes, particularly in the early innings and that got us in too big of a hole. We also left too many base-runners on. I’m pleased that we improved but not pleased with the result,” said Fountain. Jackson County took a 13-3 win in an away match
against Central Gwinnett High School on Feb. 26 with Andrew Fogarty leading the way for JCCHS with a whopping four RBI’s. “We played better but still have some things to clean up offensively and defensively. Regardless, a win is a win and we’ll take it. Our pitching is getting better and better each time. We knew with throwing so many freshmen [in] and guys returning from basketball that it would take a while to get them into the swing of things. As we continue to throw more strikes and work deeper into games, we’ll get better all around,” stated Fountain. In the Day at the Diamond Tournament on March 2, JCCHS went 1-1. Commerce
High School got the best of the Panthers in a 3-2 win in nine innings, however, Jackson County grabbed a 7-6 win over Oglethorpe County High School. “I was very proud of the way the guys bounced back from adversity on Saturday to win the second game,” Fountain said. “Our guys really grew up right before our eyes over the last three or four games. We’re getting better and better each game. We’ve just got to keep getting better each game and continue to cut down on mistakes.” The Panthers will have a rematch against Lumpkin County tomorrow at LCHS. The first pitch is set for 5:55 p.m.
beat us it was the perfect setting [for them]. It was at their place, it was raining and they came out and played harder. Q: What has helped you develop into becoming such a sharp-shooter? A: It comes down to the same thing as hockey. In hockey, you learn to release and, in lacrosse, it is the same motion but you just have to learn how to move it up. When I first started playing lacrosse, I was practicing my craft every chance I had. I practiced in the backyard and I practiced with my buddies. I had a stick in my hand all the time. Q: What are your aspirations for the season? A: I just want to do whatever the coaches tell me to do. I like to score and I like to play defense. I want to have better stats from last year. KOZLOWSKI FAVS Favorite food: Chicken parmesan Pre-game music list: Artist: Eminem Song: Lose yourself
MCHS undefeated in Peach Fest Tourney BY BRANDON RICHARDSON
For the Paper
The Mill Creek High School boys’ lacrosse team defeated every opponent they faced in the Peach Fest Lacrosse Invitational last weekend. The invitational featured some of the best teams from states across the southeast. The Hawks faced Spain Park High School in their opening match last Friday night. The Hawks easily handled the defending Alabama state champions 14-3. MCHS welcomed the Jaguars to Georgia with a very resilient defense. Strong defense would be a reoccurring theme for the Hawks throughout the weekend. “From start to finish, our boys were on it -- a lot of assists and unselfish play,” said head coach Bo Adams. The boys faced a very tough defense in their second match of the invitational versus the Red Raiders of Baylor School from Chattanooga, Tenn. The Hawks responded by making sure their opponents saw an even better defensive effort. MCHS took an early 2-0 lead over Baylor but the Red Raiders responded in the second quarter by scoring three straight goals to take the lead. It was the only time the Hawks would trail in the tournament. Nick Kozlowski responded with two straight goals as MCHS retook the lead. Alex Schneider finished up his great first half with three straight blocks to send MCHS into the half up by one. “It’s hard to get going when it’s cold early. We played a little sloppy [early in the game],” said Adams. The Hawks completely separated themselves from their opponents in the second half, breaking down their opponent’s defense while fortifying theirs. A 5-0 run in the third quarter was highlighted by a score from Kozlowski. “The [5-0] run was the difference. The key was our conditioning. Our kids never give up and we can take it to the end,” said Adams. Both teams each added a goal of their own in the final quarter as Mill Creek won 10-4. Kozlowski had arguably his best game of the weekend in the team’s toughest match of the invitational; he tallied five goals and an assist against Baylor. The Hawks breezed through their last matchup versus Webb School of Knoxville, Tenn., winning 13-3. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Once again, the MCHS defense held strong allowing only one goal in the entire second half. Mill Creek will return to action tomorrow against Norcross High School at NHS at 7 p.m.