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in the
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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE
®
In This Issue:
SouthEAST Georgia
08 Wrestling: State Title Winners Southeast Area High Schools
April 2014
CONTENTS
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15
Charlton County High School
19 Player Spotlight Ty Hobbs
Dayton Beasley Ty Bennett
Ware County High School
24 Coach’s Corner Daniel Vonk
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Camden County High School
30 Rising Star Will Bowdoin
Frederica Academy
24 30
Also Inside Bacon County High School
22
Camden County High School
27
Bradwell Institute
29
Pierce County High School
32
Ware County High School
34
Wayne County High School
35
Listen to John and Shawn Every Thursday night at 6:00 PM on WWUF 97.7 The Wolf 2
15 Academic Athlete Will Gowen
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game
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE
®
SouthEAST Georgia
April 2014
From The Publisher We’re in the home stretch now, spring is in the air, proms are being attended, and before you know it, graduates of the class of 2014 will be walking across the stage to receive their diplomas. Fortunately for all of us sports lovers, there is still plenty of spring sports going on here in SEGA. Baseball is heating up with several teams vying for playoff spots and the perennial powers of soccer are gearing up to make a run at state. Do yourself a favor and get out to one of these events before the season ends. You’ll be glad you did.
Publisher Shawn Smoak
Editor Mark Dykes Kaitlynn Passmore
Graphics Jennifer Alexander
Cover Photography Bo Carter
Bo’s Sport Photography
Feature Photography Jeffrey Griffith
Old Goat Photography
Bo Carter
Bo’s Sport Photography
Jennifer Carter Johnson
Jennifer Carter Johnson Photography
Feature Writers
Fans old enough to remember schoolhouse rock will get this next reference (if you’re not, YouTube it): “Three is a Magic Number” and when this trio gets together on a baseball diamond, magic happens. Playing together since they were sophomores, Ty Hobbs, Dayton Beasley, and Ty Bennett are the leaders of the Ware County Gators baseball team. They lead by example and if the Gators are to make a deep run in the state playoffs, look for these three to provide some of the “magic.” They say “a leopard cannot change his spots.” Good thing Camden County tennis coach Dan Vonk is not a leopard. Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy going from a hardnosed “tennis first and everything else comes afterwards” coach to one with a NO CUT policy. When you look closely at all Coach Vonk has overcome in his life, you won’t be surprised he was able to make the change. It doesn’t take talking to Will Gowen very long to know you’re talking to a young man wise beyond his years. I first had the pleasure of meeting the Charlton County senior, two nights before he played for the Class A football state championship game, at an In the Game radio show and I was immediately impressed. He shared with us that night that he wanted to become an attorney after graduation. I’m completely convinced this young man can accomplish anything he sets his mind to.
Area Schools
in the
Appling County Pirates Bacon County Red Raiders Bradwell Institute Tigers Brantley County Herons Brunswick Pirates Camden County Wildcats Charlton County Indians Frederica Academy Knights Glynn Academy Red Terrors Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets Liberty County Panthers Long County Blue Tide McIntosh County Buccaneers Pierce County Bears Ware County Gators Wayne County Yellow Jackets
Contributors
If you want a recipe for success for any sport, there’s not one out there that will top this: (1) fundamentals, (2) practice hard, and (3) love the game. Theses are the values instilled in Frederica Academy eighth grader Will Bowdion by his father. Will not only uses this formula in baseball to play varsity ball as an eighth grader, but also applies it to his quarterback role on the middle school football team.
John DuPont John Wood Rob Asbell
Copy Editors Crystal Hubbard Ashley Dailey
Advertising/Marketing Shawn Smoak shawn@inthegamemagazine.com
Mark Dykes
mark@inthegamemagazine.com
Website Manager Kaitlynn Passmore
SEGA Prep Sports P.O. Box 2960 • Waycross, GA 31502
Four State title winners in the SEGA coverage area in state traditional wrestling is outstanding. One repeat winner from 2013, one from the state’s power team and two history making first-time winners from their respective schools. Take a look at these four who bested the best and won the gold. Follow the paths they took to be called CHAMPIONS. We hope you enjoy reading In the Game as much as we enjoy producing and publishing it. We are always open to suggestions as well as story ideas or ways you think we can improve our magazine. Please visit our website at www. inthegamemagazine.com and Facebook at www.facebook.com/inthegamemagazine. Join us every Thursday evening live from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. as we broadcast live “In the Game on Radio” on WWUF 97.7 FM or stream the show live on www. waycrossradio.com. We have an excellent opportunity for fundraising whether for your sports team, organization or booster club. Please give us a call at 888-715GAME or email us at info@inthegamemagazine.com for details. While you’re online, don’t forget to nominate a deserving student-athlete or coach for one of our feature articles. You’ll be glad you did.
John DuPont,
Features & Commentary
John Wood,
Features & Commentary
For distribution and subscription information contact: info@inthegamemagazine.com For advertising information call: 888-715-4263 Corporate Office: Dykes Publishing Group, Inc. P.O. Box 812 Valdosta, Georgia 31603
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Shawn Smoak,
Southeast Georgia Publisher
In the Game High School Sports Magazine is published monthly excluding July. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in part or in full without written consent from the publisher. Dykes Publishing Group, Inc. makes no representation or warranty of any kind for accuracy of content. All advertisements are assumed by the publisher to be correct. Copyright 2014 Dykes Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 1945-1458.
www.inthegamemagazine.com
Kings of the Mat by John DuPont
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photography by Bo Carter, Jennifer Carter Johnson, and Jeffrey Griffith
ebruary brought unprecedented wrestling glory for In the Game (Southeast) schools, which saw four schools crowned champions. For Appling County’s Damarko Dixon, it was a case of repeating as state champ while Camden County’s Alex Diaz added to his school’s list of title winners. Elsewhere, Pierce County’s Dustin Bryant and Ware County’s Jacob Allen made history for each of their respective schools. ITG salutes these young titans who crowned their prep careers the as best of the best. ITG
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Jacob Allen Ware County High School 195 lbs, Class AAAAA
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llen, the son of James Allen and Maria Allen, spent most of the season as the top-ranked 195-pound wrestler in class 5A. The Gator captain’s historymaking feat came on the heels of placing third in the 182-pound class as a junior. In the state finals at Loganville High, Allen advanced out of the gates by pinning Noah Hamevious of Thomas County Central. Allen next beat Clarke Central’s Blake Mustard via decision before pinning Sean Klasson of Rome. Allen finally outpointed (10-7) Isaiah Ross of Woodland in the finals to claim ultimate victory. “Jacob is a great example of an athlete who set his goals early in his career and then did what it took to achieve them,” says WCHS head coach Joe Eichfeld. Allen posted more than 40 victories this season on the
way to winning the state title. He has drawn interest from colleges including UT-Chattanooga and Gardner-Webb. He is most proud of having achieved his elite feat alongside Gator teammates and fellow state finishers Luke Littlefield (second place, 113 lbs) and Jake Gourley (fourth place, 138 lbs). “We all wrestled together from the time we were in the fifth grade,” says Allen. “That trio is like a band of brothers that made it all the way to state. Winning a state title has been my goal since I was a freshman. I saw the celebration reels from others and had it in my head that I’m going to be one of those guys. My senior year came up, and I was working my best. I had a few bumps here and there. When I made it to the final I thought, ‘This is a dream. This is the time to do what needs to be done.’” 99
Dustin Bryant Pierce County High School 285 lbs, Class AAA
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ryant, the son of Andy Bryant and Jenny Bryant, won the 285-pound title at the class 3A crown, becoming the first Bears grappler in history to cop such an honor (teammate Chago Ramirez placed third at 132 pounds). Bryant punched his ticket to Buford after winning the area title. He then advanced through the bracket at the state tourney, beating Rockmart’s Spencer Huth (fall), Callaway’s Brandon Sutton (5-2 decision), and Elbert County’s Ken Allen (fall). “Dustin has amazing strength and athleticism,” says PCHS head coach Brandon Jernigan. “He will be hard to replace. He was a tremendous leader by actions this season and will always have a place in the tradition of PCHS wrestling.” Bryant’s 34 victories this season included 27 pins. Not bad for a guy who only weighed 246, nearly 40 pounds under his
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weight class limit. He’s now mulling offers to wrestle at either Brewton-Parker College or Bacone (Oklahoma) College. Bryan notes his title-clinching victory was a particularly sweet way to cap his high school career. “I knew that I had lost to Allen,” says Bryant. “I believe his record was 50-2 while mine was 34-3. I went into the start of the match knowing in my head that I was going to win, that he wasn’t going to beat me again. Before I knew it, I was on my back for a second. Then I flipped over and put him in a quarter crank, pinning him with about 17 seconds left. When I heard them hit the mat, I went crazy, sprinting all over the place looking for people I knew. It is a great experience that is like no other in the world, and I will always remember that three and a half minutes.”
Alex Diaz
Camden County High School 170 lbs, Class AAAAAA
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iaz, the son of Marylee Lebrun, overcame significant hardships this season en route to glory. He lost the tip of a middle finger after smashing it with a dumbbell in September. He then injured an ankle two weeks before area competition. Still, Diaz soldiered on and captured the area, sectional, and state titles. He went 52-4, mostly as a 170-pounder after starting the season at 182. Last season, he competed at 195. “Alex has a good combination of technique, athleticism, and perseverance which catapulted him to a state championship,” says CCHS head coach Jess Wilder. “From an athletic stand point, he isn’t flashy, but when he moves, he moves well.” Diaz pinned Tai-John Berry of Westlake and Cameryn Bryant of Grayson to open the state tourney. He then earned decisions over Rodney Jones of Duluth before downing
Jonathan Gates of Marietta to win the state title. Diaz says he has likely wrestled for the final time. He joined the Army National Guard and will soon move to Houston, where he’ll work and attend college. The humble Diaz gives much of the credit for his exploits to his girlfriend, Caroline Snyder and her parents, Todd and Elizabeth Snyder. He also credits Camden program assistants Ryan Durham, Andrew Medders, and Jeremy Scott, and former assistant Ryan Alfau. Wilder, though, gets a special nod. “Coach Wilder took me in, and at the end of the day he made me kind of grow up,” says Diaz. “He taught me to stay classy if you win a match. He taught me hard work and that just because you’re not feeling good, you’re still expected to practice. That correlates to anything, not just your job, but that you should do anything 110 percent.” 11 11
Damarko Dixon Appling County High School 170 lbs, Class AAA
B D
ryan, ixon, thethe sonson of of Andy Kutonya BryantKing and(husband Jenny Bryant, Clifton) wonand theGerald 285-pound Dixon, title won at state the class at 170 3A pounds crown, one becoming year theafter first claiming Bears grappler the titleinathistory 152. He to wrestled cop such up an at honor (teammate 182 a fewChago time this Ramirez season, placed but third settled at in 132 at pounds). 170 and fashioned Bryant punched a 64-2his record. ticketDixon to Buford defeated afterBlessed winningTrinity’s the areaRyan title. Grady He then (fall), advanced Jackson through County’s theChuckie bracket Allen at the(tech), state tourney, and Elbert County’s beating Rockmart’s Dylan Sanders Spencer (decision) Huth (fall), to claim Callaway’s his second Brandon state title. Sutton (5-2 decision), and Elbert County’s Ken Allen (fall). “Damarko “Dustin hastold amazing me about strength the third and athleticism,” round (second saysmatch) PCHSthat he head couldn’t coach take Brandon a deep Jernigan. breath“He because will be he hard injured to replace. his ribs inHe the was previous a tremendous match,” leader says by ACHS actions headthis coach season Mark andGreen. will always “He amazed have a place me once in theagain tradition by theofway PCHS he turned wrestling.” it up a notch and fought Bryant’s through 34 victories the pain.this Heseason is a special included kid, one 27 pins. thatNot doesn’t bad come for a guy along who that only often.” weighed 246, nearly 40 pounds under his
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weight Dixonclass will limit. wrestle He’s next now at mulling the Airoffers Force to Academy. wrestle at Heeither hasn’t decided Brewton-Parker on a military College occupation or Bacone yet,(Oklahoma) but favors combat College.rescue. Bryan It’s notes appropriate his title-clinching considering victory Dixon’s was atrack particularly record of sweet performing way to under cap hispressure. high school career. “I“My knew ribsthat were I had hurting lost to pretty Allen,” bad,” saysDixon Bryant. says. “I “The believe final his match recordstarted, was 50-2and while I could minetell was the34-3. guy had I went a pretty into the good start game of plan. the match I got first knowing takedown, in my head and itthat wasI 2-1 was after goingthe to first win, period. that he He wasn’t got going a takedown to beatand me went again.up Before 4-2, then I knew rode it, out I was the onrest my of the backsecond for a second. period. Then In theI third, flippedI over got anand escape put him andintakedown a quarter with crank,18pinning seconds him leftwith butabout got called 17 seconds for an illegal left. When slam. IThen heardit was them6-4 hit in the mymat, favor, I went he got crazy, a reversal, sprinting and allitover was the 6-6.place We had one looking minute for people in overtime, I knew. and It is within a great theexperience first 15 seconds that isI like shotno right otherininand thegot world, my takedown. and I will always I thinkremember it’s all mental thattoughness. three and a As halflong minutes.” as you think you can do something, you can.”
Academic Athlete
Charlton County High School
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by John Wood
C
harlton County had just finished a rare losing season, and Indians football head coach Rich McWhorther asked a rhetorical question of his team: “How do you want to be remembered?” The rising seniors gave a concrete answer. “Coach Mac had never had a losing season before, or at least since any of us could remember. It was absolutely heartbreaking to finish the season the way we did. We didn’t want to go out like that. We started talking about it in the weight room, and we knew we wanted to be the team that took Charlton County back to the Georgia Dome. We hadn’t been in the state championship game in seven years, and we wanted to be the team that brought the Indians back,” Charlton County Indians defensive tackle Will Gowen says. The road back to the Dome for the Indians last season wasn’t easy, but they were able to get there through hard work and determination. “Everyone nicknamed us the Road Warriors, because we had to go on the road during playoffs. We played better than anyone thought that we could at Commerce, a number-one seed. We even surprised ourselves,” Gowen says. Gowen was an All-Region Freshman Team selection, Second Team All-Region as a sophomore, and for the past two seasons he has been a First Team All-Region selection. As a defensive tackle, Gowen has brains that come with his brawn. Scoring an impressive 1450 on the SAT while holding a 3.8 GPA and playing football and baseball landed him several scholarship offers including one to the University of the South in Sewanee. Tennessee. Gowen was honored by the offer to play at Sewanee, also known as the “Harvard of the South,” though his first choice was to play a little closer to home at the newly minted football program at Mercer University in Macon. Gowen has accepted an offer at Jacksonville University, where he will play nose guard. “I wanted to go Mercer, but it didn’t work out the way I was hoping it would, but Jacksonville does play Mercer next year,” Gowen says. Gowen isn’t the only one in his family who will be playing at the college level. His brother Drew, who was a catcher on the Charlton County state finalist baseball team a couple of springs ago, is the starting catcher at Darton College in Albany. A great athlete, Gowen has also learned to become a “man of letters,” mainly American Literature taught to him by his American Literature teacher, Ian Warenkine last year. Warekine is also one of Gowen’s football coaches. “I never really liked literature that much, but Coach Warekine is passionate about literature and makes you appreciate it and enjoy, so I got where I liked it.
photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
I got a lot out of my Anatomy-Physiology class that was taught by Tracy Willis,” Gowen says. Gowen has been in the baseball program at Charlton and watched it rise to one of the strongest programs in Georgia. He has been an outfielder but primarily is the designated hitter for the Indians. His sophomore season, Charlton dropped to Class A, which still put them in a tough region but one more manageable than what they had been in when they were Class 2A. Just like this past football season, Charlton faced some trials in the playoffs but were able to overcome them. “We had to come back against George Walton and beat them to get in the championship. The championship game kept getting postponed because of tropical storms, so we were actually out of school by the time we played. We won the first game and lost the other two. It was either me or my teammate Jacob Baxter that came out of the dressing room after we lost and asked Coach Marchman what color uniform to wear tomorrow, because we started summer baseball the next day,” Gowen says. “Will is a valuable part of our baseball team. After eight games he has a .391 batting average and seven RBI, while playing left field and DH. Will is a player that his coaches and his teammates can count on. He brings energy to the field everyday and has helped us to get off to an 8-0 start to the 2014 baseball season. Will is a competitor. His dedication makes the players around him better. Will was also the starting designated hitter for the Class A state championship game in 2013, where Charlton County earned their first state championship in baseball in school history,” Charlton County head baseball coach Thad Marchman says. Marchman is still building his legacy with the Charlton baseball program, so there was no need to ask about how the next baseball team wanted to be remembered - they wanted to be state champions. Gowen and his teammates did not want to know the feeling of finishing second again. Just as the seniors took it upon themselves to do what it took to get Charlton to the Dome, the baseball team adopted the slogan “Do More.” “Do More” carried them through the 2013 season, a region title, a tough road in the playoffs, and finally the one thing that rewarded them for doing more: a state championship win over Class A baseball power Gordon-Lee. Gowen has certainly accomplished a lot which he credits to his family and teammates, and he will be remembered for giving his all in everything he has done. He plans to major in history and minor in political science in college and then go to law school. For now, the Indians have their sights set on making a return trip to the Class A state title game. ITG 17
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Presented by:
Player
Spotlight
Ty Hobbs
Dayton Beasley
Ware County High School
Ty Bennett 19
Diamond Trio Sparkles for Ware by Rob Asbell
I
t is a cold March morning, too cold for the boys of summer who have gathered for the annual Baseball at the Beach tournament at Edo Miller Field in Brunswick, Georgia. With the Brunswick Pirates leading the Ware County Gators by one run in the fourth inning, Ty Hobbs strides to the plate. The right-handed hitter digs into the batter’s box and waits for a fastball down the middle. Crack! Everyone in the stands knows the sound as soon as the ball jumps off the bat. It travels over the centerfield fence, just near a sign that reads 355 feet. The homer ties the game for now, but Hobbs goes on to pitch a complete game victory. He is one of a trio of Ware County Gators baseball players who garner respect from opponents everywhere they go. Dayton Beasley is the catcher and team signal caller who likes to gun down would-be base stealers. Hobbs is the big-hitting, hard-throwing player who competes at full throttle 100 percent of the time. And at first base is Ty Bennett, the player Ware County head baseball coach Tony Yeomans says is his brain and scholar. “He is one that I can tell him something about hitting or pitching, and he analyzes it and then does exactly what you want him to do.” Tybee, as Bennett is known to his teammates, has a 4.0 grade point average and is ranked 10th in his class to go along with his .320 batting average. He was named the school’s Baseball Scholar Athlete the past two years, he’s a member of the WCHS Leadership Class, and he is chairman of the Waycross Bank & Trust Jr. Board. He is an advanced placement scholar who has dual enrollment at South Georgia State College and plans to attend Georgia Southern University and walk on the Eagles baseball team. Eventually, he hopes to practice dentistry in Waycross. Bennett, the son of Lamar and Penny Bennett of Waresboro, has played since he was six years old and still recalls throwing a no-hitter against Appling County in All-Stars and his first varsity hit as a sophomore. “I hit a single up the middle for the first hit our team had of the game.” Beasley carries a perfect 4.0 GPA and hopes to one day play Major League baseball. “Cheeseburger,” as he is known on the diamond, has been the Gators Defensive Player of the Year and Hardest Working Player of the Year twice each. Beasley started play20
photography by Bo Carter
ing baseball in second grade and was playing travel ball by the time he was 10 years old. He was hooked on baseball when he caught his first fly ball by accident by sticking his glove out. “That play started my interest in baseball after all of the congratulations that I received.” He started playing middle school baseball in Wayne County and played JV catcher for the Wayne County High School Yellow Jackets before moving to Ware County as a sophomore. A catcher himself, Yeomans seems to expect more from his players who play behind the plate. “Dayton would probably tell you that I am harder on him than anyone else,” says the coach. The son of Lonnie and Sandy Beasley, Beasley has plans to major in the medical field in college. Yeomans, in his fourth year at the Gators’ helm, said there has been recruiting interest in all three players from schools such as Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Valdosta State, South Georgia College, and Armstrong Atlantic State University. Perhaps the most heavily recruited of the three is Hobbs,
who is being sought as a first baseman rather than a pitcher due to his ability to hit the long ball and his fiercely competitive nature. “He also has a great baseball name too, doesn’t he?” says Yeomans, referring to Hobbs sharing his name with two baseball legends: Hall of Fame inductee Ty Cobb and the fictional hero of “The Natural,” Roy Hobbs. “I don’t know what my dad was thinking (when he named me),” Hobbs says, “but it works.” He is a .350 hitter who made the All-Region team as both a pitcher and first baseman and has attended the Nebraska World Series and Junior Fall Classic with the Baseball Factory/Under Armour. This year, he was chosen as a preseason Under Armour AllAmerican to add to an impressive collection of accomplishments on the diamond. During his years at Ware County High School, Hobbs has been known as much as a pitching threat as he is at the plate. In his junior year on the mound, Hobbs tossed a perfect game against Windsor Forest. In the classroom, he holds a 3.8 GPA and is an honor graduate, a member of the leadership team, and he mentors special education students. A member of the Future Farmers of America, he likes to help out on the family farm and plans to major in business. His future plans include owning and operating the family business. The son of Jackson and Stacy Hobbs, Hobbs is known for his happy demeanor and positive attitude. But he can also be stoic and handles pressure well, especially on the mound. Insiders say it could be a short trip down Highway 84 for Hobbs to play for the Valdosta State Blazers next season, but, his father says, he will wait until the season is over to make an official announcement. Yeomans can’t bring himself to consider a team without the senior trio, at least not until this season is done. “I have them now, and that is all that matters at this point.” Still, he admits that losing Beasley, Bennett, and Hobbs will be about more than just losing great players to graduation. “What I really am going to miss is the guys themselves. I have a great relationship with each of these young men,” Yeomans says. “These guys leave big shoes to fill next year, but that is next year.” ITG
Ty Bennett
Dayton Beasley
Ty Hobbs
Bennett was the Gators JV Pitcher of the Year his freshman season and the Baseball Scholar Athlete following his sophomore and junior years. He has a .490 on-base percentage and a 2.1 ERA as a pitcher. He plans to become a dentist in Waycross.
The Gators Defensive Player of the Year twice and Hardest Working Player twice, Beasley had a .987 fielding percentage as a catcher in summer ball. He started high school baseball in Wayne County and moved to Ware County sophomore year.
Hobbs started playing at four years old and continued through high school, where he has had eight homeruns, 57 RBIs, and 34 walks. All-Region 2012, 2013. Preseason All-America 2014.
Nickname: Tybee
Nickname: Cheeseburger
Positions: Pitcher, First Baseman, Outfielder
Position: Catcher
Batting Average:
.320
GPA: 4.0 Clubs & Honors: Leadership Team, FFA, Special Ed Mentors, Honors Grad, member of honors classes Parents: Lamar and Penny Bennett
Favorite player:
Batting Average:
.349
GPA: 4.0 Clubs & Honors: FFA, honor roll Parents: Lonnie and Sandy Beasley
Favorite player:
Dan Uggla
Nickname: Hobbs Positions: First base; Pitcher
Batting Average:
.350
GPA: 3.8 Clubs & Honors: Leadership Team, FFA, Special Ed Mentors, Honors Grad, member of honors classes Parents: Jackson and Stacy Hobbs
Favorite player:
Derek Jeter
Lou Gehrig
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Bacon County Red Raiders Alma, GA • www.bcraiders.com Red Raider Baseball
Bacon County High School
Bacon County’s young Red Raider baseball team took out some early season frustrations at the plate against McIntosh County March 7 on their home field as they defeated the Bucs 13-3. The Raiders, who were 2004 Class A State Champions, go into each season working to match that success. The Raiders have been stumbling behind the plate and have lost some games they could have won, had their bats gotten hot. The tide turned against McIntosh, however, as the Raiders won by pounding the ball the entire game. “I’m proud of the way the team came back after falling behind 2-1 in the first inning,” says five-year Bacon County head coach Derek James. In an earlier interview, James said he believed his team will steadily improve over the year. “Players have settled into their positions, which gets our power going behind the plate. We should do okay.” The McIntosh game saw James’s predictions come to reality as his players found the key at the plate while sophomore pitcher Jacob Carver has kept control from the mound. Carver threw nine strikeouts. Not only was Carver strong from the plate, he had three extra base hits, doubling in the first, second, and fourth. Senior Kyle Wilcox got two walks and two RBI’s while freshman Kline Nipper got three hits and three RBI’s. The Raiders had control of the game from the get-go as they pounded the Bucs for seven runs in the first inning and cruised to the 13-3 win.
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by Gail Fiveash This year’s roster contains only four seniors followed by three juniors with the remaining names on the roster consisting of six sophomores and eight freshmen and even one eighth grader. The future looks bright for the Raiders, the coaching staff believes. The team this year has been led by members of each class. “It’s been a combination of senior leadership and the youth of the freshmen that have made our team competitive,” says James. “When the season began I was worried about the pitching,” he says. “But Jacob (Caver) has kept us in many ballgames and given us a chance to win. In games where we lost by just one or two runs, had we gotten some key hits, we would have won.” One loss came at the hands of the highly-ranked Atkinson County team that defeated the Raiders 16-0. This year’s senior class contains some familiar names in Raider baseball as they will say good-bye to Will Newberry, Kyle Wilcox,
Chase Cothern, and Tucker Bennett. The two juniors, Dylan Miles, who is also a starter on the Red Raider Football team, and first baseman Carter Lee, are both major contributors to the team this season. Sophomores, several who are already playing key roles on the team, are Dalton Spires, Adam Grayson, Sky Kaeck, Aniscio Washington, and Aubrey Carter.
The freshmen moving up this year are Lane Foster, Alex Turner, Klein Nipper, Dalton Youmans, Wesley Cothern, Dawson Dyal and Payton Nobles. Nipper is already one of the leaders on the team and has three more years. Tossed into the mix is power-hitter eight-grader Jacob Holton. The Raiders who compete in Region 1AA set midway the standings in the region with a 2-5 overall record but look to improve their win-loss record as the season progresses. No official date has been announced for the completion of the new baseball diamond at the new high school, but the Raider Baseball Team will follow suit of the football team and move games to the new site in the future. Assisting James on the coaching staff are Stephen Tyre, Thomas McCullough, and Matt Peavy.
Bacon County Red Raiders Morris Johnson Stadium • Capacity: 2,500 • Alma, GA • www.bcraidersfootball.com Cofer Takes The Reins
by John DuPont “Holy cow! Where did Bacon get those athletes?’” notes Cofer. “The last time we had seen Bacon was in 2005 and they didn’t look that way then. I actually saw some film on the Pierce-Bacon game and somebody said, ‘Coach, you need to look into that; the job is open. So I drove over here one Saturday and looked around about an hour and a half, then I came back for an interview. They were just good, down-home people, hungry to win; a small town where there’s nothing else to do on a Friday night but go to a football game.”
Bacon County High School
Bacon County High School recently hired Ken Cofer as the 23rd head football coach in the school’s 64-year history. Cofer, who succeeds Hildrick Garrison, comes to BCHS from Cook High School in Adel. There, he led the Hornets to a 32-15 mark over four seasons, with state playoff berths each season. In 2010, Cofer’s first season as head coach, he led CHS to the second most wins in the program’s history (12). Now he has his sights set on doing the same thing at Bacon. “I want to build a program,” says Cofer (32-15 career record). “I want to win. We’re about championships. It’s time for that and it has been time. Why would you play something and not want to be the best?” A native of Dallas, Georgia, Cofer graduated from Paulding County High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of West Georgia and earned his social science certification through Jacksonville State University. He subsequently obtained master’s, specialist, and doctorate degrees, all through the United States Sports Academy. Cofer’s wife Stacy is also a professional educator. His stepdaughter, Brynlie is a current high school student. Cofer also has two daughters living in Lakeland, Georgia. The devoted father says his desire to provide the best for his family while remaining close to all of his children prompted pursuit of the Bacon County opportunity. “I want to be a good dad,” Cofer says. “I want to be there for my girls and this is my limit on distance. I’m going to spend time with my family. That’s number one.” Education and athletics are in Cofer’s blood. His father was a football coach, his mother a teacher. That upbringing has helped Cofer craft his family-first philosophy and it has been a successful formula thus far. His Cook Hornets posted four straight winning seasons from 2010-13. The last and only other time that happened under the same head coach at Cook was 1961-67, when Bobby Rich was at the helm. Now Cofer wants to duplicate that type success at BCHS. “I saw Bacon County in a passing tournament two or three years ago and our coaching staff was going,
The Red Raiders went 4-6 last season after notching consecutive regular-season winning campaigns for the first time since 1987-88. Cofer says maintaining a top-flight weight program is a vital toward building a championship program. He has been on campus since January 21 and has been personally supervising the BCHS weight program while helping map out the finishing touches of the weight facility at the new Bacon County High School. “Ryan Kineard will be coming from South Carolina; he is going to be our weight room coach,” says Cofer. “As far as what went into the weight room – color, design, how many machines here and there – I got to
do all that with Ryan. It’s going to be a jam-up place. The community is going to be proud of it.” The new BCHS weight facility will feature separate rooms for high school and middle school athletes. Dozens of returning players as well as rising freshmen have been working diligently in the existing facility to prepare for spring football drills. Cofer says he anticipates some 55 high school athletes reporting for spring along with about 20 current eighth graders. “It’s just me now, but Coach Kineard and other coaches will be joining us soon. Every kid will get coached and every kid will get reps.” Cofer has plans for the Red Raiders to feature a multiple-style offense in the grain of Pierce County, but perhaps with more running. And while the offensive scheme may not always be wide open, he says the Red Raiders’ style of play will be. Cofer wants “go-getters” who at the same time aren’t afraid to show humility. “I’m not perfect, but the good Lord keeps me going,” he says. “We’re going to preach the word here. We pray in the weight room every Friday before we leave for the weekend. A lot of good Christian people have supported me, even in dark times. I have no complaints about Adel or Cook High School and it will be the same thing here in Alma. We had good kids there that worked their tails off. They were 140-150 pound kids and they thought they were supposed to run through a brick wall. I’m very proud of that. ” Cofer looks to re-establish a sense of stability at BCHS, where he becomes the fourth head coach in five seasons. “Alma is my home to me,” he says. “I’m going to put my heart and soul into wherever I am. There’s one thing I can promise you: I’ll never lie to you. I don’t want to be a coach that moves around.” With the advent of the new BCHS and its facilities, including a new stadium, there’s plenty of buzz in Bacon County. “It’s going to be exciting on a Friday night in Alma, I promise you,” says Cofer.
Due to some inaccuracies and misquotes in the March 2014 article regarding New Bacon County head football coach Ken Cofer, In the Game Magazine felt it necessary to re-run a corrected version. The In the Game publisher and staff are deeply regretful for any misrepresentation that the previous article alluded to or insinuated.
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Coach’s Corner sponsored by:
Daniel Vonk Camden County High School
Camden’s Tennis Guru by Rob Asbell
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any consider Dan Vonk to be ‘the’ tennis coach in Camden County. For the past 19 seasons, he has been courtside for the Wildcats boys and girls teams, teaching values such as respect to eager young players. He is best known for his no-cut policy. “If you are a kid and love tennis, we have a place for you,” Vonk says. Among his former pupils are doctors, ship commanders, pilots, engineers, and at least one real live rocket scientist. In his own playing days, Vonk encountered many opponents, but only one nearly cost him his life: cancer. Chondrolsarcoma, a type of advanced bone cancer, was discovered in Vonk’s right thigh. Doctors at Mayo Clinic told Vonk that his hip and fe24
photography by Jeffrey Griffith
mur would have to be removed because this type of bone cancer does not respond well to radiation or chemotherapy. “I assembled three close friends who were tennis players, and I played what I thought might be my last tennis match that I would ever play,” Vonk says. Fortunately, prosthetics replaced the missing bone, and Vonk was eventually able to play, and more importantly, coach tennis again. After going through physical rehab and learning to live with new bones, he became the head tennis coach at Camden County High School in 1996. He credits the community and his fellow coaches for helping him develop Camden into a high quality, competitive program. They include his
longtime assistant Marcus Long, who runs the feeder program at St. Marys Middle, and “main co-coach” Daniel Breag. “I can’t just call him my assistant,” Vonk admits. Breag says Vonk thinks progressively as a coach and that he continues to develop as a coach. “The wheels in his head are always turning, and he constantly tries to come up with ways to improve kids,” Breag says. Vonk adapts his coaching style to suit the players with whom he is working, focusing on each one’s strong points. In an area that once had very few tennis courts, Vonk now has enough courts to handle the 40-plus students on his tennis teams. He has a system of A, B, and C junior varsity teams, if necessary, that gives each person
a chance to play. He also travels throughout Southeast Georgia giving camps and helping to develop programs, and he is involved with Camden’s middle school tennis, which has become a feeder program for the high school. Since 2001, both the girls and boys teams have made the playoffs every year, including, for the girls team, trips to the quarterfinals in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and the Final Four in 2007, 2008, and 2013. Vonk was named the Professional Tennis Registry’s High School Coach of the Year in 2008 to go along with his U.S. Tennis Association’s Georgia High School Coach of the Year. In 2007, he was named a Racquet Sports Industry’s National Grassroots Champion of Tennis and received the United States Tennis Association’s “Starfish” No-Cut high school coach award. This season, Vonk is hoping the girls and boys teams make it back to the state playoffs. The boys fell in the first round last year, but the girls made it all the way to the final four. “To make it back to the final four, which is like a state championship for South Geor-
gia schools in tennis, was just really special,” says Vonk. The season was made even more special because conflicts forced them to play without their number-one player for approximately half the season, including the region tournament. Expected to win, the Wildcats finished third, forcing them to travel for the playoffs. Including the region tournament, the Lady Wildcats spent four weeks on the road visiting and defeating Hillgrove, Westlake, and Harrison. The Wildcats fell to eventual girls state champion Walton, a metro-Atlanta school that has claimed 11 of the last 13 titles. After facing the possibility of being unable to play, Vonk now loves being able to be on the tennis court every day. Once his career as a high school coach comes to an end, Vonk figures he will find a way to still be involved in junior tennis one way or another. No matter what, he will always have a connection to tennis. “I figure I’ll probably die on the tennis court. I’ve accepted that that is just what I do,” he says. ITG
The No-Cut Policy Camden County Head Tennis Coach Dan Vonk hasn’t always been the easy-going coach with the no-cut policy. He started out at Baker County High in Florida as a tough-guy coach, forcing students to choose tennis above all other sports and even their jobs. One of those who had to choose work over tennis was Joseph Burtner. The two met again after graduation, and Burtner told Vonk how he had always wanted to continue playing tennis but had to get a job his senior year. Not long after the two spoke, Burtner realized his dream of becoming a law enforcement officer. On December 12, 1995, Burtner, a rookie police officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, was shot and killed by a man during a suicide call that turned into an ambush. Burtner had been with the JSO for only six months. Knowing that his former student had regretted not being able to play tennis his senior year, Vonk decided that he would no longer cut players or force them to choose tennis unless he absolutely had to, which has happened only once in 19 years. He has had as many as 62 players on his teams and regularly has more than 40. He was one of the first to have a no-cut program even before it was endorsed by national tennis organizations. As he sees it, his job is to help students learn to be good, well-rounded people, using tennis to teach them. Each player must attend practice or make up any practices that are missed. Although most will likely never turn professional, Vonk wants them to learn respect for the game.
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Camden County Wildcats Kingsland, GA • www.wildcat.camden.k12.ga.us/ Every Child Deserves A Chance To Play Baseball It all started with Eddie Bagwell. As the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association’s coach of 1997, he thought to instill the game of baseball into the hearts of disabled children in his community. The “Miracle League” was formed a year later to continue its mission of bringing happiness to those with special needs. Jeff and Tina Norris were inspired by their son, who loved to play baseball, but passed away in 2009 from a brain tumor on his brain stem. With creating Justin Miracle Field in 2011, they had high hopes of putting the dream of baseball into the hearts of everyone within the Camden community. Norris followed the original
rules of the game, allowing every player to bat once each inning and allowing all of the base runners to be safe. Plus, every player scores a run before the inning is over (last one up gets a home run). Community youth and volunteers serve as “buddies” who assist. Each team and every player wins the game. Sean Hoctor and Zachary Sculthrope, two players from Camden County High School, explained how the League has impacted their lives. “Hitting the ball is my favorite part,” Hoctor says with a smile on his face.” I want to hit the ball as hard as I can all the way to the skate park!” For Sculthrope, hitting it is not enough. Being a part
by Kate Slattery of the team and being able to wear his Braves jersey is what brings joy to his heart most of all. “I love the League,” Sculthrope explained. “And I love my team. We have so much fun playing baseball and goofing around with Homer, the League’s mascot.” Both Hoctor and Sculthrope continued to describe how exciting it is to go to the League every Saturday to be with family and friends that they have come to know and love. Justin’s Miracle League has more meaning than just a day of playing baseball. By honoring Justin, who now plays baseball in heaven, the Norris’s have succeeded at allowing every man, woman, and child be able to play the game of baseball. Camden County High School
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Bradwell Institute Tigers Olvey Field • Capacity: 9,000 • Hinesville, GA Bradwell Baseball Develops Young Talent seen a good base of parent support which has made a lot difference. Coach Hellgren built a strong foundation when he was here. We are starting to get some good players coming through, and that is going to keep us competitive, which we are going to need this year and certainly next year when we move into the new region next year,” Polk says. The Tigers have had a good first half of the season according to Polk. “We have played some good baseball. There are times we have had some mental lapses, but I think we are getting better every game. The first time we played Charlton County, who won a state championship last year, they run ruled it at their
place. But we played them up here, and we played them a lot better and only lost 5-3,” Polk says. Bradwell has posted a pair of wins over rival Liberty and defeated region stalwart Glynn Academy. “Chris Bell pitched a complete 92 pitch game Friday against Glynn. We put the ball in play which forced Glynn to make a few defensive mistakes. We capitalized on their mistakes. We still are not to where we need to be at this point in the season, but I feel that we are getting better and better every game. This team is capable of great things,” Polk says. Bell has a 2-2 record for the Tigers on the mound. Catcher Sage Sammons, Ryan Desbiens, Evan Crystal, and Stephen Felton are a few of the players that make up the Tigers pitchers by committee. One major area of concern for the Tigers though has been at the plate. Bradwell’s strikeout to hit ratio is too high for Polk. Bradwell has 66 strikeouts compared to 49 hits through the first 10 games. “We have looked at too many third strike pitches. I’ve even put in a policy that if a hitter looks at a called third strike, they have five foul poles after the game, so hopefully that will make a difference,” Polk says. The win against Glynn Academy was the first of an eight game home stand for the Tigers which Polk hopes gets his Tigers club on the right path. Bradwell is 4-7 on the season and 2-2 in Region 3-AAAAA.
Bradwell Insititute
Bradwell Tigers first year head coach Jeff Polk’s young team is starting to make some noise in the region. Bradwell has three senior starters, Sage Sammons, Chris Nunn, and Hunter Jackson, and one reserve, John Riddle. Though the Tigers only have a couple of seniors, those players are at key positions according to Polk. “We have two seniors that catch for us, but other than that the majority of our line up is juniors and under,” Polk says. Polk, is an alumni of Bradwell Institute and knows firsthand about how the Tigers have struggled in baseball. However, thanks to a burgeoning parent base and the four seasons of tutelage under Polk’s father, Rhett Hellgren, the program is starting to flourish. Hellgren was a coach’s profile in the past and also is the head basketball coach for the Bradwell boys. The past few seasons, Bradwell has been able to fill a freshman, junior varsity, and varsity team. Those numbers were a drastic change from when Polk was playing for the Tigers; the team barely had enough for a varsity and junior varsity. Most importantly, over the time Hellgren was head coach, the baseball team started to make the AAAAAA state playoffs on a consistent basis. “We have certainly seen a lot of players come out, and we have also
by John Wood
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Rising Star sponsored by:
Will Bowdoin frederica Academy
Bowdoin has been coached mainly by his father since T-ball, and his father taught him the importance of fundamentals, practicing hard, and loving the game. 30
Passing On the Love of the Game by John Wood
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aseball is a game that passes from generation to generation. Times change and so do uniforms, but the legacy of the game remains. At 14 years old, Will Bowdoin, an eighth-grader at Frederica Academy, learned the game the right way from his father Sidney, who enjoyed a successful career at Valdosta High in the late seventies. Bowdoin has been coached mainly by his father since T-ball, and his father taught him the importance of fundamentals, practicing hard, and loving the game. His father isn’t the only influence inspiring the love of the game in Bowdoin. His mother, Angie, is just as passionate as the rest of the family about baseball. As an eighth-grader, Bowdoin is starting at shortstop for Frederica Academy’s varsity baseball team. “He is one of the most fundamental young players I’ve ever seen. He is baseball savvy beyond his age. His work ethic is his greatest attribute. Bowdoin hates to fail and lose and is an intense competitor. He prides himself on doing things correctly and is extremely coachable. I’m looking forward to watching him grow as a baseball player and young man. He has a very bright future ahead of him,” Frederica Academy head baseball coach Greg Roberts says. Baseball isn’t the only sport Bowdoin plays for the Knights. He was also the quarterback for the Frederica Middle School football team. “Football has really helped me a lot because it’s taught me it’s how big you are. You learn to be able to hit and how to take a hit and get up. Football has made me tougher, and that has made me a better athlete - especially the weightlifting and the cardio and speed workouts that I have done,” Bowdoin says. Bowdoin has played baseball competitively since he was young, but what made a huge difference for him was playing for a travel team, the North Florida Hurricanes, based out of Jacksonville. One of his coaches with the team was Mark Campbell, a catcher in the Houston Astros organization, who caught Nolan Ryan during his time with Houston. Playing with his friend Randin Jernagin, a former In the Game Rising Star from Risley Middle School, Bowdoin learned a lot from Campbell. Besides playing shortstop, Bowdoin is also a pitcher. After learning to control his pitches through travel ball, he now has pretty good command of three pitches. “I throw a 12-to-6 curve ball about 55 mph, a straight change up that drops in on
photography by Jeffrey Griffith
right-handed hitters that hits about 60 mph. I throw two different fast baseballs, a two-seam and a four-seam that has been clocked between 75 and 80 miles per hour,” Bowdoin says. Throwing the ball is only part of the game for Bowdoin. He learned how to work certain hitters and keep himself ahead in the count and hitters guessing about what pitch might come next. Normally he works as a starter, but as the youngest member of Frederica’s varsity, he hasn’t thrown any this season so far but is willing serve in any role on the mound. “I’ve normally been a starting pitcher, learning to work ahead in the count, throw strikes, and keep the ball away from hitters and hit my spots. I’ve learned to look at scouting reports on hitters and also learned to know the certain sequence of pitches to throw certain hitters,” Bowdoin says. Bowdoin is just as calculating at the plate as he is on the mound or in the field. He isn’t going to the plate just to swing a bat; he understands the purpose of each and every bat. Hitting as a three and four hole, he walks a lot, and the fact that he is a selective hitter gives his teammates a chance to see more pitches. “I want to make the pitcher give me the pitch that I want to hit, not what he wants me to hit. I am very selective as a hitter, but I also understand situations. If I am in a situation that I need to get a bunt down, I will do that. It’s normally [my] goal to get a pitch that I can drive right over the shortstop’s head into to the gap. One of my coaches told me that the best curve ball hitters are usually good fastball hitters, too,” Bowdoin says. Bowdoin got his first varsity hit for Frederica this season against the Coastal Hurricanes, an independent team made up of players that are homeschooled. Though pleased with the hit and his .460 batting average, his most memorable experience related to baseball occurred during his travel ball time. “My favorite baseball experience was being able to go to Cooperstown, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is. We got to play a tournament at the stadium there, which was absolutely amazing. Even more important than athletics, is my commitment to Christ. I know God has given me the ability to play, and I just want to make sure I honor him in all that I do,” Bowdoin says ITG
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Pierce County Bears Blackshear, GA · www.pchs.pierce.k12.ga.us
Bears Cap Season on the Hardwood Basketball season has taken a toll to its end. The boys did a great job and had a great, amazing experience. Even Mrs. Dara Bennett, principal of Pierce County High School, said “Thank you Mr. EB Price for pulling us across the finish line in style this year as the best-dressed boys basketball coach in the region!” PCHS boys basketball had Darius Forman make sec-
by Maggie Santana ond team, all-region and Josh Henderson, Joshua McDay, and Nate Carter for honorable mention.” Coach Price states, “Considering the small period of time I was with Pierce County High School, I believe that the players accomplished a lot in the games and in life. Furthermore, I want to thank Coach Sean Pender (Pierce A.D.) for giving me the opportunity to
do what I love the most in life and that is to coach basketball. I also want to thank Mrs. Bennett for holding true to her statement ‘Excellence as the Standard’ at Pierce County and she is far exceeds the standard.” Pierce County will miss Coach Price. He did a great job with the boys and we wish him luck wherever life takes him.
Lady Bears Celebrate Hoops Playoff Run The PCHS Lady Bears basketball team had a great season this year. The girls made it to the region playoffs. They finished out their regular season February 7-8. Their last game of the regular season was played at home, where the received a win against New Hampstead. The win allowed the Lady Bears to progress to the region playoffs. Nene Shaw was named 1-AAA all-region, first team. Nene is a senior and has been on the basket-
Taylor Plays In “War of the Border” On February 15, Pierce County’s very own Clay Taylor competed in the annual War of the Border, Georgia vs. Florida showdown. This rivalry is always an anticipated event in which top-tier seniors from South Georgia and North Florida strap up and showcase their talents for the very last time. Previous PCHS alumni including Hunter Skipper, Steven Stipe, and Dillon Veal participated in last year’s game. Taylor, a guard/center for the Bears, was asked by head coach Sean Pender if he would be interested in taking the challenge to represent the Georgia team. Taylor gladly accepted by noting, “The hard work and dedication that I’ve put in my senior year caught his eye. He thought I would be a good pick for the Georgia team.” Taylor made the most of his Monday-Saturday practices by being named a starter on the Georgia offensive line. Taylor put on a good performance, but despite his efforts, Florida reigned supreme by grabbing a 23-12 victory in a very interesting match. “I’ll say I did pretty well. I didn’t mess up a lot, which is good,” exclaimed Taylor on his performance. “It was awesome to put pads on one more time, and experience the feeling of hitting people.” As Taylor wraps up his football career, he leaves behind a sense of energy and leadership that will definitely be missed by the upcoming Bear squad. Taylor was no doubt a key contributor to the offensive success that took place during the season.
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ball team all of her high school career. Cierra Presley and Phila Bryant were named honorable mention. Presley and Bryant are both juniors. The Lady Bears were scheduled to play the second round of region playoffs at Beach on February 12, but this game was cancelled due to the weather. The game was rescheduled at Beach for the next day. The Lady Bears also made it to the state playoffs. They played the first round of state playoffs on
by Josie DuPont February 21 against Washington County. Their season ended when they could not pull that final win over Washington. Congratulations to Coach Kelly Brown and the Lady Bears basketball team for having such a great season and making it this far.
by Joshua McDay
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Pierce County Bears
PCHS Wrestling’s Road To Success The road to state was not an easy ride for Pierce County’s wrestling team. They practiced Their hearts out until finally they reached the top. The team is coached by Brandon Jernigan. The wrestling here began only seven years ago. Over the years, the team grew and strengthened together to reach their goal of being state champions! Dustin Bryant, a second-time state qualifier, is PC’s first-ever state champion. He wrestles in the heavy weight class of 285 pounds. He is a senior and the son of Andy and Jenny Bryant. Dustin
Blackshear, GA · www.pchs.pierce.k12.ga.us by Brittany Howell
Bryant’s season record was 34-3 and he holds a career record of 118-15. In eighth grade, his career as a wrestler set way. He was the captain of the 2013-2014 wrestling team and will continue his wrestling at Brewton-Parker College next year. He is setting the way for more and more PC wrestlers to continue on their dreams of wrestling after high school. Not only did Bryant place at state, but Chago Ramirez placed 3rd in the AAA (132 weight class). Most of the year he has wrestled in the 138
class, but dropped to 132 before state. Ramirez is a four-year wrestler with a season record of 29-5 and a career record of 72-16. He is the fourth in PC history to actually place at state. Before Bryant and Ramirez, Shelton Goble in 2008 placed 2nd and Rob Johnson in 2012-2013 placed sixth. “Both boys are as strong as ox,” Says Jernigan “They are the strongest, physically and mentally in every one of their matches.” It is amazing to see how far the boys have made it since wrestling all started.
Photo by Jennifer CARTER Johnson
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Ware County Gators Memorial Stadium • Capacity: 12,000 • Waycross, GA • www.warecountygators.net A New Era at Ware
by Rob Asbell Tucker, Stephens’s record was 64-6, including two state championships, four semi-final appearances, and three region championships. In 2012, Stephens made the move to Barnesville and led Lamar County to the state semi-finals. Last season, the Trojans made it to the Dome where they fell by seven points to Lovett in the AA state championship. During his two seasons at Lamar County, Stephens was 26-2-1. Stephens describes his coaching style as intense, and he has high demands. “I am a person who has high expectations of himself as well as those in the program: the players and coaches.” Originally from Burke County, Coach Stephens went to Georgia Southern University on a football scholarship where he started for three years on the offensive line and was twice named All-America and All-Southern Conference. He was the Eagles’ team captain his senior year. He returned to Burke County as an assistant in 1996 and joined the staff at Camden County in 2002. As a coach, Stephens’ awards include the 2007 Dekalb County Coach of the Year as well as the GACA Region 6-AAAA Coach of the Year. After winning the state championship the following season, he was named the Associated Press and Atlanta Journal Constitution
AAAA Coach of the Year. In seven seasons as a head coach, Stephens has coached 99 games, winning 90 of them. He has made it to the state semi-finals six of those seven years. Stephens’s teams average 37 points per game offensively and allow opponents just 10 points per contest. His advice to student-athletes planning to play for Ware next season is to relax and enjoy their high school experience playing football. “Sometimes there is resistance,” he says. “They should be ready to accept coaching and a new way of doing things.” Stephens found the coaching vacancy left open when Ware County football coach Ed Dudley took the job at Carrollton High School in February. During his five seasons in Waycross, Dudley was 50-16 with four trips to the state quarterfinals and the 2012 state runner-up finish. Both Stephens and his wife, the former L. Renee Simmons of Jacksonville, have doctorate degrees in education. The couple has two children; Donovan (12) and Trinity (9). Coach Stephens plans on being in Waycross for spring practice which starts May 2 with the Green and White game May 16.
Photo Courtesy of Waycross Journal Herald
A man considered one of the best in the state has been chosen to take the reigns at Ware County High School. Franklin Stephens, known for building successful programs at Tucker and Lamar County, was introduced March 28 as the Gators’ new head football coach. “It is an opportunity to head up one of the top teams in state,” Stephens says of WCHS, “Especially when you consider the community support, the resources, the administration, and the players.” Ware County Athletics Director David Shields presented Stephens with a personalized number one Gators’ jersey as he welcomed him to The Gatornation. The new coach has been to the state championship game twice in the last three years and becomes the first African-American head football coach at Ware County. He returns to Southeast Georgia with two state championship rings and a reputation as a builder of winning programs. Stephens was an assistant under Jeff Herron at Camden County before taking the Tucker job in 2007. The Tigers were 13-1 his first season and then went 14-1 and claimed the Georgia AAAA State Championship in 2008. Tucker repeated the feat in 2011, going 15-0 for the school’s first perfect season. In five seasons at
(L to R): Superintendent Mark Mooneyhan, Coach Franklin Stephens, Athletic Director David Shields, and Principal Dr Tim Dixon
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Wayne County Yellow Jackets Jaycee Stadium • Capacity: 4,500 • Jesup, GA Yellow Jackets Battling Through Tough Sub-Region the second time they faced them. McDonald is hoping that the Yellow Jackets get the same result when they face Statesboro the second time around. In a classic duel with J.D. Paul on the mound for Wayne, both teams’ strong play kept the game scoreless until the late innings, and the Blue Devils took the game off of a home run for a 2-1 win. “We are 2-2 in the sub-region right now, but we are fortunate at this point to get the opportunity to play everyone in our sub-region three times. So there is still a lot of baseball left to be played, and we are playing pretty solid right now,” McDonald says. McDonald has been pleased with the continuing progress that his team is making, especially at the plate. “Offensively we are improving. We just have to find a way to get that big hit to put teams away,” McDonald says. Despite the tough start, Wayne is starting to gain some momentum as they start the second half of region play. “The goals remain the same as they did at the begin of the season. Play each game one at a time and focus towards winning the sub-region and region championships along with getting in the state playoffs,” McDonald says.
Photos By Jeffrey Griffith
The first half of the season wasn’t exactly what Wayne County Yellow Jackets head baseball coach Justin McDonald expected, but he expects his squad to get back on track. “We have struggled the first part of the season. We recently, within the last two games, started to play well in all aspects of the game,” McDonald says. Wayne grabbed wins against Brantely and defeated Ware County twice. Region wins include an 18-1 against Liberty County High School. The Liberty victory was sophomore Zach Mainor’s first win on the mound this season. “Pitching has been great all year. We have struggled at times defensively, but for the most part we have had bad approaches offensively. On the good side, we have improved tremendously the last two games,” McDonald says. Wayne lost in a come-from-behind game against Richmond Hill, 6-3. Caleb Martin had a two-run homer to the Jackets a 3-2, but it was short-lived when the Wildcats came roaring back in later innings. The Yellow Jackets strongest region win came in the form of a revenge win against region power South Effingham. A week earlier, Wayne lost 8-1 to South Effingham. Wayne came back to defeat South Effingham, 15-11,
by John Wood
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