South Georgia May 2016 Edition

JORDAN SOCCER ATHLETES MAKE REGION TITLE SEASON GOAL

WALDO EDWARDS AND ANDRES ESPINOZA

First Win Fuels Rivals United Desire For More Valdosta and Nyana Geisler Lowndes High

Dameon’s Inspiration

Dameon Pierce Bainbridge High School

PLUS The Greatest

Story Never Told Lowndes High Women’s Basketball

A Valiant

Victory

May 2016

Over Cancer Scott Cregger | Valwood School

THE

HUGHSTON DIFFERENCE YESTERDAY.

•

Providing you, for over 60 years, with research, education, and treatment

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Organizing preparticipation physicals since 1976

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Covering over 1,500 local sporting events each year

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Saturday morning injury clinic

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Researching and implementing concussion management software for local athletes

LOCATIONS Albany Auburn Columbus Dothan LaGrange

Moultrie Phenix City Thomaston Thomasville Valdosta

Hughston Clinic 706-324-6661 6262 Veterans Parkway, GA 31909 1-800-331-2910 / www.hughston.com

TODAY. TOMORROW.

THREE PEAT

3

MORE THAN A STROKE OF LUCK

STROKE COVERDELL AWARD Carmen Counts, RN; James Owen, MD; Janice Irvin, RN; Stacy Beck, RN, FNP; Code Stroke Medical Director Brian Dawson, MD; Lori Trouille, NP; and Jay Kelly, RN

South Georgia Medical Center is the Coverdell Champion Hospital* for the third consecutive year for outstanding stroke care.

Home of the most award-winning stroke program south of Macon sgmc.org/stroke *As recognized by the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry

IN THIS ISSUE 11 Fast Breaks:

Two Packers Win State Diving Championships ITG Legacy Greg Reid Honoring Greatness: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

18 Jordan Soccer Athletes Make

Region Title Season Goal Waldo Edwards and Andres Espinoza

26 Spring Practice: Risk or Reward 28 Climbing That Mountian Scott Cregger Valwood School

34 Former Hardaway Football Coach Named New MCSD Director Of Athletics Jeff Battles

37 Rivals United

Valdosta High and Lowndes High

24

TEAMMATES COMPETE ON THE FIELD, FRIENDS AWAY FROM SPORT Max Hughes and Wade Sumner Coffee High School

40 Dameon’s Inspiration Dameon Pierce Bainbridge High School

45 1-AAAAA All-Region Player

Of The Year

Kayla Bonilla Shaw High School

48 The Greatest Story Never Told Lowndes High Women’s Basketball

54 First Win Fuels Desire For More Nyana Geisler Fort Middle School

59 Viking Nation “Running Away” From

The Competition in 2016

COMMUNITY, HEALTH, AND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Live Health Life!

Come alongside us as we champion lifestyles of physical and mental health! As we all walk through life together in our tight-knit, local communities, we promote the sense of belonging felt through engaging with the various aspects of South Georgia living, largely through partnerships with community influencers as sources of information and inspiration.

For more information contact our main office at 229-469-7373 or email us at healthlifesga@gmail.com

FROM THE PUBLISHER

59

Too often, we get caught up in the rivalry aspect of sport. Competition surrounds us – between cities, counties, schools, even among members of the same team. We want to win.

We have to win. The pressure, which begins building long before a player or team ever takes the field, can be crushing. In our desire to be the best, it’s easy to forget that at the core, sports – particularly high school sports – are supposed to be fun. Of course winning is important, but more so than that, the various sports our kids play should be fun.

Most people won’t play their chosen sport(s) beyond high school.

Oftentimes, an athlete may have one season, maybe even just one game, in which to play. They should enjoy that time on the field, no matter how long or short that time is, and make it as fun as possible.

This month, you will find that theme in several of our features.

One such feature comes from what many might find to be a curious spot. Valdosta High School and Lowndes High School are bitter rivals. It’s all too easy to focus on that aspect of both schools’ athletic programs. But all is not gasoline and matches with these two.

Swimming, for example, is a sport in which almost no animosity exists between the two programs. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the swimming community is small in the Lowndes County community. Everyone knows everyone else, and they depend on each other during swim season, no matter which school they attend. Another reason is the local YMCA. Nearly all of the swimmers at Lowndes and Valdosta came up through the Y’s club team. They’ve been together their whole swimming careers. Their coaches work together and spend one-on-one time with athletes from opposing teams. During the season, they cheer for each other. And at this year’s state swim meet – which saw swimmers from both Lowndes and Valdosta competing with the best in Georgia – they were each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We take a closer look into what really is a friendly rivalry this month.

Up in Douglas, there are two friends – Wade Sumner, a sophomore, and Max Hughes, a junior – who are best friends yet play the same positions in both football and baseball. Both are middle infielders, pitchers, and quarterbacks, and both want nothing more than to be on the field helping their teams win games. But because they play in the same spots, often that isn’t possible – especially in football.

Over the years, both have done their best to win starting jobs, but they’ve never let their competition on the field get in the way of their friendship. And that’s not going to change any time soon.

Our area isn’t known for women’s basketball. But did you know that from 1976 to 1979, the Lowndes High women’s basketball team won 122 consecutive games and

four straight state championships?

Supposedly, those teams have at least one national title under their collective belt as well. Interestingly, those teams have received little recognition for their accomplishments.

This month, we do our part to give them the credit they deserve.

In addition to the features mentioned above, we have a bevy of other interesting stories from throughout the area. We spent some time with Scott Cregger, a junior at Valwood who was diagnosed with cancer at the end of football season. He’s undergoing chemotherapy now, and despite his circumstances, has maintained a positive attitude.

We also spoke with Dameon Pierce from Bainbridge High. A Division-I prospect with offers from Auburn and Florida State, he has found inspiration from his mother. His is a touching story, and one that you will definitely want to read.

These are but a few of the stories we have this month. We are bringing the school year to a close – we have just one more edition before we take a much needed break ourselves. It’s hard to believe that this time of the year is already here. Even though we’ll be taking a few weeks off soon, our student-athletes won’t.

They’ll be lifting, running, swimming, biking, and doing all of the work necessary to be the best they can be when the next school year starts.

There may not be much going on in the way of games, but our kids certainly won’t be taking the summer off. Thanks again for reading.

Contributors:

Publisher Mark Dykes Editors Cole Parker Graphics Ashlyn Peek Cover Photography Micki Krzynski Feature Photography Micki Krzynski Micki K Photography Lindsi Jones Lindsi Jones Photography Marque Milla Reese Milla Creationz Photography Jerry Christenson Christenson Studio George McDuffie Feature Writers Robert Preston Jr. James Washington Beth Welch Ed Hooper Copy Editors James Washington Beth Welch Advertising/Marketing Mark Dykes mark@itgsportsnetwork.com Cole Parker cole@itgsportsnetwork.com Julie Michaud julie@itgsportsnetwork.com Kara Fountain kara@itgsportsnetwork.com Website Manager Cole Parker

Tell us what you thought about the April issue of In the Game!

info@itgsportsnetwork.com VHS SENIOR SPENDS SEMESTER TRAINING, PLAYING SOCCER IN SPAIN TIMOTHY HUFF | VALDOSTA HIGH SCHOOL

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

CONNOR THOMAS

10 KEITH SEIFERT QUESTIONS WITH

ENDURANCE PAYS OFF FOR STATE WRESTLING CHAMP TONY MORALES | CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

VALWOOD’S NEW TAKING IT TO TRAINING FACILITY THE NEXT LEVEL D1 SIGNEES

Remembering Colton Shaw

Signing Day Love Game

april 2016

Davis Stewart | Lowndes High School

In the Game 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 Media Group LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind for accuracy of content. All advertisements are assumed by the publisher to be correct. Copyright 2016 Dykes Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. ISSN 1945-1458.

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FAST BREAK

TWO PACKERS WIN STATE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS written by: Robert Preston Jr. | photography by: Micki K Photography

For the second consecutive year, Parker Hardigree, a sophomore at Colquitt County High School, won a state diving championship. Kelliann Howell, also a sophomore, won a state title, too. Last year, Howell finished third at the state diving meet.

Winning state titles in diving is nothing new for Colquitt County. Home to the fabled Moss Farms Diving Club, Colquitt County divers have brought home championships in droves since Moss Farms began. Many of the divers with the Moss Farms program also dive for Colquitt County High, and they bring with them the training and experience needed to not only compete with, but defeat divers from the metro area.

Despite Hardigree’s championship run last year, he wasn’t expected to do much this season. He had surgery to shorten his left arm in October, which kept him out of the pool from August until December. “When other kids were doing their fundamental work in the preseason, he was recovering,” Chris Heaton, Moss Farms head coach, said. “So he wasn’t a part of all that. Parker was pretty far behind when the season started, and he didn’t have long to train when he was released.”

Hardigree didn’t compete in his first meet until January. At that first meet, he qualified for state, then spent the rest of the season trying to catch up on the time he lost.

Howell qualified for state at her first meet, which was in December. A former gymnast, many of those skills carry over into diving. She’s only been

diving for four years; her determination and work ethic won her a state title this year. “She does whatever needs to be done,” Heaton said. “She never complains and always does everything you ask. She’s a joy to have on the pool deck.”

“Both of these kids are so dedicated to the sport,” said Amy Hardigree, Parker’s mother and the Colquitt County High diving coach. “They practice two-and-a-half hours per day during the school year and five hours per day during the summer. They don’t stop in the winter. If it’s 50 degrees or warmer, they’re diving. They’re just two great kids.”

At just 16 years of age, Parker Hardigree has two state titles under his belt, and Kelliann Howell has one. They still have two years left in high school, followed by college careers if they so choose. Heaton, who coached diving at Indiana University and Ohio State University, believes both can be Division I divers if that’s what they want to do. “Parker has been diving a long time,” Heaton said. “He’s very confident, and he can mentally conquer any dive. Kelliann started late, but her work ethic makes up for her lack of time in the sport. Both can be Division I divers if they want to. It’s a privilege to coach both of them. They’re strong in their faith, they’re leaders in the community, and they’re both great students. They’re in the right spot.”

In club competition, Kelliann Howell dives from all three positions – onemeter, three-meter, and 10-meter platforms. Parker Hardigree is a onemeter and threemeter specialist.

However, in high school competition, all diving takes place from one meter. The state meet utilizes an 11dive format. While there are other formats for meets, Colquitt County only competes in 11-dive competitions during the season in order to get them ready for the state meet.

The plan apparently works – both Howell and Hardigree qualified for state at the first meet they entered.

Swimming Benefits Swimming helps asthma patients avoid asthma attacks; it helps in their breathing methods and can improve their condition in general.

Swimming releases endorphins and has the same effects as yoga on the human body, thus helping in relieving stress.

Swimming teaches you discipline and sportsmanship.

It gives you a healthy competitive edge by pushing you to overcome your peers and/or yourself.

This information is courtesy of instabeat.com

In The Game | 11

FAST BREAK

ITG Legacy

Greg

Reid

written by: Cole Parker | photography courtesy of forum.ea.com

As one of the most talented athletes to come out of Lowndes High, it seemed that the sky was the limit for Greg Reid. However, despite rapidly becoming a star at Florida State University, perseverance and faith became the name of the game for Greg. Battling through injuries, off-the-field issues, and personal hardships, Greg’s determination and unrelenting effort have once again propelled him back to glory, securing the 2015 AFL Rookie of the Year Award. Read below as the former Lowndes, FSU, St. Louis Rams, and now Jacksonville Sharks standout player recaps his journey and gives advice to current student-athletes aspiring to play at the next level.

In the Game: Give us a summary of your athletic career, from your youth to today.

Greg Reid: I was born in Valdosta, Georgia, and raised in Clyattville. I played primarily football from the time I could walk.

I did play basketball in middle school and a little in high school, and I ran track every year except my senior year. I played on offense and defense in high school, as a running back and cornerback. I also played on special teams. I believe I hold some records, but I am not sure which.

My college career did not end as planned at FSU or VSU, but I believe that I have learned a great deal from both experiences. I worked with the Rams organization for a short time, but did not make the final roster, and this past year, I played for the Jacksonville Sharks arena league. I am still working on getting to the next level and am blessed to continue to play the game that I love.

ITG: What is your proudest moment/favorite memory from your high school career?

GR: Winning state my junior year of high school!

ITG: Do you still keep in touch with your teammates from high school? If so, which ones?

GR: I still keep in touch with most all of my high school teammates in some regard, even if it is just through social media.

However, I still talk to many of them on a regular basis.

ITG: What do you remember about the recruiting process from high school to col12 | itgsportsnetwork.com

lege? Is there any advice you would give to someone in the midst of it or about to enter into it?

GR: Recruiting was overwhelming and head-spinning! It is important to not lose focus. For me, my senior year was the most difficult year of high school because I was playing “catch up” with grades—it was the point where I realized that passing wasn’t all that was needed to get to the next level. The difference between college and pro is that colleges really recruit you—they want you. On the professional level, I feel that you need them more than they need you, and it is much more competitive. There are great players that never make a professional roster.

away from, but also close enough be able to see those people who were positive influences for me as well.

ITG: How would you advise student-athletes on how to choose which college to attend?

GR: Your college choice should be considered carefully. You need to have a fit with the coaches and the current players. Also, it is important to look at what the college currently has in regard to players. For example, I know I needed to go to a college that needed me immediately. I had to be able to play sooner than later, and I looked at where the need for my position was as well. Academic support services were also important, and should be considered.

Travel time for family to visit and come see you play is also important. We have limited time to “go home,” and if home is very far or if you do not have a car, the distance to the college is an important factor, too. I was fortunate to have a college that was far enough away from home to separate myself from what I needed to be

ITG: Which have you enjoyed most? Playing as a kid, in high school, college, or the pros (if applicable)? Why? GR: I enjoyed my college career the most because I was able to play at the best university in America—Florida State University.

ITG: What are the main differences, in your opinion, between being a student-athlete in high school and being a student-athlete in college?

GR: Time management is important, and in college, it is even more important. The academic side of college is different too because in college, especially state universities, the majority of the student body is there because they were at the top of their class—everyone is smart. Therefore, you have to be more focused in order to do everything required.

ITG: If you could give any advice, tips, or encouragement to any high school student-athletes that are aspiring to play at the next level, what would that be?

GR: The best advice I can give is to keep faith. Believe in your dreams and never give up on them, regardless of how tough the road gets, because it is only a test to your faith. How you handle obstacles determines your outcome, and everyone will face obstacles. I have learned it is what you do after that often determines what happens next.

FAST BREAK

Malcolm Mitchell: Wildcat, Bulldog, Author

Honoring Greatness: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

By James A. Washington

On Saturday, March 26, 2016, former Valdosta Wildcat and University of Georgia standout Malcolm Mitchell returned to his hometown with a special message that transcends anything that takes place on a football field or in a stadium.

As he stood in front of hundreds of elementary-age students, his words were clear, and they eventually rang in unison throughout the gymnasium: “In order to succeed, you have to read.”

After blazing a memorable trail as a member of the Valdosta Wildcats’ football team, the 2011 graduate traveled to Athens, where he completed a career as one of the most feared and respected wide receivers in Bulldogs’ history.

But, more importantly, he carries a weapon more respectable than any that can be honed on the gridiron: knowledge.

While at UGA, Malcolm published a children’s book titled The Magician’s Hat; in his book, he touches on the importance of reading and education. His enthusiasm has turned into a “book tour” of sorts, as he visited various elementary schools in Valdosta, Albany, and Savannah.

In addition to providing motivation and determination for the young children, he made sure that every student received a free copy of his book.

For the students in attendance, the message was crystal clear: With a dedication to reading and education, the sky is the limit. And Valdosta, as well as the rest of South Georgia, is extremely grateful for Malcolm’s presence and the motivation that he provides.

14 | itgsportsnetwork.com

written by: Robert Preston Jr. | photography by: Robert Preston Jr.

On Friday, March 18, I headed to Charles Wilson Field in Douglas to both witness and cover a special recognition. About half an hour before the first pitch of the Brunswick Pirates v. Coffee Trojans game, Coffee baseball honored the late Riccardo Ingram, the individual who I – and a lot of others – believe to be the greatest athlete ever to play at Coffee High School.

I wrote about Riccardo a year ago, right after he passed away from cancer. I’ll not rehash his accomplishments. Suffice it to say that no one has ever been more competitive, tenacious, or determined than the former Trojan, two-sport star at Georgia Tech, and Major League Baseball player.

I had forgotten many of the stories about Riccardo. There was the time when, as a sophomore, head football coach Bonwell Royal wanted all the football players to max out. The baseball team had a game that day against Bradwell Institute.

The baseball and football guys didn’t want to lift hard. Coach Royal insisted. That afternoon, Riccardo benched 300 pounds for the first time. Then he went out and hit three home runs against Bradwell.

That was the day that the legend of Riccardo Ingram was born. There was also the time he pitched two complete games of a double-header against Jesup with the region championship on the line.

The Trojans won both games and, eventually, the state championship. There was also the time when, as a defensive back at Georgia Tech, he knocked Auburn’s Bo Jackson out of a game. There were the All-American, All Conference, and Male Athlete of the Year awards. After all of that, the Detroit Tigers drafted him in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft. He ended up playing 16 big-league games before becoming a coach in the Minnesota Twins organization. He was still coaching for the Twins when he succumbed to cancer on March 31, 2015.

As I stood there on the field that night, camera

in hand, looking at Riccardo’s friends, family, and former teammates, I couldn’t help but think: Why? Why did we as a community wait so long to honor one of the area’s best athletes? Why did we have to wait until he passed away to relive those moments all over again? We often do that – wait until someone passes away before we honor their accomplishments and contributions.

It makes no sense. It didn’t then, and it still doesn’t today.

Each school this magazine covers has at least one elite-level athlete in the history books. Most have many, many more. Student-athletes with that kind of talent represent our communities in ways that others cannot. People remember what they’ve done for decades. They bring positive attention to their families, schools, counties, cities, and towns. They deserve to be recognized.

But they also deserve to be recognized while they’re still with us. If Riccardo had been in Douglas that Friday night, he would have smiled, deflected the attention, and tried to talk more about what the rest of his teammates did. But he would have been touched. The ceremony would have validated a career spent in sport, one that made a difference to the people he played with in high school and college, and to the prospects he coached in the minor leagues.

It was a mistake not to honor Riccardo Ingram while he was still alive. Don’t repeat that same mistake. Take the time to honor those athletes who contributed to the legacy and tradition of sport that we have here in South Georgia. But do it quickly, while they can be here to enjoy it. Time is ticking fast, and no one is guaranteed another day.

Besides, it would mean the world to those who are being honored.

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THE WORKOUT

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5 sets 5 reps 90 seconds rest SPRINTS Improve explosive speed.

5-10 reps max effort 90 seconds rest AGILITY LADDER Improve control.

5-6 rounds 90 seconds rest CALF RAISES Strengthen soft tissue in lower legs to prevent shin splints.

3 sets 10 reps 60 seconds rest HANDSTAND PUSHUPS Build upper-body strength for balance. This will also improve strength around the neck.

5 sets max reps 60 seconds rest

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18 | itgsportsnetwork.com

Jordan Soccer

Soccer

Athletes Make Region Title Season Goal

There is a new sense of enthusiasm surrounding Jordan High School’s soccer team. For the first time in recent years, the Red Jackets boys’ soccer team is being coached by a former soccer player.

Nicholas Parra, who was a soccer athlete at Jordan and later at Northside High School, brings not only a fresh approach to the program, but also insight that comes from playing the sport.

Parra’s coaching skills are enhanced by the pool of talent, experience, and solid work ethic exhibited by his current team. Two members, Waldo Edwards and Andres Espinoza, are providing some excitement all on their own.

Edwards, a junior, and Espinoza, a sophomore, are both in their second year at Jordan. Soccer is the only sport Edwards participates in at the high school, while Espinoza is also the kicker and punter for the Red Jackets football team.

The two young men actually met through the

TOP10 SOCCER PLYERS 10

Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich

The Dutchman does one thing — cut inside with his left foot, but he does so like the vocalist who can hit that one perfect high note which is worth the price of admission on that one skill alone.

Now 31 and coming off an injury at the end of the 2014-15 season, we’re just about at the end of Robben’s peak.

“We kind of surprise some people out there now.” - Edwards

9

Yaya Toure, Manchester City

If Manchester City’s first three games of the 2015-16 are any indication, Toure is back to staking claim as one of the world’s best all-around midfielders. Toure should be rejuvenated this season after playing in both the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in less than a calendar year for the Ivory Coast.

8

Andres Iniesta, Barcelona

written by: Beth Welch | photography by: Jerry Christenson

soccer programs of Red Star, officially known as Columbus Futbol Club Red Star. When Edwards came to Jordan last year as a sophomore, he recognized Espinoza in the hallway at school.

“I was standing right there (pointing to a spot) when I saw Andres for the first time,” Edwards said, smiling. “I didn’t know where I was going, and then I saw him.”

While Espinoza has lived in Columbus all of his life, Edwards has moved around a little bit. The son of military personnel, Edwards was 3 years old and living in Texas when his dad decided soccer would be a good sport for the youngster.

Like Edwards, soccer was introduced into Espinoza’s life by his own father. A native of Honduras, where soccer is a popular sport and pastime, Espinoza’s dad wanted his son to experience the game with the same passion.

“It really was kind of a backyard thing,” Espinoza

said. “He wanted me to play soccer because he had played. I kind of learned it from him before I was ever on a team.”

Both young men play year-round soccer through the Red Star club. In the spring, they are also a dominant force for the Red Jackets. Edwards, 17, is a forward on the team, and Espinoza, 16, plays at striker and midfield. During their first four games this season, Espinoza scored 11 goals and four assists, while Edwards had eight goals and three assists.

Because of their experience and leadership on the field, the two athletes were named team captains this season. Early on, they set a goal of winning the region title. Their easy-going off-field personalities belie their intense competitive spirit displayed on the field. Sometimes that intensity results in demanding the best from each other.

“Yeah, we will get mad about something and yell at each other out there,” Edwards said. “I mean, we

Now that Xavi is gone, Iniesta is the bridge at Barcelona from the Ronaldinho days to the current era. Since breaking into the first team full-time in 2004-05, the worst Barça’s done in La Liga is one third place finish. Over that span, Iniesta’s collected four Champions League winner’s medals, seven La Liga medals, and countless others — along with all his triumphs with the Spanish national team.

7

Luis Suarez, Barcelona

In his last four full seasons with Liverpool and Barcelona, he’s tallied 103 goals in 163 games.

That’s part of the reason the Catalan club paid close to $100 million for him after the 2014 World Cup despite his series of unsavory transgressions.

6

Paul Pogba, Juventus

2015-16 will be a massive year for the French midfielder. Juventus let Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Arturo Vidal leave, handing Pogba the No. 10 shirt in the process. There’s also the 2016 European Championship in France looming in June.

READ MORE

4

Sanchez, but the Chilean’s one-man dynamo performance for the Gunners last season was enjoyable to watch from a neutral standpoint. Headers, cuts inside, long range blasts … there didn’t seem to be a way Sanchez couldn’t score during his first season in England. He followed up lifting the FA Cup by helping Chile win the Copa America on homesoil.

Is the gap bigger between Could someone whom City paid Hazard and Ronaldo or Ronaldo and Messi? Does he need to over $50 million to acquire accarry Belgium deep into the tually turn out to be a bargain?

City’s won a pair of titles thanks Euro next summer to justify his status? No, not really, but they’ll in no small part to the goals of be asked. That’s what happens Agüero — 108 in 164 appearwhen you’re as good as Hazard ances in sky blue. As prolific and you allow your skill to as he is, sometimes it feels like create headlines, not anything Agüero is easily glanced over stupid you’ve done off the field on these sorts of lists. as is (unfortunately) often the case in world soccer.

Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal Sergio Agüero, Manchester City This might be overrating

This information is courtesy of thebiglead.com

3

Eden Hazard, Chelsea

2

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

Do you think Ronaldo’s final thought each night before drifting off to sleep is why does he have to play at the same time as Lionel Messi? How much does it gall him that he’ll mostly be thought of as No. 2 compared to his rival? In abstract, it doesn’t matter much. Both are all-time greats and arguably with Zinedine Zidane the best soccer players of the 21st Century.

1

Duh.

5

Lionel Messi, Barcelona

MORE TOP10

can get really into it, but it works to make us better.”

Espinoza adds that they are driven on the field to do their best, and sometimes that leads to confrontation.

“It really works to motivate us,” Espinoza said. “He makes me better, and I make him better. We work harder, and then it pays off. Afterwards, we leave it there.”

Parra finds that the dynamic that exists with their sense of competition benefits the team.

“The team’s intensity follows theirs,” Parra said.

“They both are hungry to score and win, and when they are determined, nothing gets in their way.

They are both leaders on the team because their intensity and determination is what drives the rest of the team to play at their level.”

While both young men are interested in pursuing soccer after high school, they aren’t definite about their plans. Edwards, at 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds, would like to attend college on an athletic scholarship, but he is open to the idea of going professional. Espinoza, at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, feels pretty much the same way, but he has also has had a taste of how the sport is revered outside of the United States.

Last year, Espinoza was selected to spend one week in Spain, where he participated in a program that gave amateur athletes the chance to work with soccer professionals. A freshman at the time, Espinoza was able to have the experience due to his Red Star club participation.

“I saw some amazing talent,” Espinoza said. “It really motivated me to do better and gave me training about techniques, what to eat, and other things. I even got to meet a professional soccer player.”

Parra has no doubt the two athletes could have a future in the playing the sport.

“They both have the attributes that college coaches want: speed, power, great touch with both feet, and technical ability,” Parra said. “Typically, high school players have a lot of speed and are lacking in technical skills, but both of them can match their technical skills with their speed, which makes them great offensive weapons. They are both coachable, meaning that they will take what you say and apply it. They are definitely talented enough to play on the collegiate level.”

For this season, Edwards and Espinoza have been committed to gaining respect for the Red Jackets’ soccer program by being successful on the field. They know opponents sometimes think of the team as an easy win, but according to them, that’s a mistake.

“We kind of surprise some people out there now,” Edwards said with a laugh.

“Waldo is probably the fastest player in Columbus with great technical ability. There are plenty of fast players, but most of them are lacking in technical skill and ability.

His speed breaks down and wears out the opposing team’s defense, allowing our team more opportunities later in the game.

Waldo is one of the most humble players on the team and is more concerned about the team’s success than his own.

Andres is fast and aggressive at attacking the goal. He has a goal scorer mentality and knows how to find the goal using his technical ability and touch. He has a great first touch and can finish using both his left and right foot. Andres has the strongest leg on the team and is dangerous on free kicks.”

— Coach Nicholas Parra

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SGMC STROKE PROGRAM

Continues to Benefit South Georgia Residents May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and South Georgia residents continue to benefit from the excellent Stroke Program at South Georgia Medical Center. In 2015, 500 individuals were treated for a stroke at SGMC. Georgia is located in the “stroke belt,” which is an 11-state region. Studies show that stroke is 34 percent higher than anywhere else in the country. Valdosta is in the buckle of the stroke belt, an area that stretches South Georgia to North Carolina where there is a 40 percent excess risk of stroke mortality.

The Stroke Program was recently honored for outstanding stroke care by the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry (GCASR). This is SGMC’s third consecutive award from GCASR as the Coverdell Champion Hospital of the Year in the medium-sized hospital category (101-350 beds). The award is granted to one hospital in each bed-size category ranging from very small to large, based on a point system. Winners achieved the highest percentage of points using an intricate criteria

of nationally accepted best practices.

“This statewide acknowledgment affirms the superior stroke care SGMC strives to provide,” said SGMC CEO Dr. Raymond Snead. “The physician champions and hospital staff are to be commended for this award and saving countless lives.”

According to SGMC’s Neurostroke Team Medical Director S. Brian Dawson, MD, it is SGMC’s multidisciplinary stroke team involving EMS, the emergency department, affiliated physicians, inpatient nursing, and rehabilitation services that makes awards like these possible.

“Since the program’s beginning in 2011, SGMC has committed resources and training to build a stroke program of the highest quality,” says Dr. Dawson. “SGMC uses advanced, evidence-based guidelines to diagnose, treat, and reduce death and disability for stroke patients.”

The GCASR also recognized SGMC’s stroke program as one of four in Georgia having Door-to-Needle times averaging less than 45 minutes for diagnosing and

administering clot busting medications (tPA) to eligible stroke patients.

The Coverdell Champion Hospital of the Year award was named in honor of the late Senator Paul Coverdell of Georgia, who died of a massive stroke in 2000. The primary goal of the GCASR program is to improve the care of acute stroke patients in the hospital setting.

Other Georgia Coverdell 2016 Award winners are: Emory University, Atlanta, large hospital; Clearview Regional, Monroe, small hospital; and St. Mary’s Good Samaritan, Greensboro, very small hospital.

SGMC’s Neurostroke Team also received the American Heart & Stroke Association’s Target Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus ELITE Award, as well as designation as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care by the Women’s Choice Awards. SGMC also carries the Certificate of Distinction for Advanced Certification as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

For more information, visit the website, www.sgmc.org/stroke.

Signs that you may be having a stroke:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause Call 911 immediately if any of these symptoms occur.

Test Your Knowledge 1

Who has the most homeruns in MLB history?

A. B. C. D. E.

2

What team has won the most MLB championships?

A. B. C. D. E.

3

Babe Ruth Barry Bonds Hank Aaron Derek Jeter Jackie Robinson

Boston Red Sox Arizona Diamondbacks New York Yankees Atlanta Braves Saint Louis Cardinals

How many stitches are in an MLB baseball?

A. 110 B. 236 C. 74 D. 108 E. 92

4

How many feet are between the bases?

A. B. C. D. E.

90 100 80 70 85

Flip to Find your Score!

B, C, D, A

Answers 24 | itgsportsnetwork.com

Teammates compete on the field, friends away from sport written by: Robert Preston Jr. | photography by: Micki K Photography

Their lives have been almost one continuous ball game. They seldom have time for themselves. They’re always working out, practicing, hitting, throwing, or running.

When I walked into the fieldhouse at the Coffee High baseball stadium to interview teammates and friends Max Hughes and Wade Sumner, the two were standing on opposite ends of the locker room, putting a baseball to each other with a bat. That’s how they spoke to me – they stayed on their feet, answering questions, rolling the ball back and forth, never sitting still. I’ve never had that happen before. Usually, my interview subjects will at least sit down for a few minutes and talk. Sumner eventually did, but Hughes never quit moving.

And that’s how it is with these two. Their lives have been almost one continuous ball game. They seldom have time for themselves. They’re always working out, practicing, hitting, throwing, or running.

They want to be the best athletes they can be – even if that means competing against each other for the same roster spot.

Hughes, a junior, is one year older than Sumner, a sophomore. They’ve grown up together and been teammates since they were 7 and 6 years old, respectively.

And they’ve almost always battled for the same positions. In football, both are quarterbacks. In baseball, both pitch and play middle infield.

Things are a little easier during baseball season. There’s always somewhere one of them can play. That’s a huge benefit to the rest of the team; the two are natural leaders who have tremendous baseball instincts.

“I’ve never worried about their heads be-

ing in the game,” said Stan Hughes, Max’s father, a teacher and coach in the Coffee County School System, and one of the coaches who worked with both from the time they started playing organized athletics. “They’re strong mentally, and they make sure everyone else is in check. Even when they were little, they were usually the best players on the field.”

As the two came up through the ranks, it would have been easy for them to have had a rivalry with each other. Hughes had a year on Sumner, but that’s about it. Otherwise, they were neck and neck in everything they did. Instead of fighting with each other, they decided to work together.

Their plan worked well as youngsters, and it’s still working today.

“We’ve never gotten aggravated with each other,” Max said. “We always try to help each other out.”

Wade nods his head in agreement.

“We want to make each other better,” he said.

Hughes is Coffee’s number-one starter, while Sumner occupies the two-spot.

When Hughes isn’t pitching, he’s at shortstop, and Sumner plays second or third.

When Hughes is on the mound, Sumner often plays shortstop. The two move seamlessly from spot to spot, always doing their best to help their team win.

“We both push each other,” Wade said.

“We want to get the best out of ourselves and each other.”

Football is a little trickier. Hughes and Sumner are both quarterbacks, and they’re both pretty good. Each can lead the Coffee offense, and they’ve both had success under center. However, Hughes has a year on Sumner, and that year has been the difference maker. Even though Sumner would like to be on the field, he understands that it’s not his time yet. He patiently awaits his turn, and in the process, he does what he can to help Hughes from the sidelines.

“I watch closely,” Wade said. “When he comes over, we always talk. I try to help him with what I’m seeing.”

Max adds, “Wade is watching, observing. He tells me what he sees and helps me make any adjustments I need to.”

Next year, Hughes will be back under center. Sumner is willing to play other positions, including wide receiver and defensive back, in order to get on the field.

But he wants to play quarterback, and he’s waiting until the job opens up. And when that happens, he plans to make it his.

“I’ll do what I can to help our team,” Wade said. “But yeah, I want to be the quarterback when I’m a senior.”

As much as the duo loves football, their futures will likely be in baseball.

“They’ve always coached themselves.

They’re the kind of players who make their coaches look good. I know both can play college baseball. They’re too athletic, and they work too hard not to play,” Stan said.

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written by: Ed Hooper | photography courtesy of sgasports.net and highschoolsports.blog.ajc.com

The summer months are readily upon us, and the focus on high school football is nearly in full swing. Soon, teams throughout South Georgia will be hitting the fields for summer workouts, passing leagues, and 7-on-7 competitions.

And to many coaches, those workouts have become even bigger in recent years, with teams now having the option to skip spring football and add another preseason scrimmage in the fall.

“With everything we do in the summer, we basically practice all summer without pads,” Buddy Nobles, Irwin County coach, said. “I can see kids run, and I can see kids at the (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) camp, and we are going to get to scrimmage against teams from Florida. What I can do there, I can evaluate my kids.”

There is a growing trend among teams opting to skip the 10 spring practice sessions the Georgia High School Association allots, with many varsity teams opting for the extra preseason scrimmage in the fall.

One factor in skipping spring practice is the amount of athletes participating in multiple sports during the school year.

For smaller schools, like the Cook Hornets, that means many starters are either playing baseball or track during the spring semester.

“With our sized school, it has been a really good thing,” Bobby Jones, Cook coach, said. “With a school our size, with 900 students, we have a lot of kids that play a lot of sports. During spring practice, the last year we ended up doing it, of our nine starters on offense that year, we 26 | itgsportsnetwork.com

had two participate with us.”

Nobles, who led Irwin County to a Class A state runner-up finish in 2015, shared a similar sentiment as Jones, with athletes being encouraged to play multiple sports at their school.

“Well first off, a lot of my skill kids are still in spring sports with the playoffs,” Nobles said. “A lot of our kids, in a school this size, they play multiple sports. And secondly, a lot of my coaches are coaching those sports.”

Another factor in skipping spring practice is a focus on player safety. With concussion safety being heavily discussed throughout the country, both the GHSA and the Georgia Independent School Association have implemented new practice rules and guidelines to help limit head-related injuries.

Currently in the GHSA, teams are allowed to hold 10 spring practice sessions spaced over 13 consecutive schools days.

During those practices, teams must follow the same contact rules that are enforced during fall practice.

Teams are limited to just 45 minutes of full contact during fall preseason camp practices and just 135 hours a week; also, no team can hold full-contact practices on two consecutive days. Those hours decrease even more during the season, with teams only getting 30 minutes of full contact during practice and just 90 minutes per week. “(The GHSA is) going to do everything they can to protect themselves, but we as coaches should do everything we can

to protect ourselves,” said Nobles, who added he lost players in the past to season-ending injuries in spring practice.

“Why take a chance of losing a kid on Monday through Wednesday?” Nobles said. “We don’t feel the need to pound on our kids Monday through Wednesday.

I’ve never believed in that. I want to get our kids to the game.”

The GISA has also adopted similar contact rules during practices, with the only exception being the GISA has outlawed spring practices altogether, a move put into effect in 2015.

While banning spring practices may seem extreme, Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson, who has led the Valiants to a pair of state championships, including their most recent in 2015, said it isn’t as big of a deal as people think.

“In reality, with everyone playing multiple sports at these schools, the last time we did spring practice, we only had 18 players,” Henderson said. “So it doesn’t really hurt us.”

While many of the smaller schools chose not to conduct spring practice, larger schools like Colquitt County, Lowndes, and Valdosta all chose to hold spring practice sessions.

Valdosta coach Alan Rodemaker said “spring, always” when asked of the Wildcats’ decision regarding the 10 practice sessions. Rodemaker also said the Wildcats only had about 10 players committed to spring sports at the same time as their spring practice.

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“Being a Valiant means staying tough through the darkest times. No matter what the circumstances are.�

28 | itgsportsnetwork.com

CLIMBING THAT MOUNTAIN written by: Shane Thomas | photography by: Micki K Photography

SCOTT

CREGGER Valwood School

No one remembers who finishes second. When a champion falls, their dominance is quickly forgotten. The attention shifts to the new champion while the former topples into the field of contenders tied for last place.

So was the case for the Valwood Valiants, who saw themselves looking to climb the mountain back to prominence after a one-year hiatus from the state title picture.

For Valwood Valiants junior wide out Scott Cregger, his climb grew precipitously more steep when he noticed something strange in the mirror.

“Throughout all of football season, there were these lumps on my neck,” Cregger recalled. “I didn’t really know what they were. I just thought ‘oh, it’s whatever. They can’t be anything serious,’ but more and more started coming up as the season progressed.”

A week before the Valiants appeared in the state championship game, Cregger and his mother agreed he should consult a doctor. Cregger underwent a

screening to discover the origin of the mysterious lumps on his neck. Doctors removed one of the growths and conducted a biopsy.

On January 7, Cregger had a lymph node biopsy performed on the left side of his neck. The biopsy revealed Cregger tested positive for Stage Four Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

“I remember getting that news and just focusing on the wall in the hospital room,” Cregger said. “It just hit me like a truck. It was kind of surreal.

Then, I started to process things and went from there.”

Three weeks after the initial diagnosis, Cregger’s diagnosis was clarified to be a positive test for Stage Four Greyzone Lymphoma.

The news of Cregger’s diagnosis In The Game | 29

made it to Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson, whose older brother has dealt with cancer. Henderson admits everyone associated with the football program was shaken by the news.

“It’s human nature when you hear of a young person like that having a serious illness, the state of shock and disbelief or wondering why is your first reaction to it,” Henderson said. “That sense of shock kind of went away for everyone on the team or anybody that’s around him. Once you got around him, you felt a lot better about everything hearing how he’s approaching it.”

Sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, staring a figurative hole through the wall, Cregger felt the unavoidable fear of what lay ahead but refused to flee from his newest opponent.

“Anybody would be scared of it,” Cregger admitted. “I looked at it in such a way that I told myself I can’t be scared of it. Being afraid is not going to help change it. It’s not going to help cure it or get it away. I thought, ‘Alright, I have cancer, and now I need to get rid of it. How do I do that?’ It was about figuring out that first step to fix it.”

Fixing it comes in the form of intra-

venous chemotherapy that Cregger trudges through once every three weeks in 96-hour segments. Over four days, Cregger receives treatment in Atlanta before heading back home.

Between the lines, Cregger performs his duties diligently—knowing the playbook, executing his routes, reading how his defender plays him and reacting instantaneously. Cregger was able to play a key role in the Valiants taking home the state championship.

“On the field, he’s a guy that led for us last year,” Henderson said. “He played in a lot of football games and the state championship game. When his number was called, he got in and played and played well. We were able to grind down some clock there, and it helped us win the ball game. He brings some experience we’re going to need up front.

Henderson continued: “Off the field, his testimony—I don’t think there’s a better testimony on our team about getting knocked down and getting back up. You can throw your clichés out the door when you’ve got a walking testimony in front of you.

Without a test, there can be no testimony and he’s winning his right now.”

With cancer nipping at his cleats

like a beaten corner back desperate to save a touchdown, Cregger credits Henderson and his teammates for ensuring he does not stand alone in his fight.

“Coach Hen has helped me so much,” Cregger said. “He has helped me in school and out of school, helped me get my work from school, and has been by my side. All of my teammates have been great. Just like on the football field, they’re all so good and so supportive. I haven’t skipped a beat with any of them. They’ve all been right there the whole time.”

Henderson added: “I just try to keep in touch with him when he goes up to Atlanta. He’s going through a very tough treatment schedule where he’s in Atlanta five to six days. It probably does me more good to hear from him than it does for him to hear from me.

To hear him tell me how he’s whipping (cancer) always makes me feel better to talk to him. I always want to be sure he knows I’m there if he needs me.”

Cregger’s teammates have rallied behind him, creating T-shirts with the hashtag #47Strong, which have been purchased by many people throughout the community.

“It’s a testimony to our community

that Lowndes and Valdosta kids alike have bought those T-shirts,” Henderson said. “Sean France, a senior on this year’s team, was able to raise over $3,000 to help that family out.

Just to see how the entire community, not just Valwood but Valdosta and Lowndes, really rallied around and embraced Scott and his family—he’s become an inspiration for a lot of people just with his attitude and how he’s fighting it.”

Despite his grueling chemotherapy regimen, Cregger brims with the optimism he will don the navy blue and orange for the Valiants as a senior.

“My last chemo starts on May 8,” Cregger said. “I should be back to football activities, team-related activities as soon as they get this LifePort out of my chest. As soon as they clear me for exercise and weightlifting, my plan is to get right back in the weight room, get back on the football field and get ready to repeat as state champions.”

Winning a state championship as well as his years of experience on the field arm Cregger with a mentality he believes serves him well on the long, winding road to remission.

“I think of cancer like training

camp,” Cregger said. “It’s just so tough, but you’ve just got to do it.

There’s no way around it. Football has prepared me by making me tougher, making my work ethic more clear, more sharp. Football has made me a way better person, and being able to take what I’ve learned in football and transfer it to a real-life situation like cancer has really, really helped.”

Henderson agrees, pointing to how the game teaches players to stay strong under physical and emotional duress.

“Football teaches you how to handle adversity in life,” Henderson said.

“When you get put in an uncomfortable situation, hopefully we can handle it the way Scott is handling his and the way he’s whipping his ordeal right now.”

Aside from football, Cregger’s hobbies include playing basketball and chilling out with his friends. He readily and glowingly confesses his love for the Jacksonville Jaguars and lists his favorite NFL player as a close race between Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Due to his treatments, Cregger cannot do anything strenuous involving his chest. However, the Valiants’ receiver has been doing whatever his doctor

“

I looked at it in such a way that I told ' myself I can t be scared of it. Being afraid ' is not going to help change it, it s not going

to help cure it or get it away. I thought, ' Alright, I have cancer and now I need to ' get rid of it, how do I do that? It was about ” figuring out that first step to fix it.

allows to keep himself in shape.

“I can’t lift weights or exercise my chest at all,” Cregger said. “But, I can run—I run quite a lot, maybe a mile or two a day. I’ve been eating right, keeping it clean with apples, oranges, bananas and other fruits.

I’ve been pumping my kidneys with Gatorade, water, orange juice, milk—just all organic stuff.”

While exercise and a clean diet have helped Cregger maintain a level of physical fitness, Cregger has witnessed how cancer has affected his faith and spiritual health as well.

“Cancer has made my relationship with God a lot tighter for sure,” Cregger said. “Before, I had always believed in God, but I had never been really close with him. Once I got diagnosed, I said, ‘Well, God, it’s you and me, so let’s do this thing.’”

Taking life as it comes is how Cregger operates. The teenager laughs when asked if he has a dream job, saying, “That’s all way out there,” but he looks forwad, like most people, to having children and “just living, man.”

The mantra Henderson gave his team en route to the state championship game was to keep climbing that mountain back to being state champions.

“Nobody really gave us a chance this past year,” Henderson said of the state championship run. “You’ve got to take a bunch of little steps to climb a mountain, and that’s what we always talked about—climbing that mountain one step at a time.

The first time I talked to him (after his diagnosis), the first thing he said was ‘I’m about to climb that mountain, Coach.”

On the morning of April 13, Cregger got a PET scan done. Hours after the scan, doctors returned to inform Cregger he was now cancer-free. The news came as a surprise as Cregger processed what he was being told.

“I was in shock,” Cregger said. “The first thing I did was hug my mother because she had been there the whole time for me. I realized what I’d done and how incredible it was—I beat cancer in record time.”

32 | itgsportsnetwork.com

On May 8, Cregger will undergo his final chemotherapy treatment exactly four months and one day after his diagnosis.

Cregger assured Coach Henderson that he would climb the mountain.

The same eyes affixed on the hospital room wall now look down from the mountaintop as eager as ever.

“Climbing that mountain means to never give up,” Cregger said. “Whether it’s on the football field or in the hospital room, you have to bite the bullet and face challenges head on.

Once you get to the top (of the mountain), it is a feeling like no other.”

Late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott

spoke in front of his peers at the ESPY Awards to accept the Jimmy V Award for his ongoing battle with cancer.

Though Scott succumbed to his illness, the longtime ESPN personality drew cheers when he demonstrated fearlessness in the face of death.

“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer,” Scott said.

“You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

Scott Cregger defeated his most fearsome foe because he was never overtaken by fear, never abandoned by those that care about him most, and never daunted by the mountain he promised to climb. It is simply what Valiants do.

When asked what it means to be a Valiant, Cregger does not hesitate.

“Being a Valiant means staying tough through the darkest times,” Cregger said. “No matter what the circumstances are.”

?

Did

You FORMER HARDAWAY Know American Football grew out of English sports such as rugby and soccer and became popular on American college campuses in the late 1800s.

According to a Wall Street Journal study in 2010, based on four broadcasts, a standard NFL game features just 10 minutes and 43 seconds of action. Commercials account for nearly 60 minutes of the three-hour affairs.

When networks show the game, the bulk of the time is spent either on replays or shots of players huddling.

In the 1988 Divisional Playoff Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears (now known as the “Fog Bowl”), the fog was so thick that the players weren’t able to see the sidelines and the fans couldn’t see the field. The refs had to announce what happened after every play.

Deion Sanders is the only player to hit a major league home run and score a touchdown in the NFL in the same week; he is also the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

The Baltimore Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” The team mascots are named Edgar, Allan, and Poe. Poe wrote his famous poem while living in Baltimore in the 1830s.

The New York Giants and Detroit Lions battled it out to a 0-0 final score on November 7, 1943, and there has not been a scoreless game in the National Football League since.

Until the 2016 season, the oldest stadium in use in the National Football League was Soldier Field (originally opened in 1924), the home field of the Chicago Bears.

Beginning in 2016, it will become the second-oldest; the recently relocated Los Angeles Rams will play in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which was constructed in 1923.

34 | itgsportsnetwork.com

FOOTBALL COACH

Named New MCSD Director of Athletics written by: Beth Welch | photography by: George McDuffie

Seven days into his position as Muscogee County School District’s Director of Athletics, Jeff Battles had just three words when asked how he liked his new job.

“I love it,” said Battles, 38, with sincere enthusiasm.

According to the former Hardaway High School Athletic Director and head football coach, the move to school district headquarters is the realization of a long-term plan.

“My second year of teaching I was made a middle school athletic director,” Battles said. “I liked it so much, my professional goal became to be in athletic administration. I love to work with sports, I love to work with kids, and I love to work in athletic administration.”

Battles was working at St. Anne-Pacelli School at the time and was part of the faculty and coaching staff there for eight years. During that time, he coached a variety of sports including golf, track, football, wrestling, and middle school basketball. He left the private Catholic school to take a teaching and

coaching position at Hardaway, where he remained for eight more years.

At Hardaway, Battles taught history and physical education and coached both football and wrestling. He was named the Ledger-Enquirer’s All-Bi-City Football Coach of the Year in 2010 and the Region 1-AAAAA Athletics Director of the Year in 2014. Battles stepped down from his head football coach position after the 2015 football season, saying he felt Hardaway needed a new direction with the program. Not long after, the Hawks named Mike Woolrich as head football coach, and Battles remained the school’s athletic director until he accepted the administrative position with the district in February.

The position of director of athletics was vacant after Todd Stanfill, who came on in 2014, left the job to become principal at Harris County High School in January.

Battles is the fourth person to hold the job of overseeing the system-wide athletics department. It was established under the direction of Charlie Flowers, a former coach and athletic director within the district. He was succeeded by Gary Gibson, who left the position in 2013 to become Taylor County’s Superintendent of Education.

The responsibilities of the director of athletics for the county school system vary. Battles said a good portion of his everyday job is involved in sorting out the scheduling and logistics of 20 athletic programs (eight high schools and 12 middle schools) being matched with sports facilities, having athletic transportation needs identified and met, and working with financial personnel to help with funding issues.

While Battles oversees athletics for the district, he mainly has

contact with the high school and middle school athletic directors who manage their athletic departments. Building principals are responsible for the hiring of athletic personnel at each school.

He does hold regular meetings with the athletic directors, and because he has been on the other side of the table, he understands their concerns.

“I believe it was a good move to promote from within,” Battles said. “I think of my job as being there to help the athletic directors have the very best programs possible for their schools. I know about the programs in the district schools and about the life of coaching because I have lived it.”

It’s apparent when

speaking with Battles that the administrative job suits him. He practically radiates with excitement as he talks about plans for middle school summer camps, the new athletic complex in the works that will be located on the property of the site of the new Spencer High School, and plans to add local sports tournaments so MCSD teams don’t have to travel to participate.

Battles also wants to hold more clinics for coaches and make resources available to coaching staffs that have previously only been accessible by traveling to other parts of the state. He hopes to establish more sports programs at schools where lack of coaching, funding, and interest have kept potential athletes from being able to compete.

“Take swimming for instance,” Battles said. “I would like to see

every high school in the district have a swim team. We have such a great facility here now. To do that, you have to have coaches and the money to support the program, but I would like to see a swim team at every high school.”

Hitting the ground running with ideas and plans, he said, has been made easier for him due to the foundation laid by those who preceded him and also by the overwhelming support he has received from the school district administration.

Battles believes that trading in his Hawks coaching attire for dress shirts and ties was part of a divine plan.

“I laid it all down before God and said, ‘I want to go where you want me to go,’” Battles said.

“And this is where I am.”

COACH PROFILE Hometown: Harris County, Georgia Previous jobs: Teacher and coach, St. Anne-Pacelli School; teacher, head football coach, and athletic director at Hardaway High School Family: Wife, Jamie (teacher in MCSD); two daughters, 10 and 5 years old Pastimes: Playing golf, wood working (learned it from his dad)

RIVALS UNITED

written by: Robert Preston Jr. | photography by: Lindsi Jones Photography

VALDOSTA HIGH, LOWNDES HIGH FIERCE COMPETITORS AND FRIENDS CAN BITTER CROSSTOWN RIVALS CO-EXIST PEACEFULLY WHILE COMPETING IN THE SAME SPORT? YES, IF YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SWIMMING. WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF THE LOWNDES-VALDOSTA HIGH RIVALRY, THE WINNERSVILLE CLASSIC COMES TO MIND. In The Game | 37

Swimmers with Most Current World Records Men Michael Phelps (United States) – seven Ryan Lochte (United States) – five Cesar Cielo (Brazil), Paul Biedermann (Germany), Aaron Peirsol (United States), Adam Peaty (United Kingdom) – each with three

Women Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) – six Mireia Belmonte (Spain), Ranomi Kromowidjojo (Netherlands), Sarah Sjostrom (Sweden) – each with four Inge Dekker (Netherlands), Femke Heemskerk (Netherlands), Katie Ledecky (United States), Ruta Meilutyte (Lithuania), Missy Franklin (United States) – each with three

Did You Know?

The world’s largest swimming pool, located in San Alfonso de Mar (Algarrobo, Chile) is 1,013 meters long and covers an astounding 20 acres. At its deepest point, it reaches 115 feet, and it holds an amazing 66 million gallons of water!

The best competition pools are at least five feet deep; this is the depth that the waves from the swimmer no longer hamper the athlete, because by the time they would come back to the surface, the athlete has already been able to swim past it.

The top layer of the pool (approximately six inches) creates more drag in its surface tension. This is the reason why the butterfly and breaststroke need to utilize an undulation movement instead of swimming at the surface the entire time. The undulation of these strokes gets the swimmer below the level of surface tension and allows for faster forward momentum.

It’s a no-holds barred gridiron slugfest that divides the community for one gloriously competitive week each year. Most days, weeks, and months, the rivalry is kept in check, simmering beneath the surface. During Winnersville week, however, it explodes as such contests do in South Georgia.

You might think that the same type of rivalry exists in other sports between the two schools.

And you would be wrong. While Valdosta and Lowndes will battle each other tougher than they will other schools, there is one sport where the rivalry is more genteel.

Both schools have swim teams.

Both teams sent swimmers to the state meet this year. If you were at the state meet, you might have even mistaken these swimmers for teammates rather than competitors. And it can all be traced back to the local YMCA. Nearly all swimmers in Lowndes County begin with the Piranhas, the club team that operates out of the YMCA. It doesn’t matter what school system the kids attend, they are all on the same team.

They become good friends over the years. Then, when they get to high school, they migrate to their respective schools. Some go to Lowndes, others go to Valdosta.

Yet they remain good friends.

“Our coaches stand side by side on the deck,” Matthew Grant, Lowndes swimming coach, said. “We coach together at the Y. During club season, I may work with a kid who goes to Valdosta.

And Jeff may do the same with a kid who goes to Lowndes. We’re side by side, and our athletes are side by side.”

Jeff Corley, the head coach of the Piranhas who also helps with the Valdosta High team, agrees.

“Our swimming community here is small,” Corley said. “Our kids know each other well. They started here at the Y together.”

The swimmers cheer for each other, even when they’re competing against each other, all year long. At the state meet in early February, though, it was even more apparent. Both schools qualified swimmers for state. Valdosta sent its girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay to state – Cecilia Carroll, Sammy Kielma, Kennedy Johnson, and Madeline Posse. Posse also went to state in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. For Lowndes, the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Cannon George, Ethan Walden,

Kale Leisey, and Walker Johnson qualified. George also qualified for the 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard freestyle. “When Valdosta’s 200-yard freestyle relay made the cut earlier in the year, three of my girls were the first to congratulate them,” Grant said.

At state, none of the Wildcats or the Vikings competed against each other. All of Valdosta’s qualifiers were girls; all of Lowndes’s were boys. Both sets of swimmers cheered for each other throughout the meet. And when Posse made the finals in one of her events, everyone was there supporting her.

Yes, they are competitors throughout the high school season. But at that moment, in that arena, they were all teammates.

And everyone wanted to see each other succeed. “We don’t have to talk to the kids about being friendly with each other,” Corley said. “It comes naturally to them. They are courteous, and they have respect for each other.

It’s a lot different than football, baseball, or basketball.”

“In swimming, your biggest rival is often your best friend,” Grant said. “You don’t want to lose to each other, and you compete fiercely in the pool. But you’re great friends away from the pool. Swimming is unique in that way.”

WEDDINGS. PORTRAITS. LIFE.

www.LINDSI.com

Mother’s Day

DID YOU KNOW? >

In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.

> The modern American holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St. Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which now holds the International Mother's Day Shrine. Her campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.

> Ann Jarvis was a peace ac-

tivist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War and who created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers, reasoning that your mother is "the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world."

> Although Jarvis was

successful in founding Mother's Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies started selling Mother's Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother's Day and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit.

> While Mother’s Day is cel-

ebrated around the world, the date of celebration greatly varies by country.

The earliest celebration of the year takes place in Kosovo on the first Sunday of February, while the latest of the year occurs in Indonesia on Dec. 22.

40 | itgsportsnetwork.com

DAMEON’S

INSPIRATION

written by: James Washington | photography by: Lindsi Jones

“My family has instilled a strong value of education, and to already have the opportunity to go to college, as well as keep playing the sport I love, is tremendous.”

For Dameon Pierce, the dream is similar to that of many football players during their formative years.

“The NFL,” Pierce said. “It’s been my dream since I was little. I’d love the chance to play on the biggest stage.”

The sophomore sensation is well on his way to accomplishing that dream; after only his second year playing with the Bainbridge Bearcats (Bainbridge, Georgia), he has already earned attention from the Florida State Seminoles, the Auburn Tigers, and the Miami Hurricanes. Two of the institutions (FSU and Auburn) have already laid offers on the table for the young star.

“It’s by far the biggest accomplishment of my life to this point,” Pierce said. “My family has instilled a strong value of education, and to already have the opportunity to go to college as well as keep playing the sport I love is tremendous.”

On August 28, 2015, the Region 1-AAAA Bainbridge Bearcats took the

field in their season-opening home matchup against the Early County Bobcats (Blakely, Georgia). As would become somewhat of a standard for the year, the home team dominated the contest to the tune of a 42-13 victory.

Leading the way in the dominant opening win was Pierce; he finished the evening with quite an impressive performance. On only 13 carries, he tallied 113 yards and three touchdowns. He also added two receptions totaling 40 yards.

While his output was a sight to see, it would prove to be just the beginning of a season for the ages. The game against the Bobcats would be the first of 11 games on the year in which Pierce broke the 100-yard mark. In fact, in three of his 2015 efforts, he would hang over 200 yards on the opposing defense, including a season-high 265 yards against Crisp County. He finished the year with a grand total of 308 carries resulting in 2,060 yards and 33 trips to the end zone.

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His numbers were increased by another 148 yards on 13 receptions and two kickoff returns for 108 yards.

For some, the season may come as something of legend. But for his teammates and the Bearcat faithful, the numbers only continue the story that began when Pierce stepped onto Centennial field as a freshman in 2014. That year, he racked up a team-high 910 rushing yards on 164 carries (5.5 yards per carry). Four of his games took him over the 100-yard rushing mark, and he tacked on seven touchdowns for good measure.

Born and raised in Bainbridge, young Pierce began tearing up the gridiron at the age of 8. And from the beginning, it has been the same focus: He is a running back. Through and through.

“It’s all about playing running back for me,” Pierce said. “I’ve always been a running back. It was my first position, and it’s going to be my last. It’s what I love to do.”

Looking throughout his family, his athletic success should not come as a surprise. His father, Dontate Rogers, was a former athlete during his high school years, and both his older brother and younger sister are carving their own paths.

“My dad played right down the street, in Seminole County (Donalsonville, Georgia),” Pierce said. “My brother, Tavarius, played football for a year and basketball for four, and my sister, Myteria, is a basketball player. She’s working her way into the middle school program right now.”

But while the athleticism runs deep in the family, Pierce’s inspiration and drive come from the one that started it all: his mother, Shameeka Rogers.

“I started playing at the YMCA; my mom said I needed to get out of the house,” Pierce said with a laugh. “But it was all her.

She’s pushed me, supported me, and always been there.”

As with Pierce’s stellar 2015 campaign, the rest of the season would follow suit for the team as a whole. In fact, the Bearcats remained undefeated in all games played on Centennial Field in Bainbridge. Road results would prove to be the same. A 14-6 defeat of the Cairo Syrupmakers on Nov. 6 capped off a perfect regular season (10-0) and brought the 2015 Region 1-AAAA Championship back to Bainbridge.

The region champs charged into the postseason with the same killer instinct, disposing of Griffin (35-7), Sandy Creek (14-7 in overtime), and St. Pius X (18-17) en route to the school’s first ever semifinal appearance.

Unfortunately, the team’s title hopes, as well as their previously undefeated season, would come to an end as a result of a 38-7 loss to the Cartersville Hurricanes (Cartersville, Georgia).

The Bearcats set out to make their presence felt in Class AAAA during the 2015 season, and, by December, the rest of Georgia was put on full notice. Bainbridge finished the year with an undefeated regular season, and their final standing of 13-1 (.929) now sits as the best statistical season

IT’S AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF THAT. THIS TEAM IS ONE BIG FAMILY. WE’RE ALL ABOUT DOING THIS TOGETHER. BAINBRIDGE IS A SMALL COMMUNITY, AND THE LOVE IS IRREPLACEABLE. WE WANT TO SUCCEED FOR EVERYONE HERE.

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in school history.

“That semifinal trip, we made history,” Pierce said. “It’s an honor to be a part of that.

This team is one big family. We’re all about doing this together. Bainbridge is a small community, and the love is irreplaceable. We want to succeed for everyone here.”

With Pierce’s outstanding season in the books, it is only fitting that the Bearcats’ star receive adequate recognition for his efforts. Along with being named the Region 1-AAAA Player of the Year, he was also named to the All-State Team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, and the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. To top off his list of milestones, he was one of 30 players in the nation to be named to the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American First Team.

With offers on the table from Florida State and Auburn, as well as interest from Miami, it is only a matter of time before we see Pierce on the Division I stage. Set to graduate in 2018, his decision has not been made as far as college, although he has made multiple visits to Auburn and FSU. He does know, however, that he would like

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to remain around the sport once his playing days are over, and he is likely to choose a major that would allow him to do so.

“I try not to let the recruiting process take my mind away from what I want to do here (at Bainbridge High),” Pierce said. “I try not to think about it, especially during the season. I just focus on getting out there and playing to the best of my ability. I just want to keep working hard and staying motivated as a team so that next season we can come out on top.”

As his path to stardom continues to lay itself out, Pierce keeps the same humble attitude and spirit that have managed to bring him this far. He gives credit to his Savior and to the love and support of the local community. But most of all, he gives his love and appreciation to his family, especially his number one fan.

“My mom has sacrificed so much for this family to get to where we are,” Pierce said.

“She’s the reason I’m in this position today.

She taught me all about respect, about morals. I just want to do my job of living daily as a testament to her love and support.”

1-AAAAA ALL-REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR written by: Beth Welch | photography by: George McDuffie

SHAW BASKETBALL ATHLETE

KAYLA BONILLA

In The Game | 45

1,000-point career scoring mark as a junior in high school.

Bonilla reached the

When Shaw High School basketball player Kayla Bonilla received a call from her coach in March, the 16-year-old junior had no idea why. It was a big surprise to Bonilla when Shaw girls basketball coach Julee Fryer delivered the good news that Bonilla had been named the 1-AAAAA All-Region Player of the Year.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” Bonilla said about her reaction.

According to Coach Fryer, Bonilla was selected for the honor over 20 other nominated athletes. The selection process involves rankings and a point system, but it is mainly decided by the votes of coaches in the region. As the Player of the Year, Bonilla was also named to the All-Region First Team.

Standing at just 4-foot-11 and weighing 109 pounds, Bonilla defies the stereotype of a typical basketball player. What she lacks in height, the petite point guard makes up in speed and versatility on the court. Her stats for her 2015-16 season denote a talented and athletic player.

She averaged 21.5 points and four steals per game. Perhaps one of her more impressive stats, Bonilla reached the 1,000-point career scoring mark as a junior in high school.

The Lady Raiders coach doesn’t know if a female athlete from Shaw has ever been selected as an All-Region Player of the Year, but she is pretty sure there hasn’t been a girls’ basketball player from the school to be named as such.

Bonilla began playing volleyball and basketball at Shaw during her freshman year. It was also Fryer’s first year as a new coach. Together, the two have seen both sports programs grow, and the girls basketball program has advanced particularly with the talents of Bonilla and a few other Shaw players.

“In a way, it’s kind of like both of us were freshmen,” Fryer said. “We kind of started out together, and there have been some growing pains, but she is a truly great athlete. She deserves the honor. She has earned it.”

As for Bonilla, she just loves the game of basketball. In addition to playing volleyball at Shaw, she also ran track, in which she once set a time in the mile event as the fastest in the state. Despite her success with other sports, basketball is her passion.

“I am competitive,” Bonilla said with a big smile. “I love the competition.”

Among the many words her coach uses to describe Bonilla, one continually comes into play: humble.

“She is such a hard worker and very humble,” Fryer said. “She never takes credit and is always working for the team.”

The extent of Bonilla’s humble spirit became evident a few moments later. When asked what her best game was during the recent season, Bonilla thought a moment, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to her coach.

“I don’t know,” Bonilla said. “Coach, what was our best game, you think?”

Nodding her head, Fryer said: “See. That right there is an example of her being so humble. She said ‘our’ best game, and any other player would probably be quick to point out their high scoring games. She knows she had two games this season where she scored 41 points, but they were losses, and she doesn’t consider them the best because those weren’t wins for her team.”

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The Greatest Story Never Told written by: James Washington | photography by: The Valdosta Daily Times, The Florida Times Union, and the SAGA

“The school overall was just in a great place: great coaching, terrific community support, and outstanding players. The parent and booster support of the basketball program was immeasurable.”

TUESDAY, NOV. 23, 1976, WAS AS NORMAL A DAY AS ANY. With

Thanksgiving just around the corner, fall was in full swing, and at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia, it meant that basketball season was about to take off once again under the leadership of the late Charles Cooper. By his side on the bench was assistant coach Jean Griffin (now Jean Cooper, as the two would eventually marry). That evening, the Vikettes’ basketball team had a road matchup; they would travel to Nashville, Georgia, just about 35 miles north of town, to take on the Berrien Rebelettes (later known as the Lady Rebels).

Having won a state title in 1975, Berrien was sure to pose a threat. However, the support of the Lowndes community, as 48 | itgsportsnetwork.com

well as the basketball prowess of Charles Cooper alone, could change the tone of any matchup. “(Charles) was such a great motivator,” Jean Cooper said. “The school overall was just in a great place: great coaching, terrific community support, and outstanding players. The parent and booster support of the basketball program was immeasurable.”

The Berrien victory turned out to be a dominant one. The Vikettes used a 5128 thrashing to make quite the opening statement for their season. More would follow, and heading into the team’s winter break, they had opened the gates with an eight-game winning streak, claiming each victory by an average of nearly 29 points per contest.

“We had tremendous talent at every

position,” said Marcia Player Dodd, who at the time was a junior center on the team.

“We were extremely well-balanced, and our coaching staff was outstanding.”

After a 21-point drubbing of Tift County in their opening game, the Vikettes faced Brooks County in their final game of the Lowndes Christmas Tournament. As Brooks County had won the 1976 Class A State Championship the year before, fans were expecting a main-event-caliber battle on the hardwood. However, the Vikettes had other plans. The visitors would eventually go on to win the Class AA State Championship later that year, but on that night, their only claim to fame was becoming the newest addition to the list of adversaries laid by the wayside. A demonstrative 63-34 win by the host team

pushed Lowndes to 10-0 on the year.

“Lowndes was a ‘new’ school, and at the time, we had not seen a great deal of athletic success,” Cooper said. “In fact, a major driving factor in these girls was actually our 1974-75 team. Those girls were the first to really make a title push. They made the school’s first ever trip to the Final Four, and that gave us the motivation to go past that.”

The wins continued to pile up, and come playoff time, Lowndes was still the owner of a perfect record. After making quick work of the rest of the postseason field (Their closest game en route to the finals was a 53-44 win over Tucker High School in the semis.), standing in the way of a Class AAA State Championship in 1977 were the Cherokee Warriors (Canton, Georgia), who had no intention of backing down. The Warriors came into the title bout in pursuit of back-to-back championships and were the owners of a 29-0 record on the season.

But the Vikettes held a perfect record of their own. And by the end of the evening, only one could finish the year unscathed; only one school could return to their campus at 30-0.

“We were incredibly motivated, and that was simply a testament to who Coach Cooper was,” said Karen (Parker) Bennett, who was a junior point guard during the 1976-77 season. “He pushed us, but it was never ‘pressure.’ Coach would always encourage us to live in the moment, to take every game as just that: one game.”

The 53-48 win over Cherokee at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta gave the Vikettes their first state title. But, more importantly, it gave them confidence to continue what had been started.

“Cherokee was a big team,” Cooper said.

“They definitely had the size to try to overpower us. When we toppled them, it was kind of an ‘oh, wow’ moment. That game could very well have gone either way.”

In fact, going into the fourth quarter of the game, the Vikettes found themselves on the wrong side of a 40-35 score.

“I’m not sure who or what gave us that fire we needed for that final quarter, but I’m willing to bet it was Karen,” Dodd said. “That’s just who she was. She was a spark plug; she always provided that energy and motivation when the team needed it the most.”

Over the course of the first title run, the Vikettes held opponents to less than 38 points per game (37.87).

“Defensively, out team couldn’t be stopped,” Cooper said. “We made people play ‘our’ game. We had size, but we were also quick. If you thought you had us one way, we would just come at you with the other.”

WINNING A TITLE IS A BATTLE IN ITSELF. DEFENDING THAT TITLE, WHILE FIGHTING TO WIN ANOTHER, IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BEAST. “We definitely had a target on our backs,” Bennett said. “It didn’t matter where we were or whose gym we walked into. When we got there, we could feel the pressure. All of these teams knew that we had a lot to lose, and that motivated them to take us down.”

“To be honest, the previous season, the undefeated streak, none of that was really discussed in the locker room,” Bennett said. “We just went out there and played our game. We just fought every day. I don’t think the significance of the streak really hit anyone until we had a few games that we really had to fight for. It was those narrow wins that made us understand just what we had to lose.”

The Vikettes continued to push through the 1977-78 campaign, and after a 15-point win over Crisp County in the Region 1-AAA Championship Game, the next step was crystal clear. A second state title was in their sights. And a mere four games later, the step was successfully taken. A 58-43 win over South Gwinnett gave Lowndes their second state championship and extended their winning streak to 60 games.

Region titles had become commonplace, but in bigger news, Lowndes became the first Class AAA team to win backto-back state titles in nearly a decade. The last team to do so was Cherokee, who won three straight titles from 1967-69.

“When I think back on those years, I still often find myself in disbelief,” Dodd said.

“It feels like a dream. We were a part of something really special.”

THE RECORD BOOKS COUNTED WIN AFTER WIN, BUT THE FINAL SCORES WERE MUCH MORE THAN NUMBERS ON PAPER. They were a

testament to the fighting spirit and mentality that accompanied Charles Cooper every time he set foot on the hardwood.

For every win, there was an undoubted hustle and drive coming from the Lowndes locker rooms and practices. Coach Cooper was a competitor, but more than that, he was a motivator. He was a teacher.

And he was a friend above all. “(Coach Cooper) just had a way about himself,” Bennett said. “He always expected the best, and he was hard, but he knew how to get us to play together. He was all about respect. He knew the game, and he knew each and every one of us. At the end of the day, he was all about respect.”

Over the course of the Vikettes’ run, there was also a major change made in the way the game was played. Women’s In The Game | 49

competition was drastically different from what is seen in gyms and on television today. In particular, the progression of the game depended on players known as “rovers.” Primarily guards, the rovers were the only players allowed to run the entire length of the floor.

“With the way the game was played, we had three players that would simply play defense,” Bennett said. “Being a point guard, I played the full court, but a majority of the bigger players didn’t cross half court. We didn’t adopt the ‘team’ full-court game until my ninth-grade year.”

“Until I got to Lowndes, I had never played beyond half court,” Dodd said.

“Because I was always one of the tallest on the team, I was responsible for defense and rebounding. That was my job: snatch the board, pass it out. Dribbling, shooting, running the floor, pressing…

Coach Cooper essentially had to teach me all of that.”

Under Charles Cooper’s tutelage, Dodd made the transition from defender to allaround talent in the blink of an eye. Her success did not go unnoticed; her senior season earned her All-State recognition, along with teammate Rhonda Rowell.

“Marcia could run the floor like a deer,” Cooper said. “She was a terrific defender because she was so long, and she had one of the most beautiful floaters I have ever seen. Her touch was so soft. And Rhonda was arguably one of, if not the best, shooters we had. She was one of the first on the team to develop a jump shot, and it was a thing of beauty.” “(Charles’s) job was to ‘blend’ the kids,” Cooper said. “Probably the biggest issue we had, if you even want to call it that, was combining players from the Lowndes and Hahira Middle School programs. They went from being rivals to having to play together in high school, but at the end of the day, all you needed was talent and drive. He could bring out the best in anyone.”

The players had the best of both worlds.

They were blessed with a gifted and dedicated head coach in Charles Cooper, and in Jean, they had a mother figure who could handle any and every issue off the court.

“I was the ‘mama’ figure,” Cooper said with a laugh. “I complemented Charles because I was able to tackle any issues away from the game. We’re coaching young women, and it’s understandable that they will have their disagreements or things of that nature. But it never affected us.”

Dodd echoes the same sentiment.

“The male/female dynamic on the coaching staff was priceless,” she said. “We needed both, and they helped tremendously. We were nurtured in two ways.”

50 | itgsportsnetwork.com

“The male/female dynamic on the coaching staff was priceless,” Dodd said. “We needed both, and they helped tremendously. We were nurtured in two ways.”

DEC. 9, 1980. A home matchup against

the Valdosta High School Kittens (now known as the Lady Cats). Lowndes came in as the defending four-time state champions. Their last two titles (1979 and 1980) were the first two within the recently-established Class AAAA of the Georgia High School Association.

Memories are foggy. Maybe Valdosta was simply on fire. Maybe Lowndes just suffered from an ill-timed off night. Maybe the basketball gods simply felt it was time.

But at the end of the evening, the final tally on the scoreboard stood at 63-56.

Winner: Valdosta High.

122 games. 211 weeks. For 1,477 days, the Lowndes Vikettes basketball program had not felt the pang of defeat. Their streak stands as the second-longest in state history; the girls of Taylor County set the standard with 132 consecutive wins from March 1967 to January 1972.

“I honestly don’t remember too much about the game,” Cooper said. “I definitely remember losing, and that’s never fun.

And I do remember that it was against Valdosta. But you have to take into consideration that by that point, we had lost just about everyone from those championship teams to graduation. That’s not taking at all away from that year’s team, but there was just so much missing from what we had had in the previous seasons.”

THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD ARE NOT GIVEN THOSE ACCO-

LADES PARTICULARLY FOR THEIR LENGTH, BUT MORE SO FOR THEIR QUALITY. While the Vikettes’ outstanding

run of 122 consecutive victories came to an end that night against Valdosta, what can never be replaced is the road traveled. For four straight years, the relentless attitude of the Lowndes High women’s basketball team powered a community. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. No matter the roster, the hard work and dedication of the Vikettes remained incomparable.

Cairo (1982) and Berrien (1983) have reached the mountaintop in years since, but no team has done so on the scale of the Vikettes. Lowndes High’s women made their names known, and their accomplishments deserve to be kept in the forefront.

“To this day, I still run into people around town that saw us play,” Dodd said.

“The community support for those teams was tremendous, and it still makes me so proud when anyone brings it up.”

High above the hardwood trimmed in crimson and silver in the Lowndes High School gymnasium hang numerous banners. Among these banners are those honoring current seniors, athletic team members, and championships won by various Viking and Vikette teams. But there are four in particular that hang in a somewhat questionable obscurity.

Four state championship hangings, two from Class AAA and two from Class AAAA, blend in with the rest. One state title is impressive in its own right, and two can put the state on notice for a potential powerhouse. But to win four, and to win them in consecutive years, is a feat that is rarely seen. More importantly, it is a feat that no team in Georgia’s highest classification has accomplished since.

“I always thought that our success would help propel basketball programs, not just at our school, but as a whole in the area,” Dodd said. “Unfortunately, I feel that it still hasn’t taken off the way I envisioned.”

A spectacular plot, unstoppable protagonists, numerous adversaries, and unforgettable memories made. High peaks, low valleys, and lifelong lessons learned.

The 1976-80 Lowndes Vikettes’ story is one of legends. No matter how often, or how little, the story is told.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES

1977: Lowndes 53, Cherokee 45

1979: Lowndes 57, Baldwin 41

1978: Lowndes 58, South Gwinnett 43 1980: Lowndes 52, Northeast (Macon) 45

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FIRST WIN

FUELS

> Dick Fosbury was one of

the most influential high jumpers in modern Olympic history. His technique, known as the "Fosbury Flop,” involves the jumper clearing the bar head first and backwards. Until Fosbury introduced his unique style, most jumpers used a straddle technique the sometimes ended in injury. Fosbury's style was completely innovative, allowed for higher jumps, and is used by almost all high jumpers today.

DESIRE FOR MORE

> Florence Griffith Joyner,

a.k.a. “Flo-Jo”, was a U.S. athlete who, in 1988, set world records for both the 100 and 200 metres. Flo-Jo was the wife of triple jumper Al Joyner and sister-inlaw of Jackie Joyner Kersee.

written by: Beth Welch | photography by: Beth Welch

> Daley Thompson originally

wanted to play football/ soccer but switched to track and field events. Besides winning two Olympic decathlons, he broke four Olympic decathlon records, won three Commonwealth decathlon titles, and won the World and European championships.

> James Cleveland ‘Jesse’

Owens won the 100m, 200m, long jump, and 4x100m relay (team) gold medals. Owens was the first male African-American athlete to be sponsored when Adi Dassler (founder of Adidas) convinced him to wear Adidas shoes.

> For men, the sand pit

usually starts about 13 meters (42 feet) from the initial takeoff point. Sand is a good absorber of shock on the knees. A harder landing surface wouldn’t provide adequate support to mitigate injuries.

> The first person to run ex-

actly 4 minutes for the mile was Derek Ibbotson.

This information is courtesy of funtrivia.com

54 | itgsportsnetwork.com

Sometimes great disappointments lead to unexpected success. Fort Middle School track athlete Nyana Geisler had such an experience last year when she competed in her first track and field event for her school.

Geisler was a seventh-grade student at the time and a member of the Patriots’ 4x100 meter relay team. As the first runner of the relay, Geisler’s job was to hand off the baton to the athlete running the second leg of the race. Unfortunately, the two runners missed the connection and dropped the baton. It was a devastating moment for Geisler.

“I was really upset,” Geisler, 13, said. “Our first meet, and we dropped it. I am very competitive, so it was hard to deal with something like that.”

Minutes after the dropped baton incident, Geisler’s coach approached her about running in the 800-meter race. It was her

first year of participating in sports, her first year of running track, and her first track and field event. In addition, Geisler had never run 800 meters in practice much less for a competition. However, the 5-foot-6, 113-pound athlete decided to go for it.

She won.

“I guess after such a bad thing had happened with the 100, I just put all the madness into that run,” Geisler said, smiling.

“When I reached the 200 mark, it was anybody’s race to take.”

Surprised at her accomplishment, Geisler realized she had the skills and ability to be a good track athlete. Track was the third sport of three she participated in during her seventh grade year.

She played volleyball for the first time in the fall and gave basketball a try in the winter.

The articulate and intelligent student-athlete had a good first year with sport participation.

Those experiences inspired her to try out for soccer this past fall at Fort. When she finished up with it, Geisler played her second year of volleyball before moving on to basketball.

She plays the small forward or shooting guard position on the Lady Patriots basketball team and participated in the middle school All-Star game in March.

For the 2016 track season, Geisler’s coach, Oliver Ellis, has her participating in three events.

She is running 800-meter events, 4x400 relay races, and adding the 1600-meter race. Ellis feels that Geisler has the ability to be even better than last year.

“Her strength is her tremendous character,” Ellis said. “She is a great leader, inspires others, always works hard, and has a ton of heart. She simply has fun with whatever she is doing and yet is still a fierce competitor.

The girl just exudes confidence

“She would be an asset to any team, and she is not afraid to take any role that will help the team win.”

— Oliver Ellis

and backs it up with hard work and premier effort.”

Between last school year and this year, Geisler endured a big transition in her life. Her mother was offered a job in Savannah, but instead of moving with her, Geisler remained in Columbus with her grandmother so she could finish her middle school years at Fort. Although her mom lives out of town, Geisler speaks with her every day, and her mother attends almost all of her daughter’s sporting events.

The straight-A student is thinking about high school, but enjoying these last few weeks at Fort is her primary focus. She has been a four-sport athlete and will have to make a decision about which sports to continue at the next level.

“I really like basketball, and I think maybe track might be something I do,” Geisler said. “In both of those sports, you have to

rely on yourself but also are part of a team. Even when you feel like it, you can’t quit. I don’t want to let anyone down, so I work harder. I think I can manage that in high school sports, too.”

“I have coached her briefly in soccer as well, and I can say that she can most definitely play any sport that she puts her mind to.”

— Oliver Ellis

FEATURED SUBMISSION

The Significance of In-Season Training written by: Drew Taylor BS, CSCS

An athlete’s Strength and Conditioning program is broken up into four major phases depending on his or her respective time of year.

Offseason

The time of year when athletes training for Hypertrophy (Size) and muscular endurance. During the later part of this phase, the athlete will start training for basic strength and could possibly start training the strength/power phase depending on the sport.

Preseason

This phase prepares an athlete for the upcoming season. The athlete starts training with more sport specific movements. The athlete will be training for strength, power, speed, and agility in this phase and should be peaking in performance by the time that the sport season begins.

Now that we understand the different phases of training, I would like to draw my attention specifically to the importance of in-season training. It is safe to say that most athletes fall into one of two categories when it comes to in-season strength training and conditioning. They either continue to try to increase their gains by training as though they were still in their offseason phase and by keeping their volume of work extremely high; or they abandon their strength and conditioning program altogether due to practice and games occupying most of their free time.

The workload on athletes’ bodies increases significantly when they begin their sports seasons due to practice and games filling up their time. It can be devastating to an athlete to keep their volume and intensity high during this phase of the year.

Combining a heavy sports schedule and heavy workload in the weight room can lead to negative effects such as overtraining. When an athlete’s body reaches an overtraining state, the athlete’s performance on the field and in the weight room will begin to decrease and can often times lead to injury.

If an athlete abandons a strength and conditioning program during the in season, then that athlete will also experience negative effects. The principle of training

In-Season

This phase of training occurs during the sports season and is focused on Maintenance of strength and power.

Postseason

This phase is focused on active rest and recovery from a long sports season. This season allows the athlete to take time being active in other activities that are not their main sport in order to allow the body to recover.

reversibility states that while regular physical training results in enhanced athletic performance, stopping or substantially reducing training causes a partial or complete reversal of physical adaptations, thus compromising athletic performance. In the simplest of terms: Use it or lose it (Mantak training peaks). Studies show that athletes lose muscle much faster than they gain it. A study on an Olympic rower showed that he reached peak performance during the games. Once the games were over, he took an eight-week rest. When coming back to his training regimen after the games, it took him 20 weeks to get back to where he was physically before his rest period. Studies have shown that long periods of time without training result in partial or complete reversal of physical adaptations, thus compromising athletic performance.

If this is the case, then by the time that an athlete has made it to the end of a sports season (aka playoffs) the athlete could possibly be at a low performance state rather than peak performance.

The basis behind in-season training is to maintain the hard-earned strength, power, and size without overtraining. It also allows the athlete to maintain speed, agility, mobility, and be less susceptible to injury throughout the sports season. In order to do this, the athlete must transition into an

in-season strength and conditioning program that maintains a high intensity and full speed movement, but that has much lower frequency and volume. For instance, instead of an athlete training four and five days a week, the athlete would only train for two days a week and instead of 3 to 4 sets they would train for 1 to 2 sets. The weight would still stay high and the lifts would still be performed at full speed in order to maintain an athlete’s strength and power, but the volume would be lower in order to not over-work the athlete. This method combined with hypertrophy, accessory exercises, mobility, and low volumes of speed and agility work will allow athletes to preserve their hard-earned gains from the offseason and preseason and assist with preventing injuries. In-season training will be the difference maker for an athlete’s body and performance throughout the season and during playoffs. This leaves me with this question: Why work so hard in the offseason and preseason if you are not going maintain your gains and performance level by the end of your sports season when it is needed the most? This is why in-season strength and conditioning programs are necessary.

VIKING NATION “RUNNING AWAY” FROM THE COMPETITION IN 2016 written by: James A. Washington

The star-studded Lowndes track program has proven to be quite the unmistakable threat in Region 1-AAAAAA this season. For the third consecutive year, both the boy’s and girls’ teams have taken home the region title, overlooking the rest of their competition, which includes Colquitt County, Lee County, Tift County, and Valdosta.

“The kids have, for the most part, picked up right where they left off last season,” said Joseph Robinson, head coach of the Lowndes girls’ track team. “We had many returning athletes from the previous two seasons that have been contributing for quite some time.”

Coach Robinson credits the work ethic of the students within the program for the fuel that has led to success for the crimson and silver.

“We push the kids every day in practice,” he said. “We put them in uncomfortable situations in practice so that, when competition rolls around, they are unfazed; they can remain focused and composed, and they can compete at a high level.”

For both the boys’ and girls’ teams, there are endless contributions from many different student-athletes that are eager to represent their team in battle.

Coach Robinson acknowledges a select few that have proven to shine as leaders in the realm of competition.

“For the girls, Savyon Toombs has been our high point person for the past two seasons and All-State in the 200m & 400m dash,” Coach Robinson said. “She also holds the school records in both events. She participates in five events every track meet and does a great job at all of them. She competes in the 400-meter, 200-meter, 4x400,

4x100, and the triple jump. She has one of the best times in the state in the 400-meter (55.79) and 200-meter dash (24.41).”

The girls’ team is littered with talent; Taffany Smith, who qualified for state last season, has been strong for the team, competing in the shot put. Jamesha Samuel also qualified for state last season in the high jump. Team captain Bailey Wingate has done a great deal for the team, running the 800-meter, 400-meter, 4x400, and triple jump. Kennadie Williams boosts the team with her role in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100, and 4x400. Team newcomer Jaylah Lawson has been able to fill the void in the long jump, 300-meter hurdles, and 100-meter hurdles. “(Jaylah) is also a vital member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams,” Coach Robinson said.

On the boys’ side, Chance Roe leads the way in the 1600 (4:20.10) run and the 800 (1:55.53) meter run; he currently holds the school record in both events. Kaleb Wolfenden, who currently holds the school record in the 3200-meter run (9:47.98), and also competes in the 1600-meter run for the team. Tayvon Kyle holds the school record for the long jump (23’3.25”). Travis Tisdale and Morgan Jamison, both freshmen, added more speed to the Vikings this year in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, 4x100 and 4x400.

“Kaleb and Chance are a force to be reckoned with in the region, as well as the state,” Coach Robinson said. “Travis and Morgan; these two guys love to run and boast times to prove it in their respective events.”

At the region meet on April 22, the boys ended with 234 points, the girls finished with 246, and both teams left as champi-

ons once again. Both teams placed first in their respective 4x100 relays, as well as the 4x400 relays, and a heap of student-athletes took home individual honors. Individual winners include: Kaleb Wolfenden (3200-meter and 1600-meter run), Kennadie Williams and Walter Tisdale (100-meter dash), Jaylah Lawson (100-meter hurdles and long jump), Savyon Toombs and Morgan Jamison (400-meter and 200-meter dash), Taffany Smith and Abi David (shot put), Roderic Williams (300-meter hurdles), Xavier Jenkins (long jump), Gabe Nabers (disc), Katelin Stecz and Brishen House (pole vault), Jamesha Samuel (high jump), and Makenzee Page and Chance Roe (800-meter run).

Once the school year comes to an end, the program will be losing some valuable assets to graduation. However, the program’s loss will surely be the gain of a few select collegiate rosters. Nabers, who currently holds the school record in the disc, has already signed his National Letter of Intent and will be suiting up for the football team of Florida State University in the fall.

Roe has signed with Troy State, and Laney Tomberlin will be attending Valdosta State University. And standouts Toombs and Wolfenden are both being heavily recruited by multiple collegiate programs.

Both rosters are still packed with talent that is likely to return next season. Definitely good news in Lowndes County; but perhaps not so much for the remainder of next year’s region. Viking Nation is likely to continue their reign over the rest of the field for the foreseeable future.

In The Game | 59

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