The Oconee Leader

This Week: Sports

Issue 19

From the Oconee to the Apalachee

Volume 11

Early voting deadline near for May 24 primary

Happy champions

By Mike Sprayberry

Anna Marion Block helps pace Athens Academy to state girls track championships

TheOconeeLeader.com

Page 3

Oconee boys soccer advances to fourth straight Class AAA final four Page 4

In Brief

Oconee fire rescue hold boot drive Saturday On Saturday Oconee County Fire Rescue will be collecting money for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation Boot Drive at Butler’s Crossing, Epps Bridge Parkway and the intersection of Highway 53 and Highway 78.

The Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation raises money to educate the public on burn awareness and prevention, supply facilities in the care of burn victims and to assist in the recovery of burn survivors.

One of many Georgia fire departments participating in the fundraiser, Oconee County Fire Rescue has raised more money than any other volunteer fire department over the last 14 years.

For hundreds of photos and updates about Oconee events and people, go to theoconeeleader. com

Contact us:

Email editor@theoconeeleader. com

Twitter @TheOconeeLeader

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Photo by Suman Pakala North Oconee girls tennis players Ansley Hardeman and Maddie Bruning talk to assistant coach Walker Daniel during the state finals Saturday in Jonesboro. North Oconee beat Marist 3-1 to win the title. See story, page 3, and go to TheOconeeLeader.com for photo gallery.

Family fun for First Friday The monthly event resumes in downtown Watkinsville

By Rob Peecher

TheOconeeLeader.com

With the blackberry winter of 2016 offering some wonderful spring evenings, the resumption of First Fridays in downtown Watkinsville and events like this coming weekend’s Movie in the Park are the perfect opportunities for families to get out and enjoy their community.

This past Friday, kids were enjoying an inflatable slide, snow cones, face painting and meeting some of the dogs from the Oconee County animal shelter while their parents browsed some of the local shops that stayed open late.

Six-year-old Ruby Camp, a kindergartner at Oconee County Primary School, was playing with Maya, one of the crated puppies from the animal shelter, while her parents and older brother learned about some of the other animal housed at the shelter.

“This is our second time com-

ROB PEECHER/The Oconee Leader Amy Baxter, the youth director at Watkinsville First Christian Church, paints on Charlotte Gordon’s cheek during First Friday in Watkinsville this past Friday evening.

ing to First Friday,” Ruby’s mom Amanda Camp said. “It’s just a nice thing to do on Friday night.

We thought we might see some friends, and we did.”

Amy Baxter, the youth director at Watkinsville First Christian Church, was painting faces in the church yard. She was accepting donations for the face painting.

The church was also selling snow cones.

“The church does its best to have something going on at every First Friday,” Baxter said. “Tonight we’re trying to raise funds to support our youth who are going to Camp Christian this summer.

We have 16 youth going, and we’re trying to raise funds because we don’t want camp to be a burden on families.”

Please see ‘First’

Page 2

Early voting for the May 24 primary election concludes next week as voters decide most local races.

Up for election are three seats on the Board of Commissioners (including the Chairman’s seat), three on the Board of Education also including the BOE Chairman), Sheriff, Tax Commissioner, Coroner, Clerk of Superior Court and Probate Court Judge. Most of the races include incumbents and several of them are uncontested. With the exception of the non-partisan election for Probate Court Judge, all candidates qualified as Republicans.

Chairman of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners Melvin Davis is not seeking reelection and former Post 2 Commissioner John Daniell is the only candidate seeking the position. Post 2, vacated by Daniell to run for Chairman, will be filled via special election later this year.

Seeking to succeed Jim Luke at Post 1 on the Board of Commissioners are Penny Mills and Mark Thomas. The Post 4 race features incumbent Mark Saxon and challenger Sarah Bell.

Voters will also select three members for the Oconee County Board of Education. In the only contested race on the BOE, Chairman Tom Odom faces a challenge from Britt Beaver.

Tim Burgess and Wayne Bagley are running unopposed for Posts 4 and 5 respectively.

Kevin “Chappy” Hynes seeks to displace incumbent Sheriff Scott Berry while Dale Rogers challenges incumbent Coroner Ed Carson.

Incumbents Jennifer Riddle (Tax Commissioner) and Angela Elder-Johnson (Clerk of Superior Court) are running unopposed.

In the only non-partisan local race, Probate Judge David Anglin seeks reelection unopposed.

Early voting continues through next week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays as well as Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Early voting concludes on Friday, May 20 at 5 p.m. Voting is not allowed at the Board of Elections office on Monday, May 23 or Tuesday, May 24.

Oconee Youth School of Performance presents Spring Showcase on Saturday Staff Reports

TheOconeeLeader.com

Oconee Youth School of Performance presents its annual Spring Showcase Saturday and Sunday at The Classic Center Theatre in downtown Athens.

Shows are at 3 p.m. each day.

“Our 18th annual showcase features a wide variety of dance performances – from ballet to hip hop – plus several musical theater numbers from popular Broadway shows,” says Terra Hannon, who directs

the Watkinsville-based studio with her husband, Shane. “Our students have worked really hard throughout the year and we are excited to share the results with friends, family and the local community.”

Members of OYSP’s dance and musical theater companies, selected through auditions each May, will perform their award-winning numbers from the 2016 Access Broadway regional comPlease see ‘Spring’

Page 2

Contributed Oconee Youth School of Performance presents Spring Showcase

Page 2

Tell our advertisers you saw them in The Oconee Leader • Go to theoconeeleader.com for picture galleries

Hung up on a broken hanger The miscreant came out of his brother’s room with a broken plastic hanger, and I lost my temper. House laws had been violated.

I turned my venom upon 16-year-old Nathan: “Your mother, who washes your clothes for you, spends hours of her life every single day wandering around this house in a desperate search for hangers on which to hang your clothes – your clothes! – and here you’ve gone and broken one of these precious hangers!”

It’s true, too. When I hear the buzzer go off on the dryer, I know that shortly I will see my frazzled wife going from room to room in a desperate hunt for hangers. Wire hangers, plastic hangers, hangers with paper on them, hangers that are bent out of shape – it doesn’t matter, she just needs hangers on which to hang the boys’ clothes.

It frustrates Jean to no end to find hangers bent and broken when they are such a precious commodity.

“How on earth did you break this hanger?” I demanded of Nathan. It was the hanging part, the part with the curved top that goes on the clothes bar, that he’d broken off.

“I was hitting Robert with it,” Nathan confessed.

“Hitting Robert with a hanger?” I asked, incredulous. Hangers are so scarce in our house, that he might as well have been hitting his brother with an original Monet canvass.

My youngest son, 14-year-old Robert, now emerged from his room. Small welts were raised on his arms and back.

He was laughing, because this is how teenage brothers amuse themselves – smacking each other with their mother’s precious hangers.

“What are you laughing about?” I demanded from Robert.

“Nate was smacking me with the hanger and it broke,” he said.

I felt like my head was going to explode. How can they live in this house

and not understand how valuable hangers are to their mother?

“It’s not funny!” I shouted at him.

I snatched the broken hanger from Nathan’s hand and gave them both a firm whack with it.

“Your mother spends every waking moment doing your laundry for you,” I said. “She picks it up off your floor where you carelessly discard it.

She washes, dries, fluffs and folds your laundry. She hangs up your shirts. All she asks is that you occasionally collect some hangers for her.

“And to show your appreciation to this poor, downtrodden woman whose entire life revolves around these bent and twisted pieces of wire, you break one of her hangers! And it’s one of the nice, plastic hangers! Well, it’ll be your own fault when your shirts are wrinkled because there are no hangers.”

Nathan and Robert quit their laughing and hung their heads in due shame.

“I’m sorry I broke the hanger by hitting Robert with it,” Nathan said.

“I’m sorry I’m so strong that when Nathan hits me with a hanger the hanger breaks,” Robert said.

I suppose in some households, the crime would be smacking each other, regardless of the weapon used. But I think it’s probably true that a society can be judged by the things it decides to outlaw. And in our house, the crime is breaking a hanger.

And I think it would be fair to judge us by our concern over the broken hanger rather than the welts on Robert’s back and arms.

In a house with three boys (and I include my oldest son, Harrison, because even though he’s now a college student and we seldom see him, he still occupies a bed in our house and contributes to the piles of laundry), the occasional competitions of strength and sibling rivalry are to be expected.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

First American announces new officers First American Bank & Trust hires Alex “Hart” Raley, John (Johnny) H. Barnard, III, and Thomas (Tommy) A. Carraway, Jr. Raley was hired as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Barnard as Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender, and Carraway as Senior Vice President and Commercial Lender.

Raley, a native of South Carolina, is a graduate of Clemson University and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. With more than 22 years of career experience, Raley has spent the last 18 years in various executive leadership positions with large community

and super community banks.

Barnard, a native of Lawrenceville, is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Barnard has 15 years of banking experience, previously working in Gwinnett County and its surrounding markets. Prior to banking, he owned and operated Barnard Appraisal Services.

Carraway, a native of Lawrenceville, is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Carraway has 26 years of banking experience, previously working in Gwinnett County and its surrounding markets.

— Staff Reports

Raley

Barnard

Carraway

Oconee students redesign welcome center map Three Oconee County High School students recently redesigned the Oconee County Welcome Center’s visitor’s map as a project for their graphic design course. Taught by Susan Burger, seniors Thomas Hall, Zachary Miller and Tyler Ortel collaborated with Tourism Director Alex Perschka in creating an eye-catching map using the creative software Adobe Illustrator.

The map is popular among tourists and new residents who visit the welcome center to learn more about the county.

“We were looking to not only update, but also redesign our map to be more comprehensible and visually appealing. After reaching out to OCHS, we found that collaborating with students and teachers in the school’s graphic de-

Contributed From left to right: Tourism Director Alex Perschka, seniors Tyler Ortel, Zachary Miller and Thomas Hall and graphic design teacher Susan Burger.

sign pathway would be undoubtedly beneficial,” said Perschka.

“We are very pleased and proud of the outcome of this collaboration. It was a pleasure to work with these students and prepare them for their professional ca-

reers,” continued Perschka.

The map is set for a summer release date, and will be available in the Oconee County Welcome Center and throughout the county for all visitors, tourists and residents.

— Staff Reports

Poetry plaudits

To read the full column, go to TheOconeeLeader.com

Oconee County High School student Minjung Yu won an honorable mention in narrative poetry in the Booth Western Art Museum Writing Through Art Literary Competition. There were more than 400 entries in the narrative poetry division. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students to develop writing skills by using works of art from the Booth Museum Permanent Collection as inspiration. The competition was open to students, grades 9 through 12, in Georgia public and private schools, as well as students, grades 9 through 12, who are homeschooled. Yu’s teacher is Derek Hon.

‘Spring’ petition held in Atlanta in February, where OYSP was named Best Performing Arts School for the 12th time since 2002.

Graduating senior company members will be recognized at the Sunday matinee.

They include Simon Beckham, Bailey Chastain, Merrilea Duke, Isabelle Hale, Mara Hancock, Ivy Hitchcock, Megan Hodgson, Rhyan Jenkins, Mary Win Ligon, Cameron Loyal, Caylee Morrell and Jordan Osborne.

“We will really miss this group of

‘First’ Baxter said the church usually sells snow cones and baked goods or lemonade.

“We try to change it up every month so it’s always something different,” she said.

Typically the church has “train” rides for kids, but the train was having some work done on it this past Friday.

The church also was responsible for the inflatable slide.

Charlotte Gordon, 3, was among those getting her face painted at First Friday.

Charlotte’s mom, Victoria Garrett, said First Friday is not only a great way to spend an evening, but for her a convenient way.

“We live right inside the city limits,” she said.

Continued from page 1 talented seniors, some of whom have been with us since pre-K, but we’re excited to see what the future holds for them,” says Hannon.

Tickets for the Spring Showcase are $18 ($15 for age 12 & under) with reserved seating. Tickets will be on sale in the lobby of The Classic Center Theatre starting an hour before each performance. For more information about Oconee Youth School of Performance, see oconeeyouth. com or visit OYSP’s Facebook page.

Continued from page 1

First Friday is held from spring through the fall on the first Friday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition to activities for kids and families, several downtown stores stay open late for shoppers to browse.

This Saturday, May 14, Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual Movie in the Park at Oconee Veterans Park.

The movie this year is Minions.

Movie in the Park will feature a variety of activities for families on the soccer fields at OVP prior to the movie. Activities will begin at 6 p.m. with the movie slated to get started at 8:45 p.m.

Both First Friday and Movie in the Park are free events.

For hundreds of photos and updates about Oconee events and people, go to theoconeeleader.com

This Week: Warriors

WARRIORS l TITANS l SPARTANS l WOLVERINES l LIONS

May 12, 2016

‘Huge accomplishment’ Soccer

Final Four Page 4

Lions

Baseball Page

Contributed photo North Oconee head coach Michael Williams has the cooler poured on him in celebration as the Lady Titans look on during the trophy presentation following last Saturday’s Class AAAA state championship match. The Lady Titans won their first state championship in program history. For photo galleries and stories from the Lady Titans’ run in the state tournament, see theoconeeleader.com.

Online

Lady Titans drop Marist, win program’s first state championship

State finalists

By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com

To read about the Lady Warriors in the state soccer tournament and to see photo galleries, visit theoconeeleader.com

Online

To see photo galleries of Athens Academy’s soccer teams in the state tournament, visit theoconeeleader.com

The final three teams the North Oconee Lady Titans played in the Class AAAA state tennis tournament have won a combined 31 state championships since 1980, compared to the Lady Titans’ zero.

The Lady Titans played threetime state champion St. Pius in the Elite Eight and the Lady Titans won 4-0.

The Lady Titans played fourtime state champion and defending champs Woodward in the Final Four and the Lady Titans won 3-0.

The Lady Titans met 24-time state champion Marist in the championship match last Saturday at the Clayton County Tennis Center and it was the Lady Titans who came away with a 3-1 victory to win their first state tennis championship in school history.

“I am super proud of everyone.

It is a huge accomplishment for North Oconee,” said sophomore Hannah Daniel.

“It was awesome. It means a lot to me. I was proud and excited that we won state,” said sophomore Kate Dukes. “Winning a trophy and holding that trophy is good feeling.”

Head coach Michael Williams has said throughout the run the Lady Titans made they focus on playing the ball and not worrying about the name of the school their opponent comes from.

With a win against city-school Buford in the region championship and then the Atlanta private schools in the Elite Eight and Final Four of the state tournament, Williams said the strategy against Marist wasn’t going to change.

“Marist has been there a lot. They

are always in the finals or coming out of the finals with wins. We knew they were going to have that experience of being in that pressure-cooker situation and have that edge over us.

We focused on doing what we have been doing best all season, and that’s sticking to tennis,” Williams said.

“Before the match, we reiterated to the girls to beat any of these teams, we have to do the thing we do well and that’s play tennis. We didn’t have to change anything up. That was really our strategy – keep calm and reiterate it’s just another tennis match.

They can fall back on the training and practice and work they have put into their own personal tennis game up to this point and realize they are just tennis players. When the match started, they were a little nervous but once we settled and started treating it like just another tennis match, we came into our own.”

More online To see the full story of the Lady Titans’ win in the state finals, see theoconeeleader.com.

The Lady Titans went 23-2 this season to wrap up the most successful season in program history.

“This means a lot,” Williams said. “It seems like a very long time ago since we started, but we started it with a lot of new players and new talent and convinced ourselves this would be the season we would go all the way. We were confident we had the talent. I “It is completely surreal. It was an extremely long day but very well worth it. We are excited as we can possibly be.”

Block sets two state records, Lady Spartans win first state title

Left photo by MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader, above photo contributed

The Athens Academy Lady Spartans track and field team won the program’s first Class A state championship last weekend in Albany. The Lady Spartans had three first-place finishers. Anna Marian Block (left) won the state championship in the 800 with a new state-record time of 2:10.82 and won the state championship in the 1600 with a new state-record time of 4:51.28. Katie Phillips won the 300-hurdles, finished second in the 300-hurdles and fifth in the long jump. Sydney Williams finished third in the high jump. Julia Harisay finished third in the discus and sixth in the shot put. Emily Elder finished fourth in the 3200 and ninth in the 1600. Frances Herrin finished sixth in the triple jump. Janie Williams finished sixth in the pole vault. Sara Irvine finished seventh in the 800. The 4x-100-meter relay team finished fourth and the 4x400-meter relay team finished the

Page 4

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Thursday, May 12, 2016

Westminster Christian soccer teams finish as runners-up in GICAA state tournament

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Oconee County goalkeeper Gilbert Herrera-Bleyle reacts after saving a PK against Westminster last week.

For more photos and coverage of the Warriors’ playoff run, visit theoconeeleader.com.

Warriors advance to fourth straight Class AAA Final Four

By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com

Contributed photos

Both the Westminster Christian Academy Lady Lions and Lions played last Saturday in the GICAA Division II-A state championship game. Both teams went into overtime and both came away with a 3-2 loss to finish runner-up in the state tournament. The Lady Lions lost to Unity Christian and the Lions lost to Lafayette Christian. The Lady Lions were tied 2-2 at halftime after goals by Hadley Kirsche and Rachel Snyder. Neither team scored in the second half, but Unity Christian scored on a set piece with 1:30 remaining in the second overtime frame to take the lead. The Lady Lions finished the season 10-2. The Lions trailed 2-1 at halftime in their game but a goal by Jack Dobson tied it midway in the second half. Josh Russell scored for the Lions in the first half.

Lafayette Christian scored in the first overtime. The Lions finished the season 12-2-1. For photo galleries and stories from Westminster Christian Academy’s run in the GICAA state tournament, see theoconeeleader.com.

Last week saw the Oconee County Warriors play two nail-biters in the second and third round of the Class AAA state tournament.

First the Warriors beat Westminster in PKs to advance to the Elite Eight.

Then the Warriors beat Dawson County 1-0 to advance to this week’s Final Four. It’s the fourth straight year the Warriors have advanced to the Final Four.

“I am as proud of that as anything I have accomplished anything in my life as far as professionally,” said head coach Colin Connors. “It speaks volumes about soccer in this county. What we have accomplished is the consistency. Each year having seniors graduating and replacing them with the next group, I am extremely proud of that kind of consistency of four years in a row. There are not many programs in any sport that can say they have been to four Final Fours in a row.

“I have always said you are only going to go as far as your seniors will take you. These last four years, we have had great senior leadership, seniors rising to the occasion, and certain standards are set by the classes before them.

They want to at least meet that and do similar-type stuff.”

It was a trio of seniors that came up big for the Warriors last week. Senior Nathan Brooks scored the Warriors’ only goal in regulation against Westminster in a game that ended 1-1. During the PK shootout, senior goalkeeper Gilbert Herrera-Bleyle saved a shot by Westminster’s seventh shooter.

The Warriors’ seventh shooter, Simon Hunt, nailed his kick to give the Warriors a 6-5 PK win to send them to the Elite Eight against Dawson County.

Hunt had the Warriors’ only goal in their win against Dawson County.

“They have had an amazing week,” Connors said. “Gil the other night made the save on the seventh PK and Simon made the game-winning PK. Tonight Simon had the game-winning goal. Against North Oconee, Simon had the game-winning goal. He has had a lot of big moments in his career. The thing about Simon is the bigger the game, the better Simon is going to be. He never cowers from a moment. He always rises to the moment. He wanted to be the guy taking the PK in that moment. He wants to be the guy coming up to score the game-winning goal. He has got six or seven goals and six or seven assists and he plays defense half the time for us. He is an Please see ‘Warriors soccer’

Page 5

Thursday, May 12, 2016

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Warriors fall 3-0 to Westminster in Class AAA state championship

Page 5

Spartans fall 3-1 to Paideia in Class A private school state championship

Contributed photo

The Oconee County Warriors played Westminster in the finals of the Class AAA state championship match last Saturday in Clayton County, and the Warriors lost to the Atlanta private school 3-0 to finish as state runner-up. It’s the fourth time the Warriors have finished as state runner-up. They have been to the finals five times, winning the state championship in 1999. The season wraps up the high school careers of two seniors, Landen Benson and Clay Malcom. Last week the All-Region 8-AAA team was announced. Connor McCarthy, who plays at No. 1 singles for the Warriors, was named region player of the year. Benson and Andrew Davis, the No. 1 doubles line for the Warriors, were named first-team all-region. Gabriel Young (No. 2 singles), Malcom (No. 3 singles) and Malachy Mejias and Jake Boran (No. 1 doubles) were all named second-team all-region. The Lady Warriors’ No. 1 singles player Hannah Boran was named region player of the year. Julia Hardell (No. 3 singles) was named first-team all-region. Alexis Anderson and Lexie Houston (No. 2 doubles) was named second-team all-region. For photo galleries and stories of Oconee County’s run through the state tournament, see theoconeeleader.com.

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

The Athens Academy Spartans lost 3-1 to Paideia in last Saturday’s Class A private school state championship to finish runner-up in the state. The Spartans were playing in their first state finals since 2009, which is also the year of their last state championship. The Spartans earned a berth in the finals thanks to their 3-2 win against First Presbyterian Day. Rolf Reynolds (pictured above) was the clinching point for the Spartans in that victory. The loss wraps up the high school career of three seniors – Rob Clements, Magill Bauerle and Jordan Sennowitz. For stories and photo galleries of the Spartans run through the postseason, see theoco-

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

The Oconee County Warriors hold up four fingers signifying their fourth straight trip to the Class AAA Final Four. The Warriors beat Dawson County 1-0 last Friday to advance to the Final Four. For stories and photo galleries of the Warriors, including this week’s semi-final game, see theoconeeleader.com.

‘Warriors soccer’ athlete that hustles and gets up and back.

We want our defenders helping us attack and he does that, whether it’s on set pieces or in the flow. The other night he had the assist on the goal we scored. He did that playing left-back.”

Herrera-Bleyle didn’t start the game against Westminster. He came into play for the shootout. With Westminster leading the shootout 4-3, the Wildcats had a shot to win if their fifth shooter was able to score but he missed the net.

Going into the seventh shooters, the round was tied 5-5. Westminster’s shot was saved by Herrera-Bleyle, and Hunt ended it.

In the win against Dawson County, Herrera-Bleyle played the whole game as the Warriors recorded the shutout.

“It is probably the highlight of my soccer career in high school. The Westminster PK shootout was on a level all on its own, but this elevated the whole experience,” Herrera-Bleyle said. “It is kind of crazy.

It is a great feeling. Sometimes we take it for granted that we have gone to the Final Four all four years but you look back and we are one of two teams that I can name off hand that have done that. It is really humbling to be a part of a great program

Continued from page 4 and be fortunate to be a part of this team.

It is great.

“Even though we like to build off every year, we have to start over every year fresh. We can’t think just because we made it last year to the Final Four or the year before that we made it to the finals that we will get it again. Every time we come out here in this state run, we have to think what if this is our best chance. Even for the freshman coming in here, they are trying as hard as they can because going this far in the state playoffs is never guaranteed.”

The Warriors hosted Decatur earlier this week with a berth in the finals on the line.

In their previous three Final Fours, the Warriors are 1-2. They went to the championship game two years ago after beating West Hall 2-0 at home. The other two losses were on the road.

“It is exciting. We are hoping to have a big crowd,” Connors said. “We will be playing a great team. We are a little banged up so we will see. We will try to get healthy by Tuesday and get ready for them. A lot of preparation, film work and scouting reports goes into this time. I’ll be working the phones trying to get information on our opponent.”

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Members of the Lions celebrate after their win last week sent them to the state championship. For a photo gallery and the full story, see theoconeeleader.com.

Lions will play at home Friday for GICAA state championship

By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com

Westminster Christian’s offense continued to roll, and it helped put the Lions in Friday’s state championship.

The Lions earned two more run-rule victories last Friday with their 14-4 win in game one and 11-0 win in game two against Crosspointe Christian in the Final Four of the GICAA Division II-A state tournament.

The Lions opened the tournament with sweep of Holy Ground Baptist Academy that saw the Lions outscore the opposition 29-0 in the two games.

“We are definitely hitting the ball well,” said head coach Nate Donatelli. “A

couple of times we got under it. We are making good contact with not too many strikeouts. That’s been key for us. We only had the one strikeout last week. We didn’t have many today.”

Harrison Ricketts started the first game on the mound. He went four innings and had seven strikeouts. Tyler Brugh pitched the final two innings and allowed one unearned run with two strikeouts.

CJ Smith had three hits and four RBI. Hollan Johnson had three hits with three RBI. The Lions trailed 1-0 after the top of the first inning but they put five runs on the board in the bottom of the first to take a 5-1 lead.

In the second game, Smith gave up a pair of

infield singles and a walk, but that was it. He struck out 14 batters in five innings.

“He looked good,” Donatelli said. “He was throwing nice and easy. That first inning he threw 22 pitches but he settled in nice after that. He was comfortable on the mound.”

The Lions will host the championship on Friday with two games in the best-of-three series. A third game, if necessary, will be at WCA. “It helps a whole lot because we don’t have to go play on anyone else’s field,” Ricketts said about playing at home. “We know this field a lot better.

The nerves will be there but it will be a lot better playing at home.”

Tell our advertisers you saw them in The Oconee Leader • Go to theoconeeleader.com for picture galleries

Page 6

Thursday, May 12, 2016

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Oconee County’s trusted source for plumbers, handymen, and more!

OTHER HOME SERVICES • PAINTING • WOOD REPAIR • LANDSCAPING • PRESSURE WASHING • MULCH, GRAVEL, & PINE NEEDLE SPREADING & HAULING • YARD & LEAF CLEANING

CALL BRIAN 706-247-5430 23 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE 7 DAYS A WEEK LICENSED & INSURED SENIOR CITIZEN DISCOUNT

Crystal Clear Windows & Gutters, LLC.

PR OFESSIONAL

• Window Cleaning • Pressure Washing • Gutter Cleaning 706-614-6798 • Instant Quotes Online Spring Special 10% off Total Services www.crystalclearwindowsandgutters.com

Home Services

Home Services

3520

3520

EDT CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING

* Rotten Wood Repair *Carports & Garage *Additions *Renovations *Roofing Repairs *New Home Construction *Sun Rooms *Decks & Patios *Ceramic Tile *Home Maintenance *Painting (Int/Ext) *Kitchen & Bath Renovation *Window & Door Replacement

State Licensed & Insured

For ALL Your HOME IMPROVEMENTS, Large Or Small, Call Today For A FREE ESTIMATE

706-202-6066 Call Anytime & Ask for ET Visit our website at www.edtconstruction.com edtconstruction@yahoo.com Serving Athens since 1989

Home Services

3520

FREE ESTIMATES | Call 706-283-5743

Classic Home Repairs “I do the work myself and I guarantee the work I do” • Carpentry Work • Decks & Ramps • Int/Ext Painting • Drywall Repair • Windows & Doors • ROOFING AVAILABLE

770.601.1479

Kenneth Hightower

homerepairs02@gmail.com MARSHALL’S ROOFING

Shingles, metal, patchwork, any kind of wood repairs or home maintenance. Tree Services Spreading, Hauling, and Delivering of mulch and pinestraw.

Underbrush Clearing. Tree Trimming.

Landscaping & Yard Work

Home Services

3520

M.L.W. All Phase Construction & Roofing, LLC Gary F. Scavone  706.206.1223  gfscavone@gmail.com  Available 24/7 for Any Emergency   State of Georgia Licensed & Insured  EASE OF MIND: We have an insurance expert on staff with over 30 years of experience adjusting insurance property claims!

LOADER WORK & BOBCAT WORK Underbrush Cutting, Gravel and Asphalt Driveways, Lot Clearing, Backyard Grading, Bush-hogging, Landscaping-Seed, Drainage Fill Dirt, Top-Soil, Sink Hole Fill In, Tree Removal, Retaining Walls, Demolition & Backhoe Work 770-945-2488 PR OFESSIONAL

Paramore Plumbing

Licensed & Insured #MP209645 Professional & Dependable Offering cost effective common sense plumbing solutions! Honesty is Our Greatest Policy.

Emergency services are available.

STATE OF GEORGIA LICENSED CONTRACTOR Home Services

3520

UlmBrothers Tree Service

LOOKING FOR A

ROOFER?

The Professional Services Directory is Oconee County’s best source for finding painters, plumbers, landscapers, roofers, and other skilled local service providers.

Do you provide a professional service?

Advertise Here! Call 706.549.FAST!

Your Guide to Professional Service Providers in and around Oconee County

Do YOU provide a professional service?

Want to attract more customers?

The Professional Services Directory is Oconee County’s trusted source!

To advertise here, call 706.549.FAST!

LO O K I N G F O R A

PA I N T E R ?

The Professional Services Directory is Oconee County’s best source for finding painters, plumbers, landscapers, roofers, and other skilled local service providers.

7 Days A Week Senior Citizen Discount Call Today: 706-338-0566

3520

Local and experienced!

We are fully insured and offer Tree removal,Trimming Pruning, Debris Removal, Insurance work, Right of way work, Lot clearing, and Stump Grinding. We pride our self on customer service and satisfaction.

Call for a free estimate today.

Office: 706-369-5300 Cell: 706-255-4941

Licensed & Insured

Home Services

Do you offer a professional service? Want to expand your business?

Advertise in the Professional Services Directory!

Call 706.549.FAST for more info.