The Oconee Leader

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This Week:

Sports Issue 8

Volume 11

From the Oconee to the Apalachee

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Basketball

Westminster Page 4

News

ROB PEECHER/Oconee Leader

The Oconee County Middle School band Sunday performed during the annual A Taste of Oconee fundraiser. Pictured front (left to right) are: seventh grader Eva Daniel and eighth graders Lillian Hobbs and Zoe Hicks.

BY ROB PEECHER

The Oconee Leader

Lane Open

Hog Mtn. turn Page 2

Online

Those attending A Taste of Oconee Sunday enjoyed the opportunity to not only sample food from restaurants from around the county, but also the chance to hear the music program from Oconee County Middle School.

In its tenth year, A Taste of Oconee is an annual fundraiser for the band and chorus programs at OCMS. This year, some 20 local restaurants participated in A Taste

of Oconee, offering samples to those who came to the Oconee County Civic Center to support the OCMS music programs.

Jon Cotton, the band director at OCMS for the past five years, said A Taste of Oconee offers a lot of benefits to both the students and the community. Among those benefits, Cotton noted, is the chance for the band and chorus members to perform throughout the evening.

“For the students in band, it gives them another opportunity to per-

form in the school year in a nontraditional setting,” Cotton explained. “It also offers an opportunity for community collaboration where we get to partner with community members who might not ever hear the kids play anywhere else, and they can see how awesome these middle school kids are.”

Cotton also said that as a fundraiser, A Taste of Oconee raises money for instrument repairs and new instruments and also provides

both the band and chorus with music.

Money raised at the annual event also provides the band and chorus programs at OCMS with the opportunity to have guest instructors put on clinics for the students.

Several local businesses also provided items for a raffle that helped to increase the money raised during the event.

Rob Peecher is a reporter for The Oconee Leader.

Oconee Chamber recognizes STAR students, teachers

Photo Gallery

NOHS, WCA

theoconeeleader.com

Schools

ROB PEECHER/Oconee Leader

Star students and teachers from the five local high schools recognized by the Oconee Chamber last week are (left to right): Stacey Casey (teacher, NOHS), Emily Grable (student, NOHS); Emma Stephens (teacher, WCA), Josh Russell (student, WCA); Joseph Strickland (teacher, PACS), Will Douglas (student, PACS); Mariya Peterson (teacher, Athens Academy), Sean Murphy (student, Athens Academy); Louise Zhuong (student, OCHS), and Amy Mize (teacher, OCHS).

BY ROB PEECHER

The Oconee Leader

Academy students

Virtual History Page 2

The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast last week recognized the STAR Students and STAR Teachers from each of the five high schools in Oconee County.

Sponsored statewide by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation, the STAR Student program recognizes the senior in each school who achieves the highest SAT scores in the school and is in the top 10 percent of the class.

Haley Grable, the North Oconee High School STAR student, was named the county-wide STAR student. Each STAR student also has the opportunity to nominate a STAR teacher, and Grable nominated Stacey Casey, her AP language arts teacher.

Speaking at the breakfast, Casey noted that Grable is not just a “star in the classroom, but also in athletics.” Grable has been on two state championship golf teams.

Each of the STAR students was asked to share a “most memorable” moment from high school with the Chamber members at the breakfast, and

Grable said she would not forget that when she ran for the student council her name was left off the ballot.

Sean Murphy was named the STAR student from Athens Academy, and he nominated Mariya Peterson, a math teacher, as his STAR teacher.

Murphy, who enjoys theater in addition to academics, told the Chamber members at the breakfast that he chose Peterson, in part, because he likes to do impressions of his teachers but has never been able to master an impression of Peterson.

Peterson said she became aware of Murphy as a student even before he was in her class when she saw him perform in a play.

“I was so impressed with his acting that I invited my whole family to the play,” Peterson said.

Louise Zhuong was named STAR student at Oconee County High School, and she selected Amy Mize, her AP literature teacher, to be the school’s STAR teacher.

Mize said that in spite of her many academic accomplishments, Zhuong, who is dual enrolled

at both UGA and Georgia Tech, is “humble.”

“In a time of selfies, and Twitter feeds and Snapchat,” Mize said, “it is refreshing to work with a student who has Louise’s humility.”

Joseph Strickland, the performing arts teacher at Prince Avenue Christian School, was selected as the school’s STAR teacher by STAR student Will Douglas.

Strickland said that Douglas is one three students he has taught in his career who makes him think, “What will my day be like when they’re gone.”

Strickland noted that Douglas has been in a number of school plays, but he also has professional credits.

Douglas attended the breakfast last week with a pencil mustache, and the explanation for his odd appearance came during his introduction.

He will be portraying Gomez Addams in an upcoming performance of The Addams Family Musical.

The Chamber members at the breakfast were Please see

‘STAR students’ Page 3

New lane should ease traffic Students work on Ga. history project tie-ups at Hog Mountain, 441 Page 2

Thursday, February 25, 2016

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Pictured: Fleming Smith (in yellow) with friends Grace McWhorter and Anna Kate Foshee at Scull Shoals as part of their work with the Learning About Home class in Fall 2014.

MIKE SPRAYBERRY/Oconee Leader

The new turn lane on Hog Mountain Road at its intersection with US 441 allows two lanes of cars to turn left off of Hog Mountain and should ease some of the congestion at peak times.

BY MIKE SPRAYBERRY The Oconee Leader

An additional left turn lane from Hog Mountain Road onto US-441 is now open following several months of construction and upgrades to the traffic signals.

The new turn lane was a joint effort by the county and the Georgia Department of Transportation and intended to relieve traffic congestion at the intersection during peak travel times.

“If you’ve been by the intersection of 441 and Hog Mountain Road, the new turn lane going down Hog Mountain Road and turning north onto 441 is now in use,” said Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis. “It is striped and cars are able to turn left from two turn lanes. That should expedite traffic quite a bit.”

The addition of the turn lane required the installation of new traffic sensors and an extra turn signal. The widening of Hog Mountain Road near the intersection allowed for the shifting of the westbound lane onto new pavement and the restriping

of the road near the intersection.

When the project began, Davis explained that traffic had been backing up from the intersection as far as Wellbrook Farms Road and further. He added that the resulting bottleneck effect sometimes made entering and exiting the Racetrac gas station difficult.

Along with GDOT, Oconee County Public Works Director Emil Beshara oversaw the project. According to Beshara, the changes should allow twice as many vehicles through the intersection during each cycle of the traffic signal, reducing backup during typical commute times on weekday mornings and afternoons.

The county’s cooperative effort with GDOT required that the county handle the grading, provide the rock base and stripe the lanes when the construction was completed. GDOT provided the asphalt and the modifications to the traffic signal.

Mike Sprayberry is a reporter for The Oconee leader.

In December 2015, the Georgia Virtual History Project was selected as a “model” humanities project by the National Humanities Alliance. Athens Academy humanities teacher Dr. Randy Reid and his Learning About Home class have been workingon the GVHP project with the Willson Center and the History Department at the University of Georgia as well as Putnam County High School for the past five years.

“Through the Learning About Home class and the Georgia Virtual History Project, we are working to bring both students and scholars together with people in the community who have something to share about Georgia’s history,” says Dr. Reid. “By working together we are better educating students, encouraging more deeply rooted communities, and making us all better citizens. We are honored by our selection as a model public history project by the National Humanities Alliance.”

The work the students have been doing the past five years is presented as “pins” on the GVHP map, which visitors click on to watch videos, read passages from archival books and diaries, and see pictures from the past. The hope is that stu-

dents and faculty in communities across the state can contribute their own historical research to record their “local past.”

According to Dr. Reid’s former student Fleming Smith, now a freshman at Suwanee, “GVHP’s work is so important because Georgia is very rich in history, with every community having multiple stories to tell. This history connects to so many people, but if you don’t have access to historical information, many stories remain untold. GVHP makes Georgia’s history easily available to the public so that everyone interested can understand and enjoy it.”

Only 12 public history programs like the GVHP have received the “Model” Humanities Project designation from the National Humanities Alliance. According to their website, the Alliance is “a coalition of organizations dedicated to advancing humanities education, research, preservation, and public programs. We are the only organization that brings together the United States humanities community as a whole.”

To experience the GVHP, go to www.virtualgeorgia.org or visit the National Humanities Alliance at http://nhalliance1.org/storymap/.

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Morning roll call

When I was a kid, I enjoyed the television show Hill Street Blues. Every morning at the beginning of their shift, the Hill Street officers gathered together for a morning briefing from Sergeant Esterhaus. During these often ruckus roll call meetings, the officers learned of all the important “items” taking place that might impact their days.

Except that my wife is a good deal prettier than Sgt. Esterhaus, I became convinced the other morning that my house very much resembles Hill Street Blues’ morning roll calls.

It began, as mornings usually do, when the alarm started making a racket and Jean nudged me and pushed me and kicked me, but when I failed to get out of bed she got up and turned it off. The alarm clock is not on a bedside table that we can reach from bed. It’s on the dresser all the way across the room at the foot of the bed so that to turn it off one of us (Jean) has to get out of bed.

Instead of crawling back into bed (which I would have done) she bent over and put just her head and shoulders on the bed. She stayed like that for a long time, and I started to think she was actually asleep like that. I was thinking I could slide my foot out from under the covers and tickle her nostril with my big toe to help her wake up, but before I had to resort to anything she stood up and walked downstairs where I knew she was making coffee.

So far it’s not a bad start to the morning, but the excitement begins when she starts waking up our sons. Our oldest son, Harrison, wisely scheduled his first class at 11 a.m., so he gets to sleep in during roll call.

Every morning Jean provides the boys with instructions. One of them is to get in the shower while the other one goes downstairs to eat breakfast. They alternate this every morning so that they take turns who showers first.

Jean, like a very efficient Sgt. Esterhaus roaming around the roll call room with his clipboard, keeps straight from morning to morning which child eats first and which child bathes first.

This is a relatively peaceful time of the roll call, because they’re still tired.

One son is quietly showering while the other one is quietly eating, and then they switch spots.

The ruckus starts when they’re both getting dressed.

“Mom!” Nathan will call from upstairs. “What’s the weather supposed to be like today?”

Sgt. Esterhaus, flipping through her clipboard, calls up, “It’s supposed to be a little chilly and overcast, and it will probably rain some. You might want to wear a jacket!”

A few minutes later, Robert will call from upstairs: “Mom! Is it going to be cold today?”

A frustrated Esterhaus, having just answered that question, responds: “It’s supposed to be a little chilly and overcast, and it will probably rain some.

You might want to wear a jacket!”

Robert’s query will be immediately followed by Nathan checking is soccer bag for all of his uniform pieces: “Mom, do you know where my cleats are?”

Esterhaus checks her clipboard. “Cleats were left on the back porch when you got home from practice the other night and banged the mud off them.”

“Mom! Do I have any clean underwear?” Robert yells.

Esterhaus and her clipboard have the answer: “Clean clothes were put on top of your dresser last night, and you were told to put those away. Among those clean clothes were underwear. If you put them away as you were told, you should have underwear in your dresser. My suggestion would be that you first look on top of your dresser.”

Throughout the morning, Nathan is playing the rap music he enjoys and just down the hall Robert is playing the country music he enjoys, and the cacophony of contradictory sounds adds to the commotion of the two teenage boys stomping through the hall and yelling questions at their mother.

When they’re fully dressed and start to head downstairs, Esterhaus will call back to them, “Next item: Have you brushed your teeth?”

The pounding of the footsteps going down the stairs will stop and we can hear both of them run back up the stairs to brush their teeth.

When they finally arrive downstairs, the boys are typically arguing with each other, usually about who has taken whose earphones.

Like an efficient, all-knowing Esterhaus, Jean will find a hidden pair of earphones on a table or under a cushion or wherever they are hiding and sort out the earphone situation.

Then she runs through a checklist. Do you have your book bag?Do you have your soccer bag? Do you have your homework? Do you have writing utensils?

When it’s time to go, I’ll lead the way out to the car, and Esterhaus will hit the boys with one more thing from her clipboard.

“Last item, and this one is important.

It comes down from division headquarters. A lot of you have been forgetting your lunches, and I – or your father – are having to bring your lunches to school for you, which is an inconvenience to us. So remember to grab your lunches off the counter on your way out the door!”

“Yes ma’am!” the boys will call to her, at least one of them failing to grab his lunch.

Sgt. Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues ended each roll call with his well known words of caution: “Hey! Let’s be careful out there.”

Likewise, as the door swings shut behind the boys, Jean has her own catch phrase: “Hey! Try not to get ISS today.”

Rob Peecher is author of the book Four Things My Wife Hates About Mornings.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Page 3

4-H members donates to ACTS

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

In December Oconee 4-H member, Brantley Saye, hosted the Holly Jolly Jingle Jog to benefit Area Churches Together Serving. Brantley was happy to present a check for more than $1000 to Reiny Hiss of ACTS. Also pictured is Jack Durham Marable, race participant and Oconee 4-H member. Pictured above (left toright): Jack Durham Marable, Reiny Hiss and Brantley Saye.

‘STAR students’

Continued from the Front

still laughing when Douglas stepped to the podium.

“I was told I was supposed to make a joke about my appearance, but I feel that joke has been made for me,” he said.

Josh Russell earned the STAR student distinction at Westminster Christian Academy, and his STAR teacher was English teacher Emma Stephens.

Stephens said Russell is a “renaissance man,” noting that he plays varsity soccer at WCA and “sings beautifully.”

“My favorite high school activity is English class,” Russell told the Chamber members. “And the main reason is because of Emma Stephens. She makes class so fun and so interactive, that it doesn’t feel like class at all. It feels like we’re hanging out with friends and discussing important topics.”

The Oconee County Chamber of Commerce recognizes the county’s STAR Emily Grable of North Oconee High School students and STAR teachers each year. was named the county-wide STAR Student.

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

This Week:

Spartans WARRIORS TITANS SPARTANS WOLVERINES LIONS

Westminster Christian Academy basketball

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Lady Lions come up shot, finish runner-up in GICAA

BY MATTHEW CALDWELL The Oconee Leader

Football

Richardson, Corry sign Page 5

Upcoming

Westminster Christian Academy came up a few minutes short of winning the GICAA Division II-A state championship last Saturday at Gordon State College in Barnesville.

The Lady Lions led throughout the game but lost 50-42 to Central Christian.

“It was a heartbreaker. I have to give the other team credit. The second half of the fourth quarter, with grit and determination, they decided they were going to win the game. At the end of the game, we had to start fouling to try and get the ball back but they made their free throws. They did exactly what they had to do. We were battling it out

Above photo contributed, left photo by MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Above, the Lady Lions pose for photos following the GICAA state championship game at Gordon State College last Saturday. Left, senior Madi McCullough brings the ball up the court in last Thursday’s GICAA semifinal game at WCA. McCullough is the team’s only senior. For photos of last Thursday’s semifinal game, see theoconeeleader.com.

until the last second,” said head coach Morgan Cogswell. “That was probably the best game our team has played all year as far as playing together and shots going in and their defense was amazing. That team was taller and bigger than our team. We were winning the whole game, which is difficult to think about. You play back the last couple of minutes over and over again and I try to think about what I would have done differently. You play that game over tomorrow, it is a different situation. You play it again, it is a different situation. We were evenly matched on the floor. It was anybody’s game and it just wasn’t our day.”

The Lady Lions led 27-21 at halftime and 37-29 going into the fourth quarter.

Oconee County football players Tyler Davis and Jaleel Laguins signed to play football in college. Their story will be featured in an upcoming edition of The Oconee Leader.

Online

“We were up by nine and the other team, as the clock was winding down, started to play desperate and scrappy,” Cogswell said.

“They have a superstar on their team and she shot this NBA-distance 3-point shot and drilled it. They got pumped up and I could see it on our girls’ faces they started to play more not-towin and a little bit more not-to-lose. Then the girl hit another 3. We traded points back and forth until they tied the game. When they tied the game, I called a timeout and I thought about it, whoever scores this next point will win the game. The momentum was swinging that way and there was only about a minute left.

“That was probably the best game our team has

played all year as far as playing together and shots going in, and their defense was amazing,” Cogswell added. “That team was taller and bigger than our team. We were winning the whole game, which is difficult to think about. You play back the last couple of minutes over and over again and I try to think about what I would have done differently. You play that game over tomorrow, it is a different situation. You play it again, it is a different situation. We were evenly matched on the floor. It was anybody’s game and it just wasn’t our day.

“I wish we had one more minute and we would have done something a little differently, but you can’t have ‘WCA hoops’ Page 6

Please see

North Oconee basketball

Bainbridge ends Lady Titans season in second round of state Photo gallery

WCA basketball

theoconeeleader.com

Schedule:

Athens Academy Soccer – 5 p.m., Feb. 26 Track – 10 a.m., Feb. 27 Baseball – 5:30 p.m., Feb. 29 Tennis – 4 p.m., March 2 North Oconee Soccer – 5:30 p.m., Feb. 26 Track – 4 p.m., March 1 Oconee County Baseball – 11 a.m., Feb. 27 Tennis – 4 p.m., March 1 Tennis – 4 p.m., March 3 Prince Avenue Christian Soccer – 4:30 p.m., Feb. 25 Baseball – 2 p.m., Feb. 27 Soccer – 5 p.m., Feb. 29 Tennis – 4 p.m., March 3 Soccer – 5:30 p.m., March 3 Westminster Christian Baseball – 4 p.m., March 7 Baseball – 4 p.m., March 11

BY MATTHEW CALDWELL The Oconee Leader

“We picked a bad night to go cold,” head coach Erick Willis said as he walked out of the North Oconee Lady Titans locker room on Friday night.

The Lady Titans season had just ended to Bainbridge with a 50-45 loss in the second round of the Class AAAA state tournament. It came six days after the Lady Titans were on cloud nine when they beat Buford in the Region 8-AAAA championship game.

“We had the same people taking the same shots. They just didn’t go in. That is all there is to it,” Willis said.

“They came out smoking hot, which was surprising because they usually don’t shoot that well. They were ready to play. That was the difference in the game.

“There is only one team that is happy at the end of the season, and it’s the state champion. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight or the Final Four, you are going to cry if you don’t win the state championship.”

The Lady Titans never led against Bainbridge but they were tied on a couple different occasions – 22-22 with 2:35 left in the second quarter and 32-32 with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The Lady Titans also trailed by one point on several occasions – 13-12 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter, 15-14 early in the second quarter, 33-32 with 2:07 left in the third quarter and finally, 35-34 with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter.

Please see

‘North Oconee basketball’ Page 6

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

North Oconee head coach Erick Willis talks to his team during a timeout late in the fourth quarter last Friday at NOHS. In his first season as head coach at NOHS, Willis helped guide the Lady Titans to a Region 8-AAAA championship, the second in program history, and a berth in the Sweet 16.

Page 5

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Will Corry with family

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Drew Richardson with family

Corry, Richardson both sign with Washington and Lee Athens Academy football

BY MATTHEW CALDWELL The Oconee Leader

Longtime friends, classmates and teammates Will Corry and Drew Richardson will get to continue that as the Athens Academy seniors both committed to play football at Washington and Lee University.

Corry got recruited to play outside linebacker. Richardson got recruited to play quarterback.

“Anytime you can get a kid to go follow his dreams and get to play football at the next level, it’s good for our school, it’s good for him and good for his family,” said head coach Joshua Alexander. “(Drew) is a person with great leadership skills, very personable, does a great job leading our football team. He will be missed and hard to replaced. Everything you ask him to do, he was up for everything.

He is one of the main reasons we were 9-2. Will is fun to coach.

He is very intense. He plays the game the correct way. It is fun to see these two guys go play together. They have been going to school together their whole lives and they get to keep doing it.”

Both Corry and Richardson chose Washington and Lee because of their academics – Corry for political science and government, Richardson for business.

“I have known a couple of people that have been up there in the past, and I went up and visited and fell in love with the campus,” Corry said. “Academics were a huge part of where I wanted to go. It is a great school and I was fortunate enough to be able to get in. Once I was admitted into the university, I decided that is where I wanted to go.”

“They have got top-notch academics in the nation and I want to set myself up for a good future,” Richardson said. “Washington and Lee is one of the top

business programs in the nation.

I am looking forward to it. Ever since I was little, I have wanted to play college football. Now I am doing that and getting a good education.”

Corry has been an outside linebacker since he was 6, when he started playing football. He had a signing ceremony earlier this month on National Signing Day to mark his accomplishment.

“I am a big Georgia football fan so growing up, I always kept track of National Signing Day. Washington and Lee is Division III so it doesn’t get as much coverage, but having my name in the paper on National Signing Day is really cool and a dream realized,” Corry said. “I always knew I wanted to play in college since I started playing. My cousin played in college. It is always good to have a great role model like that. To be able to achieve that has been something

that has been pretty fun.”

He said the ceremony marked the “completion of a long process that has been going on for four years.”

Corry traveled to around 20 schools during high school in search of where he wanted to attend college.

“It was nice to wrap it up and know where I am officially going,” Corry said. “It was fun going and traveling across the country and seeing different schools. It was also difficult at times figuring out what fit for me and where I fit in certain programs. It is nice to know where I am going.”

Richardson’s signing ceremony was held last week at Athens Academy. He was joined in the Tillman Center by his family, coaches, teammates and classmates.

“I am pretty excited,” he said.

“It has been long and it has been

stressful, but it has been good.

Coach (Vince) Munch and the rest of the coaching staff at W&L have been very good to me.”

Richardson has played football for as long as he can remember but has played quarterback since he was a freshman in high school.

“I didn’t know in what capacity I would be playing quarterback when I first started out,” Richardson said. “It turned out to be something I was good at.

As it got down to it, I saw myself playing quarterback in college at some point.”

He is happy to get to continue on with Corry.

“We have been friends since we were 3 years old and gone to school since we were 3 years old here,” Richardson said. “It’s cool the way things turned out the way we ended up at the same place.”

Thursday, February 25, 2016

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‘North Oconee basketball’

Each time the Lady Titans got close to the lead, Bainbridge went on a run to force the Lady Titans to come from behind. “They answered with a big shot,� Willis said. “Their guards drove and hit some tough inside traffic shots. It was hard to defend.

You have to rebound.

Keeping 22 off the boards was hard to do. She is so physical.�

In the fourth quarter after the Lady Titans cut the lead to 35-34, Bainbridge answered with an 8-0 run to lead 43-34 with 3:42 left.

A 3-pointer by Holly Stroman ended the scoreless drought to cut the lead to 43-37 but Bainbridge sank seven of nine free throws in the final 2:52 to seal the win. “You can’t expect a perfect ending. Someone has to lose unless you win state.

I am upset and heartbroken but it’s time to flip the page,� said senior Lesley Holbrook. “They were a lot better than we expected.

Continued from Page 4

Watching film, you can’t see the speed of teams because of angles so when you come out here and it’s a different tempo that you were expecting, it took us by storm and we never could latch on and get a grip on what they were doing.�

Emma Weynand had 15 points and Camryn Williams had 12 points for the Lady Titans. They were the only two in double figures. Keller Barks had six points. Stroman had five points. Holbrook had four points and Aubrey Monroe had three points.

With 23 wins and a region championship, where Weynand hit six 3-pointers in the 54-51 win against Buford, Holbrook said this was the best season she has been a part of. “I have never gone this deep into a season. I have never felt the leadership that was put on me as a senior. It was the best season we could have possibly had,� Holbrook said. “We came off the court (against Buford after winning the region title) and everyone was happier than Emma was. Everyone was happy and we were all in the moment. To see Emma do that was awesome.�

This was Willis’s first year as head coach at North Oconee. He took over the program last May. “It was almost a dream.

Twenty five years in Tifton and moving up here almost on a whim, to have a change in our lives was a big jump for us,� Willis said. “To have this kind of success this early really eased the transition. Coach (Thurston) Howard and (coach) Candace (Conglose) were phenomenal with the transition and coaching every day. Not many high school girls’ basketball coaches have two people of their caliber.

I am extremely fortunate to

have that and the girls are as well.�

The Lady Titans graduate three players off of this year’s team – Holbrook, Makayla Nichols and Kara Schleter. “Great girls, girls that stuck it out through some tough times here,� Willis said. “I was so happy for them to have success because they deserved it.�

He said the returning players will start to get ready for next season in early March. “We will organize some playdates for them where they can just play,� Willis said. “Several girls play other sports but we will make sure they touch a basketball a little bit and keep their skills up. In May, we get after it hard. We started this past year May 26 and we never stopped. We love that they play other sports and we encourage that but they know every now and then, they have to get a ball in their hands and keep their skills up.�

With the success the team had this year, he believes that is very helpful in getting the girls to focus on the future. “When you have success, you want more. It is hard to start back in the middle in March after you have had a long season after you have been defeated. This team was not defeated. They had an incredible year that will perpetuate itself. They will jump right back in the gym and enjoy the work,� Willis said. “It’s our job to make it fun for them too. The season is extremely long so you have to have opportunities in there where they have fun. We went rafting, we went bowling, we went to the Dogs games. Anything we could do to break it up and enjoy each other’s company outside of basketball. It helped tremendously. They trusted each other.�

Oconee County sweeps Apalachee

Page 6

Contributed photo by Jim Gibson

Oconee County’s soccer teams hosted Apalachee last Friday night for a non-region contest. The Lady Warriors got a goal from Carly Henderson in the first half and they defeated Apalachee 1-0. The Warriors got their second win of the week last Friday with a 5-3 win against Apalachee. They also beat Walnut Grove 5-1 last Tuesday.

‘WCA hoops’

regrets on that. They played hard. It made me excited for next year. I am ready to do it again.�

The Lady Lions graduate just one player off this year’s team, Madi McCullough. They also have one junior on the team, Abigail Snyder. They had three sophomores on the team (Hadley Kirsche, Rachel Snyder, Lauren McCullough), three freshmen (Taylor Coile, Kinley Phillips, Mary Ford Smith) and one eighth grader (Sallie Schutz). “We have one senior who rightfully was pretty upset about not winning. I talked to her after the game and she had nothing but good things to say about the girls and how it was a good finish to her high school basketball

Continued from Page 4

career,� Cogswell said. “We are a young team. We have good things on the horizon for our girl’s basketball team. The other team has a young team too so that should be interesting.�

The Lady Lions finished this season 17-3 overall and they won their region championship.

Schutz had 22 points for the Lady Lions in the finals.

Phillips had eight points.

Madi McCullough had seven points. Kirsche and Lauren McCullough both had two points. Abigail Snyder had one point. “What I told the girls after the game was if they had gone out there and played poorly or given up when that team was playing better than them or we just played lazy, I would have

been disappointed knowing they hadn’t played to their strengths. But they really played great,� Cogswell said. “They came out to win that game. If we can just overcome some of the mental aspects of what happened when a team catches up that comes with age and experience. I told them that I was really proud of the way that they played. I don’t really know what else we could have changed beyond hitting rewind and trying it again just to see what happens. They played so well and so strong and so hard, which makes it even more difficult when you lose. There was nothing but smiles knowing they played their heart out. As a coach, you can’t ask for anything more than that.�

Medical / Health

1380

Medical / Health

1380

The Oglethorpe County Health Department is seeking a County Nur Nurse se Manager.

Manager.

Under limited supervision, manages es nur nursing sing and other clinical serserrvices i att a county t h health lth depar department. d t tment. t Provides t. Provides ides overall overall ll management and administrati administrative ve guidance, assesses ses needs, develops policies and collaborates with other otherss in pro provision vision on of services to target populapopulations. P Provides rovides professional nur nursing sing g care to clients in all programs.

Registered R egistered to practice as a professional essional nur nurse se in the State of Georgia AND one year of nur nursing sing experience. Excellent verbal and writing skills required. Must be computer mputer literate. BSN prefer preferred. red.  Salary benefits S alary $45,000/year. $45,0 0 0/year. Generous benefi nefits include 12 12 paid holidays, sickk leave, health insurance, annual and sic urance, and retirement plans.

Please apply pply at https://www.governmentjobs.com/ https://www .governmentjobs rnmentjobs.com/ jobs/1343681.

43681.

Sales Retail/Business Development

1460

Sales Retail/Business Development

1460

Heyward Heyw ard Allen T Toyota oyota ta needs a super energetic individual to fill an opening in our Business Development Center individual Center..

You Y ou need: phone skills, patience, tons of energy energy,, a great smile, ability to multitask, not ot afraid to succeed within a great organization. organization.  disability,, 401K, - Cafeteria Plan/Major Medical, long g term disability 401K, and vacavacation pay environment, - Great work en vironment, great team m atmosphere Please email your resume way Apply by w ay of email ail only to Ed Holt (eholt@heywardallentoyota.com) (eholt@heyw ardallento llentoyota.com) manager. our business development opment manager .

Medical / Health

1380

Medical / Health

1380

Case Management agement The Specialty Care Care Clinic C of the Clar Clarke ke County Health Department ment is seeking an indi individual vidual t perform to f social i l services i ffunctions tions ns att an advanced d d level l l tto HIV HIV+ patients. R Responsibilities esponsibilities include e processing eligibility for R Ryan yan White services; completion of complex mplex psyc psychosocial hosocial assessments; initial assessment of service needs, s, and development of a compre compre-hensive, hensi ve, individualized individualized service plan; an; treatment team par participation, ticipation, and treatment planning/monitoring. g. Also, serves as liaison between patients and community resources,, etc. W Works orks with AD ADAP AP and other pharmaceutical al programs.

Minimum Qualifications: Master Master’s r ’s degree and eligibility to be licensed OR Bac Bachelor’s helor ’s degree in n a related field and two year of experience in a social service deli delivery. v . Spanish speaking desirable. very Salary S alary $30,0 $30,000.

0 0. Excellent benefits, benefits,, including 1 12 2 paid holidays, an an-nual and sic sickk leave, insurance urance and retirement.

Please apply a at https://www.governmentjobs.com/ https://www .governmentjobs.com/ jobs/1343202.

43202.

Installation / Maintenance / Repair

1260

Installation / Maintenance / Repair

1260

MAINTENANCE CE MECHANIC/ INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICIAN E Benson’’s Old Home Benson’s e Kitchens Bakery Bakery, y, i Bogart, in B t has h an employment l mentt oppor opportunity t ity available for a tunity Maintenance Mec Mechanic/Industrial hanic/Industrial al Electrician. Applicants MUS MUST T have industrial maintenance experience erience in con conveyor veyor belt systems, packing/packaging pac king/packaging mac machines, hines, h hydraulics, ydraulics, raulics, pneumatics, and electrical. Experience in a food production en environment vironment a plus. Minimum 3 years’ year s’ experience working in Plant nt Maintenance and should have experience in mec mechanical hanical troubleshooting, bleshooting, electrical, and PLC controls. Applicants must be available ailable to work an any y days Sunday through S Saturday aturday an any y shif shift. ft. P Pays ays $1 $18.00-$19.50/hr., 8.0 0-$19.50/hr., based on experience plus benefi benefitt pac package kage whic which h includes compan company y paid employee medical/life insurance, rance, optional dental and vision insurance and 40 401-k 1-k retirement program. Qualified candidates may apply in per person son at 134 Elder St., Bogart, rt, GA 30622, on line at www.bensonsbakery.com www .bensonsbakery nsbakery y.com or e-mail r resumes e esumes to employment@bensonsbakery.com. emplo yment@bensonsbakery nsbakery y.com. EOE.

Education/Training

1180

Now Hiring Full Time & Partt time teachers.

Par Minimum rrequirements: equirements: Childcare experience required, CDA CD A minimum prefer preferred, red, Energetic, T Team eam Player who is passionate about cchildren hildren  Great Great benefi benefits ts and work en environment. vironment. onsite, download Apply onsite, download app at www.krk23ga.com, www .krk23ga.com, or call 706-546-9400 for info.Â

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016 Tell our advertisers you saw them in The Oconee Leader • Go to theoconeeleader.com for picture galleries

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aThens banner-herald Page• A7 7

PR OFESSIONAL

A Guide to Professional Services in the Oconee County Area To Advertise: Phone 706.549.FAST Home Services

Home Services

3520

3520

Home Services

Home Services

3520

METAL OR SHINGLES • We do ALL the work & repairs: soffit, cornice, fascia & painting

3520

Home Services

Home Services

3520

3520

M.L.W. All Phase Construction & Roofing, LLC Gary F. Scavone 7 0 6 . 2 0 6 . 1 2 2 3  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!

Looking for a professional service provider?

LOOK NO FURTHER!

STATE OF GEORGIA LICENSED CONTRACTOR Home Services

Home Services

3520

3520

Home Services

Home Services

3520

Home Services

BAT SEASON

LEAFPROOF

“Pest proof & leaf proof your gutters

WE DO IT ALL!

Free Estimates

FLOOD PROBLEMS? • STORM DRAINS • FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION • RETAINER WALLS

ROOFING • PATCHWORK • METAL • SHINGLES • ANY KIND OF ROOF REPAIR

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

2270 Crawford Smithonia Rd., Colbert, GA 30628 Approx. 14 mi. from UGA Formal living and dining room, library, eat-in kitchen. Including separate guest house on 11 acres.

For Rent: $2500/month + security and utilities.

For Sale: $1.5 Million.

Under Facebook, look up Smithonia Plantation House; then, you can see the entire estate.

Call 706-424-5400 The Smithonia Plantation House

www.gbedellconstruction.com

Peyton Hopkins Call 706-546-7438 AthensExterminating.net PO Box 5772 7080 Smokey Rd. Athens GA 30604 Lic. Trapper #99993

Plumber Pro Service and Drain

Your Residential Plumbing Service Experts

706-769-7761

www.plumberproservice.com www.facebook.com/plumberproservice

Home Services

Home Services

3520

$25 First Time Customer Discount

Bickley’s Tree Service f Tree Service f Lawn Maintenance f Stump Grinding f Brush Chipping f Bobcat f Dump Truck Insured

Lamar Adams 706-224-2079 * 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

www.gbedellconstruction.com Shopping

Shopping

3910

3910

Wanting to organize & declutter? Thinking about hauling off?

Why go through the hassle?

CALL ME TODAY! Locally owned & operated since 1968.

Greg Reeves’ family will downsize you & pay you cash!

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

706-369-0000 www.TransitioningAmerica.com Professional Services

Professional Services

3715

CHUCK HARDY & SONS LLC BRUSH, MULCHING & STUMP

Serving Athens since 1989

GRINDING

u Underbrush Removal u Stump Grinding u Lots Cleared u We grind brush around lakes u Concrete Removal u Demolition of Houses & Mobile Homes

UlmBrothers Tree Service

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

Looking for a professional service provider?

LOOK NO FURTHER!

Considering an Estate Sale?

Contemplating a Yard Sale or Moving Sale?

State Licensed & Insured

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

3520

Buying Contents of Entire Estates Before you consider an estate sale, please call me!

We pay top dollar for estate contents and do all the clean-up work. No work necessary on your part!

Call Bruce 706-215-2740.

Master Plumber License #MP210274 • Insured • Local • Free Estimates

EDT CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING

For Rent or Sale Fully Renovated and Restored. 5BR/5.5BA Historic Mansion

3520

“Resolving Conflicts Between People & Animals” WILDLIFE TRAPPING Wildlife Detection Removal & Prevention

3520

BRIAN’S TREE & HANDYMAN SERVICES TREE SERVICES • TREE & HEDGE TRIMMING • UNDERBRUSH CLEARING • FULL TREE REMOVAL

Home Services

3520

Insured Free Estimates! 706-201-4380 PR OFESSIONAL

LOOKING

Let us help you grow your business! To advertise, call 706.549.FAST

FOR

PA I N T E R ?

A

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

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

Advertise in the Professional Services Directory!

Call 706.549.FAST for more info.

3715

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Tell our advertisers you saw them in The Oconee Leader