White County releases approved 2018 football schedule
Team FYN Sports January 12, 2018
The White County Warriors had an impressive 2017 football season. Coming off an abismal 1-9 season in 2016, the Warriors came out swinging and scored some big wins early in 2017; defeating Franklin (33-0), Lumpkin (66-14) and Habersham Central (24-21) before dropping a tough loss to Rabun County (49-26).
The Warriors came back the following week and knocked down North Hall (28-18), who’s only other loss to a AAAA power came in the final seconds against Pickens County (42-35) where the Trojans marched down the field and came up just short as time expired.
In 2018, the Warriors will once again have an exciting schedule to kick off the season, and there’s no doubt they’ll be looking to duplicate and even improve upon their 7-4, 2-2 season from last year.
With games at Lumpkin County and then home against Habersham Central, the Warriors kick the season off much like they did in 2017. However, put a big red circle around the Sept 7 game at Pickens County, where PHS head coach Chris Parker is likely reloading rather than rebuilding this season. The game pits two quality AAAA programs against each other in non-region play, with White representing Region 7-AAAA and Pickens representing Region 6-AAAA. Both teams were eliminated early in post-season play last year, but both teams proved to be fearsome opponents on the gridiron regardless of home/away.
After the Pickens game, the Warriors schedule doesn’t let up.
The Warriors enjoyed a 10-pt victory over North Hall last season, but the Trojans played much better football as the season continued, and was the #TeamFYNSports Most Improved Team in Region 7-AAA last season. The Warriors will look to defeat the Trojans (9/14), before taking the drive over to Marist for their first game in region play. Marist, as the whole world is aware, is the defending region champion in Region 6. What’s interesting about Marist is although they won their region, defeating rival Blessed Trinity 25-24 early in the season. Two months later, the two teams met again in the State Championship and Blessed Trinity defeated the War Eagles 16-7. Undoubtedly, Marist will look to return to the final in 2018, but they will have to go through White County first.
Perhaps the best part of the Warriors’ schedule this year is the break between facing Marist (9/21) and Blessed Trinity (11/2), although the Warriors will need to defeat Flowery Branch, West Hall, Denmark and Chestatee during the interim.
How will the 2018 season fare for the Warriors of White County? It’s too early to tell. Rest assured the team will be preparing accordingly and TeamFYNSports looks forward to reporting on the 2018 season from the sidelines this fall.
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week- Ethan Kline no. 16
Player of the Week, Team FYN Sports September 7, 2019
Congratulations go out to Ethan Kline, no. 16 for the Lumpkin County Indians, for being named this week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week!
Ethan played a key role in the Indians’ game against Jackson County on Friday night. He made multiple great tackles throughout the second half that prevented the Panthers from being able to score any more points. Ethan was one of the top few on the team for most tackles throughout the night.
Congratulations again to Ethan Kline, no. 16 for the Lumpkin County Indians, for being named this week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week!
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week-Jason Chamblee, no. 51
Sports, Team FYN Sports August 31, 2019
In a tough game against the White County Warriors on Friday night, Jason Chamblee played a key role on defense. Jason helped to prevent the Warriors from scoring any more touchdowns late into the game. The Warriors were ahead 38-0 in the third quarter, and in scoring position again on the two yard line. Chamblee helped to prevent the Warriors from moving any further- during the next play the Warriors were pushed back two yards to the four yard line.
Head coach Caleb Sorrells said of Jason, “He has been more of a LB/RB type in the past, and when we asked him to play OL/DL, he didn’t even blink. He’s poured himself into that role w/o a single complaint and has emerged as a key component of our trench warriors on both sides of the ball.”
Congratulations to Jason Chamblee, no. 51, for being named this week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week!
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-For love of the game
Sports May 30, 2019
Recently I’ve started watching the show Friday Night Lights again. Let me just say- this is partially important because I’m not a big TV show person. I don’t have the patience to sit through an hour-long episode nor do I usually have the time to keep up with a series. But I figure with pre-season football kicking in and the fall season quickly approaching, revisiting a show that revolves around high school football is one of the best ways to get me hyped up for what’s to come.
Watching this series has also made me think about a couple of things. For one, why do we as a society rally so much around a sport that’s played by boys no older than 18-years-old? Second, do we put too much pressure on athletes who play the game? And finally, is the hype and the pressure truly worth it?
I think the answer can be summed up pretty easily- yes. And why? For love of the game.
But the love of the game is different for each of us. We’re not all going to attend every single football game or spend thousands of dollars to sit in Sanford every Saturday. We all have our limits, and in my opinion that’s perfectly okay.
Why else would my friend Erin and I bundle up in the freezing cold for playoffs? Because we love football!
I like to say that there’s something about having a team that you love that will get inside of you and never leave. I find it fascinating that there are towns across America like Dillon, Texas that will show up in the thousands to support their Panthers. Coaches and players are local celebrities, and you get your butt in the stands every Friday night just as religiously as a pew on Sunday morning. I came from a high school of nearly 4,000 students and a county of almost one million people, but the same spirit that rallies much smaller towns across the country still pulses through mine.
Yes, oftentimes I’m afraid that means we put too much pressure on the athletes who play the game. In my own personal experience, at the high school level we had so many students that it was nearly impossible to know the daily goings-on at the field house. But it was that age-old cycle of that when we would win, the coaches and players would be praised. One loss and the attitude switched faster than the direction of a twister.
But one of the many great things about this country is we have the freedom of choice in many of our decisions. Even though the athletes and coaches who play these games catch a lot of grief, they still have the choice to walk away. Some do. But for those who don’t? I’d venture to say it’s for love of the game.
When it comes to putting pressure on athletes, especially young ones, I believe the relationship is a two-way street. They should know what they’re doing, but despite all the love we have for the game, we need to understand when enough is enough. I’ve heard the term “daddy ball” thrown around a lot before, and it makes me sad to think that there are parents out there who try to live through their children. It’s important to love and support them, but even more important to let them develop their own love for their game.
Finally, like I mentioned earlier, everyone’s love for the game is different. My Papa Skip, who I probably talk to the most about sports, has a different appreciation for them than I do. I’ll use UGA football as an example. He attended classes at UGA- I never have. He still goes every year to the UGA/Florida game in Jacksonville- I’ve only gone once. He pays each year to have season tickets for the home games- I CERTAINLY don’t do that, although when he doesn’t want them I get first dibs (thanks Papa!)
The point I’m trying to make is while we all may say we love sports, we each love them differently. We each have a certain line we’re willing to cross. But at the same time, come Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday or playoffs, we rally behind our team. And we each get our butts in the stands. Why? For love of the game.
Rec Super Bowl Saturday Schedules Set
Business November 1, 2017
The Mountain Football League playoffs have finally reached their final destination for 2017: Super Bowl Saturday. This weekend, several of North Georgia’s finest young athletes will meet on the gridiron at Fannin County High School, battling to take home the league’s top honor of Super Bowl Champions.
Here are the results from last weekend’s final round of the playoffs:
6U: Fannin defeated Gilmer 22-0. Will play East Hall in the Super Bowl. East Hall defeated Chestatee 34-0.
7U: Fannin defeated Dawson 32-0. Will play Gilmer in Super Bowl. Gilmer defeated Pickens 46-0.
8U: Union defeated Fannin 20-0. Will play Chestatee in Super Bowl. Chestatee defeated Gilmer 25-19.
9U: Chestatee defeated West Hall 34-8. Will play Pickens in Super Bowl. Pickens defeated Dawson 26-0.
10U: Fannin defeated Gilmer 29-0. Will play Dawson in Super Bowl. Dawson defeated Union 12-0.
11U: Chestatee defeated Fannin 20-7. Will play Gilmer in Super Bowl. Gilmer defeated Dawson 7-6.
Follow us on Twitter @teamfynsports next weekend (or on Facebook) as we will have complete Super Bowl coverage from the sidelines on Saturday.
Updated Game Times:
6u Super Bowl
East Hall vs Fannin 10Am
7U Super Bowl
Fannin vs Gilmer 1145Am
8U Super Bowl
Union vs Chestatee 1:30pm
9U Super Bowl
Chestatee vs Pickens 3:15Pm
10U Super Bowl
Dawson vs Fannin 5pm
11U Super Bowl
Gilmer vs Chestatee 6:45 Pm
Rec Football Postseason Brackets Set
Business October 18, 2017
Saturday (Oct 15) marked the final week of regular season football for the Mountain Football League. The MFL consists of Chestatee, Dawson, East Hall, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union and West Hall; and age divisions begin with 6u (under 6-years-old) and go up to 7th-grade. Parents and coaches of youth athletes are encouraged to please send your photos, stats and game stories to [email protected] so that we can highlight the youth players throughout the post-season!
6u Playoff Bracket
7u Playoff Bracket
8u Playoff Bracket
9u Playoff Bracket
10u Playoff Bracket
7th Grade Playoff Bracket
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-Back in season
Sports August 9, 2019
If any of you are under the age of 18 and reading this article, then I imagine this week was probably a tough week for you. I say that because the majority of schools in the state of Georgia started back this week.
I can remember being in high school and having a knot of dread in my stomach the night before the first day of school. I’ve never been a morning person, so having to get up early was my first problem. Add in all of the homework and having to spend my days in one building…it was easy to tell I wasn’t a school person.
The good news is there was always one bright spot in all of this gloom, and that was football season. I know I’ve said it before on our sports show, Instant Replay, and probably in this column as well, but in high school I lived for football season. I never missed a game, home or away. Granted I was in the colorguard with the marching band, so most of the time I HAD to go. But I can still remember a handful of games where we weren’t required to go, and some of my friends got together and still went anyway.
Those were good times, but I dare to say that these are even better. I’m thankful to have a job that pays me to follow a sport that I love. But on the other hand, it’s a job that’s helping me to get an inside look on other sports that are sometimes forgotten, especially in the South where football is a religion.
I covered my first softball game on Tuesday. I have watched and worked softball games in the past, so in my defense I knew what to expect, but it was my first time reporting on a game. It was the Lumpkin County Lady Indians against the Pickens Dragonettes in the Lady Indians home opener. One thing I loved about this game was that it wasn’t just smooth sailing, if you will. Just to give a brief recap, the Nettes put three runs on the board first. By the fifth inning, it was looking as though the Lady Indians might lose their home opener. But as with all great teams, the Lady Indians weren’t going down without a fight and ended up coming back to win 4-3. Ironically, I went to the next game where they played each other tonight and the Nettes ended up winning 9-4.
Softball is just one of several high school sports that is played in the fall. There’s also volleyball and cross country. While I haven’t gotten the chance to go cover either of these events yet, I know that I probably will be in the near future.
I’ve never personally played volleyball competitively, but I know several people who have. And from what I do know about it, there’s more technique to setting and hitting the ball than there seems. Whenever I play for fun at the beach I just feel lucky to get it over the net. But there are certain ways to prepare before you serve the ball and where to place your feet when you’re in an official match. I don’t see how players keep up with everything, other than that they practice. I know it’s got to feel great whenever you take all of your frustration out by smacking the ball.
Now I enjoy running, but I could never run cross country. I’ve seen the joke that says “my sport is your sport’s punishment” and to be honest, that’s how I feel because I don’t know how they do it. I can remember talking to cross country runners in high school, and them telling me that they would get up at 6 a.m. to run. And for some of them, the distances they would run blew my mind. But the other incredible thing to me about cross country is how much of a mental sport it is. Not only do runners have to be trained physically to maintain a certain time, they also have to be trained physically to encourage themselves to keep going.
The point I’m trying to make is that even though I’m still learning about other sports, I respect them because I do know how hard they work. I see the social media posts, I know people that play, and I see the teams out practicing well before their season starts. And even though the summer is ending and we’re back to school, the exciting thing is we’re past the days of camps and well on our way to the actual competition. I can’t wait to see what all of these young athletes accomplish.
Pre-season football follow-up interview with Indians new head coach Caleb Sorrells
Business, Lumpkin County High School, Sports, Team FYN Sports July 16, 2019
It’s a new season, and for the Lumpkin County Indians it’s a new beginning under the direction of head coach Caleb Sorrells. But even with the recent hire of Sorrells in May, the team has had no problem buying in.
“There’s two ways that it can go when a new coach takes over and most of it has to do with how the seniors buy in,” said Sorrells. “To their credit they said, ‘Coach, we’re in!’ and they have been in since day one and truly it’s been great.”
Sorrells coached previously at Stephens County High, along with Cartersville High in offensive coaching positions.
Sorrells said about the coaches he has worked and played under, “I’m just trying to live up to a really, really great legacy that I’ve been able to watch and hopefully mold myself after.”
The full interview with Coach Caleb Sorrells can be viewed below, here on Team FYN Sports!
Lumpkin Co. football welcomes new head coach Monday night at meet and greet
Lumpkin County High School, Sports, Team FYN Sports May 20, 2019
Many members of the Lumpkin County High School football team and their families attended a meet and greet event Monday night to welcome new head coach Caleb Sorrells.
After a brief introduction from Principal Billy Kirk, which included a presentation of a new Lumpkin County Indians football jersey, Sorrells addressed the players and their families. He told parents that he not only wants to be a football coach to their sons, but also wants to teach them how to be great men in the future.
“I love what football can teach and the influence that it gives me and our coaching staff to influence them and to impact them for far beyond Friday nights and the fall,” said Sorrells.
Head Coach Caleb Sorrells addresses players and families at meet and greet event
Sorrells also laid out the three values that he plans to build the program around: family, tempo and discipline.
He added, “Eventually they’re gonna be husbands and they’re gonna be dads and they’re gonna be employees and they’re gonna be in some community…I want their experience as a football player to inform and to improve and to make better those roles that they play.”
As far as game strategy goes, Sorrells said that he is anxious to get started and see what the players can do both offensively and defensively.
“You can’t stick square pegs in round holes, you gotta take what you got and do what they can do well.”
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week- Jackson Root, no. 5
Sports, Team FYN Sports October 19, 2019
Jackson Root earned this week’s nomination for Player of the Week for stepping up in a big game against the Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans. He played a key role in the play that scored the lone touchdown for the Indians.
After a handoff from quarterback Tucker Kirk, Jackson dropped back and completed a pass to Brian Cunane, who then ran it into the endzone. A celebration ensued as the Indians, players and fans alike, were thrilled over scoring against one of the toughest teams in the region.
Congratulations to Jackson Root, this week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week for the Lumpkin County Indians!
Indians fall to Tigers in region opener 45-0
Sports, Team FYN Sports September 28, 2019
The Lumpkin County Indians got off to a rough start in region play Friday night. Despite all their best efforts, the Indians fell to the Dawson County Tigers 45-0.
Quarterback Tucker Kirk hands off to running back BoJack Dowdy.
The Indians held the Tigers to a field goal during their first possession. Then Dawson County scored after picking up a live ball from a punt and running it in for a touchdown. The Tigers would go on to score five more touchdowns- three passing and two rushing.
Despite going into the half behind 38-0, the Indians continued to play hard.
BoJack Dowdy led the rushing game for the Indians with 44 yards over 12 carries. Dowdy also had one catch for 15 yards. Quarterback Tucker Kirk added 11 yards over five carries and two completions- one a 6 yard pass to Roy Bennett and another for 15 yards to Dowdy.
Jarod Hoch during an assisted tackle with teammate Trey Wilkes.
On defense, the Indians Tanner Kirk made four tackles over the course of the game. Ethan Kline, Jarod Hoch and Aaron Hopkins followed shortly behind with three tackles each.
Even though opening week in region play was hard for Lumpkin County, they are going into another bye week. That means they will have two weeks to prepare before hosting Cherokee Bluff in their second region matchup.
The Indians won the game against the Bears last year in Flowery Branch by a final score of 42-19. It was Cherokee Bluff’s first year as a team. Kickoff is scheduled for this year at 7:30 p.m.
Lumpkin County Indians defeated by longtime rivals White County
Sports, Team FYN Sports August 31, 2019
It was the fiftieth time the Lumpkin County Indians and the White County Warriors have met up on the gridiron. In what has developed over time as a big rivalry game for the two schools, the Warriors jumped ahead with an early lead and ultimately won 49-6.
The Indians were the first to receive, and a fumble on second down turned possession over to the Warriors on the Indians 41 yard line. In a matter of three plays the Warriors had carried for a first down and a touchdown to take an early lead 7-0.
The Indians offense couldn’t get anything past the Warriors defense during their next possession and were forced to punt. The Warriors took over at their 44 yard line, and a combination of passing and rushing game scored the Warriors their second touchdown of the night. The Warriors led 14-0 with plenty of playing time still in the first quarter.
Lumpkin County again struggled to move the ball past the Warriors defense. With no gain of yardage the Indians were again forced to punt from their 18 yard line. White County took over and carried in for another touchdown to extend their lead 21-0.
Quarterback Tucker Kirk completed several passes for gain of yardage during the game. He also filled in as the punter for the Indians.
The Indians took over at their 20 yard line, and this time were able to gain some yardage with a completed pass from quarterback Tucker Kirk to Roy Bennett. Kirk carried for a gain of 5 yards on second down, followed by a carry by Drew Allison for the Indians first down. Kirk threw a pass to Allison for another first down, and BoJack Dowdy carried the ball for a gain of one yard. Unfortunately the Indians couldn’t make it any further into Warrior territory, and punted on fourth down from the Warriors 49 yard line.
The Warriors ended the first quarter on a high note- a huge 45 yard pass from quarterback J.Ben Haynes. The Warriors would ultimately score again on that drive and put another seven points on the board for a 28-0 lead.
Lumpkin County took over on their 35 yard line and drove for a few yards before being forced to punt again on fourth down. The Indians defense came to life to force the Warriors back for a loss of 5 yards to prevent another touchdown, and the Warriors kicked a field goal for a 31-0 lead.
Although neither team put anymore points on the board before halftime, Lumpkin County had several highlights for their offense. A big pass from Kirk to Aaron Hopkins resulted in a gain of 16 yards and a first down during the Indians next possession, and just before halftime Dowdy carried for a gain of 19 yards.
Coming out of halftime the Warriors scored again for their fifth touchdown of the night and a lead of 38-0. Lumpkin County took over at their 23 yard line, but a snap that was recovered in the endzone resulted in a safety. The Warriors were stopped in by the Indians in four plays, and Lumpkin County took over at their 35 yard line.
Although the Indians couldn’t get much movement in their next possession, a fumble by the Warriors during their next possession was recovered by Bennett. Unfortunately for the Indians, the Warriors regained possession after a snap was over the head of Kirk.
The Indians defense again fought to push back the Warriors offense from another touchdown. A great play by the Indians Jason Chamblee helped prevent the Warriors from scoring from their position at the two yard line. The Warriors went for a field goal on fourth down, and got it to make the score 43-0.
The Indians Drew Allison carried multiple times for gain of yardage.
The Indians first and only touchdown of the night came during their next possession. Kirk found Brian Cunane along the sideline for an incredible pass and gain of 12 yards. After Allison carried for a gain of four yards, Kirk completed a 16 yard pass to Cunane for the Indians touchdown. The score was still 43-6, but the Indians had a reason to celebrate as the third quarter came to a close.
The Warriors scored their final touchdown of the night during their next possession, but the extra point attempt was blocked by the Indians J.T. Thomas. The Warriors led 49-6 early in the fourth quarter, and neither team scored the remainder of the game.
The Indians are 0-2 on the season, but with plenty of football left to play. They will travel to Jackson County to take on the Black Panthers next Friday night. The Warriors are 1-0 as this game was their season opener. They will travel to face Habersham Central next Friday.
Lumpkin football opens season, passing game at Meet the Indians event
Lumpkin County High School, Sports, Team FYN Sports August 9, 2019
Lumpkin Indians football is officially underway for the 2019 season- and so is the beginning of a new style of offense for the team.
Under the direction of new head football coach Caleb Sorrells, the Indians are upping their passing game. Fans got a glimpse of what this new offense will look like at the annual Meet the Indians event Friday night.
The event started with an introduction to the 2019 Indians team, immediately followed by the Purple and Gold scrimmage game. The game was divided into the normal four quarters, but with a shortened time of ten minutes per quarter.
Starting quarterback Tucker Kirk threw a total of seven completions over the course of the game- a testament to the Indians rechanneled offense. Backup quarterback Roy Bennett also threw a total of four out of five attempts. The Indians offense also scored a total of two touchdowns, both in the first quarter.
A pass thrown by quarterback Tucker Kirk in the Lumpkin County Purple and Gold game on Friday.
Coach Caleb Sorrells said of the passing game, “We threw the ball well. It’s a building process and so we’re still pretty simple, and we’ll just get good at what we can do and then begin to build once we master the basics.”
The Meet the Indians event also featured an introduction to the seniors on the Lumpkin Indians cheer squad in between the first and second quarters. The Lumpkin County Band of Gold performed a shortened version of their halftime show, and the Dahlonega Nugget Challenge saw three of the local newspaper’s reporters take on three Indians in a pass, punt and kick competition.
“The kids were excited, it was a good atmosphere [and] a lot of people came out,” said Coach Sorrells. “It’ll be good to go back and really evaluate where we are moving into our scrimmage week.”
The Indians will face Towns County in their scrimmage next Friday. Watch the full post-game interview with Coach Sorrells by using the link below!
Ask the Doc 9/2/16
GMFTO September 6, 2016
Dr. Whaley discusses Zika and Kaepernick this week as we visit downtown Blue Ridge.
Featuring Dr. Bill Whaley.
Sponsered by the Georgia Cancer Specialists.
Gabe Northern 6/3/16
GMFTO June 3, 2016
BKP talks with former NFL Player Gabe Northern about his experiences and his new venture in Jasper, “Zoology.”
Could Major Changes in 7-AAA Football be Coming?
Business November 12, 2015
Now that the regular season has come and gone, post-season GHSA changes start. The 2016-17 football scene could change for several teams. The realignment comes after a vote to make a new region “Super 44” which puts the top schools with 2,000+ kids in one super region. Now this changes everything from 6A to 1A. For every team that moves up or down another team has to do the same. Schools like Buford who have more than 3% of its kids outside the county are forced to move up with the new rules. Fannin and Banks Counties are looking like they will move down to AA, while East Hall, Lumpkin, Franklin and West Hall are moving to AAAA. Dawson County will remain the only 7-AAA team if all this plays out like suggested. It is unclear just yet as to what region Fannin will move to, but when we find out after the GHSA makes the changes later this year TeamFYNSports will keep you updated.
Here is a look at what things could look like next football season. Click Here