Twenty-Six Area Track Stars Headed to State
LCHS Track May 2, 2016
Following a top eight or better finish at sectionals held this past Saturday in Carrollton, Brooklet and Calhoun, 26 area athletes will be headed to the 2016 Georgia High School Association state meets.
Dawson County will have a big presence at state, as Abby Cotter, Bailey Cotter, Camryn Geiger, Marley Hamby, Dana Little, Jacob Poston, Melanie Rimawi, Christopher Shelp and Faith Sinclair all qualified.
Abby Cotter placed fifth in the 400-meter dash, with a time of one minute, two and 76-hundreths of a second (1:02.76). Bailey Cotter finished eighth in the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:34.75, while Geiger placed eighth in the 300-meter hurdles, with a time of fifty-one and 41-hundredths of a second (51.41).
Hamby qualified in both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs, with a third-place time of 12:45.19 in the 3,200 and a sixth-place time of 5:52.50 in the 1,600. Little finished sixth in the pole vault, reaching a height of seven feet (7′), while Rimawi turned in a fifth-place time of 13:11.36 in the 3,200. Sinclair qualifier in both the 800 and 1,600-meter runs, with a seventh-place time of 2:34.13 in the 800 and 5:46.72 in the 1,600.
The Dawson Tigers saw Poston win the 800-meter run, with a time of 2:00.99. He also placed third in the 1,600 with a time of 4:35.44. Shelp qualified by placing eighth in the 1,600 with a time of 4:49.62.
Pickens County will send eight athletes to state: Michael Casey, Sam Davis, Dalton Gasaway, Dillon Gasaway, Abbey Hardman, Olivia Moore, Sean Parker, Sydney Romine and Sabrina Young.
Davis won the long jump, leaping 22′ 2 1/2″. He will also join teammates Dalton Gasaway, Dillon Gasaway and Casey in the 4×100 relay event, as the team finished eighth with a time of 43.11. Dalton Gasaway also qualified for state in both the 200 and 400-meter dashes, as he won the 400 with a time of 48.95 and placed second in the 200 with a time of 22.19. Parker clinched first place in the 3,200-meter run, by crossing the finish line with a time of 9:46.63. He also placed third in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:29.80.
For the Dragonettes, Hardman finished fifth in the pole vault, reaching a height of 8′. Moore won the pole vault, with a height of 11′ 2″. Romine finished eighth in the 800-meter hurdles with a time of 46.50, while Young won the 3,200-meter run with a finish-line time of 12:05.45.
Lady Cat senior Lauren Bentley clears 5′ 2″ on the high jump, to win the girls sectionals at Carrollton High School last Saturday. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)
Lady Cats junior Raven Sparks launches the discus, during the competition at the AAAA Sectionals at Carrollton High School last Saturday. Sparks broke the Gilmer Lady Cats school record in the event with a toss of 105′ 11″, qualifying for state in the process. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)
From Gilmer County will be Lauren Bentley, Andrew Edmondson, Kell Kiker and Raven Sparks. Bentley won the high jump, by leaping 5′ 2″. Raven Sparks broke the Gilmer record in the discus throw, with a sixth-place hurl of 105′ 11″. Kell Kiker finished seventh in the pole vault, reaching a height of 10′ 6″, while Andrew Edmondson broke the school record in the 200-meter dash with a seventh-place time of 2:00.89.
The Fannin Rebels will send Adam Ingram and Julie Jacobs. Ingram won the high jump event, reaching a height of 6′ 2″. He also placed third in the long jump, with a leap of 22′ 2 3/4″. Jacobs qualified by placing fifth in the pole vault, reaching a height of 7′ 6″.
Heading to state from Lumpkin County will be Amanda Garner and Austin Pierce. Garner finished eighth in the discus throw, with a toss of 91′ 2″. Pierce qualified in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, as he finished second in the 200 with a time of 22.23 and fourth in the 100 with a time of 11.04.
Representing the Murray County Indians will be Jesse Martinez, who finished fifth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:24.69.
The girls state meet will be held Thursday-Saturday in Albany, while the boys state affair will be in Jefferson May 12-14.
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Nighthawks Belt Four Homers, Blank Toccoa Falls 15-0
UNG Baseball April 14, 2016
DAHLONEGA, Ga. — The University of North Georgia put together one of its best games of the season in blanking Toccoa Falls 15-0 in non-conference baseball at Bob Stein Stadium Wednesday.
Nighthawks hitters belted four home runs and four UNG pitchers completed a five-hit shutout.
Steven Tomlinson, Ryan Tomita, Connor Hoover and Sam Tidaback all went yard for the Nighthawks. Hoover’s blast was his first career grand slam. Tomlinson’s blast was a his seventh of the season, a three-run shot to right center field.
Part-time starter Kevin Krupp, batting only .138 to start the night, had a breakout game, going 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in another run.
Starting pitcher Daniel McCrary (3-3) was outstanding, allowing just five hits while striking out 9 and walking only one in the five innings he worked.
UNG went to the bullpen three times in the last four innings and relief pitchers Derrick Pickvet, Josh Bryan and Taylor Keinat retired all 12 batters they faced in order and allowed the ball out of the infield only twice.
UNG improves to 23-16 on the season while the Eagles slip to 14-18.
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JV Bobcats Finish Season with Losses to Rebels, Indians
LCHS Baseball April 5, 2016
The junior varsity Gilmer High School Bobcats finished the regular season 11-3 and laid claim to the second seed in the Mountain League championship tournament.
However, losses to the seventh-seeded Fannin Rebels (5-2) and fifth-seeded Lumpkin Indians (5-4) in the tournament at Gilmer High School last Friday and Saturday kept the Bobcats from ending the season with a repeat championship.
In the nightcap of the tournament Friday, the Rebels and Bobcats entered the sixth inning with Fannin ahead 3-2. With two outs and one runner on, a Bryson Pack single extended the Rebels lead to 5-2. A pair of errors followed, with the second bringing Pack home to score. A flyout kept Fannin from further adding to its lead.
JV Fannin Rebels third baseman Gabe Buchanon launches a throw to first against the Gilmer Bobcats last Friday night. Fannin went on to best Gilmer 5-2, to advance to the next round of the Mountain League championship tournament. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)
The Bobcats were unable to respond in the bottom portion of the frame, giving Fannin the victory.
In the third-place game against Lumpkin County, the Indians drew first blood in the top of the fourth. Jace Seabolt drew a leadoff walk, while Jordan Philips reached base on an error. Both later scored with two outs after a Will Higgins single that put Lumpkin out front, 2-0. Kyle Grunz added to the lead in the next at-bat by singling to bring Higgins home. Gilmer reliever Taylor Nolan then garnered a 1-5 double play to end the frame.
Gilmer cut into the Lumpkin lead in the bottom portion of the inning. Hunter Bowyer doubled to begin things, with Brandon Weaver following with a single. Evan Frady then flew out to score Bowyer, before Weaver later scored with two outs on an RBI infield single from Sam Nicholson. A groundout then kept the Bobcats from tying the game.
With GHS now breathing down their neck, the Indians wasted little time in adding some insurance in the top of the fifth. Holden Bass reached on an infield single to begin the frame. Later with one out, an error allowed him to widen the margin to 4-2. Bobcat reliever Eric Turner then produced a flyout and a strikeout to keep the deficit at two runs.
Turner doubled to begin the Bobcats fifth and later scored on an error during a bunt attempt by David Smith. Gilmer was unable to get another run across the plate, leaving Lumpkin out front, 4-3.
JV Lumpkin Indian Jacob Martin makes a first-inning connection last Saturday against Gilmer. The Indians went on to defeat the Bobcats 5-4, to claim third place in the tournament. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)
Jacob Martin was hit by a pitch to begin the sixth and later scored with two outs on an RBI single from Austin Lane. Turner induced a groundout to hold the Indians to a 5-3 lead.
Tyler Woody reached on an error to start the Bobcats portion of the sixth and later scored with two outs on a passed ball. A strikeout again prevented Gilmer from tying the game.
Both the Indians and Bobcats got runners on in the seventh, but were unable to generate runs from the opportunities. The end result was a 5-4 Lumpkin victory.
Speaking on the tournament and the season as a whole, Gilmer JV coach Eric Tedders said, “Most of the runs we gave up were unearned, again. We had a lot of mental breakdowns on fielding and throwing. When we’re on, we’re a really good team. When we’re not, we’re not. I think overall, we’re the most talented team, but we had the most lapses in this tournament. Overall, we’re disappointed with the finish. We expected to do a lot better at the end. We’re very proud of the players, which have made great strides. I think we’re moving forward with a lot of positive things to take from this season, as far as growth. We can recognize mistakes and work on them as we move into the summer.”
The JV Gilmer Bobcats finished the season with an overall record of 11-5.
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Rebels Drop Matches to Indians, Spartans
LCHS Tennis March 21, 2016
The Fannin County High School Rebels tennis team fell in both region matches it contested last week, dropping a 4-1 affair to the Lumpkin County Indians and a close 3-2 match to the West Hall Spartans.
Against Lumpkin, Trevor Neal picked up the lone Rebels victory, toppling Eli Ledford 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Blake Cobb fell to Tyler Schott 6-2, 6-2, while Indian Jacob Tomblin garnered a 7-5, 6-3 win over Paul Walker.
In doubles matches, the combination of Noah Sockwell and Nick LeBoeuf defeated Aaron Walden and Grant Fitts 6-1, 6-2, while Sam Barrentine and Josh Shepherd picked up a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ben Finley and Alex Prince.
The contest against West Hall was a hard-fought affair. Neal fell 6-1, 6-0, while Cobb and Walker both picked up 6-3, 6-3 wins.
In doubles matches against the Spartans, Fitts and Alex Prince fell 6-0, 6-2, while Walden and Ben Finley dropped their match 6-2, 6-3.
The losses leave the Rebels with a 2-4 (1-3 in region play) record. Fannin will travel to Gilmer today, before hosting Franklin County for another region match Thursday.
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Goodwin, Cash, Sullens Capture State Championships
USA Wrestling March 8, 2016
Fifty-five qualified grapplers from around North Georgia traveled to Perry last Saturday for the 2016 Georgia Little/Big Kid’s State Tournament.
Upon the conclusion of the tournament at Reaves Arena, 14 North Georgia wrestlers took home either a state title or state placement bragging rights.
Of the 28 Gilmer Bobcats that made the journey to Perry, seven left with state recognition.
Pictured are members of the Gilmer Bobcat Wrestling Club, following the 2016 Georgia Little/Big Kid’s State Tournament last Saturday at Perry. Pictured are (front row, left to right): Arturo Gonzalez, Nolyn Weaver, Kellen Watts. Back row (left to right): Dylan Galloway, JB Sanford, Jacob Cruz, 12U 160 second-place finisher, Vincent Zilke. Not pictured: Adan Cook, 12U 205 fourth place finisher. (Photo courtesy of Gilmer Bobcat Wrestling Club)
In the 6U division, Isaiah Goodwin (65 pounds) captured a state championship, while Bryson Shore (37) placed second. The 8U bracket saw Hayden Berry (68) take third.
Jacob Cruz (160) finished second in the 12U bracket, while Samuel Tercero (205) placed third and fellow 205-pounder Adan Cook took fourth. Finally, the 14U division featured Caleb Waddell (120) taking third place.
The 12U Bobcats won the age bracket outright, with 53 team points and placed 10th overall at state, with a combined 159.5 team points.
“We definitely had some up and down moments in this tournament, from tough losses to some quality wins,” said Gilmer Bobcat Wrestling Club coach Walt Monroe. “Yet, our boys wrestled so well, overall. This tournament is so tough, in the full 16-man brackets. There are no classifications that divide the competitors. The coaching staff emphasized all week how each win meant points for our team and to fight hard in each match. It seems our wrestlers took that to heart, as many came away with wins, even if they didn’t place. We are so proud of the team effort. This was one of our best finishes as an entire program and we are very thankful and proud for each of these young wrestlers.”
Four out of the 12 Lumpkin County Wrestling Club grapplers at state garnered state recognition. 10U Cayden Cash (120) and 12U Devin Sullens (180) captured state championships. 12U Brent Canupp (140) and 12U Bradley Newton (140) placed, with third and fourth-place respective finishes in their brackets.
Culled from the six White County Takedown wrestlers that placed at state are 6U Jack Procter (43) and 8U Jacobi Cobbs (42), with respective third and fourth-place finishes in their brackets, as well.
Eight members of the Dragons Junior Wrestling Club also ventured to Perry, with 8U Philip Jax (60) being the lone state placer, by taking second place in his age group.
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Bobcats, Indians, Dragons, Warriors, Rebels All Set for State
USA Wrestling March 1, 2016
Following one of the five state qualifiers, which were held last Saturday at Gilmer High School, 55 grapplers from Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, White and Fannin counties are ready for the 2015-16 Georgia Little/Big Kid’s State Tournament.
The Gilmer Bobcat Wrestling Club will be taking 28 participants to state. In the 6U bracket will be Bryson Shore (37 pounds) and Isaiah Goodwin (65). 8U Bobcats will be Hayden Berry (68) and Cooper Cochran (79). The 10U Gilmer contingent will be Carson Farist (61), Nolyn Weaver (70) and Angelo Spadaro (91).
14U Bobcat Caleb Waddell prepares to slam his opponent to the mat last Saturday, during one of five 2015-16 Georgia Little/Big Kid’s State Qualifiers, which was held at Gilmer High School. Waddell will join 27 other Bobcats at the state tournament Saturday in Perry. (Photo by: Kevin Hensley)
In the 12U bracket, Arturo Gonzalez (69), Kellen Watts (77), Gabe Reimer (90), Joseph Sanford (112), Dylan Galloway (140), Vincent Zilke (150), Jacob Cruz (160), Dawson Stephens (160), Owen Moss (180), Adan Cook (205) and Samuel Tercero (205) will be making the trip to state. The 14U Bobcats that will be at state are Tristian Kendall (90), Logan Bentley (95), David Reynoso (105), Lucas Lopez (110), Caleb Waddell (120), Jose Velasquez (125), Michael Owens (135), Abel Jacinto (160), Logan Hawthorne (170) and Luke Morgan (190).
The Lumpkin County Wrestling Club is taking 12 Indians to the state tournament. In the 6U bracket will be Caleb Yorkey (55) and Nate Grizzle (60). Jack Irwin (81), Zack Dooley (112), Brent Canupp (140), Bradley Newton (140) and Kobe Canupp (160) will be the 12U Lumpkin wrestlers, while Camden Cash (80), Avery Mills (130), Nolan Wheeler (130), Samuel Irwin (135) and Aaron Hopkins (170) will be the Indians in the 14U bracket.
The Dragons Junior Wrestling Club will take 8U grapplers Philip Jax (60), Raymond Mullins (73) and Brandon Stone (79) to state. Cason Cannon (76), Dominic Fiorenza (76), Cruz Marinelli (84) will represent Pickens in the 10U bracket, while Nathaniel Grace (115) and Dalton Brunner (160) will navigate through the 14U bracket.
The White County Takedown Club qualified six Warriors for state. Caden Mathis and Jack Procter (both at 43 pounds) will be in the 6U bracket. Jacobi Cobbs (42) qualified in the 8U bracket, while Davin Lightsey (61) heads to state in the 10U bracket. Hunter Adams (130) will be the 12U Warrior at state, while Sean Wurtz (120) rounded out the White County qualifiers by making it to state in the 14U bracket.
The lone Fannin Rebel that will be at state is 12U Nathan Anderson (90).
The 2015-16 Georgia Little/Big Kid’s State Tournament will conclude the USA Wrestling season and will be held at the Reaves Arena in Perry.
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