JacksonHeraldTODAY

Panthers basketball kiddie camp

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:24:00 -0500

JCCHS Panther Boys Basketball held its first Fall Basketball Kiddie Camp on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Forty-seven future Panthers participated in the camp.

Members of the varsity boys basketball team coached the younger kids and devoted their Saturday to helping the future Panther basketball players.

Local drivers hope for Snowball Derby win

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0500

For several local racers, there’s only one thing to focus on going into this weekend’s racing events at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.

That’s winning the 41st annual Snowball Derby, one of the most coveted events in short track racing.

It’s a race that every short track ace has wanted to win, with winners such as Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Pete Hamilton, Jody Ridley, Ronnie Sanders, Butch Lindley and Ted Musgrave having visited victory lane.

Former Jefferson native Ryan Crane won the Snowflake 100, a Pro Late Model event that leads up to Sunday’s Derby, last year, and this year, wants to add his name to the winner’s list in the big show.

“We have put more effort into this year’s Snowball than I think we’ve put into any other,” Crane said. “After I won last year’s Snowflake and got to feel what it was like to win on the Derby weekend I wanted nothing more than a Snowball the next day but it just didn’t work out, so hopefully this is the year.

“The Snowball is, no questions asked, the one race I want to win in my racing career.”

Commerce racer Taylor Satterfield (40), seen here racing Russell Fleeman in last month’s World Crown 200, will be looking for a win in Saturday’s Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model event at Pensacola. Photo by Lyn Sengupta

Crane’s Panama City, Fla. based team has sat idle since he competed in last month’s World Crown weekend at Peach State Speedway. On that weekend, Crane was victorious in the 100-lap Super Late Model portion of the weekend, and came home with a fifth place finish in the famed World Crown.

Since then, the team has worked to prepare both cars for the Derby weekend, going over both Crane’s Pro Late Model car and his Super Late Model ride with a fine tooth comb.

Crane and his team spent the early part of this week tuning the Ford-powered racers for the weekend in hopes of gaining an advantage over their competition. Short track veteran Mike Garvey will be helping the team throughout the week in hopes of becoming the first team to sweep both the Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby in the same year.

Other area drivers are gearing up for the weekend as well. For Saturday’s Snowflake 100, among the 79 entries vying for a starting spot are Crane, three-time World Crown champ Paul Kelley of Pendergrass, Rodney Benefield of Flowery Branch, Shane Sawyer of Braselton, Commerce’s Taylor Satterfield, and Jimmy Garmon of Hoschton.

Paul Kelley, of Pendergrass, will be looking for victory in both big events this weekend. Photo by Brandon Reed

Sixty-one drivers will be fighting to make Sunday’s 300-lap Snowball Derby, including Joey Senter of Jefferson, Watkinsville’s John Wes Townley, while Paul Kelley will join Crane in trying to run in both events.

The last Georgian to visit victory lane in the Snowball Derby was in 1994 when Dalton’s Tammy Jo Kirk picked up the win. It also marked the only time a female driver has won the famed December classic.

For more information on this weekend’s events, visit www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.

Eagles host Oconee County Friday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:14:00 -0500

After closing out last weekend’s Talon Tip-Off tournament with losses to Johnson and Pace Academy, the East Jackson Eagles boys’ basketball team is looking for improvement this week as it starts regular season play, and continues to prepare for region play.

The Eagles will host Oconee County Friday. In their one previous meeting, which occurred in a Christmas tournament last year, the Warriors defeated East Jackson 64-55.

As of Tuesday, both teams were winless on the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

After an opening loss to Grayson, the Eagles looked to turn their fortunes around last Tuesday in the Talon Tip-Off when they went up against Johnson. Unfortunately, the turn didn’t happen, as the Knights won 59-48.

Kolby Gilbert scored 23 points to lead the Eagles.

After the Thanksgiving break, the tournament continued on Saturday, with the Eagles’ final pairing coming in a tight game against Pace Academy.

While the game went back and forth, with the lead swapping between four and six points throughout, Pace Academy was able to make some clutch shots late that East Jackson could not match, and came away with a 55-53 win.

“We had several chances to tie the game and go ahead,” said head coach Brian Turner. “We just didn’t play very smart at the time with some things, but our effort was better against Pace than in other games in the tournament. We changed our lineup around a little for this game.”

Brandon Garrett led the Eagles Pace with 12, while Standrick Stephens scored 11 points on the night.

The Eagles were scheduled to face Stephens County Tuesday night on the road. Results of that game were unavailable at press time.

Turner said when Friday comes around, he expects to see a similar playing style out of the Warriors, who are coached this year by Michael Youngblood.

“He and the coach he came up under are good friends of mine, so I’m expecting to see a lot of the stuff we do. They’re going to shoot the ball extremely well.”

Turner said the biggest thing he’s looking for over the next few games is improvement. He said he doesn’t feel his team is that far away.

“The biggest thing I’m looking for is improving execution,” he said. “We’re not a very good team right now as far as execution goes. We’ve got to get better at execution when we’re having to run an offense, and when it comes to set situations. We need to be able to execute and not turn the ball over or take a bad shot.”

Turner said the upcoming games should give the Eagles a good opportunity to work on those issues.

“That’s one reason that we made the schedule that we did this year. We wanted to make sure when we got to region, that we saw everything that we could possibly see before we got to region action.”

Lady Eagles win over Johnson

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:06:00 -0500

A few days after losing to Grayson to open the Talon Tip-Off Tournament at home, the East Jackson Lady Eagles picked up their first win of the season over Johnson on Nov. 25, then lost a close game to North Hall on Nov. 29.

Now the Lady Eagles turn their attention to regular season play, as they prepare to host Oconee County on Friday. The Lady Warriors enter the contest with a 1-1 record prior to action on Tuesday, having scored 74 points overall, but having allowed 96 points to be scored against them. In their last pairing, Oconee County came away with a 55-45 win last Dec. 27.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Lady Eagles recorded their first win of the season, defeating Johnson 40-34 in the Talon Tip-Off.

The Lady Eagles took control early, leading 11-9 by the end of the first period. They extended the lead to 21-15 by the half, and continued to control the game by the end of the third quarter, 28-22. Johnson was able to close the gap to six points, but East Jackson held them at bay to take the win.

Autumn Wilbanks and Mikki McGinnis lead in scoring against the Lady Knights, recording nine points each. Bralee Griffin added eight points.

McGinnis led in rebounds with eight, while Caroline Hicks recorded six.

Shelby Johnson had four assists and six steals against Johnson and the team had 15 steals for the game.

Up next was a pairing with the Lady Trojans of North Hall in a game that went back and forth in each quarter.

East Jackson took a one-point lead, 20-19, by the half. North Hall came back to take a five-point lead, 36-31, by the end of the third period, and had to work hard to hold off East Jackson by the end, as the Lady Trojans won a squeaker 52-50.

Wilbanks again led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 24 points. Callie Moore recorded seven on the game. Kaitlin Hill, Moore and Hicks grabbed six rebounds each, while Terin Gillespie had three steals.

"The day before the game we made a lot of changes to our defensive scheme and I was extremely impressed with the girls’ ability to carry it over to the game,” said coach Amy Larimer. “I could not have asked any more of them on the defensive end of the court. It was an all-around team effort to contain an offensive-minded team such as North Hall.”

Larimer pointed to several players who contributed to the Lady Eagles’ strong showing.

“Autumn Wilbanks played a great game and really sparked us offensively down the stretch,” she said. “I saw different players step up and be real leaders throughout the game.

“I feel very optimistic about our improvement.”

East Jackson was scheduled to travel to Stephens County on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Results of that game were unavailable at press time.

Lady Dragons host Hart Co. Friday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:18:00 -0500

The Jefferson Lady Dragons basketball team is still working to find their rhythm and get their legs under them. But if last week is any indication, the team is getting closer to finding their groove, after losing close games to Oconee County and Central Gwinnett in the Tabo’s Tip-Off Tournament at Jefferson.

Up next for the Lady Dragons is a home game against Hart County on Friday. Hart County will enter the contest with a 2-1 record as of Tuesday, having scored 138 points to Jefferson’s 111 to this point in the season. The Lady Bulldogs are also nearly even in total points allowed with the Lady Dragons, having allowed 130 points to be scored against them to Jefferson’s 133.

Hart County has had the edge in the teams’ last four pairings, with the Lady Bulldogs winning in December of 2006, in January of 2007, and in their last meeting back in January of this year. The Lady Dragons’ last win against Hart County came in December of 2007.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Tabo’s Tip-Off Tournament didn’t have the results that the Lady Dragons wanted, but one thing they did find was that they improved over the course of the competition. On Nov. 25, Jefferson lost to Oconee County 32-25. Stephanie Fincher was the leading scorer for Jefferson with 11 points on the game.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Panthers defeat Tallulah Falls in tourney

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:01:00 -0500

After losing their season opener, the Jackson County Panthers got a boost in their basketball Tip-Off Tournament last week.

They opened their tournament play by defeating Tallulah Falls, then moved on to the championship game, where they were narrowly defeated by Banks County.

Banks County is again on the agenda for the Panthers, as they will travel to Homer to face the Leopards on Saturday, and will look to even the score from the tournament loss.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Panthers were hoping that their tournament results would help take the sting out of a season opening loss on Nov. 20 at West Hall.

The first game showed that the Panthers were ready for competition, as they dominated Tallulah Falls 53-26 for the win.

Joseph Smith led the Panthers in scoring with 16 points, and also recorded five steals against the Indians. Juice Harrison recorded 11 points, and led in rebounds with 10. Jonathan Baxter picked up seven points on the game.

The win moved the Panthers to the championship round against the Leopards of Banks County on Tuesday night.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.

Dragons host Hart County Friday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:07:00 -0500

What a difference a few days makes.

After a hard start to the season, falling to Heritage in the opening game of the Tabo’s Tip-Off Tournament, the Jefferson Dragons boys basketball team fought back to win their next two games, and finish fifth overall in tournament play.

The Dragons now look ahead to their next match up, as they’ll play host to Hart County Friday night.

Both teams enter Friday night’s game with a 2-1 overall record. The Bulldogs have scored 193 points so far this season, while Jefferson has put 133 points on the board.

In their last two meetings, Hart County has come away the victor, winning in January of 2008 and in December of 2007. Jefferson defeated the Bulldogs back in January of 2007, and wants to even the score on Friday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Jefferson began their drive for victory on Nov. 25 against Oconee County. After being down most of the first quarter, ending 15-12, the Dragons fought back, and led the contest 29-21 at the half. From there on, Jefferson controlled the lead, and ended up winning 54-43.

Greg Hayes led the Dragons in scoring against Oconee with 11 points, also recording 10 rebounds. Tyler Bailey scored 10 points on the night.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Lady Panthers win Tip-Off Classic; face Banks Co. Saturday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:01:00 -0500

The Jackson County Lady Panthers basketball team continues to ride a wave of early success this season, going undefeated thus far, and winning the Panther Tip-Off Classic with a win over area rival Banks County last week.

Next up for the Lady Panthers is a trip to Homer to again face the Lady Leopards on Saturday. Going into action on Tuesday, Banks County had a 2-2 record, having scored 151 points in those four games to 100 by Jackson County in three games.

The big key for the Lady Panthers against Banks County would appear to be in their defense, as Jackson County has allowed only 55 points to be scored against them, while the Lady Leopards have allowed 163.
Jackson County definitely has the historic edge going in, having won their three previous pairings prior to last Saturday’s tournament win.

Tip-off in Homer on Saturday is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Lady Panthers started out last week’s Panther Tip-Off Classic on a high note on Monday night, as they defeated Tallulah Falls 53-7.

“We were able to get a lot of people a lot of playing time,” said coach Chad Pittman. “That included some folks who were able to play and build their confidence. I was pleased with everyone’s effort as a team.”

Freshman Ashley Lance led the Lady Panthers in scoring against the Lady Indians with 17 points, while Sophomore Alison Dias scored nine points on the night.

That moved Jackson County on to Tuesday’s championship game against the Lady Leopards of Banks County.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.

Fatality reported in county Tues. night

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:52:19 -0500

One man was killed in a wreck Tuesday night on I-85, according to reports from the Georgia State Patrol.
Continue reading "Fatality reported in county Tues. night"

Christmas parades, events ahead

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:46:48 -0500

Santa will make his first appearance in this area Friday night at the Nicholson library and also at the Pendergrass depot.
Continue reading "Christmas parades, events ahead"

Jackson County to host Dizzy Dean World Series

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:43:23 -0500

The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department will host the Dizzy Dean World Series.

The department will host the 11-year-old Baseball World Series July 16-21 at the Lamar Murphy Park in Jefferson. The East Jackson recreation park in Nicholson will serve as an additional site for games.

There are 35 to 50 teams expected for the event with an estimated 1,200 visitors from Georgia and around the Southeast expected in to attend.

“Our department is eager to host this event and I know we can count on our business community, local governments and citizens for their support,” said Rick Sanders, recreation director.

Jackson County’s relationship with Dizzy Dean baseball first began in 2002 when a pilot program was held for 7-8-year olds. After this, the recreation advisory committee decided to fully align its baseball program with Dizzy Dean baseball for ages 6-12 for the 2003 season. After this season, the department’s softball and older baseball programs were fully integrated with the Dizzy Dean organization.

Since 2004, Jackson County Parks and Recreation has been a leader within Dizzy Dean at the district and state levels. The department has hosted 15 district tournaments and four state tournaments in various age groups.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation teams have also won numerous district titles, three state titles and the 2007 10 and under Dizzy Dean softball world series championship.

For more information about Dizzy Dean baseball, go to www.dizzydeanbbinc.org. For information on Jackson County Parks and Recreation, go to www.jacksoncountygov.com.

Pendergrass youth minister murdered Sun.

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:47:54 -0500

Two White County residents have been charged with Sunday’s murder of the youth minister of Pendergrass Baptist Church.
Continue reading "Pendergrass youth minister murdered Sun."

Mat Panthers take sixth at Allatoona

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:12:00 -0500

The Jackson County wrestling team opened their season Saturday with the Blackbeard Duals at Allatoona High School, with the varsity team taking sixth place with a record of 2-3.

The Panthers were next scheduled to face White County and Washington Wilkes at Gordon Street Tuesday night. Results were unavailable at press time.

At the Blackbeard Duals, the varsity team won over Allatoona 52-29, and won over Blessed Trinity 43-30. They lost to Woodland 33-48, North Forsyth 18-63 and to North Cobb 34-34 after a tiebreaker.

Individually, Ryan Shekey went 5-0 in the 112 lb. category; Ryan Howe went 5-0 in the 189 lb. category; Kevin Spicer went 4-1 in the 160 lb. category; Jacob Hyder went 4-1 in the 215 lb. category; and Cole Meaders went 3-2 in the 125 lb. category.

Coach Jason Powers said he knew this tournament would be difficult for the team, and that was what he wanted it to be.

“Every match during the regular season better prepares us for the Area and State tournament,” he said. “If we wrestled average teams throughout the season then we would not be well prepared for the challenges that will face us at the Area or State tournament. I made our schedule tough this year so that we can accomplish our goal of making it to the State Duals tournament this year.”

Powers said his veteran wrestlers rose to the challenge posed to them, and carried a lot of the load for the team.

“All of our returning wrestlers have improved a lot during the off-season, which was very nice to see,” he said. “Everyone wrestled well at times but every wrestler has a lot they can improve upon. It’s always important to get the first match of the season under your belt so you know your strengths and weaknesses and that way we know what to work on.

“I am looking for the varsity to become stronger with every match as wrestlers start to get into their correct weight classes and our younger wrestlers begin to get more experience.”

The JV team also took part in the meet, finishing third with a 4-1 record as they defeated Woodland 50-12, Allatoona 42-20, North Forsyth 42-34 and North Cobb 54-18. The only team to defeat the JV Panthers was Blessed Trinity, 33-39.

Individually, Jamie Stapler went 5-0 in the 103/112 category; Ismael Carrillo-Garcia went 5-0 in the 140 lb. category; Cody Atkins went 5-0 in the 189/215 lb. category; Jamari Davis went 4-0 in the 189/215 lb. category; Bryson Evans went 4-1 in the 135 lb. category; Marvin Ledford went 3-2 in the 103/112 lb. category; Jacob Hogan went 3-2 in the 119 lb. category; Dillon Whitlock went 2-0 in the 285 lb. category; and Alex Cruz went 2-1 in the 285 lb. category.

“I am extremely proud of our JV team and their impressive finish in this tough tournament,” Powers said. “This is one of the best JV finishes that I can think of in the past few years.”

Next up for the Panthers is a trip to Morgan County to face the Bulldogs in Madison on Tuesday.

Dragons fall to Patriots 75-30 in opener

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:24:00 -0500

The Jefferson Dragons basketball team knew going into Saturday’s first round of tournament play to open the season that the game would be rough.

That’s because they were up against Heritage, a team that was seventh in pre-season polls in the state in AAAA. Add to that the fact that many of the team’s larger players had played the night before in Jefferson’s second round football playoff game and hadn’t touched a basketball since June, and it certainly would have looked like an uphill fight from the beginning.

So it came as no huge surprise when the Dragons lost Saturday night 75-30 to Heritage.

They were scheduled to return to the court Tuesday night against Oconee in the second round of tournament play. Results were unavailable at press time. Tournament play is scheduled to continue on Saturday.

Jefferson coach Bolling DuBose said his team had two big things going against them Saturday night.

“First, they have a six-foot, eight kid in the middle named Justin Jones, who is real good, and we didn’t have an answer for him.”

DuBose said all of the Dragons’ bigger kids play football, and he didn’t start any of them Saturday night. Those that he did play went in during the second period in three minutes spurts.
“The second thing is that they won 20 games last year in AAAA and had everybody back but two kids,” DuBose said. “It was just one of those games where we were short-handed, and they would have been better than we were even if we had everybody and had been practicing for a couple of weeks.”

Chris Beck, who was moved to point guard for the game, had led the Dragons in scoring with seven points, and also led in rebounds with six. Darius Minor, who had played quarterback for Jefferson’s football team the night before, came off the bench and scored six in the second half to be the second leading scorer on the night.

The Dragons found themselves down 19-10 at the end of the first, and in the second period, the Dragons failed to score.

“In the third and fourth quarter, we did not play defensively at all,” DuBose said.

DuBose said the defense was the one thing he was disappointed in Saturday night.

“Offensively, I knew we were going to struggle, because they were bigger and they were quicker, and we were missing a lot of our best offensive players,” he said. “But defensively, I just felt like we gave up too many lay-ups, we let them get to the basket too easily, and we did not put pressure on their perimeter shooters. They shot the ball extremely well. They had 11 three-pointers. We just gave up a lot of wide open shots.”

But to be fair, DuBose said, there were a lot of younger players that took to the court against Heritage Saturday night.

“We played a kid at point guard, Andre Daniel, who was on the eighth grade team last year, and he’ll be playing a lot on varsity this year. This was his first varsity game as a ninth grader. We played some other younger kids who had been on the JV last year.”

DuBose said it’s not the way they wanted to start the season, but they knew going in that being short-handed, they would have to play a perfect game while Heritage had a bad game for it to be close.

“I thought (Heritage) played extremely well, and they shot the ball really well. Hopefully it will teach our kids what we have to do to be better and what kind of team we want to be.”

Jefferson loses to Heritage to open tourney

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:07:00 -0500

It wasn’t the start the Lady Dragons basketball team was hoping for Saturday, as they lost 47-35 to Heritage, Conyers in their opener for the Tabo’s Tip-Off Tourney at Jefferson.

The Dragons were scheduled to face Oconee County in the next round of tournament play Tuesday at 4 p.m. The tournament is scheduled to continue through Saturday.

Coach Jason Gibson says it may not look like the team played very well on the surface, with 36 turnovers and going 9 of 22 from the free throw line. But the Lady Dragons did well enough defensively to be able to stay in the ball game, and in the end, be only 12 points behind. At one point in the fourth quarter, Jefferson trailed the Lady Patriots by only four points.

“We were never really able to get over the hump and get a lead,” Gibson said. “They had a very good ball team. They were very athletic, and they applied a lot of pressure on the floor.”

Gibson said the turnovers that his team made were “silly.”

“A lot of them were in our transition game,” he said. “When we should have ended up with lay-ups, we had turnovers. We had some turnovers against our pressure, but it wasn’t just that that caused us to turn it over. We just made some silly mistakes.”

Regardless, Gibson said he felt Saturday’s game was a good experience for the younger players on the team. Four of those that played major minutes had never set foot on a varsity floor before, he said.

“Four of our top eight kids were pretty much making their first varsity appearance. It was a learning experience for them.”

Emily Jacobs led Jefferson in scoring with 11, Marcayla Hester and Callie Holloway both had 8.

Gibson says while things might not have started out very well Saturday, he’s looking at the big picture.

“Our record may not look very good before we start region play, but in the long run, I think our kids will be better for it, because we’ll have played some very good competition.”

Following the tournament, the Lady Dragons will start their regular season on Dec. 5 with a trip to Hart County.

Panthers fall to Spartans on the road

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:03:00 -0500

Despite the final score, Thursday’s match-up against the Spartans at West Hall was a good start to the season for the Jackson County Panthers, who lost 91-66.

“This was a good first game for us,” said coach Britt Beaver. “West Hall had an incredible student section that yelled the entire game, and an outstanding pep band playing. It was a very exciting basketball environment and our kids felt the pressure.”

Next up for the Panthers is a road trip to face Johnson on Dec. 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

West Hall

The Panthers worked hard to stand up to an athletic Spartan team, fighting back during the first period to tie the game, and to move ahead at one point. But West Hall turned up the heat in the second quarter, and by the half, the Panthers trailed by 25 points, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

Joseph Smith scored 34 points, going 21 of 23 from the free throw line. Juice Harrison scored 14 points and had eight rebounds, while Will Wolter scored eight points on the game.

The Panthers turned the ball over 26 times during the game.

“We can’t do that and compete in games,” said Beaver.

The Panthers also shot 73 percent from the free throw line.

“West Hall’s players are as athletic as anything we will see this year and they brought a lot of pressure and shot the ball extremely well,” Beaver said. “It was good to face all of these factors early to better prepare us for our region games.

“I was very proud of the kids as they never quit and played hard until the end.”

The Panthers were next scheduled to host the Thanksgiving Tip-off Tournament, beginning on Monday. Results were unavailable at press time.

Scoreboard: Jefferson Dragons Nov. 27

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:30:00 -0500

Girls Basketball
Nov. 24 - The Lady Dragons suffered their second loss of the Tabo's Tip-Off Tournament Monday, as they fell to Oconee County 32-25.

For more on these stories, see the Dec. 3 edition of The Jackson Herald.

Scoreboard: Jackson County Panthers Nov. 27

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0500

Boys Basketball
Nov. 24 - The Jackson County Panthers picked up their first win of the season, defeating Tallulah Falls 53-26 in the first round of play in the Jackson County Tip-Off Tournament. They will move on to face Banks County in the championship game.

Nov. 25 - The Panthers took second place in the Jackson County Thanksgiving Tourney, after a 62-56 defeat by Banks County.

Girls Basketball
Nov. 25 - It was another strong showing for the Lady Panthers, as they defeated Banks County 53-25 Tuesday night at the Jackson County Tip-Off Tournament.

For more on these stories, see the Dec. 3 edition of The Jackson Herald or The Banks County News.

Lady Panthers open season with win

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:12:00 -0500

The Jackson County Lady Panthers started their basketball season out on a high note Thursday night, as they defeated the Lady Spartans of West Hall 47-30 in their season opener.

The Lady Panthers’ next regular season game is scheduled for Dec. 2, when they’ll travel to Johnson to face the Lady Knights. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

West Hall

The Lady Panthers took control of the West Hall game early on, and held the Lady Spartans at bay to pick up their first win of the season, and their first win over West Hall since December of 2005.

Ashley Skelton led Jackson County in scoring with 22 points, while Breanna Drew scored 11.

The two also combined to go 12-12 from the free throw line on the night.

“I was real pleased with how (the team) played,” said coach Chad Pittman. “I thought I could see some growth from last year to this year already, just in how we handled ourselves, our composure, and our poise in the game.

“We played smart, made good decisions, things like that.”

The Lady Panthers had only 12 turnovers against West Hall.

“In the scheme of things, that isn’t a big number,” Pittman said. “Going in we put a lot of focus on rebounding. We rebounded very well, limited them to just a few offensive rebounds, and I was very pleased with that.

Overall, I think we graded out fairly well.”

Tournament Time

The Lady Panthers were next scheduled to start tournament play Monday night at home against Tallulah Falls. Results were unavailable at press time.

Pittman says his team will try to come out, play hard, execute and be fundamentally sound as they work through tournament play this week, and continue to prepare for the season.

“Our guards need to play well and handle the ball well,” he said. “Hopefully we can get some experience this week in the tournament, and get some more people some more playing time. Thursday night, we really relied on six people, and early on I need to be able to play more people to get them some experience.

“We’re going to have to have more than six down the stretch.”

LETTER: Comments on Presidential election

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:24:00 -0500

Dear Editor:
Many recent letter writers to The Jackson Herald have bandied back and forth over the value of the recent Presidential election. Many see this as victory after years of oppression; others see it as a severe blow to what it means to be an American.
Continue reading "LETTER: Comments on Presidential election"

Lady Eagles fall to Grayson at home

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:16:00 -0500

The Lady Eagles of East Jackson had a rough opening to their season Saturday night, as they faced the Lady Rams of Grayson in the opening round of play in the Talon Tip-Off tournament at East Jackson.
Grayson bested the Lady Eagles 74-49.

It was a spirited game against a very athletic Grayson team right from the start. The Lady Eagles found themselves down 26-9 at the end of the first quarter, and saw the deficit grow to 20 points as the Lady Rams led 47-27 going into the half.

From there, Grayson continued to move out front, leading 65-37 by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Eagles held Grayson to only nine points in the fourth, but suffered the loss of sophomore Dynelle Todman to an ankle injury in the process.

X-rays later showed nothing broken in Todman’s ankle, but she may miss a couple of weeks on the court as a result of the injury.

Autumn Wilbanks led the Lady Eagles in scoring with 18 points, while Todman scored nine. Kaitlin Hill led in rebounds with seven, while Caroline Hicks recorded five. Callie Moore led East Jackson in steals with five.

“Grayson was a very good team, but I felt that we played hard and never gave up,” said coach Amy Larimer. “We got the opportunity to see areas of improvement, which we will focus on in preparation for games down the road.”

The Lady Eagles were next scheduled to face Johnson Tuesday at 4 p.m. No results were available at press time. Check www.mainstreetnewssports.com for scores and updates.

Regular season play is scheduled to begin on Dec. 2 with a trip to Stephens County.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

East Jackson loses to Rams 65-57

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:00:00 -0500

The East Jackson Eagles basketball team hoped to start off their season on a winning note Saturday, as they played host to the opening day of the Talon Tip-Off tournament.

But a strong Grayson team gave them a run for their money, and at the end, the Rams came away with a 65-57 victory.

The Eagles will open up their regular season on the road on Dec. 2, as they’ll travel to Stephens County to face the Indians.

Last year, the Eagles split their two meetings with Stephens County, winning the first match-up on Dec. 17 67-63, while they lost a Jan. 5 pairing 94-72.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

East Jackson started out strong Saturday against Grayson, and worked hard to stay in the game all evening. After taking a lead early in the first period, the Eagles found themselves trailing Grayson at the end of the half by 11 points.

The Rams were determined to control the game from start to finish, and led by 12 going into the fourth quarter.

Despite seeing the Grayson lead grow to 16 points at one point, the Eagles battled back, and found themselves trailing by only five with possession of the ball. But a missed shot cost East Jackson a chance to swing the game, and gave Grayson the opportunity they needed to open a late lead, and take the win.

Brandon Garrett led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points, while Kolby Gilbert scored 13 and Standrick Stephens got 12.

“I thought we played hard and the mistakes that cost us the game are ones that we can work on,” coach Brian Turner said.

East Jackson was scheduled to face Johnson in tournament play Tuesday evening. Results were unavailable at press time.

Jefferson loses to Lovett in second playoff round

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:55:00 -0500

The Dragon Nation saw their hopes for a trip to the Georgia Dome dashed Friday night, as the Dragons fell for the first time all year, losing 34-24 to the Lovett Lions in freezing temperatures.

The Dragons ended their season with an 11-1 overall record, and went undefeated in nine games in region play. Jefferson picked up their first region title since 1977 in their first season of 8-AA play.

Lovett

The Dragons started out by stopping a big drive by Lovett early in the first quarter, taking over on their own 36-yard line on a fourth down conversion with just under nine minutes left in the quarter.

Three minutes later, it appeared that the Dragons would have their first touchdown of the night when Darius Minor ran in on a quarterback keeper, but a holding penalty against the Dragons brought the ball back to the 14-yard line.

The Lovett defense went to work, holding the Dragons at bay, and with 4:51 remaining in the quarter, Lucas Redd kicked a successful field goal to put Jefferson on the board with a three-point lead.

Jefferson again proved their determination early in the second quarter, as Minor broke loose for a 70-yard run just over three minutes in. Less than a minute later, Zach Crosby ran in the Dragons’ fist touchdown of the night, moving Jefferson up 10-0 over the Lions.

But the Lovett offense came to life, and in under two minutes, they had gotten their first touchdown of the night to move to within three points of the Dragons.

The first major problem for the Dragons occurred with just over five minutes left in the half. A Lovett defender slipped through the Jefferson line, sacking Minor, who lost his hold on the ball in the process.

Lovett recovered the ball, taking over on the Jefferson 34-yard line, and scored their second touchdown of the night about one minute later, taking a 14-10 lead over the Dragons.

Jefferson came out in the next play swinging, as Jay Fowler returned the Lovett kick down to the Lions’ 24-yard line.

Moments later, Jefferson re-took the lead with a pass play from Minor to Crosby to put the Dragons up 17-14 with just over a minute left in the half.

But with just under 30 seconds left in the half, Lovett worked into position, broke into the end zone for the third time of the night to retake the lead by a score of 21-17.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Foster mom indicted in baby's death

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:38:32 -0500

Wendy Osborne, 29, Nicholson, was indicted Monday by a Jackson County Grand Jury on two counts related to the Sept. 2 death of 9-month-old Jessica Scovil.
Continue reading "Foster mom indicted in baby's death"

Fire destroys house in South Jackson

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:32:07 -0500

A fire whipped by gusty winds destroyed a large two-story home on Jefferson River Road Tuesday. Several Jackson County fire departments responded to the blaze, which happened about midday. The fire happened at 8825 Jefferson River Road in South Jackson. The house was listed for sale in September and was reportedly built in 1976.

Man attacked when car breaks down

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:22:22 -0500

A man said he pulled over on Crooked Creek Road at Hwy. 129 last week when he was having car trouble and someone assaulted him.
Continue reading "Man attacked when car breaks down"

Jefferson hikes water, sewer rates

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:22:24 -0500

In a 4-1 vote, the Jefferson City Council agreed Monday night to increase the water and sewer rates. Councilman Bosie Griffith voted against the action while C.D. Kidd, Steve Kinney, Roy Plott and David Varnedoe voted for the increase.
Continue reading "Jefferson hikes water, sewer rates"

Maysville still working on budget

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:00:07 -0500

The Maysville City Council continues to work on its 2009 budget, with the goal of approving it at its Dec. 1 meeting. The council will meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Maysville Public Library.
Continue reading "Maysville still working on budget"

Mat Eagles Ready For Next Challenge

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:39:00 -0500

After a strong finish to last year’s season, the East Jackson Eagles wrestling team looks to build on last year for a successful 2008-09 showing.

East Jackson wrapped up its inaugural season with a 19th place finish out of 55 teams in state competition, with two of the five qualifiers placing.

The Eagles lost three seniors from last year, but retained a strong core group for this year, as well as gaining several young wrestlers.

There were 12 regulars slated to be back this year as the team moves into its second season.

The Eagles’ first meet will come on the road, as they take part in a dual meet with West Forsyth and Cherokee on Nov. 26. Next, they’ll host a dual meet with Flowery Branch on Dec. 2 before playing host to the Eagle Classic dual tournament on Dec. 6.

The Party's Over - Dragons fall to Lovett 34-24

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:42:00 -0500

The 2008 football season came to an end Friday night for the Jefferson Dragons, as they fell to the Lovett Lions 34-24 in the second round of playoff action.

Despite the loss, it was a dream season for the Dragon Nation, as Jefferson went 11-1, winning their first region title since 1977.

The game was tight from the beginning, with Jefferson striking first with a field goal, then moving out to a ten point advantage.

But Lovett came back strong, and led 21-17 at the half.

Jefferson would score again, just 20 seconds into the second half.

It turned out to be the last touchdown of the season, as Lovett slipped through again and again, and took the lead 28-24 in the fourth quarter.

Lovett then made the move to put the nail in the coffin after recovering an onside kick.

Two-minutes later, Lovett scored again, then held control of the ball for most of the rest of the quarter to take the win, and move on to the quarterfinals.

For Jefferson, they can now look back on one of the most successfull season's in their history, and prepare for what's sure to be a good 2009.

Click here for MainStreet News Sports.com's live blog from the Jefferson sidelines.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Live Updates From Jefferson Begin at 7:30

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:20:00 -0500

MainStreet News Sports.com live update coverage of football playoff round two from Jefferson, as the Dragons take on the Lovett Lions, will begin at 7:30.

Check back for updates on plays, scores and all the action as the Dragons look to push pass Lovett, and move one step closer to a trip to the Georgia Dome.

Updates will be listed below.

NOTE THERE IS A SLIGHT DELAY FROM THE FIELD TO UPLOAD TO THE WEB.

Please excuse any spelling errors as it is very hard to type with gloves on and it is very cold. Thank you. [note from the editor.]

--

7:20 P.M. - Live coverage is set to begin momentarily.

7:30 the Dragons win the coin flip and elect to receive in the second half.

1st quarter:
Lovett Lions make progress down the field breaking into Dragon territory with under 10 left on the clock.

Dragons take control off of downs at the 36 yard line.

8:43 remaining in the 1st quarter Dragons looking for a first down.

Tab Martin picks upa 1st down for Jefferson.

Darius Minor rushes for a yard after a throw away pass.

9 yards to go with 7:45 left in the quarter.

Caleb Meek picks up needed yards and a first down.

Minor passes to #91 for a first down and a yard from goal.

Lions fighting hard to prevent a Dragon score, goal to go.

Holding penalty backs the Dragons up repeat third down.

19 and goal for the Dragons.

QB keeper by Minor drives to seven yard line bring up fourth down.

Dragons sink a 25 yard field goal from Redd.

7:45 p.m. Jefferson goes up 3-0 w/ 4:51 left in what is going to be a great football game.

Dragons' #50 Allen breaks up a Lion pass, Lovett 10 yards on second down.

Lions pass for first down, 3:32 left in first quarter. #3 Martin defends against a second pass.

Lions punt, #7 Crosby makes fair catch at 31 yard line.

:55 left in first quarter Dragons are pushing for a TD.

End the first quarter: Jefferson up 3-0.

2nd quarter 7:58 p.m.

Lions take the ball and rush for single yard.

Lions have 12 yards to go on a fourth down, opt to punt to 15 yard.

Minor on QB keeper goes 70 yards to put Dragons in scoring position. w/ 8:25 left in the quarter.

View from the game.

Touchdown Dragons - extra point is good. 7:50 left in first half Jefferson up 10-zip over Lovett.

6:17 left in the half.

Lovett scores TD and PAT - Jefferson leads 10-7.

Lions kickoff is touchback, Minor starts at 20y has to scramble to avoid a sack.

Dragon fumble, Lovett recovers at Jefferson 34y.

Lions get first down 22 yards to goal.

Lions' #4 rush to four yards and goal.

3:53 left in the first half.

Jefferson #50 Allen shaken up on previous play, helped to the sidelines.

Touchdown Lovett Lions. 3:47 left in half PAT is fair.

Lovett takes lead over Jefferson. Lovett 14-Jefferson 10. Marks the first time in these playoffs the Dragons have trailed.

Kickoff return by Jefferson #33 to 23y.

loss on play sets Dragons at 30 yard line with under three minutes left in half.

First down Dragons at 5y and goal Minor passes to Crosby.

Third down after two losses ... Minor to Crosby TOUCHDOWN

Redd back to kick ... field goal is good.

Jefferson retakes lead 17-14 over Lions.

1:08 lefty in first half, Lovett takes ball at their own 18y.

Lovett first down after penalty on Dragons.

:45 left in second quarter :31 left Lovett 8y and goal.

Lovett takes the easy field goal to slip ahead. 21-17.

End first half at 8:45 p.m. Lovett leads the Dragons 21-17.

Views of the game before the half.

Patrick Allen makes his way off the field at the half.

Jefferson's #50 (Patrick Allen) is out of the game. Word is that he suffered a broken ankle.

Start 2nd half at 9:05 p.m. Jefferson trails the Lovett Lions 21-17

Temperature on the sidelines is a frigid 33 degrees.

Jefferson has 24 minutes to still win this game, players are retaking the field.

Dragon's #35 Zack Allen returns the kickoff Jefferson starts at 35y.

TOUCHDOWN 61 YARDS Minor passes to #91. PAT goes fair Jefferson retakes lead in the game 24-21.

Lovett returns the kick for the entire field for a touchdown, flag was thrown before Lions broke the 50y line.

Yellow all along the field.
Lovett suffers penalties TD is no good Lovett backed all the to their own 4y.

Lions pass for yards 2nd down.

Lions first down 10:11 left in third quarter

Word just in #50 broke his ankle.

Lions #4 picks up yards first down 8:17 left in quarter

Lions backed up to own 37y due to penalties

Lion pass declined 2nd down 25y to first down.

Third down 23y to go under seven minutes in 3rd quarter

Dragons #51 Loggins causes loss of play on Lions 4th down

PUNT

21y Dragon's ball

pass to #91 for 9yards

Minor pass incomplete to Porter flags on play - holding and interference on Dragons

Jefferson back to 14y line 15 y to down third down

Punt - Lions take a knee , Lovett's ball on 43y

Lions pass run out of bounds loss of one yard

3:34 left in 3rd quarter

Lovett pass for 1st down ball on Jefferson's 23y

Delay of game on Lions 15y to down -5y penalty

Lovett carries no gain on Jefferson 26y

Dragon pass interference penalty

Lions go to Dragon's 15y . Crowd is angry.

1:41 left iin 3rd quarter

Navas is in discussion on the call with an official ...

restart game Lion's on Dragons' 14y

Lion's 7y and goal fourth down 2y till first down

Dragons take ball at there own 2y

30 secs in 3rd quarter Jefferson passes to Martin #3 pick up 4 y

Temperature drops to 30 degrees end 3rd quarter Jefferson leads 24-21
Lovett could have tied if they went for field goal instead of trying for TD.

Last quarter starting 9:53 p.m.

4th quarter

Minor passes first down Dragons

Minor QB keeper out to 21y line

Dragons suffers losses punt

Lion's pick up some small plays get to own 32y third down 2y to go to down

first down

Lions gain yards make it to Dragons 37y

Lovett TOUCHDOWN w/ PAT take teh lead 28-24 7:35 left in the game

turnover - onside kick

Lions regain ball threating to score again ball on Jefferson 14y

carry to 5y - first down

TOUCHDOWN Lovett PAT is no good Lovett goes up 34- 24 over Jefferson 5:43 left in this game

Can Jefferson rally?

Minor starts rally with a pass to Martin ball on 43y

Minor pass down to 11y is INTERCEPTED by Lions' #9

Lions called unsportsmanlike after the play backed up 5y

2nd down 3y to go to down 4:38 left in the game.

first down

carry by Lovett #4 5y to go 2nd down

ball on 26y 3rd and seven 2:40 and counting

ball on 41 y 2:15 left illegal procedure on Lovett

2nd down and 15y 1:45 clock is ticking

:37 seconds left ball on 35 y

punt

:31 jefferson's ball

turn out the lights party is over Lovett 34 - 24 over Jefferson

Jeffeson season: 11 wins and one loss

Blue Out - Live Updates From Jefferson Tonight

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:49:06 -0500

Supporters are calling for everyone to wear blue tonight, as they hope to make it a Blue Friday for Lovett at Memorial Stadium in Jefferson.

The Dragons hope to take another step towards the Georgia Dome tonight by defeating the Lions in second round football playoff action.

Kick-off in Jefferson is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

MainStreet Sports will be carrying live updates from the game all evening, beginning with kick-off. Check back throughout the game for big plays, scores and photos from the sidelines in Jefferson.

Lady Dragons hit court in Tourney Saturday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:19:00 -0500

Coming off of a successful ’07-08 season, the Jefferson Lady Dragons basketball team is looking to continue its winning ways this season.

Last year, the Lady Dragons went 8-4 in the region and 15-11 overall.

Jefferson is returning seven players with Varsity experience this year, but the team only has four seniors. This includes MiMi DuBose, who will not play this year due to injury.

Coach Jason Gibson said newcomer Stephanie Fincher, a transfer student from Mill Creek High School, along with senior Emily Jacobs will provide some inside and outside scoring. Returning guards Callie Holloway, Marcayla Hester and Erin Knight will be counted on by the team for ball handling and perimeter scoring.

Freshmen Rachel Goza and Skylar Evanson will add some much needed depth to the perimeter as well, Gibson said.

“This years’ Lady Dragons will rely on quickness and defense to get them to the top of a very competitive region 8-AA,” Gibson said. “We have a brutal non-region schedule that will test the Lady Dragons right out of the gate.”

That schedule begins this weekend with the Tabo’s Tip-Off Tournament to be held at Jefferson starting Saturday. From there, the Lady Dragons will play host to Hart County on Dec. 6 before traveling to East Hall for their first solo game of the year on Dec. 9.

On Dec. 12, it will be the latest installment of the Dragon-Tiger rivalry, as Commerce travels to Jefferson.

Mat Panthers gear up for season

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:14:00 -0500

This year, the Jackson County Panthers wrestling team will be shooting for three in a row.

Three top ten state finishes, that is.

In 2007, the Mat Panthers placed eighth in AAAA competition.

Last year, they moved up to third, bringing home the 2008 AAAA State Champion title in the 125 lb. category.

This year, however, the team is a little younger. But, coach Jason Powers said, with a lot of talent returning to the Panther roster this year, he expects the team to improve a lot throughout the year as the younger team members gain some valuable varsity experience.

“We have a lot of goals we would like to accomplish this year including being able to make it to state duals by finishing in the top two in area duals,” he said. “I think this is a very reasonable goal but it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get there.”

The Panthers will start their season out with a very tough duals tournament this weekend, as they’ll travel to Allatoona for the Blackbeard Duals. Powers said the tournament will put the team’s younger wrestlers to the test.

From there, the Panthers will host Morgan County on Nov. 25, leading up to the Panther Invitational, which will be held beginning Dec. 5 at JCCHS.

Despite a daunting start to the season, Powers said he looks for a couple of individuals to perform well throughout the season.

“Hopefully they can find their way onto the podium at the state tournament this year,” he said. “We are returning two state placers and I expect them to place better this year than last.”

If the last two years are any indication, the Panthers should be in the thick of things again this season.

Dragons look for another winning season

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:09:00 -0500

After a strong season last year, the Jefferson Dragons basketball team is hoping for more of the same this year.

The Dragons roll into ’08-09 off of a season that saw them go 8-2 in the region, and 15-14 overall, including a victory over Athens Academy in region tournament play before eventually falling in a close 53-50 game to Trion.

While the team had an up and down start, going 3-2 before hitting a four game losing streak from Dec. 7 through Dec. 14, they came on strong at the end, winning five games in a row between Feb. 5 and Feb. 15, defeating Tallulah Falls, Prince Avenue, Hebron, Athens Christian and Athens Academy.

The Dragons also defeated Commerce twice last season, winning 66-56 on Jan. 11, and 56-41 on Jan. 25.

While the team lost four seniors this year, seven more step up for this season, including Chris Beck, Demetri Robinson, Dillan Greeson, Tab Martin, Cody Smith, Chris Swancey and Derrick Milsap, giving the team a solid mixture of sophomores and juniors as well.

Jefferson will look to start things off on the right foot this weekend, as they play host to the Tabo’s Tip-Off Tournament beginning Saturday. Following the Thanksgiving break, they’ll host Union County on Dec. 5, and Hart County on Dec. 6.

Then on Dec. 12, the Dragons will host Commerce in the latest bout between the in-county rivals.

Lady Eagles ready for sophomore basketball season

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:44:00 -0500

At the end of last season, East Jackson Lady Eagles coach Amy Larimer said she saw a bright future for the girls’ basketball program.

When the Lady Eagles hit the court this weekend for the Talon Tip-Off Classic at East Jackson, it will be the first step into a new season, and a chance to write another chapter in the East Jackson history books.

In their first season, East Jackson went 9-17, dropping in the first round of region playoffs after a loss to Dawson County.

This year, with four seniors on the team, including Autumn Wilbanks, Terin Gillespie, Kaitlin Hill and Paige Williams as well as several returning contributors, the Lady Eagles are hoping for a big sophomore season.

“I am excited about this year and think that we can accomplish a lot if we focus and put our minds to it,” Larimer said. “We have been concentrating a lot on our strengths, which is getting out and running and using our speed and quickness to create offense. We have also been placing a large focus on our defensive intensity, which will be a key component in every game we play.”

Other returning players include Callie Moore, Shelby Johnson, Dynelle Todman, Caroline Hicks, Bralee Griffin and Mikki McGinnis.

The Lady Eagles will play their first regular season game on Dec. 5, as they play host to Oconee County, then host Franklin County one day later.

Panthers look to improve in new season

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:26:00 -0500

The Jackson County Panthers boys’ basketball team is hoping that, with the addition of a season’s worth of experience for a young team, the 2008-09 season will be a more satisfying experience than last season.

The Panthers open up their season on Thursday with a trip to West Hall to face the Spartans. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Next, Jackson County will play host to the Tip-Off Tournament, beginning on Monday before the Thanksgiving break.

Last year, the Panthers went 6-16 overall, and 3-11 in the region, including losses in their last four games of the season.

Despite that, the Panthers were capable of pulling off some big wins, despite not having a single senior on the team as they worked through a tough AAAA region, winning six more games than in the past five seasons
combined, and by showing improvement through the year.

“We have every player but one back this year,” said coach Britt Beaver. “We started two freshman, two sophomores and one junior last season. We will still be young, with only two seniors, but we will be much more experienced.”

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.

Lady Panthers basketball season opens Thursday at West Hall

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

After a 2007-08 season that had its ups and downs, the Jackson County Lady Panthers are looking for some solid results as they prepare to enter into the 2008-09 season.

Last year, the Lady Panthers ended their season 9-14 overall, and 4-10 in the region.

After a good start that saw seven wins in their first 13 games, the wheels came off at mid-season for Jackson County, as they lost their next four games. A Jan. 22 victory over Habersham Central was the only bright point for the Lady Panthers, as they continued to slide to the end of the season.

But, compared to the 3-23 season that Jackson County recorded in 2006-07, the team showed great strides during the year, tripling their number of wins.

If those strides are any indication, this season could be the best for the Lady Panthers in quite a while.

Coach Chad Pittman says he wants his team to find the consistency it lacked in the past.

“If nothing else, we want to play more consistent this year,” he said. “I think the kids understand what you have to bring to the table every night to play high school basketball, and that you have to compete hard for 32 minutes.

“I’m hoping that some of the lumps and bumps that we took last year were not in vain.”

While the team has lost two seniors in Alyssa Esco and Haley Zorn, they have retained a good core group of players, including three juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen. That group includes six players who either started or played significant minutes in every game last season, including Jessica Stephens, Ana Rodriguez, Katie Rodriguez, Breanna Drew, Ashley Skelton and Emily Elrod.

With a year of experience now under their belts, the Lady Panthers have the potential to continue to move in a winning direction, and put their program where they want it to be.

They’ll take their first steps towards that goal on Thursday, as they travel to West Hall to face the Lady Spartans. The Lady Panthers will look to stop a three-game winning streak by West Hall that dates back to December of 2006. Tip-off in that game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald or The Braselton News.

East Jackson hosts Talon Tip-Off Saturday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:30:00 -0500

After an inaugural season that saw them off on the right foot, the East Jackson Eagles’ boys basketball team is gearing up for their second season of play, which is set to start by hosting a pre-season tournament on Saturday.

Last year, the Eagles went 18-10 overall, and 7-4 in the region.

Coach Brian Turner says it’s great to begin this season without having to start from scratch like they did in 2007.

“With the transition of starting a new school over, the kids pick up things a little quicker and better than last season,” he said. “We still have a lot of inexperience at some positions but the learning curve should come much quicker than last year.”

The need to learn quickly is apparent from the tough schedule the Eagles have this year.

East Jackson will start off this weekend’s Talon Tip-Off Classic by pairing off with AAAAA opponent Grayson, while other teams taking part will include Hart County, Monroe Area, Johnson, West Hall, North Hall and Pace Academy.

The Eagles’ season starts on Dec. 2 with a trip to face Stephens County. Other non-region opponents on the schedule for the season include Washington-Wilkes, Oconee County, and a December 23 game against North Hall at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, prior to an Atlanta Hawks game.

Region play starts for East Jackson on Dec. 9 with a trip to Gainesville to face Riverside Military Academy. It will be the only region game for the Eagles before the new year.

But along with a tough schedule comes a return of three of the team’s top four scorers. Standrick Stephens, Kolby Gilbert and Brandon Garrett will return to the lineup.

“We will lean on them again to do the bulk of our scoring,” Turner said. “However, we have several key players that can put some points up to help these three players out.”

Turner also pointed to the team’s senior leadership, which includes Stephens, Gilbert, Kaharie Beasley, Zach Gilbert, Terry Cox and Jackson Fischer.

With all that in their favor, East Jackson hopes to improve last year’s third place region finish by two places.

Jefferson hosts Lovett in playoff round two Friday

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:00:00 -0500

For the first half of last Friday’s round one playoff contest between the Jefferson Dragons and the Coosa Eagles, it looked like Coosa could still find a way to rain on Jefferson’s parade, as they held the region 8-AA champs to a ten-point lead going into the third quarter.

But the Dragons turned up the heat, and came away with a whopping 31-13 victory to advance to the second round of playoff action.

The win means Jefferson extends its win streak to 11 in a row, the longest in school history.

It also means that the Dragons will host region 6-AA second seed Lovett Friday night, and attempt to win its first second-round playoff game in recent memory.

On paper, Lovett may prove to be the biggest challenge thus far for Jefferson. The Lions are 5-2 in region 6-AA, and 8-3 overall. They have scored 384 points this season, an average of 34.9 per game, while Jefferson has scored 417 total, a 37.9 per game average.

But it’s in the points allowed column that the Dragons have a big edge. Jefferson has allowed only 125 points to be scored against them all year, an average of 11.4 per game. The Lions have allowed almost 100 more points to be scored against them, with a total of 223 for the season. That averages out to 20.3 per game.

Lovett advanced to round two by solidly beating Macon County last week 45-12.

It will be the fifth meeting of the two schools in history, and the first since 1969.

Jefferson lost the first meeting back in October of 1966 13-7. The next two games ended in ties, 0-0 in 1967, and 7-7 in 1968.

In their last meeting on Sept. 19, 1969, the Dragons defeated the Lions 7-6.

With a history of close games between them, Friday’s contest promises to be another game to remember.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald.

Dragons headed for second round of playoffs

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:51:56 -0500

Live blogging from Dragons' game vs. Lovett here.

LETTER: Says BJC should continue to offer OB services

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:45:06 -0500

Dear Editor:
I have lived in the Banks-Jackson area since 2001. I believe we should support our local businesses, services and charities. I believe so strongly in this, that I have supported our local hospital, BJC Medical Center, and asked others to do so as well because after having met most of the staff, I believe them to be well educated, wonderfully supportive, and ready to provide the basic services all of the citizens of this area need.
Continue reading "LETTER: Says BJC should continue to offer OB services"

Police: Homeless men used to cash fake checks

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:34:11 -0500

Three homeless men were charged with forgery, after they said two other men drove them from Atlanta to Braselton to cash fake checks at a bank.
Braselton police said the three men went to the Hamilton State Bank on Ga. Hwy. 211 in Barrow County on Nov. 12.
Continue reading "Police: Homeless men used to cash fake checks"

Jefferson looks at water, sewer rate increases

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:31:48 -0500

Jackson Park rezoning withdrawn

nospam@example.com (Mike Buffington) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:03:07 -0500

Developers looking to locate a major industrial development in South Jackson have withdrawn their request.
Continue reading "Jackson Park rezoning withdrawn"

JCCHS Cross Country girls perform well at state

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:45:00 -0500

The Jackson County Panthers girls’ cross country team placed 17th in AAA classification in state competition in Carrollton over the weekend.

Brittany Aikens finished 15th out of 202 runners with a time of 20:26; Rachel Pasko finished 46th with a 21:33; Lexie Miller finished 93rd with a personal best time of 22:53. Other girls competing included Lauren Turner with a 24:00; Katie Maiolo with a 26:15; and Susan Diesch with a 27:45.

“It was a great experience for the team and hopefully one we can build off of for the future,” said coach Joseph Brubaker. “The girls worked hard throughout the season and were a joy to coach."

JHS takes 6th at State Cross Country Meet

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:29:00 -0500

It was a successful trip to state competition for the Jefferson Dragons girls’ cross country team Saturday, as they placed sixth in Region AA competition out of a field of 29 teams.

Alison Missler placed 26th out of 182 runners taking part with a time of 21:55; Jessica Runkle finished 33rd with a time of 22:14; Kathy Buffington finished 36th with a time of 22:23; Lauren Phillips placed 47th with a time of 22:50; Mariah Porras finished 54th with a time of 23:20; Laura Price placed 70th with a time of 24:06; and Caitlin Meads finished 78th with a time of 24:33.

Wesley Milton was the only member of the Jefferson boys cross country team to qualify for state competition this year. It was his fourth appearance at state, where he placed 48th out of a field of 217 runners with a time of 18:29.

Inmate commits suicide

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:32:25 -0500

An inmate at the Jackson County Jail hung himself in his cell Wednesday night.

Continue reading "Inmate commits suicide"