I will head into this Friday story by saying that high school baseball is still going on, even though most private schools have been out for over a week.
I am heading to Monticello today to watch Piedmont play Windsor in a best two out of three series for the GISA AA state championship.
When I need a Stratford persons phone number I always go to one person, and that is Terry Sowell. I am not sure what her official title is at Stratford. She serves as SID maybe or team mom maybe, or picture taker maybe, or liaison to all that is Stratford maybe ?? All I know is that she is at every sporting event that Stratford has, she makes sure I have a diet coke (listen other schools) and gives me good information (most of the time) She will also make sure I have rosters, which is just a huge help.
Windsor's head coach is a Stratford person through and through. Tyler Brown went to Stratford, coached at Stratford, but went to Windsor for two years to become a head coach. Now next year , he is back home as Stratford's new baseball coach. So when I needed his number, I called Ms. Sowell. whose husband has been the voice of Stratford soccer for 61 years, and whose son was the most prolific scorer in GISA history. I remember the game in which her son Morgan broke the record for most goals scored, and it was obviously a proud moment for her, and I asked her whose record he just broke, and unfortunately, in her joy for her son and his accomplishment, gave me the wrong name and got me in trouble because . I should have known that Mark Farriba(Fariba) was not the leading goal scorer in Stratford history.
Now back to Windsor.
Ms. Sowell got me Tyler's number in a minute(because he bleeds Stratford blue) and Tyler texted me back immediately.(Young coaches always do) It turns out that Tyler and Windsor have some work to do this weekend because Piedmont has already beat Windsor twice this year. But Windsor has played great baseball in the last 20 games, winning 18 of them.
Austin Thomas could be an interesting story as he gets the start on the mound today. According to brown, Thomas has major shoulder issues and is probably throwing his last game today , so that should be interesting. The game is at 4 pm in Monticello.
One thing I will say about Windsor is that it is a great great place to watch a game, and the fans are wonderful . A home basketball game will offer more food than seems possible. I remember covering an entire region basketball tournament there a few years ago, and they have a seat for you at the scorers table, (a big deal) and they feed you like crazy. I never will forger the scorekeeper playing Elvis at a timeout and the concession stand bringin apple pie and ice cream to the scoring table. Itg may have been the most amazing thing I have ever seen at a high school basketball game. I wanted him to play Elvis the entire game.
I also dared the scorekeeper, clock operator, PA guy to play Jason Aldean music at every stoppage of play, because the team they were playing didn't have anyone as famous as Jason Aldean that had graduated from their school.
So today pits Jason Aldean against Trisha Yearwood. Should be a great battle
Friday, May 29, 2015
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
WOW moments part two
I start the final five WOW moments this morning humbled by the 260 reads I had on the top five interviews of the year, and somewhat wondering why the first five WOW moments had only 45 reads. I guess its all timing and I am sure some people will get to it this week when things slow down.
OK here they are, my top five wow moments of the sports year
FPD_Strong Rock softball- first round of the state playoffs- Now I know that I have not mentioned FPD on here too often, and the reason for that is simple. I just don't cover them that much, Its the same for Mount de Sales. I can only write on things I know. But I did have a great moment at FPD this year, FPD was playing Strong Rock in what I think was the first round of the state tournament, and a young lady named Katherine Strickland had a big second game, coming up with three hits and a couple RBIS in an easy win. The thing that was so interesting is that Strickland, a senior, barely played all year, But head coach Jim Turner decided to play her in a state playoff game because it was the last chance she would have to play on her home field, and the girl got three hits and keyed the win. The interview after the game was excellent and this young lady obviously has a lot of good things going on in her life. She was thrilled that she got a chance to play, but had accepted her role and was more happy that FPD was still playing softball
#Wilkinson County- Stratford basketball at the Palace- Believe me Wilkinson County was not worried about Stratford coming into the Palace, because Wilco had a pretty good team and they were playing at home. But something different happened that night that probably propelled the Eagles for the rest of the year. They fell behind early by nine or so points, but somehow, someway, fought back to win the ball game. I'm still not sure how it happened. I cant even remember how it happened. I know Cephus had 35 or 36 or something like that, but it was more of a team effort type of win. To me, that was a statement win for the teams that had just entered the GHSA.
##I remember a Saturday during basketball season, and as soon as I got into the gym, I had assistant coaches up on me . The question they all had was who do you think will win the player of the year from the Telegraph? Now it was only like midway through the season and I had not even thought about it, and furthermore, I wouldn't spend much time thinking about it anyways because I don't have a vote. But Rutland was touting TyLik Evans and Northeast had Santez Kinder, who at that time, was leading the GHSA in scoring at close to 30 points a game. I had a Rutland person tell me that they were going to put 100 up on Northeast, and that they had let Northeast know about it. This was playoff atmosphere basketball but Rutland was just too good, although they didn't get close to 100. I think they held Kinder to 13. The thing about Rutland is that when they decided to turn things up, they could turn things up like no one else. That is why they were the best team in Macon by far.
### Stratford Tennis in the semi-finals of the state tennis tournament and it all came down to Sachin Khurana in the number one singles match. It was a battle but the crowd gave Khurana a huge lift, and he was able to pull out a close win. The pure emotion of the win was evident as Khurana's shirt came flying off as soon as he won the last point. Hey you have to love a kid that will do that. four days later the Eagles won the state tennis championships, the first for any of the big three former GISA schools.
### Parker Faircloth and Tattnall Square- I had never ever seen a perfect game. Out of the hundreds of people in the stands, I doubt many of them had seen a perfect game. But Faircloth delivered one in the state playoffs this year against Athens Christian (I think). This kid probably weighs 145 pounds at the most, but for this day he was dominant, getting seven groundouts right back to the pitcher. I had the pleasure of standing next to his mom during the last inning and it really does not matter what level it is, when a guy has a perfect game in the line, the nerves are all over the park. But the young man handled the pressure, and delivered an easy last inning. This kid will probably have a great year next year and might pitch beyond the high school level, but on this day, he was the man
OK here they are, my top five wow moments of the sports year
FPD_Strong Rock softball- first round of the state playoffs- Now I know that I have not mentioned FPD on here too often, and the reason for that is simple. I just don't cover them that much, Its the same for Mount de Sales. I can only write on things I know. But I did have a great moment at FPD this year, FPD was playing Strong Rock in what I think was the first round of the state tournament, and a young lady named Katherine Strickland had a big second game, coming up with three hits and a couple RBIS in an easy win. The thing that was so interesting is that Strickland, a senior, barely played all year, But head coach Jim Turner decided to play her in a state playoff game because it was the last chance she would have to play on her home field, and the girl got three hits and keyed the win. The interview after the game was excellent and this young lady obviously has a lot of good things going on in her life. She was thrilled that she got a chance to play, but had accepted her role and was more happy that FPD was still playing softball
#Wilkinson County- Stratford basketball at the Palace- Believe me Wilkinson County was not worried about Stratford coming into the Palace, because Wilco had a pretty good team and they were playing at home. But something different happened that night that probably propelled the Eagles for the rest of the year. They fell behind early by nine or so points, but somehow, someway, fought back to win the ball game. I'm still not sure how it happened. I cant even remember how it happened. I know Cephus had 35 or 36 or something like that, but it was more of a team effort type of win. To me, that was a statement win for the teams that had just entered the GHSA.
##I remember a Saturday during basketball season, and as soon as I got into the gym, I had assistant coaches up on me . The question they all had was who do you think will win the player of the year from the Telegraph? Now it was only like midway through the season and I had not even thought about it, and furthermore, I wouldn't spend much time thinking about it anyways because I don't have a vote. But Rutland was touting TyLik Evans and Northeast had Santez Kinder, who at that time, was leading the GHSA in scoring at close to 30 points a game. I had a Rutland person tell me that they were going to put 100 up on Northeast, and that they had let Northeast know about it. This was playoff atmosphere basketball but Rutland was just too good, although they didn't get close to 100. I think they held Kinder to 13. The thing about Rutland is that when they decided to turn things up, they could turn things up like no one else. That is why they were the best team in Macon by far.
### Stratford Tennis in the semi-finals of the state tennis tournament and it all came down to Sachin Khurana in the number one singles match. It was a battle but the crowd gave Khurana a huge lift, and he was able to pull out a close win. The pure emotion of the win was evident as Khurana's shirt came flying off as soon as he won the last point. Hey you have to love a kid that will do that. four days later the Eagles won the state tennis championships, the first for any of the big three former GISA schools.
### Parker Faircloth and Tattnall Square- I had never ever seen a perfect game. Out of the hundreds of people in the stands, I doubt many of them had seen a perfect game. But Faircloth delivered one in the state playoffs this year against Athens Christian (I think). This kid probably weighs 145 pounds at the most, but for this day he was dominant, getting seven groundouts right back to the pitcher. I had the pleasure of standing next to his mom during the last inning and it really does not matter what level it is, when a guy has a perfect game in the line, the nerves are all over the park. But the young man handled the pressure, and delivered an easy last inning. This kid will probably have a great year next year and might pitch beyond the high school level, but on this day, he was the man
Friday, May 22, 2015
Top 10 WOW moments of the high school year
First of all I am stunned by the 269 hits I got on my favorite high school interviews. That number just blew me away. Thank you so much for reading the blog and supporting my hobby. To the ones that get the word out about my blog, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Two things to mention before I start the story. MY info page is no longer accurate, as somehow I have turned another year older. I don't like being 53 at all. Weird things start happening physically and mentally, but I guess there is nothing to do about it, so I will keep moving on.
Secondly, my second favorite teenager in the world,( My daughter is 19 so she is number one) a girl that I would walk over hot coals for, Hayley Gordon, had nasal surgery yesterday and from her moms facebook page, is doing fine. Please add her to your prayers.
So Now, I focus on the 10 games or performaces that I covered this year that made me go wow. It could be the entire game, or it could just be a moment in the game. I have tried to research this from all my stories this school year, and I think this is fairly accurate. If I didn't cover it, I didn't add it.
10- Khalya Owens from Veterans scoring the winning basket against Bainbridge in the first round of the playoffs._ Bainbridge was a four seed but had played Veterans even and had a serious chance of knocking the Warhawks out of the state tournament in the first round. But Owens got the ball in the paint, turned against a much taller player, and scored as time almost ran out. An amazing play by a senior who wanted to keep playing. The smile on her face during the interview could never be matched
9.Tattnall-Stratford girls basketball at Stratford. The Eagles shot the lights out in the first half and nothing was going right for Tattnall. I cant remember the exact lead, but Stratford was winning the game by a comfortable margin at halftime. But the Eagles could not score in the second half, and Liz Wainwright hit two big threes down the stretch that led to a Tattnall comeback win. After that game I was pretty sure that Stratford would not be able to beat Tattnall this year, I guess that shows what I know as the Eagles knocked them out of the state tournament a month later.
8- Howard football- The Howard football team had so many ups and downs this year and had chances to be a 7 or 8 win team. But the perfect example of their season happened against Upson Lee. The Huskies, with Tahjae Morant and Jaqwun Stinson taking turns with a direct snap, ran up and down the field for three quarters of the game and led heading into the final quarter. But they could not hold the lead and ended up losing 28-20. Still the Huskies won four games, a number they had never reached before, and things look bright for this upcoming season.
7-Tattnall- GMC softball- to see who plays for the region championship.- Allie Gordon blasts a fifth inning homerun to give Tattnall a come from behind 3-2 win against a team that had already beat them twice this year. Gordon is only a freshman and from what I could tell during the year, struggled a bit in the regular season, but got hot when it counted. As long as Tattnall has Ms. Gilbert on the mound, they will be in the game..
6-Stratford semifinal soccer- I don't think many were surprised that the Eagles had advanced to the semi's, but I think they surprised everyone with the 5-0 thrashing of Fellowship Christian. Dean and Joyner and Holliman were all on and the eagles looked primed to win a state championship.
OK the final five will wait till another day. I hope you enjoy the list and feel free to guess what the last five are
Two things to mention before I start the story. MY info page is no longer accurate, as somehow I have turned another year older. I don't like being 53 at all. Weird things start happening physically and mentally, but I guess there is nothing to do about it, so I will keep moving on.
Secondly, my second favorite teenager in the world,( My daughter is 19 so she is number one) a girl that I would walk over hot coals for, Hayley Gordon, had nasal surgery yesterday and from her moms facebook page, is doing fine. Please add her to your prayers.
So Now, I focus on the 10 games or performaces that I covered this year that made me go wow. It could be the entire game, or it could just be a moment in the game. I have tried to research this from all my stories this school year, and I think this is fairly accurate. If I didn't cover it, I didn't add it.
10- Khalya Owens from Veterans scoring the winning basket against Bainbridge in the first round of the playoffs._ Bainbridge was a four seed but had played Veterans even and had a serious chance of knocking the Warhawks out of the state tournament in the first round. But Owens got the ball in the paint, turned against a much taller player, and scored as time almost ran out. An amazing play by a senior who wanted to keep playing. The smile on her face during the interview could never be matched
9.Tattnall-Stratford girls basketball at Stratford. The Eagles shot the lights out in the first half and nothing was going right for Tattnall. I cant remember the exact lead, but Stratford was winning the game by a comfortable margin at halftime. But the Eagles could not score in the second half, and Liz Wainwright hit two big threes down the stretch that led to a Tattnall comeback win. After that game I was pretty sure that Stratford would not be able to beat Tattnall this year, I guess that shows what I know as the Eagles knocked them out of the state tournament a month later.
8- Howard football- The Howard football team had so many ups and downs this year and had chances to be a 7 or 8 win team. But the perfect example of their season happened against Upson Lee. The Huskies, with Tahjae Morant and Jaqwun Stinson taking turns with a direct snap, ran up and down the field for three quarters of the game and led heading into the final quarter. But they could not hold the lead and ended up losing 28-20. Still the Huskies won four games, a number they had never reached before, and things look bright for this upcoming season.
7-Tattnall- GMC softball- to see who plays for the region championship.- Allie Gordon blasts a fifth inning homerun to give Tattnall a come from behind 3-2 win against a team that had already beat them twice this year. Gordon is only a freshman and from what I could tell during the year, struggled a bit in the regular season, but got hot when it counted. As long as Tattnall has Ms. Gilbert on the mound, they will be in the game..
6-Stratford semifinal soccer- I don't think many were surprised that the Eagles had advanced to the semi's, but I think they surprised everyone with the 5-0 thrashing of Fellowship Christian. Dean and Joyner and Holliman were all on and the eagles looked primed to win a state championship.
OK the final five will wait till another day. I hope you enjoy the list and feel free to guess what the last five are
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
My favorite interviews of the high school season
I have probably talked to over 100 high school athletes this year, and overall it has been full of great memories. But each year, I have a few kids that stick out. I am sure that I am forgetting a few, but when I came up with a topic for this blog, these are the ones that immediately came to my mind.
Marquez Sanford- Westside High School- This two way threat on the football field is also a threat when speaking about Westside football or anything else. He smiles when he speaks and he was not cocky at all and he just is a very confident young man, Lets face it, if Mercer is interested in you, then you are probably doing things right. Sanford is a great football player, and don't be surprised if he starts for Murray State as a freshman
Quintez Cephus- The dude has had so much hype on him since he was in the 8th grade and he has handled it almost flawlessly. When he got to Stratford he had no idea what he was getting into. The the interest from colleges started and he had to grow up in a hurry.
The difference between three years ago and now is shocking. He is relaxed now and he knows how to handle himself, and gives confident answers to the questions. He gives answers to questions that shows that he is more interested in team than himself. Every time I see him now, he will come up to me and speak, although he knows that I am going to ask him the same question that everyone else is asking him. "So wheres it gonna be QT ? He just smiles and gives the "Well Im not sure but I'm getting closer" answer. He has great people around him to help him through all of this, and if he doesn't sign with a SEC school, I for one would sure like to see him playing at Mercer. What a boom that would be around town. He will be a much better college player because the talent around him will be just as good as him.
Derrick Evans Jr- I don't know what Derrick is going to do next year without his sidekick Bobby Cummings, who has left to play college football at Benedict.. Evans is all smiles all the time, and he is the main reason why the sports program are having success. This kid is a leader, he has been brought up right, and he is one of my favorites. He talks to you like he has been your friend for years. I remember seeing him at a Northeast basketball game last year, and he was giving me grief because I had ranked him as the 5th best player in Macon. I asked him who he thought should be number one. I was sure he would say himself, but he didn't. He said Cephus. A humble kid who will do well in life with or without sports
Torrez Finney- When I was given the wrestler of the year award story, I was not really looking forward to driving to Gray to interview Torrez Finney. I texted his football coach Justin Rogers and told him I needed to talk to Finney and that I may just do it on the phone. Coach Rogers texted me back and said that I had to meet this kid. And now, I can see why.
Torrez is every bit of 5'5 or so and he weights over 200 pounds and is built as solidly as anyone I have ever seen. He was a star on the football team as a defensive lineman and won state as a wrestler.But his personality shines way brighter. Big smile, eloquent speaker, loves his coaches, loves his school , and loves god. I got all of this out of a 30 minute interview. He knows that if he were 5-10 he or taller he would be a major college football recruit. He has big hands and gig feet, and he is still hoping for a growth spurt.
Don't worry Torrez, you are already a damn giant.. But I am praying for a few inches for you.
Haley Gordon- I have said everything I could possibly say about Haley Gordon. She is the best interview I have ever done, and I think , the only one that cried during the interview(which in turn had me tearing up) She has now graduated from Tattnall and I believe she will be heading to Bora Bora sometime soon. If this girl asked me to walk across hot coals in bare feet I would do it, because that is just how awesome she is. The love that she showed towards her family and her school was amazing, and she has a great handle on life. The biggest compliment I can give her is that I have probably done close to a 1000 stories for the telegraph over the last seven years, and I only kept one. Haley 1, Cystic Fibrosis 0, the greatest headline I have ever seen. Keep winning Haley. You have your own cheering section forever.
Marquez Sanford- Westside High School- This two way threat on the football field is also a threat when speaking about Westside football or anything else. He smiles when he speaks and he was not cocky at all and he just is a very confident young man, Lets face it, if Mercer is interested in you, then you are probably doing things right. Sanford is a great football player, and don't be surprised if he starts for Murray State as a freshman
Quintez Cephus- The dude has had so much hype on him since he was in the 8th grade and he has handled it almost flawlessly. When he got to Stratford he had no idea what he was getting into. The the interest from colleges started and he had to grow up in a hurry.
The difference between three years ago and now is shocking. He is relaxed now and he knows how to handle himself, and gives confident answers to the questions. He gives answers to questions that shows that he is more interested in team than himself. Every time I see him now, he will come up to me and speak, although he knows that I am going to ask him the same question that everyone else is asking him. "So wheres it gonna be QT ? He just smiles and gives the "Well Im not sure but I'm getting closer" answer. He has great people around him to help him through all of this, and if he doesn't sign with a SEC school, I for one would sure like to see him playing at Mercer. What a boom that would be around town. He will be a much better college player because the talent around him will be just as good as him.
Derrick Evans Jr- I don't know what Derrick is going to do next year without his sidekick Bobby Cummings, who has left to play college football at Benedict.. Evans is all smiles all the time, and he is the main reason why the sports program are having success. This kid is a leader, he has been brought up right, and he is one of my favorites. He talks to you like he has been your friend for years. I remember seeing him at a Northeast basketball game last year, and he was giving me grief because I had ranked him as the 5th best player in Macon. I asked him who he thought should be number one. I was sure he would say himself, but he didn't. He said Cephus. A humble kid who will do well in life with or without sports
Torrez Finney- When I was given the wrestler of the year award story, I was not really looking forward to driving to Gray to interview Torrez Finney. I texted his football coach Justin Rogers and told him I needed to talk to Finney and that I may just do it on the phone. Coach Rogers texted me back and said that I had to meet this kid. And now, I can see why.
Torrez is every bit of 5'5 or so and he weights over 200 pounds and is built as solidly as anyone I have ever seen. He was a star on the football team as a defensive lineman and won state as a wrestler.But his personality shines way brighter. Big smile, eloquent speaker, loves his coaches, loves his school , and loves god. I got all of this out of a 30 minute interview. He knows that if he were 5-10 he or taller he would be a major college football recruit. He has big hands and gig feet, and he is still hoping for a growth spurt.
Don't worry Torrez, you are already a damn giant.. But I am praying for a few inches for you.
Haley Gordon- I have said everything I could possibly say about Haley Gordon. She is the best interview I have ever done, and I think , the only one that cried during the interview(which in turn had me tearing up) She has now graduated from Tattnall and I believe she will be heading to Bora Bora sometime soon. If this girl asked me to walk across hot coals in bare feet I would do it, because that is just how awesome she is. The love that she showed towards her family and her school was amazing, and she has a great handle on life. The biggest compliment I can give her is that I have probably done close to a 1000 stories for the telegraph over the last seven years, and I only kept one. Haley 1, Cystic Fibrosis 0, the greatest headline I have ever seen. Keep winning Haley. You have your own cheering section forever.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Why Stratford will win
I believe that the Stratford Eagles will win state this saturday.
But it wont be easy
Atlanta International is a very good team and they play their home games on a turf field, which is a huge advantage.
But in my opinion, Stratford will win because of grit, determinations, and some good soccer players.
This is what I expect to see Saturday
GOALS- I was at Mercer yesterday and two games went to penalty kicks with no scored in regulation. This will not happen in the Stratford game. In fact my first bold prediction is that it will take 4 goals to win the game
YELLOW CARDS- at least a few for both teams. You get teenaged boys on the field playing in a big game and tempers will flare. No doubt about it. This game will be rough and physical from the very start.
NEW STARS- Don't look for Jonathan Dean to dominate because Atlanta International will try to take him out of the game. After watching the eagles play four times this year, I expect someone else to step up and put balls into the net. Sure Dean will get his goal and assist, and Joyner will always do what he does, but look for Thomas Traynham and Custis Donner to step up and have great games.
Home field advantage- If Stratford doesn't have 10 times the number of fans that Atlanta International brings, then something is wrong. They should be able to pack one side of the bleachers easily. I feel like on a hot day with the players getting tired a huge crowd can make a difference. STRATFORD FANS, DO NOT LET YOUR TEAM DOWN. I have talked to the players and everyone I talked to says the crowd makes a huge difference in the game.
I wish coach Ian Hayley and his team good luck. Being a first year team in the GHSA makes this the biggest athletic even in the schools history. DO work boys
But it wont be easy
Atlanta International is a very good team and they play their home games on a turf field, which is a huge advantage.
But in my opinion, Stratford will win because of grit, determinations, and some good soccer players.
This is what I expect to see Saturday
GOALS- I was at Mercer yesterday and two games went to penalty kicks with no scored in regulation. This will not happen in the Stratford game. In fact my first bold prediction is that it will take 4 goals to win the game
YELLOW CARDS- at least a few for both teams. You get teenaged boys on the field playing in a big game and tempers will flare. No doubt about it. This game will be rough and physical from the very start.
NEW STARS- Don't look for Jonathan Dean to dominate because Atlanta International will try to take him out of the game. After watching the eagles play four times this year, I expect someone else to step up and put balls into the net. Sure Dean will get his goal and assist, and Joyner will always do what he does, but look for Thomas Traynham and Custis Donner to step up and have great games.
Home field advantage- If Stratford doesn't have 10 times the number of fans that Atlanta International brings, then something is wrong. They should be able to pack one side of the bleachers easily. I feel like on a hot day with the players getting tired a huge crowd can make a difference. STRATFORD FANS, DO NOT LET YOUR TEAM DOWN. I have talked to the players and everyone I talked to says the crowd makes a huge difference in the game.
I wish coach Ian Hayley and his team good luck. Being a first year team in the GHSA makes this the biggest athletic even in the schools history. DO work boys
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Stratford ranked #4
I knew this would get any Stratford fan to open this up because they wanted to see what they were ranked number 4 in. I can see the minds working already. "Oh my God, how can we be ranked number 4 in boys soccer when we are in the championship game, "Oh my god how can we be ranked number 4 in girls soccer when we lost in the semi-finals ? Or to some others it might have been "Cool we might be ranked number four in something,.but I know me and my wife are ranked number 1 in the dance world of Macon.
Really what is the number 4 ranking for ? Well its for being the number four most viewed topic on my blog. It could not over take a Tattnall story on my favorite high school athlete Haley Gordon, which had 120 hits because of Trojan faithful, and it could not beat two blogs I did on the top 10 high school players in Macon, who both had over 90. The Stratford story in ED and Jamie, and the next one on Coach Smith and coach Fariba Farriba both had in the mid 60's. I really though with Jamie Dickey supporting my cause that I would pass 90 with the good stuff I am writing, but I mean Tattnall is Tattnall.
I saw a wonderful soccer game(for Stratford) last night, and Ian Hayley should be receiving a high amount of respect because he is doing a great job in his second year. The man had to replace a legend (I mean that) in James Jordan, who was the best coach (sorry Iain Jones) that Macon has ever had at any level. And the man was unreal quotable, which made it even better. But Hayley has his guys playing their best soccer of the year heading into the biggest game of the year, I don't know if they even had more talent that Fellowship Christian, but it was obvious form the start who wanted the game more. Every ball belonged to Stratford, and they just really out worked their opponent. Lukas Joyner and "the pass" to Jonathan Dean was a thing of beauty, and I was on that side of the field and it was one of those "wow" moment. The pass from Dean to Zane Holliman was a thing of beauty and after that the Eagles just kicked butt.
Ok I have to talk about at least one Stratford coach today and after much thinking, I decided not to focus on the soccer coaches. I just don't know them quite well enough yet. So lets go to state championship winning tennis coach Jaime Kaplan,(I spelled it right) I first really got to know Jaime when I worked a pro tennis tournament at Stratford two years ago, and I got to talking to her. After a bit, I asked Jaime to text the most famous person in her cell phone and see if they would answer. She looked at me as seriously as she could, and she kind of smiled at me and said "Do you want athlete, actor, actress ? I just looked at her trying to figure out if this Macon legend was messing with me or not, so I said athlete. She looked at me again and said "What sport, I mean do you want Smoltz or Glavine or Obama or Nicole Kidman ? I told her I would make it simple and for her to make it a tennis player. She texts someone and five minutes later she gets a text back , reads it, and then shows it to me. It was that easy for her to get Martina Navratilova on the phone.
Jaime is a lot of fun to be around at the pro matches in Macon, but don't mess with her when she is coaching a tennis match. She is all over the place and working hard. Winning and developing tennis players and good people is obviously important to her. Without a doubt, she is the queen of tennis not only at Stratford, but in Macon.
And I was teasing about Obama, Or was I ?
Really what is the number 4 ranking for ? Well its for being the number four most viewed topic on my blog. It could not over take a Tattnall story on my favorite high school athlete Haley Gordon, which had 120 hits because of Trojan faithful, and it could not beat two blogs I did on the top 10 high school players in Macon, who both had over 90. The Stratford story in ED and Jamie, and the next one on Coach Smith and coach Fariba Farriba both had in the mid 60's. I really though with Jamie Dickey supporting my cause that I would pass 90 with the good stuff I am writing, but I mean Tattnall is Tattnall.
I saw a wonderful soccer game(for Stratford) last night, and Ian Hayley should be receiving a high amount of respect because he is doing a great job in his second year. The man had to replace a legend (I mean that) in James Jordan, who was the best coach (sorry Iain Jones) that Macon has ever had at any level. And the man was unreal quotable, which made it even better. But Hayley has his guys playing their best soccer of the year heading into the biggest game of the year, I don't know if they even had more talent that Fellowship Christian, but it was obvious form the start who wanted the game more. Every ball belonged to Stratford, and they just really out worked their opponent. Lukas Joyner and "the pass" to Jonathan Dean was a thing of beauty, and I was on that side of the field and it was one of those "wow" moment. The pass from Dean to Zane Holliman was a thing of beauty and after that the Eagles just kicked butt.
Ok I have to talk about at least one Stratford coach today and after much thinking, I decided not to focus on the soccer coaches. I just don't know them quite well enough yet. So lets go to state championship winning tennis coach Jaime Kaplan,(I spelled it right) I first really got to know Jaime when I worked a pro tennis tournament at Stratford two years ago, and I got to talking to her. After a bit, I asked Jaime to text the most famous person in her cell phone and see if they would answer. She looked at me as seriously as she could, and she kind of smiled at me and said "Do you want athlete, actor, actress ? I just looked at her trying to figure out if this Macon legend was messing with me or not, so I said athlete. She looked at me again and said "What sport, I mean do you want Smoltz or Glavine or Obama or Nicole Kidman ? I told her I would make it simple and for her to make it a tennis player. She texts someone and five minutes later she gets a text back , reads it, and then shows it to me. It was that easy for her to get Martina Navratilova on the phone.
Jaime is a lot of fun to be around at the pro matches in Macon, but don't mess with her when she is coaching a tennis match. She is all over the place and working hard. Winning and developing tennis players and good people is obviously important to her. Without a doubt, she is the queen of tennis not only at Stratford, but in Macon.
And I was teasing about Obama, Or was I ?
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
stratford coaches and land they live in
I challenged Stratford to get over 30 views and 37 , so I will continue to write. I mean 37 isn't bad, it isn't 120 like I got for a Tattnall story, but it isn't bad, and it makes me write again. I mean I still have others to write on, and I am covering Stratford soccer tonight, so here it goes.
Jamie Dickey and DeWayne Lawson can be thanked by me for leading the charge of more readers. But I know that will end when I am not writing Stratford stuff. Or, maybe not. A writer(blogger) has to reel in his audience and that's what I am doing (hopefully)
I am mad right now because I was blogging and all of a sudden half of it was gone. So I guess that I will start over. I was writing about Cass Cassell and his wonderful wife April. I will admit that April coached under my brother at Monroe Academy for many years, and she was just so young back then and she thought she still has some athletic ability. I am thinking that was maybe 20 or so years ago and somehow it ended up that she thought she could beat me in a footrace,up the basketball court and back down the basketball court. Unfortunately for her, she underestimated the athlete that was hidden behind the girth, and I soundly defeated her. And I continue to bring it up to her every time I see her, usually in front of large crowds.
I first got to know her husband when he became head coach at Westfield. I knew this guy had coached in the GHSA for years, and you could tell he knew what he was doing. He was coaching girls basketball and had a good team. Well the average attendance at a GISA girls basketball game is usually about 50, (on a good night) and early in the first half, a call went against the Hornets and all of a sudden a sound I had never heard echoed through the building. "GOD BLESS A MILK COW !!!, Huh ? Huh ? What the crap does that mean and who yelled that out. Well since no one in the crowd claimed it, it obviously came from one Cass Cassell. That is maybe the best line I have ever heard yelled during a basketball game and its one the officials have no idea what to do with. Can you warn a coach for blessing a cow. "OK coach if you bless cows one more time you are out of here. No it just doesn't happen that way.
I guess soccer comes next. Hopefully I will be writing about a W
Jamie Dickey and DeWayne Lawson can be thanked by me for leading the charge of more readers. But I know that will end when I am not writing Stratford stuff. Or, maybe not. A writer(blogger) has to reel in his audience and that's what I am doing (hopefully)
I am mad right now because I was blogging and all of a sudden half of it was gone. So I guess that I will start over. I was writing about Cass Cassell and his wonderful wife April. I will admit that April coached under my brother at Monroe Academy for many years, and she was just so young back then and she thought she still has some athletic ability. I am thinking that was maybe 20 or so years ago and somehow it ended up that she thought she could beat me in a footrace,up the basketball court and back down the basketball court. Unfortunately for her, she underestimated the athlete that was hidden behind the girth, and I soundly defeated her. And I continue to bring it up to her every time I see her, usually in front of large crowds.
I first got to know her husband when he became head coach at Westfield. I knew this guy had coached in the GHSA for years, and you could tell he knew what he was doing. He was coaching girls basketball and had a good team. Well the average attendance at a GISA girls basketball game is usually about 50, (on a good night) and early in the first half, a call went against the Hornets and all of a sudden a sound I had never heard echoed through the building. "GOD BLESS A MILK COW !!!, Huh ? Huh ? What the crap does that mean and who yelled that out. Well since no one in the crowd claimed it, it obviously came from one Cass Cassell. That is maybe the best line I have ever heard yelled during a basketball game and its one the officials have no idea what to do with. Can you warn a coach for blessing a cow. "OK coach if you bless cows one more time you are out of here. No it just doesn't happen that way.
I guess soccer comes next. Hopefully I will be writing about a W
Monday, May 11, 2015
STRATFORD part 2
I had 23 people take time to ready my blog on the Stratford coaches last week, which fell about 1000 short of what I wanted. However, Rome was not built in a day, and surely this blog and its growth is also moving slowly.
I have no idea how the Stratford faithful liked the blog, but I guess I will find out Tuesday when I work the Stratford soccer game. If the coaches are running from me, then I will figure things out very fast. I don't feel like I make fun of anyone, but I am trying to write something a bit comical mixed in with a bit of sports. Do not take offense if I blog about you, rather take offense if you are too boring to write about.
Ed Smith , the Stratford girls basketball is the first person to actually come after me about something I blogged about. He had lost three straight times to Tattnall, and he told me that he felt like all the pressure was on Tattnall in their state playoff game. I made a smart little remark that went like "sorry Ed at this time of year the pressure is on everyone." Well a few weeks ago he came up to me and kiddingly asked why I was going at him like that on a blog. The first thing I thought of was Damn , he reads my blog, but he said NO I don't read that little thing you write. Sadness, when he said that someone else had sent it to him, and his first reaction was who the heck is writing this, OH KOSATER wrote it. Well Ed Smith knew how to silence me, he drilled Tattnall.
I constantly go at Coach Smith, asking him how he is going to get to 35 next year, meaning what players will be able to score enough to get you to the total of 35, which is the normal point score for a Stratford game. He will usually come up with some remark like hey Ill take 35 every game if it means a win. He admitted to me the other day that he would love to have a team that could play in the 60's, but he has to play to the talent he has, which means low scoring games with a focus on defense.
The girls and boys basketball coaches at Stratford could not be much different than each other. Ed Smith , the grizzled veteran pacing the sidelines always with a pained look on his face, pulling out a last second win , And then we get to the boys coach, and we have Jamie Dickey, Mr. Personality, who has been known to break out the white sports jacket on occasion and will talk to anyone. He has a little bit of Beaver Cleaver in him but also a bit of Eddie Haskell. He does go above and beyond the call when it comes to talking to me and giving me what I need, and I think he is a pretty good basketball coach. I do know that he reads my blog and I do know that he takes the abuse I give him. I know that the hows recruiting going question must get old, but if he is telling the truth, he is picking up to 7 -footers from Zimbabwe next week from the airport to add to his team.
If you want me to continue with the Stratford coaches I will need to hit 30 readers. If not I will have to go back to Tattnall baseball stories :)
I have no idea how the Stratford faithful liked the blog, but I guess I will find out Tuesday when I work the Stratford soccer game. If the coaches are running from me, then I will figure things out very fast. I don't feel like I make fun of anyone, but I am trying to write something a bit comical mixed in with a bit of sports. Do not take offense if I blog about you, rather take offense if you are too boring to write about.
Ed Smith , the Stratford girls basketball is the first person to actually come after me about something I blogged about. He had lost three straight times to Tattnall, and he told me that he felt like all the pressure was on Tattnall in their state playoff game. I made a smart little remark that went like "sorry Ed at this time of year the pressure is on everyone." Well a few weeks ago he came up to me and kiddingly asked why I was going at him like that on a blog. The first thing I thought of was Damn , he reads my blog, but he said NO I don't read that little thing you write. Sadness, when he said that someone else had sent it to him, and his first reaction was who the heck is writing this, OH KOSATER wrote it. Well Ed Smith knew how to silence me, he drilled Tattnall.
I constantly go at Coach Smith, asking him how he is going to get to 35 next year, meaning what players will be able to score enough to get you to the total of 35, which is the normal point score for a Stratford game. He will usually come up with some remark like hey Ill take 35 every game if it means a win. He admitted to me the other day that he would love to have a team that could play in the 60's, but he has to play to the talent he has, which means low scoring games with a focus on defense.
The girls and boys basketball coaches at Stratford could not be much different than each other. Ed Smith , the grizzled veteran pacing the sidelines always with a pained look on his face, pulling out a last second win , And then we get to the boys coach, and we have Jamie Dickey, Mr. Personality, who has been known to break out the white sports jacket on occasion and will talk to anyone. He has a little bit of Beaver Cleaver in him but also a bit of Eddie Haskell. He does go above and beyond the call when it comes to talking to me and giving me what I need, and I think he is a pretty good basketball coach. I do know that he reads my blog and I do know that he takes the abuse I give him. I know that the hows recruiting going question must get old, but if he is telling the truth, he is picking up to 7 -footers from Zimbabwe next week from the airport to add to his team.
If you want me to continue with the Stratford coaches I will need to hit 30 readers. If not I will have to go back to Tattnall baseball stories :)
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Stratford and other thoughts
I am blogging today on a topic that I should know about because I have been to Stratford twice this week and then done another story on them on the day I was not there. Therefore, I feel like I know all things Stratford.
Before I get into the hard part, let me thank the faithful followers I have on this blog. I think my numbers were up from four to eight on the last post, and that number excites me so much that I am not allowed to travel over bridges at night alone. Wow 8+4= 12, which means I average at least six viewers a story for my creativity. However, I guess if I was writing for popularity sake it would matter, but, oh hell I am not going to lie, I would love to see 100 people ready my stories.
Now some people at Stratford say I drink the Tattnall Kool Aid, but I wont say who. I don't drink anyones Kool Aid, I simply go where I am assigned. I think Tattnall has some great coaches and I enjoy talking to people, so its a good mix for me. But Stratford is also an amazing place to visit and they have a cast of great coaches and characters.
When writing anything about coaches at Stratford, one must start with Grady Smith , who is now retired. It seems like he pops up at every Stratford sporting event and like I said, he is retired. Its like he has to come check the basketball court to make sure his name is still on it. In truth, even though he is retired, it is obvious that he has a deep love for Stratford and still loves being around the coaches and the students. I am working on a golf challenge because I think I can take him.
The head football coach and AD now is Mark Fariba or Farriba I am not really sure which one and I try to spell it both ways so I will be correct half of the time. The Firs time I met Coach Farriba was when they lost a last second game to Westfield when he went for two after a late score. The two point conversion failed, so naturally as a journalist, the first question I asked was, did you ever think of tying the game with the best kicker in the GISA and going to overtime. He looked at me like he wanted to hit me, and gave a great quotable answer. I think his response went like this, "NO". Wow ok thanks. That's all I remember about that interview but I remember the next time I was given a Stratford story, I was a little hesitant. I went to the school to do a preview story and I was really not looking forward to talking to him, but I went to his office, and he and his staff were in a meeting, and eating chilli. Coach was very nice to me that day, so he obviously like chilli. remember this always, Chilli makes coaches nicer.. Coach F is also the dancing champ of Macon, and I plan on taking him down on the tennis court very soon.
This is obviously a two parter because I have work to do and I still have basketball, soccer and baseball to cover.. I am looking for Stratford faithful here
Before I get into the hard part, let me thank the faithful followers I have on this blog. I think my numbers were up from four to eight on the last post, and that number excites me so much that I am not allowed to travel over bridges at night alone. Wow 8+4= 12, which means I average at least six viewers a story for my creativity. However, I guess if I was writing for popularity sake it would matter, but, oh hell I am not going to lie, I would love to see 100 people ready my stories.
Now some people at Stratford say I drink the Tattnall Kool Aid, but I wont say who. I don't drink anyones Kool Aid, I simply go where I am assigned. I think Tattnall has some great coaches and I enjoy talking to people, so its a good mix for me. But Stratford is also an amazing place to visit and they have a cast of great coaches and characters.
When writing anything about coaches at Stratford, one must start with Grady Smith , who is now retired. It seems like he pops up at every Stratford sporting event and like I said, he is retired. Its like he has to come check the basketball court to make sure his name is still on it. In truth, even though he is retired, it is obvious that he has a deep love for Stratford and still loves being around the coaches and the students. I am working on a golf challenge because I think I can take him.
The head football coach and AD now is Mark Fariba or Farriba I am not really sure which one and I try to spell it both ways so I will be correct half of the time. The Firs time I met Coach Farriba was when they lost a last second game to Westfield when he went for two after a late score. The two point conversion failed, so naturally as a journalist, the first question I asked was, did you ever think of tying the game with the best kicker in the GISA and going to overtime. He looked at me like he wanted to hit me, and gave a great quotable answer. I think his response went like this, "NO". Wow ok thanks. That's all I remember about that interview but I remember the next time I was given a Stratford story, I was a little hesitant. I went to the school to do a preview story and I was really not looking forward to talking to him, but I went to his office, and he and his staff were in a meeting, and eating chilli. Coach was very nice to me that day, so he obviously like chilli. remember this always, Chilli makes coaches nicer.. Coach F is also the dancing champ of Macon, and I plan on taking him down on the tennis court very soon.
This is obviously a two parter because I have work to do and I still have basketball, soccer and baseball to cover.. I am looking for Stratford faithful here
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Tattnall Baseball
It seems like I only get a few chances a year to see Tattnall Square play baseball. Every time I do one thing is abundantly clear.
Tattnall Square is by far the best baseball program in Macon, and if I had a son who was a standout baseball player, I would send him to play for Joey Hiller
Now I am not saying we don't have other good coaches at the high school level in Macon. Chance Reynolds at Stratford and Wally Pritchard at Rutland, in my opinion, are the next two best coaches in the city. The jury would still be out on the FPD (which underachieved this year) and Mount de Sales(overachieved) because they are in their first year. I cant talk about Windsor because I never see them and I don't think any of the other schools in Macon care about baseball.
So what makes Tattnall so good ? Well they always have pitching, Last year it was Taylor Feringer and Cory Bartholomew and this year its Bartholomew and Feringer clone Taylor Faircloth, who thew a perfect game for me to write about last Friday. Now it probably doesn't hurt that Tattnall pitching coach is Kevin Brown, (yes that Kevin Brown) who had a lot of success at the major league level.
Tattnall is not a totally home grown bunch and at least four starters transferred to Tattnall in the last few years, But that's ok, one cant fault a program for getting good athletes that want to be a part of your program. That's an advantage of having a good program.
I think the key is Hiller. He is an excellent coach and the kids want to play for him. I have seen his practices before and is fairly low key, but his players know who the boss is and they know they want to be a part of the winning.
Now, I am not saying that Tattnall will win it all this year. Someone down the road will force them to a third game, and it is still a question as to weather the Trojans have a number three guy on the mound. I have heard that there are some very good teams left in class A. But Tattnall does have the advantage of playing at home for the rest of the way, and I surely would not bet against them.
Good luck to all the locals that are left
Tattnall Square is by far the best baseball program in Macon, and if I had a son who was a standout baseball player, I would send him to play for Joey Hiller
Now I am not saying we don't have other good coaches at the high school level in Macon. Chance Reynolds at Stratford and Wally Pritchard at Rutland, in my opinion, are the next two best coaches in the city. The jury would still be out on the FPD (which underachieved this year) and Mount de Sales(overachieved) because they are in their first year. I cant talk about Windsor because I never see them and I don't think any of the other schools in Macon care about baseball.
So what makes Tattnall so good ? Well they always have pitching, Last year it was Taylor Feringer and Cory Bartholomew and this year its Bartholomew and Feringer clone Taylor Faircloth, who thew a perfect game for me to write about last Friday. Now it probably doesn't hurt that Tattnall pitching coach is Kevin Brown, (yes that Kevin Brown) who had a lot of success at the major league level.
Tattnall is not a totally home grown bunch and at least four starters transferred to Tattnall in the last few years, But that's ok, one cant fault a program for getting good athletes that want to be a part of your program. That's an advantage of having a good program.
I think the key is Hiller. He is an excellent coach and the kids want to play for him. I have seen his practices before and is fairly low key, but his players know who the boss is and they know they want to be a part of the winning.
Now, I am not saying that Tattnall will win it all this year. Someone down the road will force them to a third game, and it is still a question as to weather the Trojans have a number three guy on the mound. I have heard that there are some very good teams left in class A. But Tattnall does have the advantage of playing at home for the rest of the way, and I surely would not bet against them.
Good luck to all the locals that are left
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