Team Dynamic Youth Wrestling

Local athletic talent to be seen, Team Dynamic Youth Wrestling will host the first Panhandle Youth Wrestling Championship on May 30, 3009. Location Old Marianna High School Gym on Daniels Street. Time: weigh-ins are from 8-9AM. Wrestling Clinic from 9-10:30AM, Wrestling should begin around 10:30AM. Come enjoy your local wrestling team and other teams from around the Florida Panhandle as well. General admission is $3. For more information go to
www.mariannaareawrestling.webs.com

Bulldogs & Hornets Close Out Spring Football

By Clint Cox

Marianna and Cottondale closed out their 2009 Spring Football practices with scrimmages this past Thursday night.

The Bulldogs played host to Northview (Dothan) at Bulldog Stadium and entered the contest with two of their key players unable to suit up for the scrimmage. Quarterback Fidel Montgomery and running back Tre Long both watched the scrimmage from the sideline. Both are expected to be fully ready for action this fall. With Montgomery and Long out for the game, Tre Jackson, RJ Bowers and Chris Bowers were the work horses for the Bulldog offense. Jackson put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 35 yard jaunt to the end zone. RJ Bowers added the two point conversion run to make it an 8-0 game. Northview came back in the second quarter to tie the game up at 8-8 and that is where it stood at the half. The Bulldogs backups and underclassmen took to the field for the most part in the second half and the Cougars added a touchdown to make the final score 15-8.

Over in Cottondale the Hornets played the Blue and Orange game at Hornet Stadium. The Blue squad came away with the win in a 6-0 low scoring contest. But that one score was a bright note for the Hornets as freshman Quaterback C.J. Smith tossed a 25 yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Glover. Returning starters Dominique Webb and Nick Jackson also performed well in the scrimmage.

Davis Signs With Southeastern

By Clint Cox

It will be a family affair next year in the soccer program at Southeastern University (Lakeland). Marianna’s Sianna Davis signed a scholarship to attend college and play soccer for Southeastern. She’ll join her brother Joseph Davis, a former Bulldog soccer standout, who plays for the Southeastern’s mens soccer team. The Southeastern University women’s soccer team finished its 2008 season ranked No. 2 in the nation. The Lady Fire fell to Baptist Bible College, 1-0, in the 2008 NCCAA II National Championship game. Southeastern finished the season with a 16-4-1 overall record, and Head Coach Dominic Stross was named the 2008 South Region Coach of the Year. Stross has led the Lady Fire to three straight South Region titles and a 22-game unbeaten streak within the region.
Sianna, a standout member of the Lady Bullodgs soccer team for the past four years, is the daughter of Jeff Davis and the late Patti Davis.

Marianna Trio Excel

By Clint Cox

Three former Marianna baseball standouts were in the news this past week for their accomplishments on the baseball diamond.
Troy University senior second baseman Trevor Tyre was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week last Monday for his performance in the Trojans weekend sweep of ULM. Tyre led Troy to the sweep of the Warhawks by hitting .538 (7-13) with a double, two homers and six RBI. The senior opened the weekend with a 3-5 effort on Friday that included an RBI double in the first and a solo home run in the fourth. He followed that on Saturday with another 3-5 effort that included two RBI. On Sunday he had one hit, a two run homer, but was also walked and hit by a pitch.
Tyre, who was a CoSIDA Academic All American nominee and was named Troy University’s 2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year had a .600 on base percentage and a 1.077 slugging percentage and was flawless in the field during the weekend series. Over the last 21 games Tyre has raised his batting average 116 points to .306 and now leads the team with 10 home runs on the season.
Tyre graduated from Marianna in 2005 and played baseball at Chipola where he graduated in 2006. He is the son of Don and Marlean Tyre.
Troy University relief pitcher Josh Storm recorded the final three outs in a 4-2 win over Kennesaw State last Tuesday night to record his sixth save of the season and more importantly set a new Troy career saves mark. The save was his 18th of his career as a Trojan, breaking a tie for Josh Drew for the career record. "I’m very proud of Josh," Troy Head Baseball Coach Bobby Pierce (also a former Marianna Bulldog standout athlete) said. "To set not only our season record for saves, which he did last year, but to set the career record for saves is quite a feat. He did it with a lot of guts and determination. I could not think of a better kid," said Pierce.
Storm, who has struggled this year, especially after suffering an early season injury to his pitching hand, was happy to get the record at home. "It’s been a long year for me and it’s just good to get the opportunity to get it done in front of the home crowd," Storm said. "I feel like I’m getting closer to where I was last year and am working hard to get ready for the tournament." Storm is a 2005 graduate of Marianna and a 2007 graduate of Chipola. He is the son of Rick Storm and Karla Sapp.
Los Angeles catcher Jeff Mathis stroked a game winning walk off a RBI single in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Angels a 5-4 win over Boston last Thursday evening. Mathis sent a shot into left center to score pinch runner Reggie Willits from second. Mathis went 2-4 in the game with 2 RBI and a run scored. He upped his average to .283 with that performance but his last two outings against the Texas Rangers have been rough on "Pup" and as of Tuesday his average was at .259. In his last 10 games Mathis has gone 8-32 with 9 RBI. He is a 2001 graduate of Marianna and is the son of Danny and Bunnee Mathis.

Tigers Advance To Regional Finals

By Clint Cox The Malone Tigers baseball squad has earned the right to play in the Class A Regional 1 Finals this weekend after downing the Paxton Bobcats 4-0 last Friday night. Paxton had advance to the Semi-Finals with a 15-0 win over Graceville in the Quarter Finals to improve to 17-3 on the season. Malone countered with a 4-3 win over Laurel Hill to make it to the Semi-Finals. Left handed hurler Derek Orshall took the mound for Malone and grabbed the reins from the start to pitch a shutout. Orshall allowed just three hits on the evening and struck out nine Bobcats along the way. Offensively Malone got a run in the third inning when Blake Henson scored on a RBI double by Jeffrey Pittman. Orshall then helped his own cause with an RBI double to score Pittman. The fourth inning brought the final two runs as Kevin Warren’s RBI single scored Derek Welch and Dayvon Larry scored on a sacrifice fly by Henson. In the Region 1 Finals the Tigers will attempt to knock off Eagles View in Jacksonville. The task will not be easy as Eagles View has claimed three out of the four last State Championships (2005, 2007 and 2008). The two squads will hook up in a new format started last year. They’ll play a best two out of three series starting with a double header on Friday. A third game, if necessary, would take place on Saturday. Malone enters the Regional Finals with a record of 17-4. Malone Head Coach Max Harkrider knows his squad is facing an uphill battle against the mighty Warriors. "We’re going to go over there and try to shock the world. Noboby’s giving us much of a chance to win but we are going to give it 100% and get after them," said Harkrider. Malone will travel to Jacksonville on Thursday and Harkrider likes how his squad has been playing as of late. "We have gelled at the right time of the year so we’re playing well right now. It’s been fun to watch the team come together and we’re going to give it our best shot," Hardrider commented. The Warriors have several Division One college prospects, including catcher Austin Maddox. They also play in a hot bed of high school baseball, as Jacksonville is the home to last year’s FHSAA State Champions in Class 1A, 2A and 4A.

Indians Finish Second At State

The Chipola Indians baseball squad, two time defending State Champions, came up one game short of making it three in a row when they fell in the Championship game 5-3 to Santa Fe Community College. Chipola took an early lead in the final game when Dayne Read scored on a sacrifice fly by Mark Ellis in the first inning. They made it a 3-0 game in the top of the fourth when Joey Rapp and Edmond Sparks scored on unearned runs. But Santa Fe rallied with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and then took the lead for good with 3 runs in the eighth inning. The Championship loss capped an unusal run for the Indians as they had two games during the tournament suspended and were forced to complete the games the following day. Tuesday night’s championship bout with Santa Fe was suspended in the fourth inning due to lightning. The game was concluded on Wednesday morning. The Indians opening game of the tournament was played last Friday night and was suspended in the fifth inning due to the outfield lights going off. Technicians were unable to get the lights fixed that evening and the game was resumed on Saturday morning. But even with all the suspended games, the Indians made a fine run in this tournament. They advance to the State Tournament as the Panhandle Conference runner up and had struggled during opening play of the conference schedule. But they caught fire toward the end of the conference season and that fire carried over into the State Tournament. Chipola began tournament play with a 12-10 win over Manatee. The game was tied at 1-1 when suspended on Friday night but the Indians came out fighting on Saturday morning and pushed their lead to 12-2 going into the final inning. Manatee mounted a furious rally to score 8 runs but the Indians held on for the win. Several Indians had big offensive days including Joey Rapp who went 3-4 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored. Edmond Sparks went 2-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Dayne Read went 3-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Patrick Corbin got the start and pitched well but the suspension of the game forced Duncan Midkiff to take the mound on Saturday morning and he got the win. The Indians returned to the field later on Saturday and downed Miami Dade, the number one team in the state, by a score of 7-5. Again the Indians jumped out to a big lead, 7-0, and then held on to withstand a furious late rally from the Sharks. Marc Bourgeios led the way going 3-4 and Jake Rogers went 2-4 with 3 RBI. Jordan Lucas got the win for Chipola, going 8 strong innings and striking out 6 Sharks. On Sunday the Indians fell to Santa Fe 8-2 but then bounced back on Monday to stay alive with a 7-3 win over Panhandle Conference rival Tallahassee. Chipola used a big fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie, plating five runs to take a 7-2 lead. Andy Fermin and Dustin Spruill homered to lead the Indians to the win and advance to the Semi-Finals on Tuesday morning. Midkiff came back to pitch and get the win for Chipola. The Semi-finals pitted Chipola against Palm Beach on Tuesday morning and the Indians nipped Palm Beach 4-3 in a close game. The game was tied at 1-1 and then 2-2 through the first six innings. Palm Beach took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh but Chipola countered with two runs in the top of the eighth to take a 4-3 lead. From there they hung on to win and advance to the Championship game against Santa Fe.

Jackson Jays Host Redbirds In Home Opener

By Clint Cox
SNEADS – The Jackson County Jays hosted the Chattahoochee Red Birds on Sunday in their Big Bend Baseball League home opener. The Jays, in their first year of league play, fell 12-0 to the Chattahoochee squad that has been playing league ball for several years now. A nice crowd turned out on a warm Sunday afternoon to the Jays home field at Adam Tucker Wilson Memorial Park in Sneads. The Red Birds jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after two innings and then lead 6 -0 after five innings of play. Chattahoochee used a big seventh inning to pull away from the Jays and went on to the 12 run victory. Chattahoochee improved to 4-1 on the season while the Jays fell to 1-3.
The Jays recently formed a team, which is comprised primarily of former Jackson County high school players, to participate in the newly founded Big Bend Baseball League. Chattahoochee has previously been playing in a league based in Georgia. Harold Bailey and several others have been working for the past year to form a new league in Northwest Florida. There are currently two divisions with three teams in each division. (See page B2 for the current teams and standings).
Sunday’s home opener roster for the Jays included the following former Jackson County high school players. Cottondale – Zac Henderson, Jordan Burnett, Chance Burnett, Brian Braxton, Bud Masterson, Jo Jo Toole and Brian Harris. Malone – Matt Biles, Ray Bentley, Eric Trosclair and Jake Wood. Marianna – Ben Cramer and T.J. Carmichael. Grand Ridge – Mark Hamilton. Two players on the squad that played their high school baseball elsewhere include Travis Menard (Panama City Arnold) and Player / Coach Norman Mahoney (Northeast High School – Ft. Lauderdale). The Jays next contest will be on the road on Sunday when they travel to Wewahitchka to take on the Gulf Drive. Their next home game will be on May 17th when they host the Bay Brewers.

County Softball Teams Make Playoffs

By Clint Cox
Three Jackson County varsity softball teams made the FHSAA playoffs, including two squads that captured their respective District Championships. The Cottondale Lady Hornets claimed the Class 2A District Two Championship with a 8-4 win over the Sneads Lady Pirates last Thursday night. Also on last Thursday night the Graceville Lady Tigers won the Class 1A District Two Championship with a 12-10 come from behind win over Bethlehem.
Sneads played host to Cottondale and the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Shaunte Forward singled and then scored on an RBI single by Brianna Curl. Sneads tied the game in the bottom of the second inning when Samantha Culpepper sent one deep over the left field fence. Both squads scored two runs in the third inning as Cottondale’s Deb Davis scored on a RBI triple by Shanae Dickens. That was followed by Dickens scoring on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. But Sneads tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning with two runs (Kayla Kelly and Joni Bonine) on a 2 RBI double by Alisha Edenfield.
From there Cottondale began to pull away as they held Sneads scoreless over the next two innings. Meanwhile the Lady Hornets added two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 7-3 lead. In the fourth inning Lindsey Erbacher scored on a RBI triple by Selentia Pittman and then Pittman came home on a RBI single by Davis. In the fifth inning Dickens and Forward both reached base on errors and then managed to score later on two throwing errors by the Lady Pirates. Sneads chipped away at the Lady Hornets led in the sixth inning but Cottondale countered with a run in the top of the seventh. Lady Hornet winning pitcher Liz Krauser got the final three outs in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win.
Sneads saw their 12 game winning streak end with the loss to Cottondale and were forced to travel in the first round of the playoffs to Baker. Against the Lady Gators Sneads fell in a close contest 6-4. With the loss Sneads finishes their season with a record of 19-7.
Cottondale played host to the Vernon Lady Yellow Jackets on Tuesday in Regional Quarterfinal action and came away with a thrilling 4-3 win in 8 innings. Curl’s game winning RBI single scored Forward to give the Lady Hornets the 1 run victory. Cottondale fell behind 1-0 but took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning as Taylor McDaniel’s RBI triple scored Forward. McDaniel then came home on a throwing error after a bunt by Erbacher. The Lady Hornets then added a run in the fourth inning to lead 3-1 but saw the Lady Yellow Jackets rally to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning. With Tuesday night’s win Cottondale advances to the Regional Semi-Finals on Friday as they will host Baker at 7 pm.
The Graceville Lady Tigers notched their district titled with a come from behind 12-10 win over Bethlehem last Thursday. Trailing 12-9 going into the top of the seventh inning the Lady Tigers tied the game up on a RBI double by Stacy Sadler. An error by the Lady Wildcats then allowed Sadler and Meagan Sanders to come home and take the lead. Graceville followed up with a Tuesday night home contest against Rocky Bayou and won big by a score of 11-1. That sets up a rematch of the district title bout as Graceville will host Bethlehem on Friday night at 7 pm.