Cross Country

From Coach Jim Norton, Cross Country - Oglethorpe held the Patriot Races Invitational on Thursday Oct. 25^th. It was the last race before Region, which is this Thursday starting at 4:30pm.

 

Fifteen teams came to participate with around 300 total runners. Rockdale County won the boys race while Jefferson won the girls race. Oglethorpe placed 6^th in both races ahead of key region opponents like Social Circle, Washington-Wilkes, Greene County. The top finisher for the boys was Sid Wightman who finished 3^rd overall with a time of 17:41.

 

Oglethorpe will hope to finish in the top 4 in Thursday’s (November 1st, 4:30pm) Region Championships in order to punch it’s ticket to the State Meet in Carrollton.

Varsity Football

OC vs. Greene Co – I haven’t seen all of the Patriots football games at Patriot Stadium, but Friday night was the first time I’ve seen 106 points scored there.  Unfortunately for OC, they came out on the short end of a 56-50 slugfest against Greene Co.

Team Captains
 

        The key to the game, at least for the Patriots, were first half fumbles.  OC fumbled the ball three times in the first half, which allowed the Tigers to score twice.  Were it not for these two scores OC would have won by a touchdown.

        The other notable characteristic of the game was how both teams handily defeated the other’s defense.  Greene usually broke for big plays through OC’s defense while OC’s offense was more measured moving the ball down the field.  That’s not to say that OC didn’t have big plays.  Fullback Tanner Bowman had several good runs up the middle for big yardage, while both quarterback Kendrick Presley and running back Anthony Thornton had big gains and touchdowns throughout the game. 

Anthony Thornton

        Greene Co scored first at the 9:45 mark but didn’t make the extra point.  They tried an onside kick but it fell short of the required 10 yards and OC got their first possession near the fifty yard line. The Patriots drove the ball down the field.  After drawing the Tigers off side (something the Patriots managed to do several times all night) Presley gave the ball to Thornton who ran in from the 13 for OC’s first score of the game.  Kenneth Cinereski got the ball on a fake PAT and put two more points on the board for OC, thus making the score 8-6.

        Less than a minute later Greene would put their second touchdown on the board and successfully convert for two points.  OC would answer with another touchdown but twenty seconds later Greene would take the lead again with a touchdown of their own.  At the end of the first quarter the score was 21-15 Greene.     

Tanner Bowman, hard yardage.

        The second quarter is where we really hurt ourselves with two fumbles that allowed Greene to put points on the board.  Nevertheless, OC put two more touchdowns on the board and both teams went to the locker room with the score 41-29.  One highlight for OC was an interception late in the half Cinereski that stopped a scoring opportunity for the Tigers.

        The third quarter saw a game more in line with what a football game should look like.  Both teams’ defense stiffened which allowed only one touchdown each for the third quarter. 

Touchdown

        OC managed to score twice in the fourth quarter to Greene’s one touchdown bringing the game to just six points difference.  OC’s last touchdown came with 2:25 left in the game.  Despite several onside kick offs Patriot head coach Larry Milligan couldn’t find another couple of minutes in his bag of tricks and the clock ran out with Greene in possession. 

        This loss forces OC into a must win situation against both Washington-Wilkes and Rabun, OC’s last two opponents of the season, if OC expects to make it to the play-offs. 

        OC (4-4, 2-3) take on the Tigers of Washington-Wilkes (7-1, 4-1) next Friday night at home.  As a reminder next Friday is Senior night and all the seniors will be honored at half-time. 

        You can see all the pictures here:    http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8730964

         

Update

Week Off – I went on a fishing trip the weekend of the Social Circle game in which our Patriots enjoyed a 49-21 win.  I seem to have become an expert at catching large stingrays rather than large edible fish.  Nevertheless, a good time was had by all and the old saying about a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work still applies.

Working hard, or hardly working. 

If you scroll down you will find stories about the middle school football game and the varsity football game.  I learned last night that the middle school came out on top in their region, so congratulations are in order for a fine 6-1 season.

Varasity Football

OC vs Jefferson = About all that can be said about Friday night’s game is that no one came away hurt.  Oh there were a few bruises and minor things but nothing serious as OC came away on the short end of a 43-0 victory for the Dragons.

Team Captains

It’s not that the Patriots made a great many mistakes like they did at the first of the season, it’s just that when you are facing the 8^th ranked team in AA and a passing quarterback headed to a Division 1 school, well, the outcome is not surprising. 

On the night OC’s Kendrick Presley was 2 for 5 passing with one interception and OC had 8 first downs.  OC did entice Jefferson off sides a couple of times at opportune moments.  The fact is, OC has gotten pretty good at that. 

The interception that wasn't.

OC (4-3 overall, 2-2 region) faces Greene County (2-5 overall, 2-2 region) next Friday night at home.  

At present OC is tied for 4^th in the region with Rabun County and behind Jefferson, Washington-Wilkes and Union County.   OC’s last three games; Greene Co, Washington-Wilkes and Rabun Co, are must wins if the Patriots want to get to the playoffs. 

You can see all the pictures from the game here:  http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8720034

Middle School Football

OCMS vs. Hebron -  I got to the school to do some pictures for the seniors on the varsity team an discovered there was a middle school football game scheduled for Thursday afternoon.  The middle school Patriots was hosting the Hebron Lions.  I learned that the middle school had only one and was at the top of the mark in their region. 

I left at halftime, when the score was 40-0.  But I got some good first half pictures which you can see here:  http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8719357

Athletic Boosters

Athletic Booster Club Meeting - The Oglethorpe Athletic Booster Club had it monthly meeting Monday evening.  Topics of discussion included girls JV and varsity basketball, wrestling and golf.

        Old business discussed was the baseball team raffle fundraiser.  For ten dollars (see any baseball player or coach if you want a ticket) you buy a chance a winning one of the following: 

5-day Carnival Caribbean Cruise for 2 – Dates TBD by winner

Best Buy – Canton 50 inch LG HDTV TruSlim Frame TV

Brian McCann Autographed Game Jersey

Brian McCann Autographed Mizuno Catcher’s Mask

Georgia Tech vs. Georgia Football Tickets (4) – November 24, 2012

New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons (4) – December 16, 2012

Buster Posey Autographed Game Bat

Best Buy – Canton – ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF7007

Pitch Rite Conditioner Trainer – Southern Athletic Fields

$300 Titan Team Sports Gift Certificate

The fundraiser is facilitated by Georgia Dugout Club.  The athletic boosters keep $7 of every ticket sold.  You’re in competition with other schools for the same lottery but your raffle ticket money stays at the school.  The drawing will be held on November 24, 2012 and can be viewed at www.georgia dougoutclub.org/index.php

The middle/high school fundraising golf tournament is just around the corner.  It will be held at Jennings Mill Country Club on Saturday, October 20, 2012.  It will be a Lauderdale/best ball format.  The entry fee is $70 per player that includes lunch.  This is the golf team’s main yearly fundraiser.  Last year the varsity golf team tied for third in the state AA tournament. This year, with the new region alignments, the Oglethorpe golf team stands a good chance of winning the state championship. 

There is now a large ice machine installed in the gym.  This is something that has been needed for a long time.

Varsity wrestling Coach Justin Cordell requested from the boosters a set of 20 wrestling singlets and ten sets of headgear.  Normally, wrestlers buy their own singlets.  But several of the team’s tournaments require as many as five bouts in a day.  In order to reduce the possibility of skin problems, Coach Cordell wanted spare singlets for wrestlers to change into halfway through a wrestling tournament.  Coach Cordell also requested 10 sets of wrestling headgear.  Coach Cordell said his wrestling team is growing and he needed the extra headgear to have enough for the new wrestlers.  It was also revealed that Coach Simpson at the middle school was looking at as many as 50 wrestlers this year.  The headgear and singlets Coach Cordell asked for would belong to the school.  The boosters approved the request.

Head girls varsity basketball coach Steve Williamson requested funds from the booster club to pay for 30 new warm-up shooting shirts for both the varsity and JV girls and travel bags for the girls.  Coach Williamson said that many of the gyms the girls play in are cold and the shooting shirts will help them warm-up before the game.  The shirts and travel bags would belong to the school.  The boosters approved Coach Williamson’s request. 

Head cross country coach Jim Norton discussed lodging funding for the cross country team if they qualify for state, which Coach Norton thinks will happen. 

To give you an idea of the expense of fielding sporting teams for Oglethorpe, the wrestling singlets, for example, cost $70 each.   The headgear is $30 each.  Basketball’s request for the girls came to $46 each for 30 girls, which totaled almost $3000 just for two sports. 

Sports cost tons of money, and it takes dedicated people to help. For you middle school parents, the booster club supports all middle school sports, too.  Please come to the next meeting and get involved.  Your support will make OC sports better.  The next meeting will be Monday, November 12, 2012. 

 

       

       

Cross Country

From Coacn Norton:  The Cross Country teams have had a good couple of weeks. On Thursday, 9/27, they travelled to Riverside Military to face off against a very solid region opponent. In very hot conditions, the Patriots squeaked by Riverside, beating them by a mere 2 points. Despite the victory, Riverside will be a very real threat to the Varsity boys’ team at the Region Meet on November 1^st.

On Saturday 10/6, OC travelled to Winder-Barrow to participate in the Winder-Barrow Invitational. The Patriots came away with their first trophy of the season, placing second in the girls’ race. The girls were led by Sarah Chastain and Jordan Pringle who both got medals for finishing in the top 10. Freshmen Vivi Diaz and Jojo Diaz both had personal bests to help the team. The Varsity boys also had some good performances on a tough course with Sid Wightman and Quinton Nash leading the way to an 8^th place finish amongst 15 teams. The JV boys also did well finishing 5^th amongst 11 teams.

In the picture (left to right): Jojo Diaz, Natalie Doker, Sarah Chastain, Brianna Basinger, Jordan Pringle, Vivi Diaz

Varsity Football

OC vs. Union County – OC faced their first region opponent Friday against the Union County Panthers.  Both teams were pretty even in abilities but the Patriots drew the short straw in this game losing by a touchdown 21-14.

Kendrick Presley take the snap from Peyton Carlisle.

        Throughout the first half each team matched the other’s score.  OC scored first and the Panthers answered.  However, the key moment of the game would be a 4^th down and goal to go on the Union Co 5 for the Patriots.



 Every time OC found themselves in a 4^th down situation inside the 30, when a field goal might make more sense, head coach Larry Milligan would take the chance and go for it.  And why not, in games past the Patriots would pull a rabbit out of the hat, gaining the necessary yards for a first down or score a touchdown.  Earlier, in the second quarter, OC found themselves 4^th and long when they gained the necessary yardage for a first down, and eventually scored.

  Union County had scored on a long drive gaining the lead by a touchdown 21-14.  OC took the kickoff and started their drive towards the end of the third quarter.  Once, the drive seemed to stall when the Patriots drew the Panthers offside with a staggered snap count.  On another occasion with 4^th and long, the Patriots drew Union offside again reducing the distance to a first down in half with the five yard penalty.  On the subsequent play OC gained enough yardage for a first down.

Anthony Thornton

But OC went go to the 4^th down well one too many times.  The Patriots found themselves 4^th and goal on about the 4 yard line.  QB Kendrick Presley pitched to running back Anthony Thornton who was stopped short by the Panther defense thus turning the ball over on downs.  By the time OC got the ball back the Patriots were out of time and timeouts. 

OC opened the scoring with a short 5 yard run by Presley at 5:22 in the first quarter after a nice, clock eating drive.  Presley faked a handoff to Thornton and found an open lane to the end zone off tackle.  Griffin Giles’ PAT was good putting OC up 7-0.

OC cheerleaders looking for a touchdown.

Not to be out done, Union Co. put together a good drive themselves eating up the remaining 1^st quarter clock and scored their first touchdown of the game with 35 seconds left.  The PAT was good and the quarter ended 7-7.

In the second quarter OC would once again score first.  OC’s drive would feature a pass to Anthony Thornton for a first down bringing the ball to the Panther 24 for a first down.  A personal foul penalty against the Panthers would move the ball further down field for OC to the 15 yard line.  Presley would move the ball to the 6, which set up a handoff to Andrew Williams for the touchdown on the next play.  Giles’ PAT was good and at 7:22 the Patriots were ahead 14-3. 

On the kickoff the Panther receiver picked up Giles’ kick stepping out of bounds at the Panther 10.  The Panthers engineered a drive that used almost all of the remaining 2^nd quarter clock answering OC’s touchdown with just 1:42 remaining.  Both teams went into the locker room tied 14-14.

Kenneth Cinereski

The third quarter opened with OC kicking off to Union.  Union’s first drive came to a sudden stop when Williams intercepted a Panther pass for OC.  The Patriots couldn’t capitalize on their good fortune and had to punt the ball.  The Panthers second drive of the game was successful when, at the 4:58 mark, they put the ball in the end zone making the score 21-14 Union Co. 

OC started their drive but it was stopped when Presley threw an interception with 2:44 left in the quarter.  OC would threaten once more in the 4^th quarter but would fall short on a 4^th down conversion. 

OC would also suffer serious losses in the form of injured players.  Taylor Liedberg broke a rib and had to leave the game.  Tanner Bowman was injured in the eye in the second quarter and had to leave the game.  In the fourth quarter, Andrew Williams hurt his knee and had to leave the game as well.  Please remember these players in your prayers.

OC travels to Social Circle (0-5 overall, 0-2 region) next Friday for their second region game. 

You can see all the pictures here:  http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8703639

 

JV Football

OCJV vs Harlem (at home) – In their first meeting the OCJV Patriots came away from Harlem with a 7-0 win.  Thursday, the JV Patriots did a little better besting the Bulldogs 33-14.

        The Bulldogs of Harlem and the OC Patriots pretty much fought to a stalemate in the first quarter.  Neither team made any real defensive mistakes which stopped both teams offense.  The only highlight being a fumble that OC recovered thus stopping the Bulldogs on the OC 14 yard line. 

        The second quarter opened with OC on the move but it wouldn’t take long before an OC fumble gave the ball back to Harlem on OC’s 39.  However, Harlem would not move the ball at all.  OC’s defense stiffened, holding the Bulldogs to no gains and then a ten yard loss.  On a third a long OC’s Will Mathis intercepted the ball moving it up field twenty yards to the Bulldog’s 49 yard line. 

        JV QB Tyler Hooper lead the Patriots down the field.  With 6:12 left in the quarter Hooper handed off to running back Moochie Wymbs who ran 17 yards for OC’s first touchdown of the game. 

        Harlem couldn’t do anything on offense except loose yards which forced them to punt the ball back to the Patriots.  Dylan Pulliam received the put and ran it back 52 yards to the Harlem 14 yard line.  This in turn set up Hooper’s short touchdown run.  OC went for two giving the ball to Martavious Heard who had no problem getting across the goal line.  With 2:48 left in the quarter OC was ahead 14-0.

        Harlem would go three and out with a couple of illegal procedure penalties for good measure.  OC would get the ball back with 1:50 left in the half.

        OC would quickly move the ball down to the Harlem 25 when, with 33 seconds left, Hooper would find Anthony Thornton open in the end zone for a 25 yard touchdown reception.  The PAT would be no good and the Patriots went into half time with a 20-0 lead.

        OC pretty much had the game in hand from here on out.  Heard would score again for the Patriots in the third quarter but OC would also hurt themselves with an untimely fumble.  The Bulldogs would put their first points on the board but would miss their extra point. 

        The fourth quarter would see more scoring by Je‘Quazzie Greene for OC as well as a last minute score by the Bulldogs ending the game with OC earning a 22-14 win. 

        Besides Mathis’ first quarter interception John Tucker stopped a Bulldog scoring effort when he intercepted a Harlem pass in the end zone late in the 4^th quarter.  Mathis would also be responsible for several behind the lines tackles.

        OC had 13 first downs for the game, two fumbles lost, one fumble recovered and two interceptions.  Hooper would be 1-2 passing with one passing touchdown. 

        The JV Patriots travel to George Walton next week to take on the Bulldogs. 

You can see the pictures here:  http://hdgp.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=8702221

Players of the Week

2012 OCHS Football Players of the Week

 

Week 1       August 31th     

OCHS vs Johnson of Gainesville

          Offensive Player: # 6 Kendrick Presley – 3 Rushing Touch Downs, 1 for 3 passing,

          Defensive Player: # 78 Casey Pacheco – 6 solo tackles, 4 Assists, 1 fumble recovery

Week 2      September 7^th    

OCHS vs Harlem

          Offensive Players:  The Fab 5 Fullbacks:

                                      #3 Tanner Bowman

                                      # 7 Zytavious Watkins

                                      # 14 Taylor Liedburg

                                      # 32 Jay Fleming

                                      # 88 Tyler Sharp

          Defensive Player:  # 25 Kenney Cinereski – 10 solo tackles, 4 assists, 1 tackle for loss, 1 caused fumble

Week 3       September 14^th   

OCHS vs Fellowship Christian School

          Offensive Player: # 8 Griffin Giles  - 5 for 5 Point after Touchdowns, 2 kickoffs for touch backs, 2 kickoffs for 59 yards, and 1 sky kick

          Defensive Player: # 78 Casey Pacheco – 12 solo tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack

 

Week 4       September 28^th

OCHS vs Riverside Military Academy

        Offensive Player:  Kenneth Cinereski #25 was selected because he rushed for 46 yards scoring OC's first touchdown of the game on a 30 yard run. 

        Defensive Player:  Tanner Bowman #3 was selected because he had 8 solo tackles, which was six more than any one else and had one assist. 

 

*****************************************************************

 

       Each player receives a plaque for his selection as player of the week.  The origin of the plaque is as follows:

Charles Weyman Williams coached recreation football for many years.  He started in 1968 when is sons played and continued until 1980.  He did not coach again until his youngest son, Sean Williams, asked him to help in 2002.  During that time his grandson played.  The team won the NEGA Vince Dooley league two years in a row.  Currently, several of those young men pay for the Oglethorpe County Patriots including seven starters: Andrew Williams, Kendrick Presley, Anthony Thornton, Peyton Carlisle, Tanner Bowman, and John Mathews.  There are several more playing on both the varsity and junior varsity teams.

Weyman loved the time he spent working with the boys, especially when they made a good play.  He would run out on to the field and lift the player onto his shoulders and show him to the crowd!  He was so proud of these young men.  He loved them and he also loved football.

Weyman’s family decided to give out Offensive and Defensive MVP plaques to the high school players on a weekly basis to honor their father.  They would like to continue this for many years!  So if anyone would like to send donations to keep this going it would be appreciated.  Please send them to:

Sean Williams

20 Shady Glade Place

Winterville, GA 30683

 

All donations will be placed in an account to support future awards.  

Weyman loved football and he especially loved his Patriots!

 

Go Patriots!

All the copy material was written and provided by Coach Todd Clifton.