Darby & Janine- Friends top Class of 2012

Valedictorian Darby Oliver (left) and Salutatorian Janine Taylor

Darby Oliver and Janine Taylor are friends. However, when it came to academics at Toombs County High School they were friendly competitors and by the slimmest of margins Darby nipped Janine to become the Valedictorian of the Class of 2012. Janine will represent the senior class as the Salutatorian. It was close and I never looked at our giant average. I always looked at it in class ways," said Oliver. "In Mr. Bobby George's class if she got a 98 and I got 95 it would be I have to try harder the next time. We're great friends so we always pushed each other." Taylor added, "There was a lot of competition between me and Darby, but she is one of my friends so it never got ugly." Oliver didn't wait until the last minute to decide that she wanted to pursue top honors, "Ever since I was little I wanted to be the Valedictorian. I always wanted to be everything I could be. It was probably third grade when I decided I wanted to be the Valedictorian." Darby's Y-101 Profile Audio Darby spent more time at Southeastern Tech College, this year, than at Toombs County High taking excel classes in math, biology, literature and sociology. Her plans are to attend Darton College in Albany, "I got a full scholarship, the Dean's scholar award and I plan to major in pre-veterinarian and after a year there I plan to transfer to Purdue University." Janine was able to earn her high class status despite juggling a full plate of extracurricular activities. She was a standout volleyball and soccer player, who showed she also has football skills exhibited when she ran for a 72-yard touchdown in a flag game, in the Pit, between Toombs and Vidalia. Janine also followed in her sister Lisa's footsteps by being named the 2011 Homecoming Queen, "I always made my studies my first priority and everything else came second," said Taylor. "I had to give up a lot of things like parties and social events just to study. I found a certain balance for everything." Taylor's competitive sports days are now in her past. However, in the future she wants to enter the competitive world of medical school, "I'm going to the University of Georgia and I plan on majoring in biology. I want to be an emergency room surgeon." Janine's Y-101 Profile Audio Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday morning at 8:30 at Booster Stadium. In the event of rain the ceremony will be moved to the Toombs County Middle School Gym.

Braves top Lyons Mite Divsion

Evan Stephens ranges to his right at second base

The Mite Divsion wrapped up it's regular season at Partin Park playing at Little Fenway for the first time and the Braves, who had already clinched first place, only got to play one inning before a rain storm washed out their game, with the Dodgers, after just one inning. In the first match up The Red Sox, who finished second in the division, beat the Athletics 3-1 in a game that featured a lot of fine defensive plays. Watch highlights of both games You Tube

Haley Carter signs with Gordon College

Haley Carter is the fourth Toombs County athlete to sign a college scholarship in the 2011-12 school year. Carter will continue her soccer career at Gordon College- two-year junior college in Barnesville. Haley had the option of picking from a list of four nearby junior colleges, but she liked the Gordon the best. "It's a really big deal, I didn't expect it and it really wasn't in my plans," said Carter. "She (Gordon coach Vicky Bright) showed up at a soccer game and offered me a scholarship. I like the school, the campus and everything about it." Haley started off as a two-sport middle school athlete playing soccer and softball. Eventually she choose soccer as her sports passion, "Soccer is a big deal to me. I have played since I was six years old. I like that I can be aggressive. Many girls don't have a sport in which they can be aggressive." Both her high school coach and her soon-to-be college coach appreciate Haley's aggressive approach to soccer. "Haley is a tough girl with a fiery attitude," said Lady Bulldog coach Jimmy Price. "She is always going to give you everything she's got." Coach Bright added, "Haley is an all around athlete. She shows a lot of aggression. She's a small player, but you can't tell that when she is out on the field. She is 100% dedicated to the game and I know she is going to be there and put all her effort in to our team and be a team player." Haley has played in the midfield and on the back line and she hopes she can play on defense, at the stopper position, at Gordon. Carter played that position as a senior, "My fingers are crossed, but you never now."

Midget Braves & Reds tie for 1st 

Dalton McBride touches home after shot over the Green Monster

The battle for first place in the 11-12 year old Midget Boys Divison came down to the final day of the regular season at Partin Park. The Reds lost to the Dodgers 4-3 and the Braves held off the Athletics 2-0 meaning the Reds and the Braves finish in a first place tie each with a 7-4 record. The Dodgers finish third with 5-7 mark and the Athletics fourth at 3-9. Hall Graham (Reds) and Dalton McBride (Dodgers) dueled on the mound and the game came down to the bottom of the sixth. The Reds, trailing 4-3, loaded up the bases with one-out. Logan Williamson relieved McBride on the hill and got the final two batters on strikeouts to end the threat. McBride hit a solo homer over Little Fenway's Green Monster for his first round-tripper of the season. Watch highlights You Tube In the second game of the night, starting pitchers Alex Matthews (Braves) and Brandon Helton (Athletics) squared off in a scoreless battle for the first four innings. The only two runs were tallied in the fifth.

Turner D. Brice Tournament

Long Shots go 3-0 and finish first

The Long Shots, from Lyons, won all three of their games to take first place in the 10-under Division in the 9th annual Turner D. Brice Tournament at Partin Park. The Long Shots defeated the Sliders 11-9, the Rochelle Long Shots 9-1 and the Hurricanes 18-10. The Timber Dawgs, also from Lyons, placed fourth in the 12-under Division. Those boys knocked off East Laurens 4-2 and then lost to the Vidalia Sluggers 9-4 and the Mud Dawgs 10-1. The Sluggers finished first, the Mud Dawgs second and East Laurens third. Watch highlights of the Timber Dawgs and Long Shots winning games You Tube The 8-under division was won by the Vidalia Tribe which beat the Dudley Reds 14-2. Braddock and Sons, from Toombs County, won the men's softball and T and A finished second. In all 20 teams competed in a fundraiser which benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/AFLAC Center. Pictured above is a stylized Reece Mixon catching a liner at second for the Timber Dawgs.

Jalisha ends TCHS track career with

2 more state titles & state record

Jalisha Knight (right) pulls away in the 300 meter hurdles

Jalisha celebrates 100 meter hurdle win and state record

Jalisha is a record holder		and is honored for her career

Toombs County High School senior Jalisha Knight ended her Lady Bulldog days with a bang and two major accomplishments. She won two more state titles at the GHSA Girls State Track Meet in Albany and she set her first state record. Knight won the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdle races, giving her four state titles, and she set a GHSA Double A State Track Meet record in the 100 hurdles by winning the race in 14.16 seconds- .17 better than the state mark. Jalisha won the race by more than a second over Alaina Cook, of Decatur, who ran a 15.16. Jalisha talks about her two victories while watching the video You Tube  Watch Jalisha race in the 100 and 300 video  Watch a slideshow Knight won her 300 meter title by over a second over another Decatur runner. Jalisha ran a personal record 44.11 and defeated Ashleigh Rasheed, who finished the race in 45.32. Knight received 10 team points for each victory propelling TCHS to a tenth pace finish in Double A. Listen to a Y-101 Story audio Jalisha won a state championship in the 300 meter hurdle race as a sophomore and the 100 meter hurdles as a junior. In her first state meet, as a freshman, she placed fourth.

Bulldog spring practice comes to an end

Tamond Hampton snags a touchdown pass

Final Day- With Clemson assistant coach Robbie Caldwell watching, the Toombs County Bulldogs wrapped up spring practice with a short goal line scrimmage in which running backs like Marion Dingle excelled. Caldwell was in town to check out linebacker Tamond Hampton, who caught a TD pass from his tight end position. "The last day everybody came out fired up, hitting hard and we were just in it," said Hampton- a rising senior. "The spirit came to the team and we are ready to play football this year. We are tired of losing and want to get a winning record this year," said Hampton. The Bulldogs emphasized the basics of football during their two weeks of practice. "I wanted us to be a better blocking and tackling team on day eight than we were on day one and I know we have gotten better," said head coach Shane Williamson. "We still have a lot of room to be able to improve on. But, I feel like this football team has shown signs of commitment. There are some young guys who we wouldn't have seen if we hadn't started our two-platoon system. We were able to spot some players and let the players know that we want to see them and give them an opportunity to show us what we got." A large eighth grade class participated in the spring workouts, "I have been really pleased with the upcoming ninth grade class. They are the best class as far as overall numbers and overall attitude and hard work. I am just very impressed with them. I want to put my arm around them and keep them all together because they have a chance to be a good class," said Williamson. Watch the final day slideshow Day 6- The Bulldogs spent most of practice scrimmaging as they broke in to three offensive and three defensive units. This allowed some of the younger Bulldogs to show their abilities. "Alex Ashley really looked good coming up from the middle school at running back," said head coach Shane Williamson. "I feel that Landon Cowart is going to be a big time player as he gets older, matures and gets stronger. Tavis Furman (offensive tackle) is a ninth grader that has an opportunity to be a good football player. He is still learning the game, but he has the body size and he is coachable." One of the most exciting plays of the day was turned in by Demetrius "Playmaker" Baker. He layed out in the endzone and caught a pass from quarterback James Ethredge. Baker earned his nickname for his knack for making big plays, on defense, for the B-Team. Watch a slideshow Day 5- The Bulldogs used a new drill to encourage the running backs to run hard. The drill matched the backs against the linebackers. "Coach wants us to run hard, keep our head down, keep low, and keep your legs moving," said Jamar Smith. Watch a slideshow Day 3- Head coach Shane Williamson challenged his team to raise the intensity level in a practice in 93 degree heat, "It was a little more intense. We were kind of dragging around a little at the beginning of practice and I just challenged the offense and the defense and we had a goal line period and it got our intensity up," said Williamson. "I challenged our seniors and told them it was time that we had some leadership and if we start messing up we'll start punishing the seniors. At some point in time we got to take some ownership, as players, for this football team. I thought today we had a little of that come forward. I saw some bright spots with our offensive line getting a lot better. But we have a long way to go." Watch a slideshow Senior guard and center Kyle Toole said Wednesday's practice was better than Monday and Tuesday's, "We had more intensity and people are coming together as a team and everybody tried to fix all of their mistakes." Day 2- The second day of Toombs County Bulldog spring practice looked more like a regular practice compared to day one. Everybody had a helmet on and their was some 11-on-11 physical play. The Bulldogs had a number one and two offensive unit and both groups took on the defensive running inside plays and and going at it on goal line situations. "We are looking at some players who wouldn't get a chance if we were going to put the best 11 guys up there," said head coach Shane Williamson. "The defense is way ahead of the offense and we only have a few plays in offensively. There were some bright spots. Jamar (Smith) had some good plays. The offensive line blocked well on some plays. The defense really looked good at times. Tamond Hampton had an excellent day flying around the football, doing what he is suppose to do," said Williamson. Watch a slideshow Gary Terrell made some defensive plays from his cornerback position, "That's what they teach us over there to run to the football and create havoc. We're small, but we have a lot of speed and energy and we will have to use that to our advantage." Day 1- On a sunny day with the temperature above 90, the Toombs County Bulldogs opened up their 10 days of spring football practice. Head coach Shane Williamson was excited that 80 Bulldogs showed up for the first day, "It's very positive. For the past few years we have had a lot of guys come over from the middle school saying they were going to play and they don't show up. This year we have some guys who are committed." A special emphasis this spring is two-platoon football, "Two platooning allows us to spend a lot more quality time on just teaching them an offensive of defensive position and I feel that is going to help us in the long run," said Williamson. Next season there will be 10 Bulldog seniors including Tamond Hampton, "We had a lot of ninth graders coming up who were working hard. I worked on linebacker stuff and going hard."  Watch a slideshow

Peyton Carroll wins SE Georgia Soap Box Derby

(Left to Right) Peyton Carroll, Alexie Carroll and Jackson Jones

The 21st Annual Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby final was almost a family affair. Peyton Carroll dominated the 42-driver field, the largest in years, and won the winners bracket and younger sister Alexie Carroll made it to the finals of the losers bracket. However, Alexie lost to Jackson Jones by the slimmest of margins ending the chance of a brother versus sister showdown. Instead Peyton continued his domination of Derby Hill and he won a trip to Akron, Ohio for the All-American Soap Box Derby by beating Jones. Peyton knows how Jackson feels. In 2011 he was the runnerup. Watch video of the final stages of the race You Tube  More video from earlier in the day You Tube

TCHS 12, Vidalia 12 in Powder Puff Football

In a fundraiser for diabetes at Booster Stadium, girls from Toombs County and Vidalia High Schools played to a 12-all tie in a highly competitive, well played powder puff football game. Vidalia scored first on a 12-yard run by Laura Vinson off an option pitch by quarterback Tiffany Smiley. Toombs County tied the game at 6 each when KeKe Jones intercepted a pass and returned it 48-yards for a touchdown. In the second half Vidalia scored a touchdown on a 43-yard pass from Chassidy Byrd to Smiley. Toombs tied it on a big play. Janine Taylor, who moved from defense to offense, took a handoff from quarterback Victoria Jordan and ran roughly 72-yards, breaking away from some very fast runners to score a touchdown about 24 hours after she scored the final goal in Toombs County's 3-1 overtime soccer win in the first round of the state playoffs. Watch highlights with interviews You Tube

Thursday's Good News

TCHS soccer teams rally for two state tourney wins

The lower seeded Toombs County High School soccer teams rallied for two comeback wins at Berrien County in the first round of the GHSA Double A State Tournament. The Bulldogs came back from a 2-0 first half deficit to win 3-2 while the Lady Bulldogs, who trailed 1-0 in the first half, won their match 3-1 in overtime on penalty kicks. Madison Hart tied the girls game at 1-all, in the second half, with a goal that she hustled up. "The goalie had the ball and she dropped it," said Hart. "I outran everybody and got it. She (the goal keeper) tried to make a play on it, but I shot it over her head." At the end of regulation the game was still tied at a goal a piece. The two teams played two five-minute overtime periods and then the game went to penalty kicks. The Lady Bulldogs booted two kicks in to the net. Claudia Zamorano blasted in the first goal. "It's a lot of pressure and when I went to kick it I looked at the right corner, but I wasn't really aiming at it," said Zamorano. "I looked at it so she would go that way and then I went left." Janine Taylor kicked the second PK, "I was an extremely luck person on that," said Taylor. "I was aiming toward the left, but the ball went to the high-90 and it ended up going in off her butt." Berrien missed the net on one penalty kick and then Megan Meadows made three saves. "It was God's will and he worked through our team to win this game," said Meadows. "There is a reason that he sent us to the next round, we're suppose to be there and it was for Courtney (Wilkes) too, with Courtney in mind." Meadows said that she had to dive to make two of the saves and that she was trying to get a read on the kickers, "I was watching there eyes, their hips and their feet." The Bulldogs had to overcome a 2-0 first half deficit to win their third game of the season. Gilbert Zamorano scored a first half goal and then one in the second to tied the game. "The first goal was a throw in and Angel Colmanares threw it and a guy hit it with his head and I stopped with my chest and kicked it," said Zamorano. "On the second one the ball came to half-field and I took it all the way down to the goalie and kicked it." With six minutes remaining senior Ross Castro scored the game-winner on a short corner. "Alex Zamorano acted like he was going to take the shot and he faked it and I came in and took it and it felt great," said Castro, who moved from the defensive side of the field to score for the offense.

Knight qualifies for the finals

Toombs County High School  senior runner Jalisha Knight qualified for the finals in the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles at the GHSA Girls State Track meet in Albany. Knight won her heat in the 100 in her fastest time ever. Jalisha's 14.33 was just a tenth of a second off tying the GHSA Double State Track Meet record of 14.23. She tied her personal record in the 300 meter hurdles by winning her heat in 44.95. Jalisha will be in lane four in both of her finals on Saturday. Freshman Samantha Houston finished 15th in the finals of the 2-mile race in 13:26.

 Driggers picks roundball and Waycross

Brandon Driggers days of being a three-sport athlete are over. The senior Toombs County Bulldog, who played football, basketball and baseball all four years, signed with Waycross College to play basketball. "Every game we had during basketball season I was more excited to play the game and to be out there with my teammates- I just love it," said Driggers. In the past two seasons Brandon has been a scorer who is also loves to set up his teammates, "When I really started playing my sophomore year against Dublin coach (Benny) Dees gave me a chance to start and I started feeling the game more and more and instead of just taking shots and I wanted to get my teammates involved." Watch some highlights from Brandon's senior season You Tube Driggers attended a tryout at Waycross several weeks ago and his skill set impressed head coach Corey Baldwin, "He is a real good passer who sees the floor well and he is also so energetic, he constantly brings energy even when it is a positive or a negative on the court. He may have to redshirt a year as he trims up, but the sky is the limit he could really be a good player for us." Brandon says he has already began the process of getting ready to play junior college ball, "I've been working out in the gym everyday after school since the end of basketball season and now that baseball season is over I can get in to the gym even more." "I have been looking forward to playing at the next level since rec ball. Coach Baldwin, a Jonesboro native who played guard in high school, started the basketball program at Waycross beginning with the 2009-2010 season and in his second year took the program to the Division 1 Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

TCHS soccer teams head to Berrien for state

Senior Janine Taylor (green jersey) boots the ball forward

The Toombs County High school soccer teams are both matched against Berrien County in the first round of the state playoffs. The double-header, in Nashville, begins with the boys game on Thursday at 4 p.m. and the girls will follow at 6. Watch practice slideshow The Lady Bulldogs are 7-11 this season and are the fourth seed from their region taking on number one seeded Berrien (11-1-1). The two teams have one common opponent. TCHS beat Coffee County 3-0 at home and Berrien opened up it's season with a 4-1 loss at Coffee. Senior Janine Taylor says for the Lady Bulldogs to pull off the road victory they need to play hard, "We need to hustle and to play the hardest game that we have ever played. We are in good shape, we have been practicing outside in the heat for awhile and we did real hard conditioning at the beginning of the season." The Bulldogs, seeded third, have won two games this season and both were over region opponent Brantley County by big differentials. TCHS won 8-1 at home and 6-0 on the road. Ironically, 9-5 Berrien edged Brantley 3-2 in Nashville on March 30. "We have a chance to make it in to the second round, but we are not going to go in there big-headed," said Angel Colmenares. "We have to play good defense and make good passes up top and score as much as we can."

Knight, Houston & Avellenada are going to state

Toombs County High School track athletes Jalisha Knight, Samantha Houston and Daniel Avellenada survived the new sectionals competition and qualified for the GHSA State Track Meet. The girls will compete in Albany on May 3, 4 and 5. and the boys in Jefferson on May 10,11 and 12. TCHS competed, on Saturday, in the East Sectional at Lamar County High School in Barnesville. The competition was from Regions 3,4 and 8 and the top eight from each event qualified for state. Watch slideshow Knight, a senior and two-time state champ, did well her specialty- the hurdles. Jalisha won the 100 meter hurdles in 14.49 seconds. Jalisha won the state championship in the 100 meter hurdles last year in 14.78. Knight won her heat in the 300 meter hurdles in 46.68. She finished second overall behind Rabun County's Sally Woerner, who ran 46.68. Knight claimed the state title in the 300 meter hurdles, in 2010, in 45.48. Jalisha's goal at state is to win the 100 and 300 meter hurdles and medal in the long jump and that wish is still possible. Knight qualified for state on her first jump with a leap of 18 feet, 5 1/2 inches.   Houston, who qualified for the GHSA State Crosss Country meet as a freshman back in November, also is going to state in track in her rookie season. In her first race she ran the 1600 meters in a personal record of 5:57 placing sixth and then at six o'clock she came back and finished eighth in the 3200 meter race in 14:33 despite suffering from stomach cramps. So, she will be running in both events at Albany. Daniel Avellenada ran a personal record 4:45 in the mile and the senior, running track for the first time, finished sixth to pull off the same feat as Houston- qualifying for both the cross country and track state championships. Johnathan Reyes failed to qualify in the 3200 in a time of 12:17.33. Deonte Dasher finished twelfth in the 800 meters. The girls 4x100 meter relay team of Keke Jones, Jalisha Knight, Diamond Boyd, Deavia Howard and Shaila Bacon also failed to qualify for state.

Bulldogs save best for Senior Day

Seniors- Berry Aldridge, Efrain Quinterro, Brandon Driggers and Trey Wingate

Dawgs wrap up season with 2nd straight win

The Toombs County Bulldogs have a history of playing well and winning their Senior Day game and they did it again with a 4-0 shutout of Tattnall County. TCHS has won five of it's last six home finales. Watch highlights with Y-101 Radio play-by-play You Tube  Listen to archived Y-101 play-by-play Ustream The shutout by sophomore Jeremy Beasley was the Bulldogs first of the season. The right-hander allowed only three hits- one single to open up the game by Andrew Waters and two singles in the sixth by Nick Odum and Cody Boyett. Jeremy left two runners on base in the first inning and got the final two outs of the sixth to strand the bases loaded. He retired 13 in a row from the first through the fifth and struck out four batters and walked two. His strikeout to walk ratio ends up 50 to 16- slightly better than 3 to 1. Jeremy's third seven inning compete game wrapped up a season in which he pitched 59 2/3 innings and allowed 50 hits and went 3-3. He took two tough losses in which he pitched complete games. Beasley lost a game at Long County 2-0 even though he didn't allow an earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks and he had a 4-3 lead going to the bottom of the seventh at Jeff Davis prior to the Yellow Jackets comeback, walk-off victory. The Bulldog senior class was led by Berry Aldridge (2-for-3) who reached base in his first two at bats. Berry doubled to lead off the first and singled with one-out in the third and in both innings Levi Alyea, who was a courtesy runner, scored. James Ethredge (1-for-3) and Hunter Braddy (3-for-3) also singled in the third. Braddy drove in Alyea and Ethredge was thrown out at home plate on the same play, Leading 2-0 going to the bottom of the sixth TCHS added two insurance runs. Beasley (1-for-2 with a walk) singled and Braddy followed with an infield hit. Alyea singled in a run and then Braddy got a great jump off third base and stole home to put TCHS up 4-0. Bulldog senior center fielder Trey Wingate caught three fly balls and senior third baseman Efrain Quinterro handled the only ground ball hit to him. The Bulldogs finish the season with two straight wins and their final record is 7-17-2 overall and 4-11-1 in Region 2.

Bulldogs take last road game

The Toombs County Bulldogs' first victory of the season was on the road, at Metter, and their latest win, was their final road game, at McIntosh County Academy. The Dawgs took advantage of five hit batsmen and stroked eight hits in a 9-6 decision. Watch highlights with Y-101 play-by-play You Tube The Bulldogs scored their first run on their first hit. Hunter Braddy (2-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI's) singled in a run in the third to put TCHS up 1-0. The Bucaneers scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. In the fourth Trey Wingate, who was hit by a pitch, scored on Bailey Salter's sacrifice fly which put Toombs back on top 2-1. Toombs added three runs in the fifth. Berry Aldridge (2-for-4) and Jeremy Beasley (1-for-2 with two walks) each stroked their 20th hit of the season and Braddy walked. Pinch hitter Ben Brantley was hit with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. Two more runs scored on a Buc error on a ball hit to the center of in the diamond by Brandon Driggers giving TCHS a 5-1 advantage. Christian Moore, who threw a Buc out at home plate from right field in the fifth inning, led off the sixth with the Bulldogs' 15th double of the season. Aldridge singled in a run with one-out and Braddy drove in another with two-down. Beasley, who walked, and Braddy scored on the same play as the Bucs' throw wound up in deep left center field. McIntosh scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth knocking starting pitcher Bailey Salter out of the game with nobody out. Bailey pitched 5 innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits to earn his first win of the season. Beasley pitched the final two innings and struck out five and walked one to pick up a save.