Are you ready for some football? Local High schools start Friday night!

It’s that time of the year. We have waited for the referee’s first official whistle since all the pigskins were put up. That just happened to be last December. This year brings in the hope that each and every prep football team in the Savannah area will make the state championship. We had one do that last year, The Memorial Day School (Matadors) Blue Thunder as they are called ion the gridiron, for second consecutive year. They are looking to “3” peat this year and bring the “SHIP” home to Savannah again.


Who will do it this year? Who are the best football players in the coastal empire? Who will win under the “Friday Night Lights”? I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait. That’s why I will make my weekly predictions every Thursday night. Last year I finished 105-23. That was an 82%. Not bad I must say. My picks are in bold. Hopefully I will be just as good starting in Week 1. We shall see.

Just like last season I will not pick the Effingham County (**), because I coach there and the Calvary (*) game, because my son plays for Calvary. My picks are the schools in bold. So you make the picks and let me know how good you do.

Once again the “Friday Night Lights” are about to be turned on and “You Gotta’ Love It”. Good luck to the entire Savannah Area Prep football teams tonight! No matter what, you are all winners because of the commitment you make everyday in practice to succeed on Friday nights.

SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO WIN AND SOMEONE ALWAYS HAS TO LOSE

       I have been coaching for a long time—since 1979. I have coached from the youth leagues all the way to the college ranks. I still say, “Losing Stinks!” I can remember watching Wide World of Sports on Chanel 7. That was the ABC station where I grew up. I can always remember the announcer, Jim McKay, saying in the introduction, “The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.” Believe me, when you lose, it is definitely AGONY!

      That’s what I see and feel when teams I coached or watch make it to the state playoffs and lose. Again, AGONY! Whether it’s the first round of the high school state playoffs, college sectionals, or the championship game of a middle school league, losing is tough to deal with.

      So what do we get out of losing? I know it feels awful, but within any loss or setback lays the seeds for success. I know losing can be used as motivation. Remembering how badly it felt can encourage you to work harder and to get better. Where does this start again? It all starts in practice…again.
      Once again remembering how badly you felt should propel you to work harder, to push yourself further, and to get more out of each and every practice. There is a quote I always say to my teams, “You play like you practice.” Remember, it is the quality of your practice that counts, and keeping that goal in mind to win will help ease the pain of the loss.
      But keep in perspective that someone always has to win and someone always has to lose. That’s the sad part of any sport or competition. You know that you played like the winner. Just remember you are also the victor for taking the chance to lose. Learn from it, because success is never final, and failure is never fatal. Keep working hard, and success will come. All athletes take chances, and this is what makes all athletes WINNERS!

Class of 2010 Going to the Next Level - Local Athletic College Scholarships - Class of 2010

         Student athletes all have dreams. That dream is one day to become a college student athlete. This year in the Savannah Area, we have had a very successful rate of students receiving one form or another of an athletic scholarship. Below is a list of student athletes who will continue their athletic career at the next level. A huge congratulation goes out to them, their parents and family, their schools, their coaches, their teammates and friends. If I have left someone off the list let me know. They deserve this recognition and to all good luck in college!

Local Athletic College Scholarships - Class of 2010

Beach
Heyward, Simeon – Football – Savannah State

Benedictine
Bryant, Jabri – Basketball – Mercer University
Coursey, Daniel – Basketball – Mercer University
Fries, Joey – Basketball – Emory
Hunt, Alex – Baseball – West Georgia
Villa, Carson – Soccer – University of South Carolina at Aiken
White, C.J. – Wrestling – Mercer University
Wright. Nick – Wrestling – Mercer University

Bible Baptist
Nelson, Shane – Football - LaGrange

Calvary
Carr, John – Baseball – Brewton Parker
Evans, Jordan – Soccer – Delta State
Howard, Ross – Baseball – Andrew College
Jacobs, Kaylie – Twirling - University of South Carolina
Poole, Tiffany – Volleyball – Toccoa Falls

Effingham
Arrington, Chase – Basketball – East Georgia
Bennett, Quincy – Basketball – Brewton Parker
Brant, Josh – Baseball - Darton College
Hames, Meaghan – Soccer – Young Harris
Manior, Marquel – Basketball – Brewton Parker
Rahn, Matt – Baseball - Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College
Rogers, Justin – Baseball – Brewton Parker
Snooks, Joseph – Baseball – Armstrong Atlantic State University

Groves
Wilson, Richie – Basketball/Track – Shorter College

Jenkins
Cross, Kalee – Soccer – Tabor College, Kansas
Ricks, Eric – Baseball – Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College
Thompson, Antonio – Football – Chadron State College, Nebraska
Johnson McMains, Jessica – Soccer - USC-Salkahatchie

Memorial Day School
Palmer, Kevin - Soccer – South Georgia College
Sanchez, Gabby – Baseball – East Georgia
Sanchez, Sal – Baseball – East Georgia College
Sauls, Jon – Football – Georgia State
Thompson, Tyler – Football - Savannah State
Welch, A.J. – Football - Savannah State

Richmond Hill
Carlson, Tyler – Basketball – Mars Hill

Savannah Christian
Truax, Layton – Golf – Newberry College
Cook, Kaitlyn – Golf – Shorter College

South Effingham
Collum, Robbie – Wrestling – Shorter College
Dodd, Tyler – Baseball – East Georgia College
Durance, Katie – Basketball - Agnes Scott
Manker, Frank – Football – Shorter College
Odom, Jake – Baseball – East Georgia College
Smith, Kane – Baseball – SCAD

St. Vincent’s
Otto, Jordon - Soccer – Armstrong Atlantic State University
Rochefort, Emily – Volleyball – Mercer University
Rodriquez, Carre – Soccer – Alabama A & M

Urban Christian
Gordon, Artasian – Basketball – St. Louis Christian
Mitchell, Rashawn -Basketball - New Mexico Junior College
Shelton, Josh – Basketball – New Mexico Junior College