Titan-ic finish for Etowah
Eagles take runner-up honors to top-ranked Northview in state tennis tournament
By Todd Callahan
sports@ledgernews.com

JONESBORO – Jeremy Becht dropped his racket and just shook his head. Teammate Vincent DeLise stood on the baseline muttering to himself.

It wasn’t that the Etowah boys were playing badly in the program’s first trip to the Class AAAAA state finals Friday.
The Eagles were experiencing what the 34 previous teams had experienced against top-ranked Northview, which won its third straight Georgia High School Association state tennis championship.

“I certainly didn’t quite know what to expect, but obviously they [Northview Titans] are in a league by themselves,” Etowah head coach Bob Decan said. “They are far and away the best team in the state.”

(Pictured: The Etowah boys tennis team capped the most successful season in program history by falling to Northview in the Class AAAAA state championship match played Friday at the Clayton County Tennis Center in Jonesboro. Etowah got to the finals by beating Peachtree Ridge 3-2 on May 5 in the quarterfinals and routing Lowndes 3-0 in the semifinals. Above left: No. 1 singles player Jeremy Becht hits a return in his match against Northview standout Ricky Doverspike. Doverspike won the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Below right: Junior Paul Birdsong hits a forehand from the baseline for a winner, as he and partner Kevin Baginski won their No. 2 doubles match against Peachtree Ridge at Sugarloaf Country Club. Todd Callahan Ledger-news)

The top-ranked Titans, who have not lost a match since falling to Westminster 4-1 on March 28, 2007, completed a perfect season Friday by defeating Valdosta 3-0 in the semifinals and knocking off No. 2 Etowah 3-0 in the championship match.

The Eagles (22-2) never got into the match against the senior-laden Titans, who had lost only six matches all season. The championship match was over in about an hour, as Northview seniors Ricky Doverspike and Davis Dawson won their singles matches, and the No. 1 doubles team of Trevor Getz and Matt Horman won their match. All three were in straight sets.

“They brought it, and hit the ball as good as you can hit it,” Decan said. “Our guys fought, tried and scratched, but they were just way too good.”

At No. 1 singles, Becht held serve to open the first set, and slapped a forehand winner to have a breakpoint on Doverspike’s first service game.

However, the University of Alabama signee, who played his serve and volley to perfection, rallied and held serve.

On Becht’s next service game, the Etowah senior held off two break points, but Doverspike, who also pitches on Northview’s baseball team, broke serve again to take a 2-1 lead. He never looked back, winning the next 10 games for a 6-1, 6-0 victory on the stadium court at the Clayton County Tennis Center in Jonesboro.

At No. 1 doubles, Jack Hynes and Derek Holdway earned a total of three games off Getz and Horman, as the Titan duo won the match, 6-2, 6-1, leaving the Titans one match away from the perfect 25-0 season.

At No. 2 doubles, Eric Matthieson and Sterling Rong had won the first set over Paul Birdsong and Kevin Baginski 6-3 and were up 3-1 in the second set.

At No. 3 singles, DeLise had dropped the first set to Nat Smiley 6-2 but was locked in a competitive second set, down 3-4 when the championship was clinched on an adjacent court during the No. 2 singles match.

Etowah sophomore Garrison LaDuca lost the first to Dawson 6-3 and was able to hold off the celebration for a game, as he won a service game in the second set, as Northview players began to gather around the court in anticipation of the team’s 35th straight victory.

Leading 5-1 and owning a match point, Dawson hit a return that LaDuca put into the net, sparking the celebration.

Although the Eagles failed in their bid for a state championship, they did become the most successful team in program history. Having beaten Lowndes earlier Friday in the semifinals, this year’s Etowah boys tennis team surpassed the 2006 team that went to the state semifinals and lost to Lakeside-Evans in the Class AAAA final four.

“Credit to them, this is three in a row for them,” Decan said. “They have a couple of seniors. So maybe there’s a little window there for some teams next year, but I know they have a lot in reserves. It’s really a dynasty they have over there. It gives our kids something to shoot for.”

Much like Northview did against Valdosta in its semifinal match Friday, the Eagles did the same against Lowndes, as neither south Georgia school provided much competition.

LaDuca rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory in his match, and Holdway and Cory Ehrlich won their doubles match 6-3, 6-0.

DeLise pitched a shutout in his match, winning 6-0, 6-0, and Birdsong and Baginski finished at the same time as the No. 1 doubles match, winning 6-0, 6-1.

Becht was in control of his match. He won the first set 6-0 and was up 4-1 when he was pulled off the court.

The Etowah senior was two games away from a historic win. He was tied with former Etowah standout Carl Abalos for the most matches won in school history. Abalos is a freshman at Samford University, which was playing in the NCAA tournament over the weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. The Bulldogs won the Ohio Valley Conference championship to earn an automatic berth.

“To make it to the state finals and have this run that we did, I just can’t say enough about our guys,” Decan said. “It was a fabulous team effort, and as I have said all season, our depth brought us here.”

Etowah reached the state semifinals for the second time in three years by rallying to defeat Peachtree Ridge 3-2 on May 5 at Sugarloaf Country Club.

The No. 2 Eagles, who lost multiple-matches for the first time since a 3-2 loss to Centennial nearly two months ago, trailed 2-1 before a freshman and two juniors led the comeback that propelled the Eagles to their second final four appearance in three years.

In No. 2 doubles, Baginski kept the crowd entertained with his antics as well as his powerful smashes at the net and forehand winners in the match with Steven Menhorn and Sam Ridderhof.

On serve in the first set, Birdsong and Baginski broke Ridderhof’s serve thanks to a forehand winner by Baginski for a 5-3 lead. Baginski, who had struggled with three double faults in the set, rallied with back-to-back winners. He ended the first set with a smash at the net for a 6-3 win.

While Delise was battling with Eric Caltabiano at No. 3 singles on an adjacent court, Birdsong and Baginski made sure the freshman would be able to continue his match, as they dominated the second set.

They broke Menhorn’s serve to open the set and survived two service breaks before Baginski hit a winner for a 2-0 lead. Ridderhof’s serve was broken for a 3-0 lead, and the Etowah duo went on to win the second set, 6-1.

With the match tied 2-2, the deciding match came down to Delise and Caltabiano.

“It comes in the back of your head, but you’ve got to block it out,” said Delise who knew his match would decide the outcome.

In addition to feeling the pressure that the team’s fate rested on his shoulder, Delise had to rally from a 4-3 deficit in the opening set.

“I made a few big shots, and I knew what I had to do, and the shots started coming,” Delise said. “I knew I could take him [Caltabiano] in a backhand rally, and I had great support from my teammates, and they helped me.”

Exploiting Caltabiano’s backhand, Delise rallied and won the final three games of the opening set to win, 6-3. He continued to dominate in the second set and won the second set, 6-0.

LaDuca won his match over Dylan Higgins 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, but Becht was beaten at No. 1 singles by Tyler Droll, 6-3, 6-4.

At No. 1 doubles, Jason Park and Justin Licata rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Derek Holdway and Hynes, who missed the second round match against Pope because of illness.

Having won back-to-back region championships and four consecutive trips to the state playoffs, Etowah is expected to be strong again in 2009. Becht and Ehrlich were the only seniors on the team this year.

Chiefs find offense, eliminate Ringgold in three games
By Todd Callahan
sports@ledgernews.com

Pushed to the brink of elimination in the first round of the state baseball playoffs by Ringgold on Friday, the ninth-ranked Sequoyah Chiefs pushed back.

Having lost the opening game of the best-of-three series 6-3 in nine innings, Sequoyah (22-6) regrouped and produced two of the largest back-to-back offensive outputs of the season. The Chiefs, hosting a state tournament series for the first time in school history, beat Ringgold 14-1 in Friday’s doubleheader nightcap and finished off the Tigers with an 11-4 victory on Saturday.

Having won the first home playoff series in school history, Sequoyah makes more history this week, as the Chiefs advance to the second round of state for the first time and travels to play Marist beginning on Wednesday.

The War Eagles (21-7), the Region 6-AAAA champions, play host to the Chiefs in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. The nightcap is slated for 7:15. If there is a split, a deciding game is scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

No. 6 Marist, which has reached the state semifinals each of the last two years, had no trouble in its opening round against Madison County. The War Eagles won the first game 7-0 and completed the sweep with an 11-0 victory in Game 2 in five innings.

(Left: Sequoyah starting pitcher Jack Metraw threw five innings and scattered six hits to earn the victory Saturday, as the Chiefs beat Ringgold 11-4 in the deciding game of the teams’ best-of-three opening round playoff series. The Chiefs, who were hosting their first state playoff series, lost the first game 6-3 in nine innings on Friday and rallied to force a third game with a 14-1 rout in Friday’s nightcap. Todd Callahan Ledger-news)

While the War Eagles had no problem advancing, the Chiefs were spiraling after the bullpen gave up three runs in the top of the ninth to end a 3-all deadlock.

“After [Friday night’s] first loss, we kind of did some soul searching basically and changed our whole mentality,” said Sequoyah senior Parker Sutton, the starting pitcher in Game 1 who earned a no-decision. “We were a lot more intense in the last two games than we were in the first game. We were kind of lackadaisical in the first game.”

If the first game was a wake-up call for the Chiefs, they did not hit the snooze bar in the second game. Sequoyah had the first seven batters reach base off Ringgold starting pitcher Tyler Dockery, and all seven came around to score. It was part of a nine-run inning that saw the Chiefs send 13 to the plate and tally eight hits. Two of those hits left the park.

Evan Martin opened with a solo blast over the left field wall, and catcher Tyler Adams drilled a three-run shot that also cleared the left field wall.

“The first seven guys got on, and that makes it a lot more fun,” said Sequoyah head coach Steve Bohn, whose club led by 13 runs after three innings. “It was nice to do it quickly in that game. But shoot, I would’ve loved to have won that first one too and been able to give them [Saturday] off.”

With the nightcap ending after 5 innings at around 10 p.m., Ringgold headed home and had to return back to Hickory Flat for the matinee beginning at 3 p.m. The Chiefs went out for breakfast as a team Saturday and picked up where they left off in Game 2.

Facing off against Ringgold starter Eric Hull, Martin reached on a bunt, and Tucker Adams, who was 5-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored in the doubleheader, walked. Sutton followed with his second home run of the series to give the Chiefs an early lead.

Sequoyah scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed the rest of the way, as the Chiefs outscored Ringgold 25-5 in the final 12 innings of the series. They also had five home runs in the final two games.

Sparking the offense was Sutton, who pitched the first eight innings of the series and scattered eight hits and allowed three runs. He also had seven strikeouts but his biggest contribution came at the plate.

The Kennesaw State signee was a combined 6-for-10 for the series. He blasted three home runs and drove in five runs. He also scored six runs, including four runs in Game 3.

After the three-run homer in the first, Parker led off with a single in the third inning and came around to score and reached on a dropped third strike to lead off the fifth inning. He came around to score in the fifth inning and capped the scoring with a solo home run to center field with one out in the sixth inning.

“This past week in practice I had been killing the ball,” Parker said. “I felt really confident at the plate.”

Despite scoring four runs in the opening frame Saturday, the Chiefs had to endure a comeback by the Tigers, who were trying to overcome a thin pitching staff.

Ringgold’s Zack Fairchild, the winning pitcher in Game 1, who threw 117 pitches and hurled a complete game, got the Tigers on the board with a solo home run off Sequoyah starting pitcher Jake Metraw, who was scheduled to start Game 2.

Metraw, who pitched five inning and allowed four runs on six hits and struck out four, was in the starting lineup in Friday’s nightcap, but after the Chiefs’ offensive surge, Bohn elected to save Metraw for Saturday and use Justin Hall in Game 2.

It worked, as Hall pitched a two-hitter and retired the first nine he faced.

“I thought that after we got four runs and they made the first pitching change, I starting thinking, you know let’s see what happens,” Bohn said of his strategy of saving Metraw to Game 3. “Then we got three more [runs] and had the time to get J-Hall ready. I think Jake’s been in the big game before. He pitched against Alexander and is a great pitcher. J-Hall is a great pitcher also.”

Trailing 4-1 following Fairchild’s home run, the Tigers inched closer to the Chiefs in the third inning, as Drew Walker, who went 5-for-8 with two runs scored and four RBI for the series, hit a two-run homer to center field with two outs.

Trailing 4-3, Ringgold got the tying run into scoring position when Michael Smith doubled, but Metraw got out of the jam when Justin Harris flew out to left field.

Clinging to a one-run lead, Metraw got out of a jam in the fourth inning, leaving the tying run stranded at second base and also left a runner stranded at first base in the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the frame, Metraw was assured of getting the win, as the Chiefs erupted for five runs to blow the game open off Fairchild, who appeared not as sharp as he had been in Game 1.

With Sutton on third with two outs, Daniel Dilbeck was hit by a pitch.

They both came around to score on a double to the right center field gap by Clint McNeal, who hit a two-out, two-run single off Fairchild in the sixth inning of the opening game to tie the score at 3-all.

McNeal went 4-for-9 with three runs scored and five RBI for the series.

Following his double, Fairchild walked Nate Grummer. Pinch hitter Pierce Wilford, who only had a handful of at-bats this season, clinched the game with a three-run blast to right field. It was his first home run of the season.

“It was just a hunch that I had,” said Bohn on his strategy to use Wilford.

Having won its first state playoff series, Sequoyah gears up for the War Eagles, who have won 19 of their last 20 games.

“We’ve got a good hitting team top to bottom,” Bohn said. “I will take this team over anyone right now. We’ve got some good pitching. We’ve got hitting, and we can play some defense.”

Warriors whipped by Wolves
By David Dawson
Cherokee Ledger-News Correspondent

ROME – It just wasn’t meant to be for the Cherokee Warriors in their first round state matchup against Rome.

Forced to play without their top player Chris Wakefield, who was serving a suspension for the first two games of the series, the Warriors’ situation got worse in the first inning of the opening game.

Standout shortstop Zack Mixson was injured in a collision with Rome’s Trent Rayburn, who killed the Warriors with his bat.

Without their two top players, the Warriors were unable to get on track offensively as they were swept 2-1 and 12-2, at Legion Field by the Wolves, who were playing their first-ever state playoff series.

In the first game, T.J. Page kept the Warriors in the game with his pitching and provided the offense with a home run.

However, the Wolves’ two victories were fueled by the dominating pitching of Matt Kirksey and Taylor Toadvine.

“The kids came out here ready to play today,” said Rome coach Brandon Johnson. “I am proud of them … and excited for them.”

(Right: Cherokee senior T.J. Page was locked in a pitcher’s dual with Rome’s Matt Kirksay in the opening game of Friday’s first round state playoff series. The Warriors were swept by Rome, 2-1 and 12-2. Todd Callahan Ledger-news)

Kirksey struck out 11 while crafting a three-hitter in the opener, and Toadvine followed with six sharp innings, limiting Cherokee (16-12) to two unearned runs in the nightcap to help the Wolves complete the sweep.

“We’re pretty pumped to be moving on,” said Rome center fielder Cory Thacker, who had four hits and drove in four runs in the second game. “We were tired at the end tonight, but we got it done.”

The Wolves entered the doubleheader looking to add some more memories to the best season in school history. And they did just that.

Playing with the same aggressive style that had led them to their first-ever region title, the Wolves earned the contrasting victories — one thrilling; the other convincing, as the Warriors were eliminated in the opening round of the state playoffs for a second year in a row.

Rome broke open the nightcap on the strength of a five-run second-inning rally, which allowed the Wolves to erase a 2-1 deficit and build a 6-2 lead.

Rome added an insurance run in the fourth, and then removed all the intrigue with another five-run rally in the seventh.

Thacker led the Wolves’ 19-hit assault by going 4-for-5 and finishing a homer shy of the cycle. Rayburn and Jake Williams added three hits each, and Tyler Williams and Kirksey had two apiece.

In the opener, Rayburn was the offensive hero. He laced a two-out RBI triple in the third inning that gave the Wolves a 1-0 lead, and then scored what proved to be the decisive run on a wild pitch.

The Rome pitching, meanwhile, was simply super all day long.

Kirksey set the tone in the opener when the 7-AAAA Pitcher of the Year tossed his three-hitter. The only run he allowed came on a solo homer from Brandon Able leading off the fifth.

Kirksey opened the game with two consecutive strikeouts, and that was a harbinger of things to come. He went on to strike out at least two batters in three additional innings, including striking out the side in the sixth.

“I was really just trying to pitch to contact,” said Kirksey. “But when you do that, the strikeouts come easy.”

Kirksey, who effectively changed speeds to keep the Cherokee hitters off balance, said the Wolves didn’t allow themselves to get caught up in the newness and excitement of the playoffs.

“We knew we had to overcome the pressure,” he said, “and just do our job.”

Toadvine followed Kirksey in Game 2 with an equally impressive outing. He allowed a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, but nothing more thereafter.

Toadvine yielded five hits overall, finishing with two walks and four strikeouts.

Jake Williams ultimately put the exclamation point on the sweep by striking out the side in the seventh inning to end it.

The wins marked the Region 7-AAAA champions’ first foray in the playoffs, giving the program a perfect 2-0 mark in the postseason.

“For our first-ever playoff game appearance, I thought we did really well,” Rome coach Brandon Johnson said.

“The kids are excited and I’m excited. But I’m more excited for Rome High School and the parents more than anybody.”

The Wolves, who also became the first Rome team to reach 20 wins, will host Loganville in a doubleheader on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Sweet 16.

If necessary, game three will be played Thursday at 5 p.m. also at Legion Field.

“It’s going to be a tough test,” Johnson said. “But when there are only 16 teams left in the state, you’re going to have a tough test every time you go out.

“You’ve just got to step up to the challenge.”

Sequoyah’s Gillette, Woodstock’s Christophe place seventh at state

JEFFERSON – Participating in the boys state track meet held last Thursday through Saturday in Jefferson, Sequoyah senior Evan Gillette and Woodstock’s Duran Christophe took top honors from Cherokee County.

Having qualified just four athletes for the meet, known as the Georgia Olympics, Gillette placed seventh in the Class AAAA 100-meter dash. He recorded a time of 11:01 and finished fourth in his heat to qualify for the finals on Saturday. He finished seventh overall in the finals with a time of 11:02.

Christophe, who qualified for the discus by finishing runner-up at the Region 5-AAAAA championships at Marietta High, placed seventh at state with a throw of 142 feet, 10 inches. His throw was more than three feet better than his region runner-up throw.

Gillette’s teammate Jon Sylvester, who qualified for the 110-meter hurdles, did not make the finals. He finished eighth in preliminaries with a time of 15.53.

The other state qualifier was Etowah’s Andrew Vermilya, who won a 5-AAAAA title in the high jump. He failed to place at the state meet.

None of the three county teams represented at state earned team points. The Class AAAAA state team title was split between McEachern and Marietta. The Blue Devils had beaten McEachern a week before at the region meet.

In Class AAAA, Chapel Hill, which finished runner-up to Alexander at the 5-AAAA meet last week at Woodland, won the state title.

• PAR FOR THE COURSE: Making their second straight appearance in the Class AAAA state golf tournament, the Sequoyah Lady Chiefs finished fourth at the event held on May 5 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta.

Leading the Lady Chiefs, who have won three straight county titles and consecutive region championships, were seniors Kalyn Johnson and Lindsey Gipson.

Johnson carded an 84, and Gipson shot 86 for Sequoyah’s 170 team score.

It was four strokes off the pace set by Woodward Academy, which won their fourth state title in the last five years.

While the Lady Chiefs were back at the state tournament, the Sequoyah boys and the Woodstock boys golf teams were making their tournament debuts.

The Chiefs finished 12th at the Class AAAA boys meet held at Bartram Trail Golf Club in Evans, and the Wolverines finished sixth in their tournament debut at the Oleander Golf Club on Jekyll Island.

Unlike the other classifications, the Class AAAAA tournament was a one-day, 36-hole tournament.

The Wolverines finished with a 618 team score. Winning the state championship was Region 5-AAAAA foe Harrison, which shot 570 for its second straight state championship.

Leading the Wolverines was Randy White who carded rounds of 74 and 70 for an even-par 144. Connor Andrews shot 77 and 82, and Brook Siudy shot rounds of 80 and 81. Brian Burns carded rounds of 80 and 83.

Leading the Chiefs were James Manos and Will Commins, who both shot 82. Tanner Alexander, Kyle Fredricks and Taylor shot 84 each.

• WAKE ON THE LAKE: This weekend Lake Allatoona will be a buzz as the The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour rolls into town.

It’s a three-day carnival of water-sports action. But not all of the action takes place on the water. On land, fans will experience tons of great food and music; athlete autograph signings and chances to win free gear.

Tickets can be purchased at Dallas Landing Park on May 17-18 for $10, $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under).