Dawgs sink teeth into national title

Hunker down, you hairy Dawgs. You are national champions.

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Sorry, Georgia Bulldog Nation. This is the East Georgia Dawgs we're talking about, a 12-and-under baseball team featuring players from across the area.

The Dawgs were the only team in any age division that went undefeated in the tournament and captured the USSSA Double-A national championship last week in Johnson City, Tenn.

Coached by Jamie Clayton, the Dawgs include players from Richmond, Columbia, Jefferson and McDuffie counties.

"It was just a great team effort, and somebody different stepped up every game," Clayton said. "It was incredible."

Five Dawgs were named to the USSSA All-Tournament team: first baseman/pitcher Ross Scott of Appling, third baseman/pitcher Derrick Benjamin of Augusta, pitcher/shortstop Derek Clayton of Harlem, left fielder Justin Bryan of Wrens and catcher/outfielder Micah Herriman of Thomson.

Together since January, the Dawgs have finished in the top three of eight of the nine tournaments they've entered, including a first-place finish in the ITB Wood Bat state tournament earlier this summer.

Check out the East Georgia Dawgs' Website at www.eteamz.com/EGDBaseball.

HOOPS STARS: With outstanding prep programs at Hephzibah, Richmond Academy and Josey among others, the Augusta area has long been a high school girls basketball powerhouse.

For these schools, the road to success begins with up-and-coming players competing for American Athletic Union summer teams, much like the Augusta-based Georgia Stars squad that recently competed in the AAU National Invitational Tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla.

The Stars were one of 48 teams in the 12-and-under Division II tournament held in early July, and they finished third in the prestigious event by winning nine of 11 games in six days. Their only two losses came to the eventual tournament champions, the Southern Louisiana Hornets, and runners-up, the Middle Atlantic Phoenix.

For the Stars and coaches Phillip Morris and Cynthia Ruffin, the highlight of the event came with a dramatic comeback win over the Baltimore Comets. The Stars trailed by 20 points in the second half before staging a late run, pulling out the one-point win in the closing seconds.

GOLD STANDARD: The Aiken-Augusta Swim League won the Division II Georgia Games state swimming championships last week in Atlanta at the Mountain View Aquatics Center.

ASL placed fourth overall in a division that included five Atlanta teams with more than 200 swimmers. Division II includes 20 Georgia teams with 50-200 swimmers.

Ryan Freed, a 12-year-old from Aiken, won the gold medal in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, including a state record in the 200 with a time of 2:30.67.

Other ASL state champions include: Aiken's Alex Rogers, 16, who won the 100-meter breaststroke (1:09.74); 14-year-old Martin Kata of Martinez, who won the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 25.57, and his brother, Christian, 17, who won the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:58:83.

Martin's time in the 50 free places him in the top 16 in the nation in his age group.

The Georgia Games meet was a qualifying meet for the Southeastern Zone Championships, to be held next week at the International Swimming Hall of Fame Pool in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Four ASL members earned spots on the team: Freed, Martin Kata, Rogers, and 14-year-old Trey Charlton.

Another local swimmer, Jim Leboff of Columbia County, won gold in the 50-meter freestyle in the 60-64 year old division. Leboff also won a pair of gold medals in last year's Games.

Reach Rob Mueller at (706) 823-3425.

--From the Thursday, July 24, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle