Georgia prep notes

Web posted October 17, 1997

By Rob Mueller
Staff Writer

Butler and Hephzibah will return to a region schedule next season after 2-AAAA coaches agreed last week to subdivide.

Citing travel costs, as well as dwindling attendance at home games against the Macon and Warner Robins schools in the region, Butler and Hephzibah dropped their region schedules the past two seasons.

``I think it's a great situation for everyone,'' Hephzibah coach Ivory Hugee said. ``We knew that if we didn't subdivide that there was no way we could go back into the region, so we're happy with the way things worked out.''

Next year, as the region expands to 14 teams with the addition of Macon Westside and Houston County, two seven-team subregions will allow the two Richmond County schools to rejoin the league.

Hephzibah will join Evans, Warner Robins Northside, Houston County, Southwest Macon and Northeast Macon in one subregion. Butler will join Lakeside, Warner Robins, Central Macon, Baldwin and Macon Westside in the other.

The plan was agreed upon in principle last Wednesday at a special meeting at Baldwin in Milledgeville, Ga., but still must go to a final vote and be approved by the Georgia High School Association.

HARD KNOCKS:

The Evans coaching staff is concerned with the long-term health of junior running back/safety B.J. Long, who suffered his fifth concussion in two seasons in a loss to Central Macon on Friday.

As a result, Long will miss the rest of the season and is considering giving up football. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is a Division I college baseball prospect and possible major league draft selection in 1999.

``It has been a rough year for us and losing B.J. really hurts,'' Evans coach Jim Connor said. ``I really don't think B.J. wants to give up football. He could get hit in the head with a baseball and have the same thing happen.''

It has been a difficult year for the Knights, who are 2-3, 0-2 in 2-AAAA. On Sept. 26, the team's top returning player on defense, senior linebacker Brad Milford, and senior linebacker Dennis Winsner were suspended from the team indefinitely for drinking alcohol on the bus after Evans' loss to Baldwin.

The absence of Long, Evans' leading rusher, means the Knights will give sophomore Jamal Jones the start at tailback.

``All of a sudden, we're even younger than we were when we started the season,'' Connor said. ``We've lost several of our experienced kids and have got to count on a bunch of inexperienced players now.''

LAND HO:

At 3-2-1, Butler coach David Land couldn't be happier with the Bulldogs' improvement after going 4-6 last season, and defense and special teams have been the keys.

The Dogs have allowed 76 points (12.6 a game) with two shutouts, while allowing just 170 yards total offense a game.

Last week in their win over Greene-Taliaferro, Isaac West punted four times for a 45.5 average. West's long was a 55-yarder and had two downed inside the 10. He leads the area's Georgia schools with a 36.1 average.

SAVING GRACE:

Screven County lost one of the state's all-time great running backs in Audrell Grace and one of the area's premier quarterbacks in Sunny Roberson.

But this season, several area coaches, including Burke County's Mike Falleur say the Gamecocks are a better offensive team without Grace carrying the ball 35 times a game. Burke defeated Screven 28-14 in the season opener Sept. 5.

If anything, Screven (3-3) is a more balanced team offensively. Six Gamecocks have rushed for at least 150 yards. Four have had more than 200 yards. Abraham Williams leads with 328 yards on 38 carries, with Travis Roberts, Nick Sampson, Tyrone Mingle, Edward Roberts and Aundra Williams each over the 150-yard mark.

Mingle has been solid in his first year at quarterback, and leading tackler Edward Roberts, an all-state linebacker, also has been a key at fullback.

THE EMANUEL COUNTY TROIKA:

Many great Georgia prep running backs have come from tiny Emanuel County, about an hour south of Augusta. Backs like Emanuel County Institute's Eddie Dixon, who broke Herschel Walker's state rushing record in the early 1980s, and Swainsboro's Derrick Young, who rushed for more than 4,000 yards in the early 90s.

This season, a trio of backs from the county each have a shot at state rushing titles in their respective classifications.

Swainsboro's Dante Brown, considered by several recruiting sources as the state's best in 1997, leads the area with 1,087 yards and 10 touchdown on 148 rushes.

In Twin City, Ga., Emanuel County Institute's Gary Handson could challenge for the state's Class A rushing crown. Rated as one of the top juniors in the state, Handson is third in the area with 762 yards on 90 carries.

And in Lexsy, Ga., David Emanuel Academy's Stephen Ray leads Georgia Independent School Association Class A with 1,153 yards on 174 rushes, and is second in all classifications.

``There have always been great backs from the county but this is kind of unique,'' ECI coach Isiah Andrews said. ``I'm not familiar with (Ray), but I know that Dante is one of the best in the state. Next year, I think Gary will be one of the best.''