People say I’ll be drafted in the first round, maybe even higher. Craig “Ironhead” Heyward Ten seconds after the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr.

In their first playoff series of the 2024 postseason the Gatewood Gators (17-7) swept the Westwood Wildcats in two games last Friday in a best-of-three series at home in Eatonton. The Gators won the opening game 15-8, then followed up with a 13-5 win to advance to the GIAA 2-A final four.

After competing at the Georgia High School Association’s Class AA sectionals this past weekend, Putnam County track and field will send several athletes to the state meet at Commerce High School later this week.

lance@msgrnews.com Despite a challenging start to the season, the Gatewood boys’ soccer team has demonstrated remarkable resilience, culminating in a string of victories over the past month. The Gators ended the regular season with an uneven 6-7 record but have won two straight playoff matches to get their record above .500.

Georgia’s nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles began with a three-island rush last weekend. A nest each was found on Wassaw and Jekyll islands, plus two on Blackbeard.

A new Lake Sinclair record blue catfish was caught about 11:30 a.m. April 27 by Guy Covington of Social Circle.

All of us bring about multiple images as we travel life’s journey, and we will be remembered differently by those with whom we cross paths. For the Payne Hall fraternity of the late ’50s, there were some interesting characters with divergent and varying ways.

Last week, the Gatewood boys’ track and field team captured its third state championship in five years. It did so in dramatic fashion, too.

Putnam County baseball’s season ended last week at Worth County in the first round of the playoffs. The Rams (22-7) swept the two-game series to eliminate the War Eagles (13-14) on Thursday.

Putnam County soccer’s quest for a state championship ended in the second round of the state playoffs. Last Friday, Pierce County topped the War Eagles 2-1 at Al Reaves Stadium in Eatonton to advance.