Sports

LANCE MCCURLEY/File Photo

LANCE MCCURLEY/File Photo

McCurley: The Dawgs are hot on the trail

Lance
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Besides working for the Lake Oconee News and The Eatonton Messenger, I’ve been a recruiting reporter for UGASports.com, and I’m heading into my third year. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and I’ve fallen in love with it over the last few years. Like this one, it’s a rewarding job.
Gatewood running back Hunter Johnson (22) dives into the end zone and scores a touchdown during a game last season. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Gatewood running back Hunter Johnson (22) dives into the end zone and scores a touchdown during a game last season. IAN TOCHER/Staff

Gatewood’s Johnson signs with SUNY Cortland

Ian Tocher
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Fresh off another All-State baseball season and helping Gatewood win a third straight state title, Gators’ running back Hunter Johnson will head north to play football at SUNY Cortland, the State University of New York campus, near the mid-state Finger Lakes.
Lake Oconee Wild Things pitcher Skylar McCoy, who is a recent Morgan County graduate, totaled six strikeouts in a win on June 28. SKYLA MORRIS/Staff

Lake Oconee Wild Things pitcher Skylar McCoy, who is a recent Morgan County graduate, totaled six strikeouts in a win on June 28. SKYLA MORRIS/Staff

Lake Oconee Wild Things sweep Bucks at home

Skyla Morris
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Lake Oconee’s Wild Things showcased an action-packed weekend at home with victories over the Brookhaven Bucks on June 27-28. The series sweep propelled the Sunbelt League team to a four-game winning streak following two road victories earlier in the week.
Chase Elliott celebrates Saturday night’s win at EchoPark Speedway with a burnout. BRAD HARRISON/Staff

Chase Elliott celebrates Saturday night’s win at EchoPark Speedway with a burnout. BRAD HARRISON/Staff

Elliott snaps winless streak with last-lap pass

Brad Harrison
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
HAMPTON - A previous NASCAR Cup Series champion and 19-time winner going into last weekend, Dawsonville’s Chase Elliott has had plenty of memorable wins as a driver.
Brad Keselowski fought back from an early-race incident on Saturday, finishing second. BRAD HARRISON/Staff

Brad Keselowski fought back from an early-race incident on Saturday, finishing second. BRAD HARRISON/Staff

Keselowski comes up just shy of postseason-clinching win

Brad Harrison
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
A horrendously bad string of luck has put Brad Keselowski in a position of likely needing to win his way into the NASCAR playoffs, having failed to finish five of the season’s first 12 NASCAR Cup Series races.
Jackson Dodd earned All-Region first-team honors. FILE PHOTO

Jackson Dodd earned All-Region first-team honors. FILE PHOTO

Six War Eagles earn All-Region honors

Lance McCurley
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
The Putnam County baseball team wrapped up its first season with new head coach Stephen Phillips in April.The War Eagles went 11-20 overall in Phillips’ first year, but made a trip to the state playoffs, where they lost to rival Washington County in the first round.
Matt Allen, Gatewood’s all-time leading scorer, recently transferred to Newton High School in Covington, where he lives. FILE PHOTO

Matt Allen, Gatewood’s all-time leading scorer, recently transferred to Newton High School in Covington, where he lives. FILE PHOTO

Gators’ roster sees offseason turnover

Lance McCurley
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
The Gatewood boys basketball team recently experienced some roster turnover in the offseason.The Gators lost Ames Johnson, JT Gregory, Jake Rich, and Kaiden Keiser to graduation in May.
Loran Smith/File Photo

Loran Smith/File Photo

Smith: Bill Griffin

Loran Smith
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
The U. S. Open is not supposed to be something easy to win; inherent in its challenge are adversity and stress. If you want an easy track, stay away from Oakmont and ply your time at some muni course in some obscure, no-name town.
Putnam County’s Kadyn Dennis will return in 2025-26 as a senior. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff

Putnam County’s Kadyn Dennis will return in 2025-26 as a senior. LANCE McCURLEY/Staff

Lady War Eagles learning in summer workouts

Lance McCurley
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The Putnam County girls basketball team had a successful 2024-25 campaign.The Lady War Eagles concluded last season with an overall record of 16-10, a second-place finish in Region 4 Class A Division I, and advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the state playoffs for the first time in five years.
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