Sports

Putnam County head coach Michael Taylor (far left) poses with seniors (from left to right) Brad Reeves, Edwith Lopez and Marco Owensby, with assistant coach Jared Coronado (far right), after the players signed scholarships to play at the collegiate level. ARELLA CASH/Staff

Putnam County head coach Michael Taylor (far left) poses with seniors (from left to right) Brad Reeves, Edwith Lopez and Marco Owensby, with assistant coach Jared Coronado (far right), after the players signed scholarships to play at the collegiate level. ARELLA CASH/Staff

Taylor reflects on first season at Putnam

Putnam County boys’ soccer head coach Michael Taylor enjoyed considerable success in his first season. In 2023, the War Eagles went 15-1-2 overall and had a perfect Region 4-AA record of 8-0 under Taylor’s direction.
Sadie Norman

Sadie Norman

GMC golfer qualifies for national championship

Georgia Military College (GMC) Junior College Women’s Golf is making its presence known in just the fourth full year of the program. Sadie Norman is officially the sixth Bulldog to qualify for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Championship.
JMA’s Briggs Eady (5) celebrates with Brady Rollins (22) after hitting a home run last Friday against Heritage Academy. TREY NORRIS/Staff

JMA’s Briggs Eady (5) celebrates with Brady Rollins (22) after hitting a home run last Friday against Heritage Academy. TREY NORRIS/Staff

JMA beats Heritage 10-3 to advance to AAA semifinals

After enjoying a first-round bye, No. 1 seed John Milledge Academy (JMA) began its playoff run for back-to-back GIAA Class AAA state baseball championships last Friday when the Trojans hosted Heritage Academy.
Loran Smith/Columnist

Loran Smith/Columnist

Smith: Generations of Philly Dawgs

When the Eagles drafted Georgia’s Nolan Smith soon after having picked Jalen Carter, a couple of calls came in regarding the foursome of Bulldogs on the Philadelphia roster, with Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis has joined the team a year earlier.
Loran Smith/Columnist

Loran Smith/Columnist

Smith: Wesley Walls

CHARLOTTE – With a population of 874,579 as proclaimed by the last census, the Queen City of Charlotte is the 16th most populous city in the U. S. but maintains a small-town feel. Like Atlanta in the ’60s. There is traffic, but it is not debilitating.
The Gators finished second overall with 83 points at the 2023 GIAA Class AA state track meet, only trailing Trinity Christian with 182 points. TREY NORRIS/Staff

The Gators finished second overall with 83 points at the 2023 GIAA Class AA state track meet, only trailing Trinity Christian with 182 points. TREY NORRIS/Staff

Gators finish strong at state meet

The Gatewood boys and girls track and field teams both placed in the top three at the GIAA Class AA state track meet last week. The boys finished in second place with a score of 83 points, and the girls came in third place with a total of 61 points.
Gators’ junior Ames Johnson (7) makes a play from the left side of the infield. TREY NORRIS/Staff

Gators’ junior Ames Johnson (7) makes a play from the left side of the infield. TREY NORRIS/Staff

Gators end regular season with loss, now prep for playoffs

Gatewood baseball ended its regular season last week with an 11-0 loss to Pinewood Christian. The Gators traveled to Bellville to play the Patriots for the regular season finale.
Gates Lanzarone (28) sends a single into left field. ARELLA CASH/Staff

Gates Lanzarone (28) sends a single into left field. ARELLA CASH/Staff

War Eagles fall in first round to Brantley County

Putnam County baseball’s season came to an end last week against No. 2 seed Brantley County. The No. 3 seed War Eagles traveled to Nahunta and came back with two losses to the Blue Herons. Brantley County (20-12) defeated Putnam County 9-4 and 8-2 last Monday to advance to the Sweet 16.
ARELLA CASH/Staff

ARELLA CASH/Staff

PCHS tennis finishes 3rd in region tourney

Putnam County High School’s new girls’ tennis program reached several milestones over the course of just a few months, including a 3rd-place finish in the AA Region 4 tournament on April 11, at Putnam High’s new tennis complex.