Eagles Flying High During Track Season

At a practice track meet in Albany, the Mitchell County Eagles let the opposing schools know who they would need to beat during track season.  The Eagles dominated the 100 meters and the 1st team of the 100 meter relay gave a jaw-dropping performance during this practice meet which felt like a real track meet.  If you have not seen the MCHS Eagles, come out to see them take on teams from Middle & Southwest Georgia this Saturday, March 26, at the Smith & Benson Relays at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany, Ga.

Local Athlete Sets Another Record

Mitchell County's Justin Scott-Wesley, AKA JB, is known for setting records.  Last year at the state AA track meet, Justin broke the GA state track record in the 100 meters (10.35s) and a personal best track record in the 200 meters (21.575).  Today in Tallahassee, FL, JB broke another record.  He broke the Chiles High meet record in the 100m with a time of 10.68s, (the previous record stood alone for 12 years).  JB could have shattered the meet record in the 100m but he was a little lackadaisical due to the fact that he was asleep before being awakened and told to go run the race.  For Justin to break a meet record right after waking up from a nap is amazing.  There is no telling what he would have done if he was fully focused and ran at full speed!

Southwest GA Elite...Where Are They Now?

Buster Posey

Southwest GA most popular athletic figure at the moment, Gerald Dempsey Posey III, AKA Buster, began his stellar baseball career at Lee County High School in Leesburg, GA.  While at Lee County, Buster was named GA Gatorade Player of the Year, Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year and an EA Sports All-American.

Staying close to home, Buster took his athletic talents to Florida State University.  As a Freshman, Buster played shortstop, started all 65 games for the Seminoles and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.  During his Sophomore year, Buster moved from shortstop to catcher and came in 2nd place for the Johnny Bench Award, which is rewarded to college baseball's best catcher.  In his junior year, Posey won the Johnny Bench Award and was the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year.

After being considered the best catcher in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, Buster was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the 5th overall pick.  After playing for the Giants Class A and Triple A teams, Posey was called up to the majors his 1st time in Sept. 09.  Buster was called up to the majors again in May 2010 to play 1st base.  Having played 1st base for one month, Buster then moved over to play catcher for the Giants, where his rookie season began to take off.  Buster won several rookie accolades during the regular season and went on to become the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year.  He also helped lead the Giants to the World Series against the Texas Rangers winning the series 4-1, making Posey the 5th rookie catcher to win the World Series.

As of right now, Buster can be seen gearing up for the 2011 MLB season to make another run as a defending World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants.

Track Season Is In Session

The shot put, discus, long jump, triple jump and of course...the sprints, just to name a few, are here.  Track season is in session for all you runners, jumpers and throwers.  To see a runner pass a leader of a race at break neck speed is a rush.  To all track lovers, go to your local schools to attend a track meet and get caught up in all the excitement!

Local Players Compete In NIKE Combine

Derrick Davis, Modzelle Atkins, Ja'Kyari "Jay" Jenkins & Yancey Burns

Four football players from Mitchell County traveled to Mobile, AL to participate in the NIKE SPARQ Combine.  Along with 900 other football players from across the country, the four, who attend Mitchell County High School (Modzelle Atkins, Yancey Burns, Derrick Davis & Ja’Kyari "Jay" Jenkins), were tested on their speed and agility.  Paired off into a group of 30, the Mitchell County athletes were weighed in and given a NIKE SPARQ compression training shirt.  After signing in, the boys went through technique drills and training to warm up their muscles to fend off the frigid temperatures that plagued Mobile.

           

The first station the guys went to was the 40 yard dash.  Each player was given 2 runs to showcase their speed.  After the 40, the group moved over to the 20 yard shuttle, where the player starts in the middle, runs 5 yards to an end cone and then sprints back 10 yards to  an another end cone only to turn around and run 5 yards back to the middle cone.  Next up was the power ball, where the four had to kneel down and throw a 25lb ball the size of a basketball as far as they could.  Finally, the last station of the combine was the vertical jump, where the players were tested to see how high they could jump in their bare feet.

                

After the testing, the boys were given their scores and complimentary drinks and gifts.  They then sat down in the bleachers with parents and friends to listen to George Henshaw, who is an educational speaker with the NCSA Athletic Recruiting.  Mr. Henshaw told the guys what to expect during the recruiting process and also what to do and what not to do to get exposure.

               

Once the testing and speaking were over, the athletes checked out the NIKE display and took photos.  After all the events ended, the boys left the combine learning what they needed to work on and how to become a better football player.  They recounted their experience at the NIKE SPARQ Combine as they made the five hour drive back to Mitchell County. 

Is There Pressure On An Athlete to Succeed?

How old do you have to be to decide you want to play sports professionally, 6...15?  One doesn't really know.  Kids have dreams of being a superhero one day and an athletic star the next.  Being a star athlete in school, an athlete realizes they have something good going for them, so they decide to put the team and the school on their back; adding more pressure to themselves to be perfect.  The athletes themselves want to be the best on the team and so do their parents.  My question is, how much pressure should an athlete put on him or herself to be successful and to make everyone around them happy?  Tell me, what do you think?