Sports

What’s Going
on in Baseball?

Published 6-4-2020
by Jim Fowler

Is baseball going crazy? Yeah, that may be a somewhat strong statement, but it has crossed my mind. I’m talking about Major League Baseball and the influence it has on other levels. There are many levels that I am talking about and I’ll address a few.
First of all, the Major League Baseball draft, that consisted of 40 rounds in past years, will be cut back to five rounds this year. That means that in past years about 1,200 players were drafted and this year there will be about 150. If a player is draft eligible and is not drafted, they will be able to sign with any major league team as a free agent. A team can sign an unlimited number of free agents. The most a free agent can be paid is $20,000. That’s a far cry from what former draft choices in lower rounds were paid.
This will affect college baseball and make it difficult for college coaches to construct their rosters. They don’t know which commitments to count on as the draft approaches or even after the draft is over.
Baseball has also cut back the number of minor league teams by approximately 42 teams. Last year there were 160 minor league teams. This not only affects the careers of players but of team officials, umpires, front office personnel, and others. The Braves are predicted to lose their High-A Florida Fire Frogs and their rookie league Danville Braves franchises.
Teams recently began to release minor league players and hundreds have been let go. The Braves have released 30 players so far, with one of those being Braxton Davidson, who was Atlanta’s number one draft choice in 2014. He had never played above the A-ball level.
The loss of minor league teams also affects communities. These communities, many of which have had teams for decades, will lose revenues from hotels, food, and other incomes.
Maybe the problem that could be the most devastating for baseball is the disagreement between the players and owners over payroll should the 2020 season begin. Management has made a proposal that the players have unequivocally refused with some rather angry responses.
This is hard for baseball fans, many of whom are trying to live on unemployment checks, to accept. People who have been laid off from their jobs and are struggling to put bread on the table aren’t happy with millionaires arguing over money. These are many of the baseball fans who help pay these ridiculous salaries by attending games.
I’ll give you a few statistics and you can decide your position: 1,410 players appeared in a MLB game during the 2019 season. 124 of those players (9 percent) earned at least $10 million. 140 are scheduled to make $10 million in 2020. 47 players are scheduled to earn at least $20 million in 2020. How can anyone feel sorry for these spoiled whiners.
Looking at the other side of the equation, the average baseball franchise is worth about $1.85 billion.
So, make up your own mind. Who is the most greedy? I support the owners. These spoiled players make enough money to provide for hundreds of hard-working families so I don’t have any sympathy for them
The owners? Well, they are providing for the income of hundreds of people by paying players, coaches, front office personnel, ground crews, and other team officials.
So, is baseball in trouble? You decide!

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A Coach Without a Season

Published 6-4-2020
By Jacob Stewart
Civic Center Drive has been unusually quiet this Spring. For many years prior, the fields have been filled with children and their families. Countless homeruns, soccer goals, memories, and lifelong friends have been made on those precious fields of green. However, this unfortunate year forced this Spring’s chapter to be left unwritten.
Buck Fulghum has been a staple of Thomaston-Upson Civic Center sports. Over the past 30 years, Fulghum has coached soccer, baseball, football, and basketball. Fulghum has enjoyed sports and it has always been a passion for him. Sports is a family ordeal for Fulghum, as his children played growing up. Fulghum spoke about the inability to have sports this Spring: “For me, Spring means sports and excitement for the kids and their families. Although I have a deep passion for sports, it is the mentoring and teaching the kids that I miss the most. It is their disappointment that has made times like these so difficult.”
Fulghum had to deliver the sad news to his baseball team when he was informed about the season’s cancellation. He said, “They were very disappointed that the season had ended after just four practices.” Fulghum hopes for positive benefits from the current global situation, “I hope there are lessons learned to always do your best and seize every moment while the opportunity is there.” There are ball players that had their final season taken away from them. Those athletes would attest to Fulghum’s words to never take the game for granted.
Fulghum spoke about how the situation has affected him, “I have learned over the years not to struggle over things I cannot control. However, when it involves something I am very passionate about, it is hard to live by those words.” The same can be said for everyone during these confusing times. For now, all anyone can do is dream of those beautiful days where memories were made between the white lines. The days are coming back, and their return will be so sweet.

Turner Maddox Commits to Play Baseball at Thomas University

Published 5-14-2020
By Jacob Stewart
Although Spring sports were cancelled, Upson-Lee’s senior shortstop Turner Maddox is not done playing baseball. Maddox was a heart of the order bat on varsity for four years. He blossomed from a talented underclassmen into an experienced leader as he grew into the ball player he is today. Maddox is not done growing as an athlete or young man. He is heading to Thomas University to play baseball for the Nighthawks. Maddox has not decided on a major yet but will continue to find his way. Maddox accomplished many things on the field including being named as the first team all-region shortstop, but he did many things in school participating in BETA club, National Honors Society, and Student Council. The outcome of Maddox’s senior season is unfortunate; however, it is sure to allow him to grow more at the next level. Congratulations to Maddox on his commitment and graduation.

Flint River Academy Holds Online Basketball Awards

Published 5-14-2020
In an unusual school year for firsts, Flint River Academy Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Eugene Fries and his assistant coach Matt Hinesly held an online basketball awards ceremony May 5 to conclude the season.
Acknowledgements were made to the middle school girls’ team, a young team of four sixth graders and only two experienced eighth graders who nevertheless worked hard through the season, learned to love the game, and grew in confidence.
Eighth Graders: Chloe Thompson and Jaycee Matheny; Seventh Graders: Abigail Carroll and Jewel Waldrep; Sixth Graders Addison Garrett Kennedy Goldston, Simms Goodwin, and Brooklyn Waldrep competed well for the Wildcats.
The FRA middle school boys’ team was loaded with experienced talent and enjoyed a great competitive season.
Eighth Graders: Brody Howard, Cale Cartwright, Ben Taylor, Mason Reeves, Walker Jones, Hayden Hinesly, Dayton Stephens, and Lucas Martin led the athletic group. While no 7th graders were on the team, a talented set of Sixth Graders added to the athletic base: Rocco Barbee, Carter Crew, Cole Riner, Jordan Phillips, and Noah Hizel. These athletes play multiple sports at FRA and give it their all in practice and games.
Coach Fries complimented the varsity girls for being picked sixth in region at the beginning of the season to finishing region runner up. Their hard work and commitment earned over twenty wins this season. Senior leadership from Stella Johnson, Caroline Cartwright, and Jada Gresham led to the team’s success. The Most Improved Award went to Madelyn Chapman, Defensive Award to Emily Rogers, Offensive MVP to Jada Gresham, Coach’s Award to Caroline Cartwright, and Most Valuable Player to Stella Johnson. Johnson went on to play in the All Star game and All State game along with being named to the All Region Team with Emily Rogers and Caroline Cartwright.
The varsity boys’ team, the defending state champions, had an exciting season and narrowly missed a chance at another title. Seniors leading the team were Efe Faydaci, Luka Marinic, Marko Matijevic, and Garrett Martin. Underclassmen showing terrific potential for next year are Branson Stephens, Seab Massey, Colton Rush, Hugh Barbee, Bowen Wasden, and Zach Neal. Earning the Most Improved Award was Zach Neal, the Coach’s Award went to Colton Rush, the Defensive Award to Branson Stephens, Offensive Award to Luka Marinic, and the Most Valuable Player to Hugh Barbee. Luka Marinic and Marco Matijevic were named to All Region Team and Luka was named to the All Star Team.
Congratulations to all the athletes on a fine season. Coach Fries finished the program by encouraging the athletes to work through the summer and be ready for the new association FRA has joined. FRA’s athletic schedule with GAPS will see the teams play many schools they knew in GISA as they crossed to the new association too. Easier travel distances should improve the season as well.

Ben McDaniel Commits to Play
Baseball at Emmanuel College

Published 5-7-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Baseball team’s season was cut short due to the unfortunate coronavirus, but it did not stop the talented class of seniors from receiving the opportunity to play at the next level.
Senior Ben McDaniel was a force behind the plate for the Diamond Knights. McDaniel made the choice in November to take his talents to Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga. McDaniel played baseball for the Knights for four years. He played varsity for three years and was captain his senior year. McDaniel’s junior year he was named as the catcher for the all-region second team as well as listed on the GHSA Top 100 players list. He also was named to 2019 and 2020 PG Rawlings All-American teams.
McDaniel was phenomenal on the field, but arguably even better in the classroom. He took advantage of the dual enrollment program offered at Gordon State College where he was able to get ahead for college. He held a 4.0 GPA at Gordon along with a 3.9 GPA at Upson-Lee. McDaniel participated in Student Council, BETA Club, National Honors Society, Youth Leadership Upson Alumni, DECA, and FCLA while in high school. McDaniel worked very hard to be the best ball player he could be and worked just as hard on his academic career. He earned the Pinnacle Academic Scholarship to Emmanuel College. Congratulations to Ben McDaniel on an outstanding career and setting a perfect example of a student-athlete.

Trent Walls Commits to Play Baseball
at Thomas University

Published 5-7-2020
By Jacob Stewart
Trent Walls was a large part in the Upson-Lee baseball season that was sure to be something special. Unfortunately, the season was cancelled, and Walls’ time was cut short. However, Walls was able to receive an offer from Thomas University to play baseball for the Nighthawks.
Walls played varsity for the Knights for three years and was a force to be reckoned with. His unrivaled speed helped him navigate the bases like a freeway and allowed him to track down fly balls in center field. Walls earned a spot on the PBR All-Tournament team in his senior season. He was a very active student and participated in FCA and DECA clubs.
Congratulations to Walls on a great high school career as a prominent student-athlete.

Rechtorovic Signs with GWU

Published 4-23-2020
Ty Rechtorovic recently announced his commitment to play baseball at Gardner-Webb University beginning in the Fall of 2020. GWU is located in Boiling Springs, N.C. and is a member of the NCAA Division 1 Big South Conference. He will have an official signing when it is safe to do so. It was a tough decision but he feels that GWU will be a great fit for him. He also has been awarded the Presidential Scholarship in the amount of $60,000. He plans to major in sports management.
Ty is the son of Erik and Hayley Rechtorovic. Hayley stated, “To say that we are proud of Ty would be an understatement! He has played baseball and absolutely loved it since the age of three, never missing a season...playing 9-10 months of the year for the last 15 years and never wanting a break from it! He is also a straight ‘A’ dual-enrolled student with a 3.9 high school grade point average and a 4.0 college GPA. It is so rewarding to see his hard work on the ball field and in the classroom paying off for him!”

Gill Brings Workouts to The House

Published 4-16-2020
By Luke Haney
With gyms and fitness centers closed nationwide, many are now searching for ways to improve their health and stay in shape during COVID-19.
Carly Gill, Thomaston native and owner of Daily Does It Fitness, has begun virtual training done at home.
Gill has a series on her Instagram page, @dailydoesitfitness, where she presents various workouts that can be completed from home, while using common household objects.
Several of the exercises presented represent ways to strengthen the core, increase balance and stability, etc. In place of weights, Gill recommends using canned goods, gallons of milk, and other household objects to increase your at-home workout. For video references, visit Carly Gill on Instagram or Facebook at @dailydoesitfitness or visit dailydoesitfitness.com
Gill describes the business, stating “I am an ACE certified personal trainer with a passion for helping people get fit, healthy and able. I am a former pageant competitor and swimsuit competition winner. I love what I do and want to help you learn to love fitness too. I take pride in not only training my clients, but helping them understand the science and reason behind the exercises we do, and why they work to produce results. We'll track your progress together with physical assessments and body composition measurements. Whether you're a brand new beginner or someone who's exercised their whole life but lack your desired results, I can help you! I train all ages, male and female. I travel with my own equipment and I come to you! I do in-home, in-office, residential gyms, senior living and outdoor training.”
Daily Does It Fitness serves North Metro Atlanta, although virtual training can be done from anywhere.

Evan Hendricks Scores 1st Turkey

Published 4-16-2020 Five-year-old Evan Hendricks shot his very first turkey on his own recently, hunting with his father Josh Hendricks. The bird had a 9 1/2” beard and 1” spurs.

GHSA Shuts Down Sports for the 2019-2020 Season

Published 4-9-2020
By Jacob Stewart
On April 2, the Georgia High School Association announced the cancellation of all high school sports for the remainder of the season. The GHSA gave the official announcement in correlation of Governor Kemp’s orders for closing of schools, “…it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that all GHSA activities and sports are cancelled for 2019-2020 school year.”
The statement seemed inevitable but is still extremely disappointing for everyone including the senior athletes. The GHSA is working with the NCAA to develop a recruitment process for the unseen senior athletes.

Checking in On the Brotherhood

Senior, Brady Puckett, chases down a shot attempt.

Published 4-9-2020
By Jacob Stewart
In the wake of the pandemic, the sports world has been put on hold. The Upson-Lee boys’ soccer season was stopped right in the middle. This team had an interesting story behind it. One year removed from a state championship appearance, the team features a new coach and many young faces. I was able to contact head coach Adam Green and we talked about his team.
The Knights were off to a slow 1-8 season, but the team is young so there is always much more of a story behind the record. Coach Green told me, “They have come a long way. None of the boys have 60 plus minutes of regular game day playing time under their belt. I had three boys that were on varsity last year, and they got spotty time before.” Coach Green mentioned that this is not only a growing experience for the players, but for himself as well. “ It has been an interesting adjustment for myself to see their growth, especially from where I came from before in the state youth development club system. It has taken the coaching staff and adjustment also to get to know the boys and what makes them tick.”
A challenge that every athlete is facing through these times is how to stay in shape and stay sharp in his/her skills. I asked Coach Green how he is working his guys even though a group practice is not permitted. Coach Green mentioned, “I expressed touch at home. I am a big proponent on juggling because all you need is a ball…They all signed up for Nike Run Club. The coach can monitor their progress on a certain amount they need to run.”
I mentioned to Coach Green that if the season never resumes the team will lose time and chemistry that they can never regain. Coach Green assured me that his mission as a coach goes far beyond this single season. Coach Green spoke of things he discussed with the other coaches. “(We) spoke about not only this season but the future also. Joey and I started working with teams at the recreation program at the civic center. I am an advisor for the recreation program and brought in ideas and new plans to start implementing over the next year to modernize the recreation program.”
Coach Green started from the bottom level of soccer in Upson County, but he clearly understands that the kids there are the future of a successful high school program.
Coach Green did not stop there. He added, “We started a middle school team this year…From varsity to middle school, we have coaches that are a part of the Knight Brotherhood. All coaches graduated and played for the Knights…This program is not just about soccer, it is about so much more.” Coach Green and his staff are working to make the Brotherhood even stronger. They are not taking any short cuts as they are going to all levels of soccer and working to improve them.
I asked Coach Green one last question. I asked him what his message to his seniors will be if this season never resumes due to the coronavirus. Speaking to a group of seniors that will never get their senior night. The guys who walked off the soccer field for the last time and never knew it. Coach Green told me, “Even though their senior year was not complete such as years (in the) past, it was hopefully full of memories…I hope they take their experiences on the field and use it in the future. They overcame a lot this year and grew as young men. I hope the best for them and will always be there if they need advice, guidance, or just a place that they feel at home and welcomed.”
It will undoubtedly be a sad conversation between Coach Green and those young men. For now, all we can do is hope for those seniors that games will resume in May. After communicating with Coach Green, I believe that he is truly doing everything to better the soccer program at every level in Upson County. This season may never end at 1-8 for the varsity squad, but the program is going up under Coach Green and his staff.

6 Individuals, 1 Team Inducted Into Local Sports Hall of Fame

Published 4-2-2020
Six individuals and one team were inducted into the Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, March 24, at the organization’s 16th annual induction banquet, joining 100 other individuals and 19 other teams that have been honored locally for their achievements.
The late Alvin Sanders (1927-1991) attended R.E. Lee Institute, where he played both football and baseball. In 1994, he scored five touchdowns in a 51-0 Lee shutout over Forsyth. He also competed on numerous Thomaston American Legion baseball teams, including the 1944 Georgia State Champions.
In 1945, Sanders signed a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, and at age 17 played outfield in the Class C Carolina League for the Winston-Salem Cardinals. He was noted for his speed and was a consistent .300 hitter that year, including a 7-for-7 game at the plate.
In 1946 Sanders made the Georgia-Florida League all-star team while playing for Albany, then played for the Griffin Pimentos in the league in 1948, 1949 and 1951. In 1950 he was a member of the state runner-up East Thomaston Millers in the Georgia Semi-Pro League.
In 1947 and 1953 Sanders played for the famed House of David touring baseball team. All of the players on the squad were required to wear beards.
Charles Stewart attended James R. Atwater Elementary School, where he was a standout athlete, leading Atwater to the county junior high school basketball championship in 1959. He furthered his career at R.E. Lee, where he lettered in basketball for two years and baseball for three years. He once outscored Lee’s opponent with 36 points in a 65-27 win over Jonesboro, and was named Most Valuable Player in 1963.
Following graduation in ’63, Stewart received a basketball/baseball scholarship to Mercer University, where he was a one-year letterman in basketball and four-year letterman in baseball for the Bears. In 1967 he established a Mercer single-game strikeout record by fanning 15 Miami University batters.
Stewart became head basketball and baseball coach at Mt. De Sales in Macon, where his 1969 team won the Georgia Class C state championship. Following that season, he was named Georgia Baseball Coach of the Year.
Jim Haygood was a rare four-year letterman in football and three-year letterman in baseball prior to graduating from R.E. Lee in 1965. In 1961 he received the Most Promising Player Award on a Rebel football team that played for the AAA state championship.
During his senior season, Haygood was co-captain and led the 1964 team in rushing with 694 yards on 146 carries for a 4.8-yard average. Following that season, he was named Lee’s Most Valuable Player, and received honorable mention on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-State team.
Based on his high school record, Haygood received a football scholarship to Georgia Tech, where he was a letterman at 1968.
Left-handed pitcher Ronald “Gramps” Royal was considered by many to be the best local pitcher of his generation. He was a four-year letterman at Lee, starting on the mound in every game during the 1964 season. He was named to the All-Region 4AAA Team in 1964, the year of his graduation.
Royal also played Connie Mack baseball for Jackson and led that team to a third-place finish in the state tournament. He threw a one-hit shutout against South Columbus in a 7-0 win in the state playoffs.
He went on to establish a standout career at both Abraham Baldwin Junior College and West Georgia College. In 1969, Royal had an earned run average of 0.48 and hurled two shutouts for West Georgia.
Royal played semi-pro baseball for several teams in surrounding cities.
Tommy Watson was a two-year starter on the Upson-Lee High School Knights’ football team, where he played for four different head coaches. He received the Best Offensive Lineman Award in 1995 and the Best Defensive Lineman Award in 1996.
Following high school, Watson played football at Middle Georgia Junior College for one year and Copiah-Lincoln Junior College for a season. He helped guide Middle Georgia to an 11-1 record and the championship of the 1998 Mineral Bowl.
He received a football scholarship to Mississippi State, where he was a two-year starter as a center and guard for the Bulldogs. He played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic following his senior season and signed a free-agent contract with the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
After his playing career, Watson became a high school football coach and was head coach of the Knights from 2008 to 2013. He then worked as an assistant coach at Valdosta High School and Lowndes County High School. He is now the head football coach at Lambert High School in Suwanee.
Woody Woodall was a four-sport letterman at Lee, where he graduated in 1965. He was a three-year starter and letterman as an end and kicker in football, a two-year letterman in basketball and baseball, and a four-year letterman in track.
He led the Rebels in receiving in 1963 with 27 catches for 324 yards and had a school single-game record of three touchdown receptions. He was awarded the Coaches Trophy following the 1964 season. In 1963 and ’64 Woodall received honorable mention on the AJC AAA All-State Team.
He received a football scholarship to the University of Georgia, where he was a defensive tackle and kicker, lettering for the Bulldogs in 1967 and ’68.
The 1950 R.E. Lee Lady Rebels basketball team, coached by J.E. Richards, finished the season with a 16-3 record, winning the last six games of the season to earn a berth into the state playoffs.
The women defeated Decatur 45-20, Marietta 25-15 and Glynn Academy 43-23 to capture the first Georgia AA State Championship in history. The state tournament was held at the Lee gymnasium. Prior to winning the state crown, the team won the fourth district championship in 1948 and 1949.
Leading scorers for the Lady Rebels during the 1950 season were June Black, Sylvia Reeves and Betty Walker. Other team members were Frances Barrett, Faire Dawkins, Myrtice Hale, Myrtle Hale, Jean Hutcherson, Melba McCrackin, Jean Pryor, Virginia Reeves, Grace Short, Martha Smith, Christine Vaughn, Nell Webb, and Alverne Winslett.
Inductee sponsors for the event were United Bank, West Central Georgia Bank, Kay Robinson State Farm of Thomaston, Walt McAbee State Farm of Zebulon, Upson Lee Elementary School, UL Middle School, and UL High School.
“We give special thanks to those advertisers who have sponsored our inductees,” said Board Chairman Jim Fowler. “We also thank those who advertised in our annual program. Your support is essential to the success of this evening.
“The Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame’s mission is to recognize and honor those individuals who have contributed to and brought positive attention to the community through their extraordinary efforts and achievements in the field of athletics,” Fowler continued.
“The local Hall of Fame belongs to the Thomaston-Upson community and we covet the support and input of our citizens,” Fowler concluded. “The board of directors always keeps the athletic heritage and traditions of our community at the forefront of every decision that we make.”

Graddick’s Senior Chair Exercises

Published 3-26-2020
In an effort to keep our seniors’ bodies healthy and mind in tip-top shop shape during this time of self-quarantine, Patrick Graddick, owner of Results by Patrick, LLC, has released the following low impact exercises to help pass the time. Graddick cautions all seniors to follow their doctor’s orders at all times, adjust the exercises to each individual level and to be careful not to over exert themselves.
Graddick started Results By Patrick to offer individual coaching as well as classes.
Chair workouts at home:
1. Shoulder presses: Sit in your chair, raise your arms up 90 degrees, press your hands above your head for 15 repetitions.
2. Front punches: From your chair, punch with both hands for 25 seconds.
3. Running in place from your chair: Stay seated and run in place at a pace comfortable for you for 25 seconds.
4. Seated knee raises: From your seat, raise your knee high as possible to your midsection and lower back down, alternating legs.
5. Arm circles: From your chair, hold your arms to the side, make small circles for 25 seconds, then reverse it.
These are low impact movement for seniors they can do in a chair. Go at your own pace, get water as needed.

Still Have a Lot to Prove

Kion Colbert (left) fights until the end of a long 300-meter hurdles race.

Published 3-26-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The world is in unchartered territory. Usually, when things get rough and the times get bad, people turn to sports to escape reality. Sports has always provided fans with something to take their minds off the daily struggle. When the coronavirus began to spread in America, sports was the first thing to go. Within two days, all major sports were shut down and school systems followed. The closing of schools in Georgia resulted in sports closing as well.
Spring sports are the most impacted by this surreal outbreak. I was able to contact a friend and a teammate, Kion Colbert, and talk about how this directly affects his life on and off the track.
I asked Colbert about his initial reaction when school and track was shut down until at least the end of March. Colbert responded, “Well, I felt like it was a waste of time. I am a senior and I cannot afford to waste time. I was upset because I could not run track and try to get a scholarship from a good school.”
It is very understandable that Colbert felt as if time has been stripped from him. Colbert is trying to make the best of the downtime though. He said, “I go to the track every other day and work on my technique.”
I asked Colbert his thought process when the reality set in that the track season may never resume. He said, “Hopefully (I will) finish school this year and get accepted to a college and start a career.” Colbert understands that this pandemic may dissolve his life on the track, but he is doing what he can to control his future.
Colbert might be the face of the Upson-Lee track team. He has dominated in boys hurdles for the past three years. He has mentored others in his craft. Many other hurdlers from Upson-Lee will give credit to Colbert for taking time out of his training to help a teammate. He is the model of hard work.
The star senior told me he does have one existing offer to run in college, but it is not his only way of getting an education. Colbert said, “Track is not really my only way to go to college, but it plays a big role.”
I did not mean to poke at any emotional waves, but I asked Colbert a serious question. Last Tuesday, the Upson-Lee track team raced a small meet with Pike County. Not one runner ever thought that this might be the last time they put on their spikes. For many seniors including Colbert, it might have been the last time they settled into their blocks and not one of them knew it. I asked Colbert if he had any reflections on what this journey had been. He told me, “Well it has been a good run. I met a lot of people and coaches that always wanted the best for me. It was a great experience for me especially making it to state, setting two school records, and having a lot of supporters behind me. I still had a lot more to prove though.”
Colbert’s final statement was one for all athletes playing spring sports this year. There was still so much left to prove. The pandemic may subside and one day no one will worry about it, but for many athletes they will never be able to compete again. However, Colbert should not fall into that category. Colbert holds the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdle records at Upson-Lee and has untapped potential still in him.

Knights Track Team Battles Pike County in Season Opener

Shauntavius Smith anchors the win for the Knights’ four-by-100-meter team.

Published 3-19-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Knights track team traveled down Highway 19 to face off with Pike County on the track. The Knights started the season with a small-scale meet and got a look at what is to come when the regions realign in the Fall. The boys’ team won the dual meet while the girls were not as successful.
On the girls’ side of things, there were a few standout performances. Kamia Colbert and D’Kaija Fagan were separated by just one-hundredth of a second as they came in first and second place in the 100-meter dash. Delaysia Chambless ran 1:08 in the 400-meter to take first place. Egypt Neal stood out in the field events for the girls as she took first place in the shot-put.
The boys took care of business against the rival Pirates.
Kesean Carter took first place in the 100-meter race with a time of 11.17. Anthony Bloodser won the 200-meter dash in 23.90. Kion Colbert won the 110-meter hurdles race in 15.78.
Both the four-by-100-meter and four-by-400-meter teams beat Pike County.
For the field events, Niterrian Walker won in the shot-put finals and Xavier Green took first place in the long jump.

Upson-Lee Tennis Begins

Jed Weatherford and Grayson Sheppard helped secure the team win against Mary Persons with a clutch third set victory.

Published 3-19-2020
By Jacob Stewart
After many cancellations, the Upson-Lee Knights tennis team began action in the past week. The Knights faced rival Pike County and both the boys’ and girls’ teams won. The boys won 5-0 and the girls took a closer match 3-2.
The Knights opened region play against Mary Persons at the beginning of the week. The boys’ team won 3-2. John Hernandez and Tanner Wilson won their singles matches in straight sets. Grayson Sheppard and Jed Weatherford played a tight doubles match that went all three sets. The tandem was victorious and won the final set 6-3. The girls’ team lost against Mary Persons 0-5 and no individual scores were available.
On Thursday, the Knights hosted Mt. De Sales in a non-region competition. The boys' team struggled against the very strong competitors as they fell 1-4. Wilson won the only match of the day. Wilson won 8-0 in his singles match. The girls' team fell 2-3 but competed very well. No individual scores were available for the girls.
It is unknown whether the season will resume due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Middle School Knights Remain Undefeated

Eighth grader Trent Coker takes a swing at a pitch in the Knights’ win over Byron. Coker hit for an average of .333 on the week with a .600 on-base percentage. photo from Brooke Holloway Photography.

Published 3-19-2020
By Austin Franklin
After Upson Lee Middle’s blowout win over ACE Monday night, the team returned home Tuesday for a double header with Byron and Thursday with ACE, winning all three games in convincing fashion. The Knights defeated Byron 11-2 and 21-7 on Tuesday and ACE 16-7 on Thursday.
Jackson Blakely had another huge week hitting two home runs in the double header to go along with four other hits. Blakely totaled nine RBI in the three games. Fellow eighth grader Campbell Hinson had a week of his own, collecting five hits and six RBI. Jackson Wells accounted for four hits, with Walker Stevens collecting three. Davis Mitcham and Trent Coker sprinkled in two hits with a plethora of players adding a hit on the week in Cason Blakely, Colby Hemphill, Caden Goins, Jax Harrison, Trey Jones, and JT Reeves.
Seventh Grader Trey Webb impressed on the mound in relief duty pitching three and two-thirds innings of two hit ball allowing no runs.

Knights Run Out of Time Against Fort Valley

Brian Ventura pushes the ball upfield. Ventura scored the Knights’ first goal and assisted the second.

Published 3-19-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Middle School boys soccer team faced Fort Valley on Wednesday night. The pace of play was fast from start to finish. The Knights trailed 2-0 at halftime but came out of the locker room with a different look for the second half. The rain began to fall about 10 minutes into the second half and Brian Ventura put the Knights on the board.
The Knights continued to play solid defense to keep the game close. With six minutes to play, Fort Valley scored what would have been the dagger, but the Knights responded in less than 30 seconds. Ventura executed a nice cross to Eli Fry and Fry flicked in a goal off on his back heel that kept the Knights in the game.
The Knights would run out of time and fall 3-2 against the much larger Fort Valley club. Since the Knights only carry sixth and seventh graders, the team is outsized and younger than every opponent. The young team is still able to challenge the ball and compete. The Knights are 1-2-1 and will go to Lamar County to face the Trojans on Monday.

Lady Knights Win Big

Zuleyka Velasco takes a corner kick. Velasco scored three goals in the Lady Knights’ win.

Published 3-19-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Lady Knights took the field on Wednesday night with the mindset to score early and often. Halfway into the first half, Zuleyka Velasco opened the flood gates for the Lady Knights. Velasco scored on a penalty kick. Velasco added another goal soon after. Sydney Thompson and Asia Derico added first half goals. The Lady Knights led 4-0 at halftime and all the goals came within a seven-minute span.
The second half started with more of the same. Mikayla Peoples scored less than a minute into the final half. Despite a breakaway score by the Fort Valley girls, the Lady Knights kept pouring it on. Vanessa Ventura got in on the action to make the game 6-1. Ventura’s goal was the start of a burst of three goals in a two-minute span. Carlee Green scored followed by Velasco, who scored to obtain the hat trick in the 8-1 victory.
Good defense can never go unnoticed as the Lady Knights held the opposition to only one goal amid their scoring onslaught. The Lady Knights improved to 2-3 and will travel to Lamar County to face the Trojans on Monday.

Knights Continue to Win

Junior Austin Hendricks shines on a bright Saturday afternoon. Hendricks dominated the Blue Devils and retired 10 batters via the strikeout.

Published 3-12-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Knights took the field to face the Manchester Blue Devils on a cold Saturday afternoon. junior Austin Hendricks took the mound and sent the first batter back to the visiting dugout after a strikeout looking. Despite a two-out single and a hit by a pitch, Hendricks got through the first without surrendering a run. The Knights bats went down in order and the game was scoreless through one frame. Hendricks picked up two more strikeouts in the second inning and the Knights’ bats responded in the bottom half of the inning.
Logan Spivey led off with a single but was thrown out at second when Ty Rechtorovic rolled into a fielders’ choice. Brooks Gulley reached with a single and senior Mason Wilder drove home two with a single. Wilder moved around the bases and scored on a balk. Trent Walls singled and scored on an RBI single by Austin Hendricks. The Knights took a 4-0 lead into the third inning.
Hendricks continued to make great pitches and get batters to roll out, but a couple of errors on the left side of the Knights infield put two Blue Devils on the basepaths. Hendricks had his first high leverage situation and he responded well. He picked up a strikeout for the first out. Hendricks got another ground ball and this time the defense behind him held strong rolling a four-six-three double play to end the inning. The Blue Devils did score a run in the third, but it was unearned. The Blue Devils responded by committing two errors of their own and putting the Knights in a great position to tack on more runs. Ben McDaniel and Logan Spivey reached on the errors. Brooks Gulley did his job hitting a sacrifice fly into center field to plate Spivey and that was all the Knights could get in the third. The score was 5-1 Knights at the halfway point.
Hendricks kept dealing as he added two more strikeouts in the fourth. Hendricks was able to get batters to miss in the zone and even chase his off-speed outside of the strike zone. At the bottom of the fourth, the Knights were primed to do more damage. Trent Walls smashed a one-out double and a sacrifice bunt by Hendricks moved him to third. Turner Maddox demolished a ball to right field, and it was off to the races. Maddox reached third and a throwing error allowed him to make it home. What would have been a two-run inside-the-park-homer was called back. A controversial call that Maddox did not touch first base on his dash around the horn went in favor of the Blue Devils and the play was called back. A very unfortunate call for the Knights, but they were still up by four heading into the fifth inning.
It was more of the same dominance for the Knights’ starter and he gave up a leadoff single but responded with three strikeouts in a row to put the bats back in the hands of the home team. The Knights benefitted off a couple more defensive miscues in the fifth and scored two more runs. Hendricks posted another strikeout in the top of sixth and held the Blue Devils to another scoreless inning.
The Knights’ starter was getting it done on all aspects of the game as he drew a one-out walk in the bottom half of the sixth. Hendricks would score on a passed ball to make it 8-1 Knights. The Knights would go on to win by that score as Miller Patterson tossed a clean top of the seventh. Hendricks’ gem looks just as good on paper, as his line writes 6 IP, 10 K’s, 0 BB, 4 Hits, 1 Run, 0 ER, 1 HBP. Brooks Gulley got it done at the plate on a one-for-three day with two RBI. Mason Wilder also had a big knock and posted two RBI. The Knights improve to 4-4 and have just a couple more games before the region schedule rolls around.
The Knights also defeated Lamar County 6-1 on the weekend and fell to Lagrange 2-1 Monday night, and the Knights’ talented pitching trio shined in those games as well with Jake Willis and Logan Spivey on the mound.
In the Knights 6-1 win over Lamar, Willis pitched five and a third innings striking out 11 and allowing one earned run surrendering only two hits. Jordan Wainwright got the save for Upson Lee, pitching one and two thirds of an inning and striking out three. The Knights were led offensively by Gulley with two hits. Hendricks, Mason Wilder, and Trent Walls added a hit each in the victory.
Monday night’s road game with Lagrange was a pitcher’s duel between two very talented teams as Spivey pitched six innings for the Knights, striking out seven and only allowing one earned run. The offense struggled to find a rhythm as they could only muster three hits. Maddox, Gulley and Walls collected one each.
The Knights will be back in action tomorrow night against Hardaway with a JV first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. and varsity following at 7 p.m.

JV Knights Remain Undefeated

Sophomore Evan Helms delivers a strike for the Knights. Helms picked up three strikeouts in his two innings of work.

Published 3-12-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The rainy days have plagued the athletic schedules, but skies cleared on Saturday for a great day of baseball. The junior varsity Knights took on the junior varsity Blue Devils from Manchester. Jake Taylor got the nod to start the game for the Knights. Taylor gave up a leadoff basehit and hit the third batter he faced. With one down in the first, Taylor had runners on first and second. Taylor answered the early trouble by striking out the next two batters he faced. The Knights went down in order in the bottom of the first and Taylor went back out on the mound. Taylor walked the first batter then hit the next on a 1-0 pitch. The early trouble forced the hand of the Knights’ coaching staff and freshman Beau Ellington relieved Taylor. Ellington got out of the inning and the Devils struck out two more times. Taylor’s line would read 1 IP, 2 K’s, 1 BB, 1 Hit, 0 ER.
Freshman John Marriage led the Knights off in the second inning with a single. Marriage stole second base before Seth Thomas would fly out to left field. Evan Helms got his big day started off with an RBI single that scored Marriage. Luke Smith dropped in a single that moved Helms over to third. Helms would score on a balk and the inning would come to an end due to a strikeout.
The Knights rolled into the bottom of the third after Ellington picked up two more strikeouts in the top half of the frame. Austin Wall led things off and reached on a hard-hit ball that forced an error at third. Wall stole second and Jake Helms walked to put the first two batters on. Ellington helped his cause on the mound with an RBI single. A double steal moved Helms and Ellington into scoring position for the Knights’ clean-up hitter. Marriage picked up his second single in as many at-bats. Marriage drove in both Helms and Ellington. Seth Thomas was hit by a pitch and Evan Helms hit a long fly ball into center field. The Blue Devils center fielder was unable to make a play and Marriage scored on the error. Taylor singled and was followed by a strikeout form Luke Smith that marked just the first out of the already long third inning. Austin Wall came to the plate for his second at-bat of the inning. Wall doubled and drove in two more Knights. The inning finally came to an end, but not before the Knights tallied eight runs making it 10-0 headed into the fourth.
Evan Helms took the mound in the fourth for the Knights to relieve Ellington. Ellington’s line on the day reads 2 IP, 4 K’s, 1 BB, 1 Hit, and 0 ER. Helms gave up a lead-off single but would go on to strike out the next three batters. The Knights’ bats were quiet in the bottom half of the fourth frame. Helms surrendered another leadoff single. The Blue Devil moved to second on a stolen base. Helms got three ground balls for the Knights infield to take care of, but the run did score. Despite the Blue Devils first run, the Knights still led by nine going into the bottom of the fifth.
Jake Helms walked to lead off the frame. Helms stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, Marriage grounded out to second base, but the run scored forcing the mercy-rule. A walk-off for Marriage capped a huge day at the plate. He went two-for-three with three RBI on the day. Austin Wall had a big day at the dish going one-for-four with a double, stolen base, and two RBI. Evan Helms picked up two RBI of his own in his one-for-three day at the plate. Helms finished his day on the mound with 2 IP, 3 K’s, 2 Hits, and only 1 ER.
The Knights junior varsity squad is still undefeated on the year, proving to be a bright future for the baseball program at Upson-Lee.

Puckett Named Offensive Player of the Game

Published 3-12-2020 Georgia State swept North Alabama last weekend in a three-game series, with Upson Lee alumnus Kalen Puckett leading the way for the Panthers in Sunday’s 3-1 win. Puckett collected three hits in the game including an RBI. The junior from Thomaston is off to a great start on the season, starting in 10 games so far at second base. Puckett is hitting .324 with six runs scored and five RBI at the conclusion of the series. Photo from georgiastatesports.com

Blakely Puts Emphasis on Middle Knights’ Win

Published 3-12-2020
By Austin Franklin
After two weeks of rain out, the UL Middle School baseball team was back in action Monday night on the road at ACE Academy in the first of a four-game week.
Jackson Wells started on the mound for the Knights and pitched two innings of solid work, allowing only two hits and no runs. The Knights jumped all over ACE in the third inning, scoring six runs to take an 8-0 lead in the game. Jackson Blakely put an exclamation point on the win with a long fifth-inning home run over the left field wall to go along with a single he had earlier in the game. Wells doubled to deep right field for the only other extra base hit of the game for the Knights. Walker Stevens and Trent Coker added a hit each. Campbell Hinson and Hunter Smith were on relief duty for the Knights on the mound and combined for four innings of work, only allowing one earned run on one hit.
The Knights will return home to face off with ACE again this afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Knights Fall to Denmark in Elite Eight

Malik Smith finds a cutting Derrius Hayes for an easy bucket in the lane in the Knights’ loss to Denmark. Smith and Hayes tallied 30 combined points in the loss.

Published 3-5-2020
By Austin Franklin
The Knights’ basketball season came to an end last week with a loss to Denmark by a score of 71-68. Denmark, a second-year school, was allowed to play in AAAA their first two years in existence as their program was up and coming, but will move to Georgia’s highest sports classification of AAAAAAA next season because of their enrollment numbers.
Upson Lee was outsized at nearly every position, but hung on until the very end, as the Knights erased a 16-point second half deficit to take the lead with under two minutes left, but ultimately lost the game by one possession after Jalen Alsobrook’s game winning shot went in and popped out with a second left on the clock before Denmark would make two more free throws to seal their win and trip to the final four. The Knights were heavily supported by their fans in the game as “The Castle” was as loud as I can remember it ever being in the Knights’ second half comeback.
The Knights were led by senior Derrius Hayes with 16 points, Alsobrook added 15 points, Malik Smith added 14, and Tykeyvious Searcy added 10 in the loss.
Upson Lee finished the season with a record of 21-8 but should be optimistic as they will return four of their starting five in Smith, Searcy, Jaredon Kelly, and Ketavious Quiller, along with Marcus Slayton, who also played meaningful minutes this season. Upson Lee will move down a classification to AAA next season as they look to add to their streak of five straight region championships.

Diamond Knights Struggle with AAAAA Opponents

Senior Turner Maddox rips a double for the Knights in their loss to Harris County. Maddox accounted for five hits in the Knights’ three games last weekend.

Published 3-5-2020
By Austin Franklin
The Knights played three games last weekend, all against higher classified AAAAA teams in Griffin, McIntosh and Harris County, and dropped all three games, all in the late innings. Although the Knights finished the weekend 0-3, there was some positive to take away from all three games, as the Knights were winning games one and two on the weekend going into the sixth inning, and were tied in the fourth inning of game three before surrendering the lead.
Upson Lee traveled to Griffin Friday night to take on the Bears in a cold, windy, dreadful matchup. The Knights were given an excellent outing on the mound by junior ace Jake Willis as he made his second start of the year, allowing zero runs in five innings in both appearances. Willis allowed only one hit in five innings of work on the mound for the Knights, striking out six. The Knights led 3-0 going into the home half of the sixth inning when the Bears scored six runs on four hits, two walks, and two hit by pitches to win by a score of 6-3. Upson Lee’s batters hit the ball hard all night, but seemingly right at Griffin defenders. The Knights were led by Turner Maddox with two hits. Austin Hendricks, Ben McDaniel, Logan Spivey, Brooks Gulley and Miller Patterson added a hit each in the loss.
The Knights returned home Saturday for two games as part of the annual “Diamond Day” with McIntosh and Harris County. The Knights opened the day with McIntosh, as Austin Hendricks started the game on the mound for the Knights and threw a great game, going six innings, striking out seven batters and only surrendering one earned run in the Knights loss. Upson Lee led by a score of 6-4 going into the seventh inning, when McIntosh managed to plate two runs to tie the game 6-6, taking it to extra innings before ultimately winning 7-6 in the eighth. Once again, the Knights played well offensively as they collected 10 hits, led by Maddox, Spivey, and Jordan Wainwright who each tallied two hits. McDaniel, Gulley, Willis, and Ty Rechtorovic all collected one a piece in the loss.
The Knights hosted Harris County later in the day and looked sluggish after a long day at the ballpark as there was a game in between their first and second games and would fall to Harris County by a score of 6-2. The Knights collected only five hits as Maddox, McDaniel, Spivey, Gulley and Trent Walls all had one hit each.
The Knights will be back in action Friday night on the road at Lamar County at 5:30 p.m. March 6. The Knights will return home March 13 to host Hardaway before opening region play on the 16th at home against Perry.

Knights Fight Hard but Come Up Short Against Mary Persons

Senior and captain, Evan Baucom, takes one of his many shots in Friday’s loss against Mary Persons.

Published 3-5-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The boys' game got underway with two early shots by the Knights. Pasley Thompson lofted a shot up and over the Bulldogs’ keeper, but it just barely knocked the crossbar on its way down. Evan Baucom added a shot early on, but it would not connect. The Knights worked a lot of time of possession in the first half. Mary Persons made a push and got a good ball downfield. The Knights’ keeper, Rolondo Martinez, gambled to attempt to come and meet the ball before a shot could be taken. Martinez did not make it in time and Mary Persons struck first with 28:06 to play in the first half.
The Knights carried a common theme throughout this game. They were controlling possession and taking many more shots than the Bulldogs. With 14 minutes left in the game, Mary Persons' striker received a yellow card forcing him to leave the game momentarily. He was the only player to score so far in the game. The Bulldogs drew a foul and attempted a deep foul shot. The shot was perfectly placed in the top right corner of the goal and it gave Martinez no chance to make the stop. With 12 minutes left to play, the Knights were trailing 2-0.
The game was developing a lot of tension between players from both teams. Mary Persons’ striker, who was carded earlier, came back into the game only to be red-carded and sent away again. The crowd got into his ejection along with some of the Knights’ players. Knights’ keeper, Martinez, ran out of the box clapping which resulted in a yellow card. This sequence of events put the Knights’ second option at keeper in, Coy Kirkland. Kirkland was in for his first minutes of the young season. The Knights kept the pressure on in the last 10 minutes but were unable to break through. The Knights lost 2-0 and move to 0-7 on the year. When asked about the team’s domination of possession but lack of goals, freshman Brian Hernandez said, “As a team, we need to communicate better, take fewer touches in the box, and make better passes.” The young Knights team has shown some upside, but they are still looking for that elusive first win.
Earlier in the week the Knights hosted a very talented Spalding team in a region matchup in which they fell by a score of 5-0. Though the outcome doesn’t indicate it, the game was much closer than the score showed. The Knights had an open week this week, and will continue their season next Friday on the road at Perry.

Lady Knights Drop Region Game

Senior Maliyah Howell lines up a deep second half shot.

Published 3-5-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Knights hosted Mary Persons under the Friday night lights. The girls took the field to begin the evening’s action. The Knights began the game struggling to get much time of possession. However, the defense was holding strong as the Lady Knights’ keeper made a couple of nice stops in front of the goal. Ryleigh Cathcart was the first Knight to take a shot on goal with 20 minutes left to play in the first half, but the shot would not catch the net. With 12:45 left in the first half, the Bulldogs struck first. The Bulldogs were just taking a ton of shots and eventually they began to connect. The Knights trailed 3-0 at halftime. In the second half, the Lady Knights took several shots. Senior, Olivia Odom fired off three late-game shots but was unable to get any to connect. The Lady Knights would go on to lose by a score of 8-0. The Lady Knights are now 0-5 on the year. Earlier in the week the Lady Knights lost by a score of 5-0 to Spalding. The Lady Knights will be back in action next Friday as they travel to Perry at 5:30 pm. March 6.

Knights Win Season Opening Nail-Bitter

Jackson Blakely deals another hard fastball. Blakely had the Cougars’ bats off balance all afternoon. Blakely showed control of his fastball and off-speed pitchers to tally 12 strike outs in his first outing of the year.

Published 3-5-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Upson-Lee Middle School baseball season got underway on Thursday against the Jones County Cougars. This game was scheduled to be played at Jones County, but due to rain, the game took place on the Knights home soil.
Jackson Blakely took to the rubber to start the Knights season and found himself in some early trouble. He hit the first batter of the game then gave up a double down the left field line that put two Cougars in scoring position without an out in the inning. Early trouble did not bother Blakely as he went on to throw 10 straight strikes and strike out the next three batters. The bottom of the first showed fans that the game was bound to be a pitchers’ duel. Two Knights went down via strikeout and they were retired in order.
Blakely continued to put on a show on the mound. The flame-throwing right-hander added two more strikeouts in the second and struck out the side in the third. The Knights were not doing much on the basepaths until Trent Coker lined a ball into the grass with one out in the third. Carson Blakely laid down a well-placed sacrifice bunt to move Coker into scoring position. With two outs, Trey Jones slapped a ground ball to third and the Cougars defense made the play at first ending the threat by the Knights.
The contest rolled into the bottom of the fourth inning. Blakely had just tallied two more strikeouts to push his total to 10 on the night and the Knights bats looked anxious to give their pitcher a lead. The man of the hour led things off. Blakely roped a ball past the centerfielder, and showed his speed on the bases rounding second and going into third. Knights third base Coach English put up a stop sign at third, but Blakely decided to run it out. Blakely was tagged out at home for the first out of the fourth and despite an early threat, the Knights would go down in order.
With a costly mistake in the previous inning, it was going to be interesting to see if Blakely could shake it off and make good pitches. He did just that. The top of the fifth was not an easy inning as the Cougars batters showed a little more patience; however, Blakely struke out two more batters and got out of the inning with a tied ball game. Colby Hemphill led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and he advanced to second on a passed ball. Walker Stevens, who had been catching Jackson Blakely’s gem, knocked a well-placed ground out that advanced Hemphill to third. Coker had another very smart at-bat as he drew a walk and he was followed by Carson Blakely’s RBI single to right field. The single would plate the game’s first run and put the Knights on top 1-0.
The game rolled into the final frame and Blakely took the mound to attempt to finish what he started. The Cougars laid down a great bunt that resulted in a base hit. The runner at first stole second and a ground out back to the mound moved the potential tying run to third base with one out. The Knights brought the infielder’s toes to the grass hoping for a ground ball. The next pitch resulted in a ground ball to second basemen Jackson Wells. In an attempt to keep the lead, Wells threw the ball home, but the Knights were unable to tag the runner and the game was tied at one. That sequence of events ended Blakely’s outstanding day on the mound. Blakely went 5.1 innings with 12 strikeouts, 2 hit by pitches, and only one earned run.
The Knights brought in left-handed Colby Hemphill to try and stop the bleeding. Hemphill made a huge play picking off the runner at first for the second out and no more damage was done. It was the Knights’ game to win tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth. The Cougars’ pitchers were struggling to find the strike zone in the last frame. Even though the Knights had the middle of their order at the plate for this huge part of the game, the Knights insisted on making the pitches come to them. Blakely walked to lead off the inning followed by another walk to Campbell Hinson. The Knights had runners at first and third with no outs and Jackson Wells worked the count to draw another walk and load the bases. A Cougars' pitching change did not help them much as Davis Mitcham was hit by a pitch. Although the pitch to the back might have been painful on the 40-degree evening, Mitcham got credit for the walk-off victory for the Knights.
The Knights played a strong first game. Blakely had everything working on the mound. He was able to use his fastball to get ahead of hitters and then sit them down on both the fastball and curve. The Knights’ bats did not necessarily come alive, but one can expect that on such a cold afternoon. The Knights still put together a bunch of very good at-bats and did what they needed to do to get the win.

Checking In On a Hometown Hero

Published 3-5-2020
By Jacob Stewart
Tye Fagan left his legacy on the court for the Upson-Lee Knights. Fagan was at the head of both state championship runs in 2017 and 2018. In those two years, Fagan was named Class 4A State Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Fagan was 63-0 in those seasons. The record 63-0 was chanted through McCamish Pavilion in Fagan’s final game as a Knight and will be remembered forever. Fagan’s teams will never be forgotten for the impact they had on the town. After setting a school-record with 2,038 points at Upson-Lee, Tye Fagan took his talent to the University of Georgia.
In the 2018-2019 season, Fagan came into the Bulldogs’ talented program coached by Tom Crean. Fagan made three starts and played in 31 games as a freshman. Fagan averaged 2.5 points per game off of a .508 field goal percentage.
Coming into his sophomore season at UGA, Fagan faced what some would say a challenge. Dawgs’ head coach, Tom Crean, did an excellent job recruiting as he brought in a great class to play in Stegeman Coliseum. The improved roster could have made it harder for Fagan to get playing time. Fagan has responded well to the challenge, averaging 4.2 points per game through 28 appearances. Fagan has drawn more minutes per game and has almost doubled his points per game from his freshman season.
Fagan dropped a career-high 15 points against Arizona State on December 14th. Fagan tallied 11 points versus Dayton, 14 points against a great Kentucky team in Rupp Arena, and eight points on the road at Texas A&M. Through his three double-digit scoring games, Fagan shot 17-of-21 from the field. Fagan has proved himself as a consistent shooter even in somewhat limited minutes. Just as Fagan was at Upson-Lee, he is able to provide an immediate boost to his team whenever he is on the court.
On Saturday evening, the Georgia Bulldogs (14-14) took on a strong Arkansas team (18-10). Another sold-out crowd rolled into Stegeman Coliseum, marking the 10th home game with over 10,000 fans in attendance. The Dawgs began the game on a 14-0 run and never looked back. Georgia would never trail in the game and win by a final score of 99-89.
After the game, Tye Fagan spoke on how impressive the Dawgs played in the win. “I am very proud of the boys. They played good defense. Arkansas made a couple of runs, but overall I feel like we played good defense, made shots, and played well.”
When asked about how Fagan has grown through what is now close to two complete seasons at UGA, he responded, “I’ve grown as a player. I’ve grown as a man. But as far as the court, I’ve grown through just understanding the game. Understanding what the game needs at different times and being a better teammate.”
With a Georgia recruiting class that included the potential number one overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, there has been a lot of extra hype around each game Georgia has played. Fagan spoke on how it has benefitted him. “It’s been fun because he (Anthony Edwards) is obviously very skilled. He has learned a lot of things from me and I have learned a lot of things from him. Even though he is younger, I still learn things from him. It has just been fun to practice with him, play games with him, and just get better.”
The people of Thomaston and Upson County are forever rooting for their hero Tye Fagan. UGA has certainly gained a bunch of ticket sales from fans coming specifically to watch the Upson-Lee alumna play. To the fans back home, Fagan says, “I just want to say thank you. Thank you for supporting me because it means more to me than they probably think. They may not understand, but I really appreciate it because I love where I’m from, so just to have the support from back home and even from the fans here is just special.”
Fagan played 2:36 of the Bulldogs’ 10-point conference victory. The Bulldogs look to finish their season strong with two more SEC competitions. Georgia will face the University of Florida (18-11) on Wednesday night in Stegeman Coliseum, then travel to Louisiana on Saturday to wrap up itsregular season against LSU (20-9). The Dawgs hope to build off their recent conference success and carry it into the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. The Dawgs will need a huge performance in the conference tournament to boost their NCAA Tournament resume.

Knights advance to “Elite 8”

Junior Jaredon Kelly goes up for the easy two points in the Knights win over North Oconee. Kelly scored eight points in the win, including a put back slam dunk in the fourth quarter that fired up the home crowd.

Published 2-27-2020
By Austin Franklin
After a comeback fourth quarter win last week over Druid Hills in the first round of the state playoffs, the Knights advanced to host North Oconee last Thursday at home, and once again got the win, but played in a hard fought wire-to-wire game that they would hang on to win 63-56. With the win the Knights will advance to the “Elite 8” in the AAAA state playoffs for the fourth straight season, previously winning twice in their three attempts.
Upson Lee only had two players enter double digits in scoring as Jalen Alsobrook tallied 15 points in the win and Malik Smith accounted for 14 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double performance for the junior. Tykeyvious Searcy and Jaredon Kelly added eight points each.
The win means the Knights moved on to host Denmark High School Tuesday night; results were not available at press time. Denmark, also a number one seed, came into the game with a record of 24-5, currently ranked fifth in Sandy’s Spiel AAAA rankings. With an Upson Lee win the Knights will advance to the Final Four, which will be played Friday at 4 p.m. at Fort Valley State University against the winner of Sandy Creek and Woodward Academy.

2020 Thomaston-Upson Recreational Basketball All-Star Teams Announced

Pope to be inducted into 2020 Georgia SHOF

Published 2-27-2020
According to WMAZ, Thomaston native Bobby Pope will be inducted into the 2020 Georgia Sports Hall of Fame this weekend in Macon. After graduating from Georgia College, Bobby became sports director for WMAZ TV and Radio. He began his tenure with Mercer University, broadcasting their basketball games, and became their sports information director in 1980, moving up to athletic director in 1989 and serving at that post for 21 years. In that time, he oversaw the renovation of the baseball, softball, and tennis facilities and the construction of their University Center, all while writing a weekly sports column for the Macon Telegraph until 2017 and hosting the call-in talk show ‘Saturday Football Scoreboard’ for 37 years.
Ever active in Georgia sports, Pope served on the boards of the Macon Sports Hall of Fame and Macon Touchdown Club, and as chair of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2016.
Pope graduated fromR.E. Lee Institute in 1963. Pope served as an announcer for Little League baseball at WSFT in Thomaston beginning in 1958.

Knights Kick Off Middle School Boys Soccer

The boys’ team consists of Asher Meeks, Reuben Fry, Caleb Beverly, Eli Fry, Boone Creamer, Fisher Parrot, Isaiah Helms, Jonas Hamlett, Nathan Peacock, Tanner Smith, Jordy Ruiz, Justin Evans, Justin Botello, Brodee Hurt, Leland Bergmeier, Breyden Zickefoose, Colton Cagle, Kaden Duke, Brody Yates, and Brian Ventura. The team’s managers are Gage Anglin and Austin Johnson. The Knights are coached by Hayes Eubanks and Charlie Canady.

Brian Ventura lines up a shot late in the first half.

Published 2-27-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Knights made history Wednesday night with the start of the game. The beginning of the cold evening soccer game marked the beginning of Upson-Lee Middle School soccer. The long-awaited program is now underway coached by Charlie Canady and Hayes Eubanks. The Knights fell down by a goal early and struggled to attain much possession in the first half. A big offensive push and shot on goal by Brian Ventura highlighted the Knights’ first half. The Knights came out of the locker room with a fire. Asher Meeks stepped up with an aggressive mindset as he pushed the tempo quickly. Meeks took a quick shot but was unable to get it to go. Boone Creamer chimed in and put up the Knights’ second shot on goal only three minutes into the second half. The Knights went on to lose 7-0 in their inaugural game. Despite a loss on Wednesday, the game marked a monumental step for Upson-Lee soccer. On Monday, the Knights will travel to ACE Charter School in Macon looking to bounce back and get the team's first-ever victory.

Middle School Lady Knights Soccer Begins

The Lady Knights’ team consists of Riley Baughcum, Brandie Garriker, Kerria Carter, Georgia Clark, Carlie Glanton, Yoseline Osorio, Kiersten Peoples, Ellie Kay Thompson, Zuleyka Velasco, Vaness Ventura, Aubrey Adams, Presleigh Conway, Aisha Derico, Carlee Green, Krissa Lewis, Mikayla Peoples, Sydney Beth Thompson, and Sara Kate Bennett. The Lady Knights are coached by Tiffany Peoples and Derek Green.

Veness Ventura works through two defenders to push the ball upfield in the Lady Knights’ inaugural game.

Published 2-27-2020
By Jacob Stewart
The Lady Knights soccer team made history on Wednesday night with their first game of the new program. The young team showed a lot of fight against Lamar County. The Lady Knights fell by way of a mercy rule midway into the second half. The loss might seem to be a negative, but the long-term impact of starting this program at the middle school will have nothing but positives for Upson-Lee soccer. The new team will be exciting to watch and see grow as they progress through the middle and high school levels. Many victories are to come for this group of girls. The girls’ next matchup will be ACE Charter School in Macon as the Lady Knights strive for a historical first win.

Runnin’ Knights Advance to Sweet 16

Senior guard Derrius Hayes knocks down a mid-range jumper in the Knights’ first-round win over Druid Hills. Hayes had seven points in the win.

Published 2-20-2020
By Austin Franklin
After winning their fifth straight region title and winning their last 12 games, the Knights hosted a scrappy Druid Hills team in the first round of the state playoffs Friday night and defeated them by a score of 61-55 to advance to the “Sweet 16.”
The Knights were in a back and forth contest with Druid Hills and were trailing at the end of the first, second, and third quarters before two big three-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Kentavious Quiller and Jykevious Searcy gave the Knights a lead late in the fourth quarter that they would hold on to for the win.
Upson Lee got good offensive production from five players. Searcy led the Knights with 13 points, Quiller had 12, senior Malik Smith added 11, Jalen Alsobrook scored nine, and Derrius Hayes added seven in the win.
The Knights will host North Oconee tonight at 7 p.m. with the winner earning a trip to the quarterfinals. The Titans come into the game with a record of 12-16 but beat a good Heritage team 47-42 in the first round to advance. The Titans are coached by Rick Rasmussen.

Willis Begins Diamond Knights
Season With a No-Hit Shutout

Junior Austin Hendricks makes a play at second base. Hendricks collected one hit and a win on the mound for the Knights this past weekend.

Published 2-20-2020
By Austin Franklin
The Upson Lee baseball team kicked off its 2020 season with a three-game weekend at LakePoint sports complex in Cartersville last weekend, and junior Jake Willis threw a no-hitter for the Knights in their season opening 10-0 win over Cedar Grove.
The Knights would also take down Troup County 7-4, with their only loss on the weekend coming to Whitewater 10-4 in their second game on Saturday.
Willis pitched a gem for the Knights in the first game of the season against AAAAA Cedar Grove, throwing a no-hitter in the shortened five inning game, including 11 strikeouts and only one walk on 57 pitches. The Knights were led offensively in the game by senior outfielder Trent Walls, who went 3-3 at the plate with three doubles. Turner Maddox and Jordan Wainwright had two hits each, as Ben McDaniel, Logan Spivey, and Steven Marriage added a hit a piece. McDaniel, Spivey, and Walls collected two RBI each in the win.
Game two for the Knights was played Saturday morning against Troup County; junior Austin Hendricks earned the win for the Knights on the mound in a 7-4 victory. Hendricks pitched six innings allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and zero walks. Jeremiah Hill picked up the save for the Knights as he pitched the seventh inning, allowing only one run on one hit. McDaniel led the Knights with three hits offensively.
The Knights dropped game three to perennial AAAAA powerhouse Whitewater by a score of 10-4. Ty Rechtorovic led the Knights with two hits in the loss. McDaniel, Walls, and Miller Patterson added a hit each.
The Knights were scheduled to travel to Pike County last night to take on the Pirates; results were not available at press time. The Knights will travel to Callaway tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., and to Griffin next Monday at 5:55 p.m. Upson Lee will return home next Wednesday to take on Griffin in their home opener at 5:30 p.m.

Knights Look to Rebuild After losing 11 Starters

Senior captain Evan Baucom scored both of the Knights goals in their 5-2 loss to Pike County.

Published 2-20-2020
By Austin Franklin
After Upson Lee’s runner-up state finish last season, the Knights lost all 11 starters, and only retained two players with meaningful playing time under their belts in 2020 captains Brady Puckett and Evan Baucom. The Knights are very inexperienced on the field right now, and through their first five games under a new head coach have an 0-5 record. Though the Knights are winless, the Knights have been competitive in a few games that didn’t go their way.
In the annual “Trojan Cup” the Knights finished 0-3 with losses to Pike County, Harris County, and Jones County. Evan Baucom scored twice in the tournament and Brady Puckett also added a goal.
The Knights’ first region game was on the road at Howard, where the Knights played without captain and leading goal scorer Baucom. The Knights would take a 2-1 loss but played competitively and had momentum several times in the game.
Upson Lee hosted a top five AAAAA team in their first home game of the season in Houston County last week and were no match, as they would lose 10-0 to a very good team.
The Knights will return home Tuesday to host Spalding in a region matchup following the Lady Knights at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Knights’ Soccer Struggling Offensively

Freshman Bree Franklin possesses the ball for the Lady Knights. Franklin scored both of Upson Lee’s goals in their overtime loss to Howard.

Published 2-20-2020
By Austin Franklin
The young Lady Knights in Coach Katelyn Gaskins’ second year at the helm have begun the year 0-5 and are struggling to get in rhythm offensively. Upson Lee began the year in the annual “Trojan Cup” hosted by Lamar County and lost to Pike County, Harris County, and Putnam County by scores of 10-0, 7-0, and 3-0.
The Lady Knights opened region play on the road with Howard last week, and played their best game of the season, and had chances to win before ultimately falling in penalty kicks after ending regular time and overtime at a 2-2 tie for their first region loss of the year. The Lady Knights were led by freshman Bree Franklin, who scored two goals in the game.
Upson Lee hosted a very good AAAAA Houston County team in their home opener for the season and fell by a score of 10-0.
Upson Lee will play again at home next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. as they host Spalding for a region matchup.

Upson Lee Tennis Set to Begin

Published 2-20-2020
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee traveled to Harris County Tuesday for their first match of the season, after their previous two scheduled matches were canceled due to weather; results were not available at press time. The team’s next three matches will all be on the road, including today at Stratford, Feb. 26 at Griffin, and Feb. 27 at Pike. Upson Lee will return home March 2 at 4 p.m. to host Stratford.
Upson Lee’s young team only boasts one senior this year in Kara Beth Neighbors. The boys will rely on Silas Laughman as he will be their number one singles player this season, and Peyton Chapman will move into the number one singles position for the girls after a preseason injury to the previous number one girls’ singles player.

Runnin’ Knights Win Fifth Straight Region Title

Region co-player of the year Malik Smith rises up for a layup in the Knights’ region championship win.

Published 2-13-2020
By Austin Franklin
Going into postseason play the Knights held the number one seed in the region tournament and would only need to win two games to win a fifth consecutive region championship. Upson Lee did just that, defeating Spalding by a score of 54-44 in the semifinals, and going on to defeat West Laurens by a score of 58-44 in the championship on Friday night.
Four Knights were given awards pregame Friday night as Derrius Hayes and Jalen Alsobrook were given all-region team awards, Malik Smith was name co-region player of the year, and first year head coach Christopher Owens was named region coach of the year. All three players’ performances in the championship game supported their awards as Hayes led the Knights with 17 points, Smith added 15, and Alsobrook added 14 in the region championship win.
With the win, the Knights earned a number one seed in the state playoffs, giving them homefield advantage through at least the second round. Playoffs will begin Saturday at 7 p.m. as the Knights will host Druid Hills, who comes in with a record of 13-15.

Three UL Seniors Honored on National Signing DayThree UL Seniors Honored on National Signing Day

Published 2-13-2020
By Luke Haney
Three Upson Lee seniors signed on Feb. 5, National Signing Day, to continue their formal education while playing sports.
Demeke Colbert signed with Savannah State to play football. Coach Justin Elder stated that he has watched Colbert grow from a young boy and is proud of the humility that Colbert holds and all of the growth he has made so far.
Rebecca Graham and Julia Walden were captains for the 2019-2020 Upson Lee Lady Knights’ softball team. Graham will continue her softball career at Gordon State College, while Walden will continue at Middle Georgia State.
All three seniors had a multitude of family, friends, teachers and coaches supporting them as they announced the schools they will attend this fall.

UL NJROTC Rifle Team Finishes 5th at Navy Nationals

Published 2-13-2020
The Upson-Lee Navy JROTC precision air rifle team traveled to Phoenix, Ariz. last week to compete in the Navy National Championships. The UL team shot its way to a 5th place finish and punched their ticket to the All-Service National Championships. Of 640 precision teams, only 18 qualified high enough to receive an invitation to the prestigious Navy National Championships. Upson-Lee's 5th place finish propelled them into the All-Service National Championships in Port Clinton, Ohio next month, where they will compete against the top teams from the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Upson-Lee team members are: Grace Geldbach (captain), Savannah Muse, Kaylin Rogers, Kinsley Riggins, and Sierra Burke. The team is coached by Petty Officer First Class Chuck Meyerriecks.

Lady Knights Prepare for State Playoffs

Published 2-13-2020
By Austin Franklin
After the Lady Knights’ first round region playoff loss to West Laurens, Upson Lee looks forward to the playoffs after clinching the fourth seed in the region. After losing several key players being dismissed from the team for an undisclosed incident during a recent road trip, the Lady Knights will use this postseason as an experience booster for their young team, which has been thrown into the flames the last few weeks, as some have no varsity experience. The Lady Knights will go on the road to face off with number one seed Luella tomorrow night at 6: pm. Luella comes into the game with a season record of 22-5.

Knights Win Thriller on Senior Night

Malik Smith rises for an uncontested layup in the Knights’ win over Mary Persons.

Published 2-6-2020
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee hosted West Laurens Friday night, which was also senior night, and the last regular season home game of the season. The Knights, who had previously defeated the Blue Raiders 60-56 earlier in the season on the road in Dublin, had to scratch and claw their way to a victory in front of the big home crowd Friday night.
The Knights, who led the game for the majority of the night, gave up a big three-point basket to West Laurens late in the fourth to tie the game, and when Upson Lee failed to score at the buzzer the game went into overtime, tied 53-53.
Upson Lee would pull away in overtime for a 66-61 win to close out the regular season and set their sights toward the region tournament which will be hosted by Howard in Macon. The region tournament began Monday and will conclude tonight; results were not available at press time. State tournament play will begin next weekend, if the Knights finish first or second in the region tournament the first round of state playoffs will be played at home.

T-U 2020 Sports Hall of Fame
Inductees Announced

Jim Haygood

Tommy Watson

Alvin Sanders

Woody Woodall

Charles Stewart

Published 1-30-2020
The Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame announced the 2020 inductees. Inductees include, Jimmy Haygood, Ronald "Gramps" Royal, Charles Stewart, Alvin Sanders, Tommy Watson, Woody Woodall, and the 1950 R.E. Lee girls' basketball team. The induction banquet will be held March 7, at the Thomaston-Upson Civic Center at 6 p.m. For tickets, contact a board member Ronnie Lowe, Phyllis Sanders, Jim Pruitt, Robbie Sheppard, Marcus Cunningham, Freddy Sparks, Steve Ellerbee, John Duncan, Ronald Johnston, Toiee Park, Hayley Rehtorobic, Jim Fowler or come by the Upson Beacon to purchase tickets; tickets are $20. Call Jim Fowler 706-656-9427 or 706-656-9428 for more information.
The Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame’s mission is to recognize and honor those individuals who have contributed to and brought positive attention to Thomaston and Upson County through their extraordinary efforts and achievements in the field of athletics.
The Hall of Fame is searching for family members of the 1950 R.E. Lee girl’s basketball team. If you know of any relatives of the ladies listed below please contact board member or message them on Facebook Thomaston-Upson Sports Hall of Fame. These ladies are listed with their maiden names: Sylvia Reeves, Betty Walker, Frances Barrett, Nell Webb, Alverne Winslett, Grace Short, Melba McCrackin, Faire Dawkins, June Black, Myrtle Hale, Myrtice Hale, Martha Smith, Christine Vaughn, Virginia Reeves, Jean Pryor, Jean Hutcherson. Coach J.E. Richards

Knights Push Win Streak to Eight

Sophomore Marcus Slayton gets an offensive rebound and put back score for the Knights in a recent region win.

Published 1-30-2020
By Austin Franklin
With big region wins over Perry and Mary Persons the Knights’ basketball team improved their season record to 15-7, 8-1 in the region, and increased their win streak to eight games as they wind down regular season, with postseason play right around the corner.
Upson Lee was on the road for both games last week as they squeaked out a 69-65 win over Perry, who was the only team the Knights had lost to this season in the region, and demolished Mary Persons 94-61 in an offensive explosion.
The Knights need to win just one of their remaining two regular season games to secure the first seed in the region tournament and finish the regular season with the best record in the region. The Knights were on the road at Spalding Tuesday night; results were not available at press time. Upson Lee will host West Laurens tonight at 7:30 p.m. for senior night and the last regular season game.

Lady Knights Have Wild Week
Disciplinary action results in Lady Knights forfeiting two upcoming region games

Published 1-30-2020
By Austin Franklin
What started out as a good game for the Lady Knights quickly took a turn for the worse as a 40-39 win for Upson Lee resulted in disciplinary action causing the team to forfeit two of their remaining three region games.
An unspecified incident during last Tuesday’s win on the road resulted in a decision by Head Coach Stephanie Raines and other team officials to forfeit their next two games, which were both region games, as a disciplinary action. Central office released the following regarding the incident: “Due to disciplinary issues involving student-athletes, the next two girls' basketball games have been canceled and forfeited by the Lady Knights. These are the Friday, Jan. 24 and Tuesday, Jan. 28 games against Mary Persons and Spalding."
The games will both count as losses for the Lady Knights and drop their region record to 5-4 with one game remaining, against West Laurens tonight, which is also senior night. The game will begin at 6 p.m.

Upson County Recreational Basketball

Find more photos at from the 1-23-2020 edition of the Upson Beacon and at https://lukehaney.smugmug.com/Sports/T-U-Recreation-Basketball-1-16-2020

Runnin’ Knights Take Commanding Region Lead

Multi-sport athlete and senior Demeke Colbert gets a steal and a breakaway for an easy two points in a recent game.

Published 1-23-2020
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee won all three of its games last week, including two region wins over Howard (74-68) and West Laurens (60-56) which catapulted them to 6-1 in the region, which is two and a half games better than the second-place teams with only four games remaining in the regular season. The Knights are well on their way to winning a fifth straight regular season region title, though this season has been a little different than that of the last four. The Knights are next to last in the region in points allowed in region play but hold the lead in points scored and in point differential. The Knights aren’t easily winning games as they have in the past, and every game is a dog fight. Upson Lee is outscoring region opponents on average by 3.8 points this season through seven games, but still find themselves in a commanding region lead with only one loss, and three of their six wins coming by four points or less. Their only loss was a two-point loss to Perry at home earlier in the season.
The Knights had their chance to travel to Perry Tuesday night and avenge their only region loss of the season, results were not available at press time. Upson Lee will be on the road tomorrow night to face off with Mary Persons. Next week will conclude the regular season for the Knights as they will travel to play Spalding Tuesday night and return home Friday night for senior night to host West Laurens. All games will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. following the Lady Knights.

Lady Knights Bounce Back from Tough Loss

Senior Zykira Atwater finds a teammate on the perimeter for an assist in the Lady Knights’ recent win over Mary Persons.

Published 1-23-2020
By Austin Franklin
After a tough road loss to West Laurens the Lady Knights returned home to win two games over Howard and Taylor County by scores of 68-37 and 60-21. With the loss to West Laurens the Lady Knights fell to third place in the region with a region record of 4-2 with four games remaining. Upson Lee holds a three-game lead over the third-place team and has a matchup with each of the two teams ahead of them in the final two weeks of the season.
The Lady Knights were on the road at Perry Tuesday night; results were not available at press time. Tomorrow night they will be on the road once again in Forsyth to take on Mary Persons. The final week of the season will begin Tuesday on the road at Spalding and will end at home Friday night with West Laurens on senior night. All games will begin at 6 p.m.

Wilder Places Second

Published 1-23-2020 Upson County Commissioner Lorenzo Wilder, Sr. took second place in his age group at the Museum of Aviation Marathon, Half Marathon, 5k Run for Aviation.

knights pick up two region wins

Milique Smith gets over the top of a Mary Persons defender in the Knights win last week.

Published January 16, 2020
by Austin Franklin
  The Knights picked up two big region wins last week over Mary Persons and Spalding to move their region record to 3-1 and their overall record to 10-7 on the season.
            Upson Lee easily defeated Mary Persons 71-60 on last Tuesday night, and squeaked out a nail biter over Spalding 57-55 Friday night to win their second consecutive region matchup. The two wins vaulted the Knights to first place in region standings with six region games remaining.
            The Knights were on the road at West Laurens Tuesday in the two teams first bout against each other this season. Upson Lee will return home Friday and Saturday as they will host Howard and Taylor County, both games will begin at 7:30 pm. Howard shocked the Knights 78-77 earlier in the season to give Upson Lee their lone region loss.

lady knights maintain region positioning

Junior Ja'Khia Parker has her eyes on the rim as she attacks to extend the Lady Knights' lead over Mary Persons.

Published January 16, 2020
by Austin Franklin
            Upson Lee entered last week in second place in region standings only trailing Spalding, and after two region games they exited the week in the same position. The Lady Knights handled Mary Persons at home last Tuesday with a 74-18 win, and on Friday night surrendered their first region loss of the season to first place team Spalding, who is one of the best teams in all of AAAA. Upson Lee now holds a 12-5 record on the season and a 3-1 region record.
            The Lady Knights were on the road Tuesday night at West Laurens in a big region contest, with the winner gaining sole possession of second place in the region. Results were not available at press time.
            Upson Lee will host Howard and Taylor County Friday and Saturday with both games set to begin at 6:00 pm.

youth soccer registration jan. 21

Published 1-16-2020
Youth soccer registration for age 3 and above will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14 and Tuesday, Jan. 21 from 5-7 p.m. both days at the Thomaston-Upson Civic Center, according to recreation department officials.
For more information, please contact the Civic Center at 706-6479691.

Track & field registration Jan. 22-24

Published 1-16-2020
The Thomaston-Upson County Recreation Department will hold registration for the 2020 Track & Field season on Jan. 22-24 from 5-7 p.m. at the Civic Center. This is the inaugural season for the Track & Field program at the Civic Center.
For ages 7-14 with a control date of Dec. 31, 2020: Meaning whatever age you are on Dec. 31, 2020 is the age in which you will participate. (Ex: A child turns 11 on Nov. 22, 2020, he or she will participate as an 11-year-old in the Spring of 2020. In essence, almost every athlete will play up.)
On date of registration you must have the following:
1. Birth certificate(unless Rec. Dept. already has a copy on file)
2. Proof of insurance
3. Registration Fee: $50
A $25 late fee will be charged per individual in addition to registration fee after the last scheduled day of registration. A $5 discount will be given for each sibling living in the same household. A $20 charge will apply to those living outside of Upson County.
Track & Field participants will receive a uniform top, but participants must provide the uniform shorts. There will also be an online team store available to purchase warm ups and other accessories.
All meets this season will be on the the road and take place on Saturdays. Cities traveled to could include LaGrange, Hamilton, Carrollton, Villa Rica, etc. Parents are responsible for transporting athletes to and from all track meets.
For any additional information call Wes McCard at the Civic Center at (706) 647-9691 from 2-10 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Upson Lee Basketball Teams Participate in Christmas Tournaments

Alonzea Montgomery collects a steal for a breakaway and the easy layup in a Lady Knights recent win.

Published 1-9-2020
The Upson Lee Lady Knights continued their great season with two wins in the Mary Persons Christmas tournament over Northeast Macon 51-44 and Mary Persons 74-18, with their lone loss coming to class AAAAA Veterans by a score of 54-30. This boosts the Lady Knights record to 11-4 entering region play. The Knights participated in the Jones County Christmas Tournament and went 2-1, with wins over North Cobb Christian 73-57, and Fitzgerald 78-62. Their loss came to class AAAAA Jones County 59-55 bringing the Knights record to 8-7 on the season. Both teams opened region play Tuesday night, hosting Mary Persons; results were not available at press time. Region play will resume Friday night at home as both teams host Spalding, the girls will begin at 6:00 pm and the boys will follow at 7:30 pm.

FRA christmas review

Published 1-9-2020
Flint River Academy Basketball finished 2019 with significant wins and predictable losses as the variety of opponents gave the team much needed court time during the holiday break. Before the holidays FRA was on the road against a stout Solid Rock team and came away with a close 81-80 win in a game with back and forth lead changes at the end.
FRA traveled to Jeffersonville to play Twiggs Academy and came out on top with the ladies finishing 46-44 in overtime. The boys were down 28-41 at the half having to play without top scorer Luka Marinic. Playing in the second half, Marinic led the Cats who would win 79-66.
The Wildcats played in the Toyota Classic holiday tournament in LaGrange and faced AAAAA Spalding County in the first game. The score was close at the end of the first quarter, but the Cats couldn’t maintain the pace against the taller team and lost 65-31. The Cats’ shooting was flat but then the taller team had definite rebound and shot blocking advantages, but the Cats press worked well and to their advantage and kept the game lively.

Youth soccer registration

Published 1-9-2020
Youth soccer registration for ages 3 and above will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14 and Tuesday, Jan. 21 from 5-7 p.m. both days at the Thomaston-Upson Civic Center, according to recreation department officials.
For more information, please contact the Civic Center at 706-647-9691.

Middle School Wrestling Knights Rack Up Medals

Campbell Hinson finishes first in his weight class.

Nytraveon Jones and Bryan Ventura of the Knights stand on the podium with first and third place finish in their weight classes.

Published 12-26-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Upson Lee Middle School wrestling team participated in “Friday Night Fights,” a tournament hosted by Lamar County Middle School on Friday night, and had 17 wrestlers finish in the top four of their respective weight classes. Six of the 17 wrestlers that placed finished in first place, including Zach White, Caiden White, Nytraveon Jones, Campbell Hinson, Demari Kennan, and Jamir Stewart.
Second place finishers included Kaden Goins, Cutter Bowen, Burnsten Gilbert, and Jackson Wells. Conner Walker, Walker Stevens, Rylie Raybon and Bryan Ventura all finished third in their weight classes. Cooper White, Trent Peaden, Jackson Blakely, and Ty Gresham all placed fourth in their classes.
The Knights will be back in action Jan. 8 at the high school gym starting at 5 p.m.

Knights Participate in “King of the County”

Published 12-26-2019
The high school wrestling team participated in the “King of the County” tournament last weekend in Harris County and had four wrestlers compete well, including two medalists. The two medalists were juniors Trent Manning and Colton Greene, who both finished with a 4-1 record and third-place finishes. Freshman Kody Adams finished with a 3-2 record, and freshman Scotty Nix with a 2-2 record.

Davidson Catch Nears State Record

Published 12-19-2019
Rod Davidson of Thomaston recently caught a 9-inch 10-ounce Shadow Bass in 15 feet of water off the bank of the Flint River, nearing the state record of 9.25 inches for the species. The specimen was submitted to Flint River Quarium in Albany, Ga. for further evaluation by curator Aaron Giffin.

Lady Knights Extend Winning Streak

Published 12-19-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Lady Knights, coming off of three straight wins, hosted both Warner Robins and FItzgerald this past weekend. Upson Lee collected two more wins at home and extended their winning streak to five straight games, moving their record to 8-2.
Upson Lee defeated Warner Robins 62-58, and Fitzgerald 65-44. The Lady Knights were on the road Tuesday night to take on Wilkinson County; results were not available at press time. Wilkinson County will return the favor and come to Thomaston Saturday night to take on the Lady Knights at 6 p.m.
The Lady Knights are in for a region battle this season, as Spalding and West Laurens join Upson lee with eight wins and a 2-0 region record to lead the region; and the other three teams of Perry, Howard, and Mary Persons have only six wins combined.

Knights Split Pair of Non-Region Contests

Senior Derrius Hayes beats defenders to the rim for a layup.

Published 12-19-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee hosted a pair of non-region opponents last week on Thursday and Saturday in Warner Robins and Fitzgerald, winning one game and losing one game. Both games were decided by double digits.
The Knights’ first game of the week was against 7-1 Warner Robins, a ranked AAAAA team that contends for state championships seemingly every season. Warner Robins got out to an early 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Knights could never catch up as the Demons went on to win every quarter of the game. At conclusion, the Knights fell 74-55 to the higher classified, and higher ranked Warner Robins Demons.
The Knights would then host Fitzgerald Saturday night, who are led by Hamilcar Kelly, former Upson Lee assistant coach who was part of the Knights’ historic winning streak and two state championships. The winless AA Purple Hurricanes were outmanned from the start, as the Knights would cruise to a 78-53 win to get their record back to a 6-4 clip.
Upson Lee traveled to take on Wilkinson County Tuesday night; results were not available at press time. The Knights will host Wilkinson County Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in their last game before Christmas break, and their annual holiday tournament.

Hometown Dawg Named All-SEC

Photo by Jeff Sentrel of DawgNation

Published 12-19-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee alumnus and University of Georgia freshman Travon Walker recently earned prestigious honors as he, along with fellow Georgia freshman George Pickens, were both named to the All-SEC freshman team. This is a team comprised of the top performing freshmen at each position group all season long in the conference.
Walker, along with Christian Barmore of Alabama, Zacch Pickens of South Carolina, and Nathan Pickering of Mississippi State, were the four named to the freshman All-SEC defensive line grouping. Walker, in his first year as a Bulldog, played in 12 games, recording 12 tackles, and 1.5 sacks.

Knights’ Season Comes to an End

Senior Demeke Colbert fields a punt in a recent game. Colbert, who played in his final game as a Knight Friday night, found the end zone in the second half for his last score of his great career at Upson Lee.

Published 11-21-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee’s 2019 football season came to an end Friday night as the Knights traveled to College Park to take on the third-ranked team in the AAAA classification.
Woodward Academy outpowered the Knights in the first half and built a lead too large for the Knights to erase.
The War Eagles built a 40-0 lead in the first half and held the Knights from gaining any momentum on either side of the ball.
The Knights though, wouldn’t lay down, as they would shut Woodward’s offense down in the second half and manage to score twice to make the final score 40-14 to bring an end to the season with a record of 4-7.
Senior Demeke Colbert scored in his last game as a Knight on a touchdown run in the second half, and junior Milique Smith scored on a touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jake Davis in the half as well.
Davis and Smith will be focal points of the offense for the Knights next year as Upson Lee will lose seniors Thad Webb and Demeke Colbert to graduation.

Knights Clinch State Playoffs with Big Win

Milique Smith takes the handoff from Jake Davis and tries to find a lane to hit.

Published 11-14-2019
By Austin Franklin
With a playoff spot on the line and their destiny under their control, the Knights traveled to Griffin Friday night and defeated Spalding 43-31 in a shootout with the state playoffs up for grabs. The Knights controlled the momentum in the game from start to finish and did what they wanted to do offensively with little resistance from the Jaguars. Going into the game the Knights knew they were going to be able to put points on the board, they were just going to make a few more defensive plays than Spalding did to win the game, and that’s exactly what they did.
With the win the Knights grabbed the fourth and final playoff seed in region 2-AAAA which matches them up with a one seed in Woodward Academy. Woodward comes into this Friday’s game with a perfect record of 10-0, and one of the top defenses in the state. Woodward is allowing under seven points allowed per game this season at 6.9 per game, and they average 38 a game. The War Eagles are ranked in the top five in all of Class AAAA in almost every poll.
This will be a rematch of the 2016 first round, as the Knights then traveled to College Park to take on the one seeded War Eagles and were beaten 42-0 to eliminate them from postseason play and end their season. The Knights will have to play their best all-around game of the season tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. if their season is to continue.

Pasley Finishes Top Five

Published 11-14-2019
The Georgia Independent School Association AA Cross Country State Meet was held last week and Flint River Academy’s Reece Pasley finished 5th with a time of 18:07 which was a PR for the season. It was a great race in perfect weather. Other schools participating were the Cottage School, Monsignor Donovan, First Presbyterian Christian, Fugees Academy, Brentwood School, Oak Mountain, the Howard School, St. Andrew's School and Twiggs Academy. Congratulations to Reece, right, standing with his coach Jay Hanlon.

Knights Shut Out by First Place Raiders

Jake Davis hands the ball off to senior Demeke Colbert in a recent game for the Knights.

Published 11-7-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee traveled to Dublin last Friday night to take on the first-place region team of West Laurens, who so far had been dismantling teams in the region and continued to do so against the Knights by a score of 30-0. Through four games in the region now the Raiders are averaging five points allowed per game. The Raiders will play Perry Friday night, in what is essentially a region championship game, as the winner wins Region 2-AAAA in 2019.
The Knights defense began the game playing well as they only allowed nine points in the first half to West Laurens. The Knights went into halftime down 9-0, a deficit they could never recover from. The Knights offense never could get any momentum going against a very stout West Laurens defense.
The loss sets up a “win and you’re in” scenario for Coach Justin Elder and his Knights. With a win over Spalding Friday night the Knights will advance to the state playoffs as the fourth seed in Region 2-AAAA. With a loss Upson Lee would likely be in a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday night in Griffin.

Upson Lee Sets Sights Toward Playoffs

Quarterback Jake Davis keeps the ball and puts his foot in the ground to get upfield for a few yards in Upson Lee’s 13-7 win over Howard.

Published 10-31-2019
By Austin Franklin
Going into Friday night with a region record of 0-2 the Knights faced a must win matchup with the Howard Huskies if they wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive. Upson Lee was greeted by a night of bad weather as it rained for the better part of the game, eliminating most of the Knights’ ability to throw the football, as the Knights turned to their running back, Demeke Colbert to carry the load for them, and he did not disappoint. In Upson Lee’s 13-7 win over Howard, Colbert carried the ball 28 times for 148 yards and a touchdown.
The Knights started the game strong as they drove down the field twice and got inside the Howard 10-yard line twice and failed to come away with points both times, setting themselves up for a close game once the rain started and Howard found its whereabouts on defense. Both teams struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first two quarters after Upson Lee’s first two drives until quarterback Jake Davis found Malik Smith in the corner of the endzone on a 46 yard Hail Mary attempt in the last seconds of the first half to take a 7-0 lead into halftime.
Howard would find the endzone once in the third quarter to tie the game at 7-7 until the workhorse of the game, Colbert, for the Knights would finally find the endzone in the fourth quarter to give the Knights a 13-7 lead, one that the Upson Lee defense would protect to end the game.
Senior defensive back Derrius Hayes picked up an interception for the Knights in the first quarter, his fourth of the season for a Knights defense that has gradually improved over the season.
With the win, the Knights can seal a state playoff berth with a win over 1-7 Spalding next week and have a chance to improve their seeding with a win over West Laurens tomorrow night. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at West Laurens.

Upson Lee XC Qualifies for State Meet

Upson Lee Girls Cross Country Team.

Upson Lee Boys Cross Country Team.

Published 10-31-2019
By Austin Franklin
Both the Knights and Lady Knights cross country teams qualified for state competition with their performances last weekend at the region meet in Macon at Howard High School. Both teams will travel to Carrollton tomorrow morning for the state meet with the boys starting at 9 a.m. and the girls starting at 9:45 a.m.
The Knights were led by sophomore Jacob Stewart, who finished in third individually in the region with an impressive time of 17:08. Knox Miller, Grady Stewart, Colton Day, and Dylan Boutwell all also had times under the 20-minute mark for the Knights. The Knights finished fourth in the region behind Mary Persons, West Laurens and Howard with a team average of 19:05.
The Lady Knights were led by the young freshmen and sophomore trio of Juliana Carmona, Monse Mata and Janie Kilby with times of 23:46, 23:53, and 24:01, respectively. The Lady Knights finished fourth in the region behind West Laurens, Mary Persons and Perry, but the gap was close, as the Lady Knights averaged a time of 24:22 with region champions West Laurens only averaging a time of 23:21, the young Lady Knights have a lot to look forward to the next few years.

Knights Set to Return to Action

Published 10-24-2019
By Austin Franklin
After a much-needed week off the Knights have prepared for two weeks to get ready to host Howard tomorrow night in a must-win matchup to keep their playoff hopes alive. With wins over Howard and Spalding two out of the next three weeks, Upson Lee will put themselves in a very favorable position to still clinch a state playoff berth. The Knights and Coach Justin Elder are aware of this must-win situation and will come out ready to play after losing their first two region games to teams that were not as talented, and that are now both 2-0 in region play after squeaking by the Knights.
The Knights have played some very close games with Howard over the past five years, with a record of 4-1 over the Huskies. The Knights’ only loss to Howard came by a score of 22-21 in 2017, the Knights also won a battle with Howard 41-40 in double overtime in 2015. The two teams last met in 2018, with Upson Lee traveling to Macon to visit Howard and coming out with a win 34-24.
The Huskies come into this region matchup with a 4-3 record, with an 0-2 region record as they’ve lost their last two games to Perry and West Laurens by combines scores of 83-21. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night in a must-win scenario for the Knights at Matthews Field.

Lady Knights’ Magical Season Comes to an End

Published 10-24-2019
By Austin Franklin
After a very impressive season with a record of 24-5 and a region championship under first-year head coach Christopher Owens, the Lady Knights fell in round one of the state playoffs to a very good Luella team that played way above its four seeded ranking.
Luella came into the match with an even record of 20-20 on the season, playing 11 more matches than the Lady Knights in 2019. Upson Lee battled in the best three out of five sets after dropping set one by a score of 25-21. The Lady Knights would rebound and win set two 25-13, and Luella would win set three 25-18 to force a must win set four for the Lady Knights for the match to continue.
With their backs against the wall the Lady Knights won the fourth set by a score of 26-24 to set up a winner-take-all set five, which was shortened to 15 points instead of the regular 25. Luella would win the shortened fifth set 15-13 to win the match and upset the first seeded Lady Knights.

Recreation Department To Start Track & Field Program

Published 10-24-2019
The Thomaston-Upson Recreation Department will be starting a Track & Field program next year, for boys and girls ages 7-14. Prior to the season, beginning in 2020, there will be a free track meet for any boy or girl to participate in on Nov. 9. Registration for this track meet will be on Oct. 25-27 at the Civic Center from 5-7 p.m. Please bring a copy of the athlete’s birth certificate (unless the recreation department already has one on file).
Registration is free, and each athlete will be able to participate up to one field event and two running events. The events are listed below.
This registration is NOT for the track and field season, but just for the track meet on Nov. 9 at the Civic Center. Registration for the upcoming 2020 Track & Field season will be Jan. 22-24.
Here are the events which will be available at the track meet on Nov. 9:
Field Events
Softball Throw • Standing Broad Jump
Long Jump
Running Events
50 Meters (Ages 7-10 Only)
100 Meters • 200 Meters • 400 Meters
800 Meters
1600 Meters (Ages 10-14 Only)

Eagles Remain Undefeated

Published 10-24-2019
Rock Springs Christian Academy junior Bo Pasley (4) makes a tackle in the win over Peachtree Academy. The Eagles defeated Peachtree in overtime 22-20 and improved to 8-0. The Eagles will travel to New Creation in McDonough on Friday, Oct. 25.

Knights’ Lose Close One to Mary Persons

Senior, Demeke Colbert runs through a tackle in the Knights’ loss to Mary Persons.

Published 10-17-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights traveled to Mary Persons Friday night following their heartbreaking loss to Perry on homecoming in their first region game of the season looking to gain a region win and snap a three-game losing streak but came up just short against the Bulldogs 37-28. The Knights’ record against Mary Persons is now 0-6.
Upson Lee started strong in the game, scoring the first points on a 10-yard Demeke Colbert touchdown run, and converting the two-point attempt on a Thad Webb run to take an early 8-0 lead early in the second quarter, which would be the first of six scores in the quarter. It would take Mary Persons less than a minute to get on the board with a 56-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 8-7.
Mary Persons would kick a field goal later in the quarter and score a touchdown on a 31-yard touchdown pass on the next possession to take a 17-8 lead with three minutes left to play in the half. The scoring would stop for about 30 seconds as Webb received the kickoff for the Knights and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to cut the Mary Persons lead to 17-15.
The Bulldogs would drive down the field and complete a 20-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the half to take a 24-15 lead into halftime.
Mary Persons started the scoring in the second half with a 25-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter to take a 30-15 lead after the failed extra point. The Knights though, didn’t lay down and would end up making a game of it.
Jake Davis scored on the last play of the third quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run to get the Knights within eight points at 30-22 to start the fourth quarter. After several defensive stops for the Knights, Webb would catch a 55-yard bomb from Davis to give the Knights a chance to tie the game with a successful two-point conversion, which resulted in an incomplete pass.
The Upson Lee defense would again stand tall forcing a punt by the Bulldogs, down two points with three minutes left in the ball game. The Knights would muff a punt inside their own five-yard line, resulting in a turnover, giving the ball back to Mary Persons on the three-yard line in which they would eventually score on third down putting the game out of reach, 37-29.
The Knights move to 0-2 in region play and 2-5 overall. With a bye week this week the Knights have two weeks to prepare for Howard who currently has a 4-2 record. The Knights will host the Huskies next week at 7:30 p.m. in a must-win game for the Knights.

Lady Knights Win Region in Big Way

Published 10-17-2019
By Austin Franklin
In the Lady Knights’ first season under new head coach Christopher Owens, the team battled through 15 sets of volleyball last Saturday to win Region 2-AAAA and clinch the number one seed in the state playoffs.
Upson Lee entered Saturday’s region tournament with a 20-4 record, and their only region loss coming against Perry earlier in the season. The Lady Knights avenged that loss later in the season and would put an exclamation point on it late Saturday afternoon.
The day started with a match against West Laurens which the Lady Knights would win 2-1, which would set up a match with Perry, one which Upson Lee would fall by a score of 2-1, putting them in the losers bracket in which a loss would end their hopes of winning a region championship. Upson Lee would draw West Laurens again in the elimination match and breeze through them by a score of 2-0 setting up a rematch with Perry, one which the Lady Knights would have to beat Perry two matches in a row to win region, in best three out of five sets.
The Lady Knights, exhausted, dropped the first game to Perry to go down 1-0, and with their backs against the wall would rattle off three straight wins to win the match 3-1 and force a winner-take-all match for the region championship. After playing 12 games in the day the Lady Knights played their best volleyball of the year and won three straight games to win the region championship 3-0, winning six straight games over Perry to end the day and the tournament.
The Lady Knights will host their first round matchup in the state playoffs with Luella this Saturday, time TBD.

Volleyball Set to Play Region Tournament

Senior Joiee Stansell rises for a point in a recent match for the Lady Knights.

Published 10-10-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Lady Knights volleyball team continues their fantastic season under first year head coach Christopher Owens, as they improved their record to 20-4 on the season with wins over Luella, Mary Persons, and FPDHS in their last week of the regular season, including a 2-1 win over Perry, the first seeded team in the region.
With the wins last week, the Lady Knights secured the two seed in the region going into the region playoffs with a 10-1 region record, with their only loss coming against Perry earlier in the season.
The region tournament will begin Saturday at Mary Persons High School to determine the final seedings for the region heading into the state playoffs that start next week. The Lady Knights will play their first match at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Knights Fall in First Region Game of Season

Sophomore receiver KJ Rockemore braces to hit the ground as he jumped up to make a reception for the Knights in their homecoming game against Perry. Rockemore also had a receiving touchdown in the game.

Published 10-10-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights hosted Perry in their first region game of the season, which was also homecoming for Upson Lee, and lost a close one by a score of 22-15 to the Panthers. Turnovers and failure to finish long drives haunted the Knights in the game, as they turned the ball over five times, twice on interceptions inside the 20-yard line in the game. The Knights’ defense played a great game, with only a few miscues that led to long plays and scores for Perry.
The Knights’ only two scores came on a touchdown pass from Jake Davis to KJ Rockemore, and a Milique Smith touchdown run. The Knights converted a two-point attempt in the game on a Demeke Colbert run to get them to 15 points.
Upson Lee will look to get their region record back to even on the season Friday night when they travel to Forsyth to take on the Mary Persons Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m.

Knights to Begin Region Play

Published 10-3-2019
By Austin Franklin
After a much needed bye week at the midway point of the season, the Knights will return to action tomorrow night at home as they host the Perry Panthers for homecoming, and for their first region game of the season.
Perry has an identical record to that of Upson Lee’s at 2-3 on the season. Perry picked up wins over Northeast and Monroe, and fell to Houston County, Westside, and Veterans, all three quality teams.
The Knights have dominated Perry in the past, beating them five straight games since the two teams were put in the same region together in 2014, including last year by a score of 48-31 in Perry. Perry returns their running back and quarterback from last season in Lane Rucker and Makeil Kendrick, who are the two that are the catalysts for the Panthers on the offensive side of the ball.
Kendrick is averaging over 100 yards per game rushing this season and Rucker is averaging over 150 yards per game.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm Friday night at Matthews Field.

Lady Knights Win Three Games in Final Week of Regular Season, host senior night

Rebecca Graham was escorted by her parents Mary and Alex. Graham was first team all-region in 2017 and 2018 and will continue her softball career at Gordon State College.

Y’twanese Underwood was escorted by her mom Yeshemica. Underwood was a two-year player for the Lady Knights.

Julia Walden was escorted by her mom Cheryl Walden was second team all-region as a catcher in 2018

Published 10-3-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Lady Knights’ softball team had a full schedule in the last week of the season, playing four games in four days, and picking up three wins to close out the regular season with a record of 14-7.
Wins over Kendrick, Howard, and Troup County will give the Lady Knights a little momentum going into region playoffs that began Monday with a best two out of three series with West Laurens.
Results were not available at press time, but the winner of the series moved on to play the winner of the Perry vs. Spalding series in a two out of three series for the number one and two seeds in the state playoffs.
The losers will match up to play for the three and four seeds of the state playoffs. State playoffs will begin next week.

A Tale of Two Halves

Milique Smith takes the handoff from Jake Davis and tries to find a lane to hit.

Published 9-26-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights, looking to beat Griffin in consecutive seasons, played two completely different halves of football against the Bears Friday night at Matthews Field.
The first half defense displayed by the Knights was very impressive, and the best defense they’ve played all season as they looked very fast, swarmed to the ball, and shut down running lanes for the first 24 minutes of the game.
The Knights went into halftime trailing Griffin by a score of 6-0 in what was shaping up to be a very fun second half, but the tables turned in the second half.
The Bears came out looking like a different team in the second half offensively as they would score a touchdown on all six possessions in the last 24 minutes, excluding their last possession in which they would kneel to run the game clock down to finish the game. The Knights had no answers defensively and continued to struggle offensively against a very big and talented Griffin defense.
Upson Lee’s lone bright spot was a touchdown drive which featured Jake Davis throwing the ball up to Demeke Colbert on two different plays totaling about 50 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown completion. That would be the only time the Knights would be able to find the endzone in their 47-7 loss.
Now it’s time for the Knights to go to work, as this week is a bye week for the team, and next week will begin region play, which is the only thing that matters when trying to reach the post season. The first five games of the season have zero effect on the last five games, or with the Knights’ chances of winning the region and going to the state playoffs. The Knights will have two weeks of practice to get ready for to host Perry next week for homecoming at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews Field.

Lady Knights Clinch Playoff Berth

Julia Walden makes a play at the hot corner for the Lady Knights in a recent win

Published 9-26-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Upson Lee softball team had a big week last week as they got three wins, including two region wins, and clinched a state playoff berth for this season. The Lady Knights went on the road to defeat Kendrick last Monday by a score of 16-0. Both region wins were also on the road against Mary Persons and Spalding by scores of 8-6 and 6-4.
This week the Lady Knights will play four games in their last week of the regular season.
Monday the Knights hosted Kendrick, Tuesday they traveled to West Laurens in potentially their biggest game of the regular season, and Wednesday went on the road to face Troup County; results were not available at press time.
With their two region wins last week Upson Lee clinched a top four seed in the region, which guarantees a state playoff spot, now the Lady Knights are just fighting for seeding for the region tournament. Upson Lee and West Laurens were separated by one game to begin the week for second place, and they played each other on Tuesday night.
A Lady Knights’ win by four runs or more would get them the second seed in the region, and home field advantage in the first round of region playoffs starting next week.

Lady Knights’ Volleyball Suffers First Region Loss

Sage Rhodes throws up a serve in the Lady Knights’ recent win over Pike County.

Published 9-26-2019
By Austin Franklin
It took Upson Lee seven region matches to finally suffer its first loss, which came against Perry last week by a score of 2-0. With the loss the Lady Knights fell to second place in the area with a 6-1 record, trailing only Perry who has a record of 3-0.
However, the Lady Knights did pick up a big win 2-1 over Pike County at home on senior night and defeated West Laurens 2-0 for their sixth area win.
Upson Lee was on the road Tuesday night to take on Kendrick in Columbus; results were not available at press time. The Lady Knights will again be on the road tonight to take on Spalding and Howard in two important region matches.
The Lady Knights will wrap up their regular season next week with a double header against First Presbyterian Day Tuesday night on the road, and will make one last road trip Thursday to West Laurens to take on Mary Persons and Perry in their final two matches of the regular season before area tournament.

Upson Lee Falls to Fitzgerald in Last Seconds

Running back Milique Smith cuts back to hit the hole opened by the Knights’ offensive linemen in their loss to Fitzgerald.

Published 9-19-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights, coming off a big 27-14 win over Harris County their last contest, went into Friday night looking to pick up their third win in a row and positioned themselves to do just that for the first 47 minutes of Friday night’s dog fight with Fitzgerald.
The Knights defense played arguably their best game of the year as they pressured Fitzgerald all night long and got the scoring started on a Savion Giddens interception that he would return for a touchdown in the first quarter to give the Knights a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point.
Fitzgerald, and former Upson Lee multi-sport athlete Chance Gamble, would respond when Gamble took an end around into the endzone to give the Purple Hurricanes a 7-6 lead going into halftime. Fitzgerald would also score in the third quarter to take a 14-6 lead into the fourth quarter, where things would get hectic for both teams.
The first eight minutes of the fourth quarter saw a defensive battle as neither team was able to score, until the Knights and Milique Smith punched in a short yardage touchdown to cut the lead to 14-12 before Upson Lee would try for the two-point conversion. After a handoff to Thad Webb on the conversion and a completed pass to Davis in the endzone the Knights were called for an illegal man downfield and the two-point conversion was nullified, and they were backed up five yards for the re-attempt. A pass to Smith on the re-attempt from the seven-yard line was sniffed out by the Purple Hurricanes as they made a huge stop on the one-yard line to maintain their 14-12 lead with under four minutes left.
The Knights defense would once again come up huge, forcing Fitzgerald to a three and out and getting the Knights’ offense back on the field with under three minutes left in the game. Once again, the Knights would mount a drive down the field, orchestrated by Davis and Webb, as the two would complete a 35-yard prayer pass to get the Knights into the red zone. Davis would eventually take the quarterback keeper into the endzone to give the Knights an 18-14 lead after the failed two-point conversion with under 50 seconds remaining in the game.
Several plays into the Hurricane’s last effort drive and with under 15 seconds remaining in the game and no timeouts remaining, the Hurricanes would throw up a 50-plus yard pass to Gamble who had a step on the Knights’ defense and he would make an incredible catch to erase the Knights’ fourth quarter comeback and give the Purple Hurricanes a 21-18 win.
The Knights will look to get back on the winning side of things as they host powerhouse rival Griffin, who is undefeated, tomorrow night at Matthews’ Field at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Knights Earn Another Big Region Win

Published 9-19-2019
The Upson Lee softball team played two region games last week, winning one over Howard, and losing to Perry. With the win and the loss, the Lady Knights moved to 3-3 in the region, which keeps them steady in the third place slot in the region with four region games remaining.
The Lady Knights defeated Howard 9-5 with Zaria Childs picking up the win on the mound. Upson Lee was led offensively by Skye Perdue, who was 2-3 at the plate with a walk and a run scored. Rebecca Graham, Gracie Shetler, Hannah VanHouten and Gracie Self each added a hit in the win.
Upson Lee fell to Perry by a score of 9-1 later in the week. The offense never found a rhythm as Perry was clicking on all cylinders as a team. Graham led the team offensively with two hits and a stolen base. Self, Jess Fernandez, Julia Walden, Madison Murphy, and Sydney Knight all had a hit in the loss.
The Lady Knights traveled to Columbus to face off with Kendrick Monday and traveled to Forsyth Tuesday to take on Mary Persons; results were not available at press time. They will travel to Griffin today to take on Spalding at 5:55 p.m. in a rematch of the Lady Knights’ 3-1 win earlier in the season.

Flag Football Season Kicks Off

Published 9-19-2019
Youth Recreation League Flag Football season opened locally Saturday with action at the fields adjacent to the Upson Lee Pre-K school building. Ducks ball carrier Jay’Ceon Johnson gets a block from teammate Keyon Jones during a long run, pursued by Gators defenders Thomas Hobbs (background left) and Ny’Kalan Fuentes (far right). Johnson and Hobbs both scored touchdowns in the contest. Photo by Ian Shales.

Knights Handle Tigers for Second Consecutive Win

Published 9-12-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off their first win of the season over East Paulding, the Knights came out strong once again and took down their second Class AAAAA opponent in a row as they knocked off the 2-0 Harris County Tigers by a score of 27-14 on the road. The Knights, for the most part, shut down the highly touted Tigers offense which had scored 76 points combined in its two previous wins.
The Tigers received the first half kickoff and drove down the field on the Knights, scoring on a fourth down pass in the back of the end zone to take the early 7-0 lead. After a few stale offensive possessions from both teams, the next few series the Knights would break through for a score on a touchdown run by Milique Smith to knot the game at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The Knights’ defense would ramp up their intensity and not allow Harris County to score again until midway through the fourth quarter, when the game was almost out of reach for the Tigers. Upson Lee took a 10-7 lead into halftime after a Brady Puckett field goal in the second quarter.
The Knights’ best offensive possession of the game came on their first drive to start the second half when they would drive down the field and score on a Jake Davis quarterback keeper to take a 17-7 lead. The Knights defense remained strong through the third quarter to take the 17-7 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Knights would score again on a Smith touchdown run, and another Puckett field goal. Harris County managed to score in the fourth, making the final score 27-14.
Smith had his best game of the young season as he rushed 27 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns and added three receptions for 34 yards. Davis went 14 for 23 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown; he also rushed one in for a touchdown.
The Knights defense had its best showing of the year, holding Harris County to only 14 points while forcing three turnovers in the game.
Upson Lee will return home tomorrow night to host Fitzgerald at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Knights Pick Up Second Region Win

Second baseman Gracie Self makes a play and throws out a runner at first in a recent win over Mary Persons.

Published 9-12-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Upson Lee softball team played two region games last week, winning one over Spalding, and losing to West Laurens. With the win and the loss, the Lady Knights moved to 2-2 in the region, which puts them in third place almost halfway through region play for the season.
The Lady Knights defeated Spalding 3-1 behind a phenomenal pitching performance by Zaria Childs. Upson Lee was led offensively by Rebecca Graham who was 3-3 at the plate with two stolen bases and an RBI. Madison Murphy and Hannah VanHouten each added a hit in the win. Julia Walden also had an RBI in the game.
Upson Lee fell to West Laurens by a score of 5-2 later in the week, as they couldn’t get timely hits to score with runners in scoring position. Graham, VanHouten, Walden, Sydney Knight, and Sydney Perdue all had a hit in the loss.
The Lady Knights traveled to Macon to face off with Howard Tuesday; results were not available at press time. They will host Perry today at 5:55 p.m. in a rematch of the extra-inning, heartbreaking loss the Lady Knights suffered earlier in the year.

Knights Offense Leads to Win Over East Paulding

Senior Demeke Colbert fields a punt for the Knights in a recent game. Colbert scored three touchdowns in last week’s win over East Paulding.

Published 9-5-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights returned home Friday night to host the AAAAA East Paulding Raiders after their opening season loss to Veterans and looked like a different football team. After not being able to get any offensive momentum in the game against Veterans, Demeke Colbert and company came out firing on all cylinders to get the Knights their first win of the season in a back and forth battle with the Raiders.
Colbert got the scoring started for the Knights as he checked into the quarterback position on the one-yard line for starting quarterback Jake Davis and scored on a quarterback draw. After a stop by the Knights defense Colbert was at it again, as he would catch a 66-yard touchdown pass from Davis to put Upson Lee ahead by a score of 14-7.
An East Paulding touchdown knotted the game at 14 all, but it wouldn’t take long for the Colbert-Davis duo to connect again in the back of the endzone to give the Knights a lead once again at 21-14. The Knights would stretch the game out a little after another touchdown pass by Davis, a 50 yarder to running back Malik Smith, to take a 28-14 lead in the game.
East Paulding would go on to quickly score twice to get the game to 28-27 after a missed extra point, and had the ball again on the Knights’ one yard line late in the fourth quarter to win the game, but the Knights defense stood tall and forced a fumble to seal the victory for the second year in a row over East Paulding.
The Knights will be on the road this Friday to take on Harris County at 7:30 p.m. in Hamilton. The Knights beat the Tigers 33-28 last season.

Lady Knights Get First Region Win in a Big Way

Sydney Knight takes a hack for the Lady Knights in their 12-4 win over Mary Persons. Knight recorded a hit in the win.

Published 9-4-2019
By Austin Franklin
After losing their first region game to Perry by a score of 11-8 on a heartbreaking walk off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning earlier last week, the Lady Knights returned home to host region rival Mary Persons and would go on to win by a score of 12-4.
Upson Lee had a big week offensively, scoring 20 runs combined in the first two region games of the season. Rebecca Graham led the way with six hits, including a double and a triple. Madison Murphy added three hits during the week, as Gracie Self, Gracie Shetler, and Sydney Knight all added a hit each in the games. Zaria Childs was on the mound both games for the Lady Knights.
The Lady Knights hosted region opponent Spalding last night; results were not available at press time. Upson Lee will host West Laurens tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in a region matchup.

Knights Fall to Veterans

Quarterback Jake Davis tries to escape pressure for Veterans and find an open receiver. Davis threw a touchdown in the Knights’ loss.

Published 8-28-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee opened its football season Friday night on the road against a good AAAAA Veterans team from Warner Robins and lost 48-13 to the team they fell to last year by a score of 31-0.
The Knights got off to a rough start as they trailed 22-0 at the end of the first quarter and struggled to move the ball or stop Veterans from moving the ball. The Knights kept fighting though, and gave Veterans a scare in the second quarter as they scored two touchdowns and had a chance to cut the Veterans lead to only two scores before a fumble inside their own 20 yard line that led to a Veterans score to make the game 38-13 going into halftime.
“We got down early in the first quarter, made some mental mistakes, and didn’t execute like we have been in practice, but we never quit competing. The guys didn’t hang their heads after being down three scores in the first quarter, they continued to fight,” said Head Coach Justin Elder.
The Knights would fail to score in the second half but would hold Veterans to only 10 points as the defense play improved and the mental mistakes were limited.
“We made adjustments in the game and got better from the first half to the second half. The biggest jump in improvement will be from week one to week four, that’s really where ball teams improve. We want to improve mentally and get healthy before region,” said Elder.
Upson Lee’s touchdowns came on a Thad Webb kickoff return and a short touchdown pass from Jake Davis to Demeke Colbert.
The Knights will open their home schedule this Friday as they host East Paulding at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews Field.

Lady Knights’ Offense Stays Hot Versus Hardaway

Madison Murphy makes a throw across the diamond for an out in the Lady Knights recent win over Troup County.

Published 8-28-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off a 15-1 victory and offensive explosion against Troup County the Lady Knights turned around to host Hardaway and kept the bats alive as they went on to win by a score of 16-1. The Knights were led offensively by Julia Walden, Rebecca Graham and Taylor Shetler who all recorded two hits each in the win. Hannah VanHouten, Logan Brannon, and Y’Twanese Underwood all added a hit for Upson Lee.
Upson Lee began region play last night with a game on the road with Perry; results were not available at press time. The Lady Knights will play their first home region game when they host Mary Persons tomorrow at 5:55 p.m.

Lady Knights Dominate in First Home Game

Zaria Childs throws a pitch for the Lady Knights in their recent win over Troup County. Childs has been excellent on the mound this season for Upson Lee.

Published 8-21-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee’s softball team hosted Troup County last week in its first home game of the season and did not disappoint. The Lady Knights walked away with a dominating 15-1 win over the Tigers.
The Lady Knights were led on the mound by Zaria Childs, who held the Tigers to just one run over the span of the game. Offensively Upson Lee was led by Gracie Self, who went 3-3 in the game with three RBI. Rebecca Graham, Julia Walden, Madison Murphy, and Hannah VanHouten all collected two hits each in the game. Jessica Fernandez also recorded a pinch hit for the Lady Knights in the game.
Upson Lee hosted Hardaway Monday; results were not available at press time.

Spring Football Game Recap

Milique Smith bounces to the outside in the Knights’ scrimmage game last Friday against Jones County. Smith will see the majority of the carries for Upson Lee this year with the departure of last season’s senior running back Daymon Thomas.

Published 8-14-2019
By Austin Franklin
Last Friday the Knights hosted Jones County for their annual scrimmage game to get ready for the upcoming season. Score of the game was not kept as the game is meant for the teams to have a chance to work on things, and to get a lot of players playing time to measure where they are with their first game being two weeks away.
The Knights didn’t play particularly well in the first half, as they were up against one of the top teams in the higher classification of AAAAA. Jones County is a very good team, and it showed in the first half.
All wasn’t bad for the Knights though. Head Coach Justin Elder and the Knights got to start 14 new starters and got eight underclassmen more reps in the game than they had ever had.
“We played seven sophomores and one freshman more than they had ever played. We got to see what we have going forward with some of the young guys that will need to step up during the season” said Elder.
Upson Lee was missing a handful of starters in the game as they were being very cautious with injuries players were dealing with as this was only a scrimmage game. The majority of the players that missed are expected to return for week one against Veterans on Aug. 23 in Warner Robins.
When asked about how the Knights have gotten better since the spring game and over the summer, Elder was very pleased with the “play recognition” gains his team has made since the spring game. This will continue to improve throughout the season as guys get more reps and play more real time snaps.
Upson Lee will begin its season on the road at Veterans on Aug. 23 at 7:30 p.m. The Knights will return home on Aug. 30 to host East Paulding at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Diamond Knights Destroy Stratford Academy

Published 8-14-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Lady Knights participated in the Border Battle last weekend and opened the weekend with a game against Stratford Academy with a 15-0 run rule win. Zaria Childs was on the mound for the Knights in the game as she pitched three innings in the shortened game, allowing only three hits in the win for the Lady Knights.
Upson Lee would also play Pike County and Lamar County last weekend, who are both very strong teams in their respective classifications. The Lady Knights fell to Pike County 9-2 and fell to Lamar County 5-4 in a hard-fought game.
Rebecca Graham led the team on the weekend with six hits, as Madison Murphy added five hits for Upson Lee.
Upson Lee will host Troup County tomorrow for its first home game of the season. The JV team will begin at 4:30 p.m., and varsity will follow at 5:55 p.m. The Lady Knights will also host Hardaway Monday with JV beginning at 5 p.m., and varsity following at 6 p.m.

Lady Diamond Knights Begin Season

Madison Murphy throws a runner out in a game last season. Murphy will look to take over at shortstop this season with the departure of last year’s senior Madison Wilder.

Published 8-7-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Lady Knights began their 2019 season last weekend under new head coach Taylor English as they took on Taylor County, Strong Rock Christian, and Woodland, all at Woodland High School. The Lady Knights defeated Taylor County 11-2 and Woodland 7-0. The Lady Knights fell to Strong Rock by a score of 4-3 in a tough loss.
Rebecca Graham led Upson Lee with seven hits; Sydney Knight added six hits, including a home run; as Hannah Van Houten chipped in five hits on the weekend.
The Lady Knights will participate in the Border Battle this weekend as they take on Lamar County, Pike County and Stratford Academy. Upson Lee’s first home game will be Aug. 15 as they host Troup County. JV will begin at 4:30 pm and varsity will follow at 5:55 pm.

Knights Kick Off Season

Returning receiver Thad Webb will look to continue his success from last season and be a big part of this year’s high-powered offense.

Published 8-7-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights will kick off their 2019 season this Friday night at home as they host Jones County in their preseason scrimmage game at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews Field.
Following the game, the Knights will have two weeks to prepare for their season opener when they travel to Veterans to take on the AAAAA school on August 23.

Poteat Competes for Women’s National Futures Team

Sara Poteat with her large fan crowd that followed to watch her play in the Border Battle with the USA Women’s National Futures team.

Published 7-31-2019
By Austin Franklin
A few months ago, Thomaston native Sara Poteat was selected to the USA National Women’s Futures team, and this past weekend Poteat played with the team at Border Battle 11 in Midland, Mich. The team played four games, winning its first three before being edged by the Women’s National Team in the championship game by a score of 7-6. The Futures team won its first three games by scores of 11-6, 15-5, and 12-10.
Poteat had a very good tournament, leading the team in at-bats with 15, singles with eight, and runs scored with 11. Poteat finished the tournament with a .600 batting average, going 9-15 in her four games played.

Sprewell Bluff July 4th Contest Winners

Published 7-24-2019
Sprewell Bluff Park celebrated a fantastic 4th of July week. Campers were encouraged to decorate their cabin or RV site during their visit to the Bluff during the 4th of July week. Gary Archibald won the best decorated cabin, and Brandon Gut won the best decorated RV site. Each winner received a gift certificate to the Sprewell Bluff Trading Post.

Local Teen Excels at Boys State

American Legion Post 75 of LaGrange sponsored Ian Shales to attend the 79th Session of Georgia Boys State held on the campus of Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, May 27 – June 1. Ian, who is an upcoming senior at Overcomers’ Academy in Thomaston and a member of Thomaston Toastmasters, did so well that Dean Bob Beauchamp said, “I have invited him to return in 2020 to be a part of the staff. As a former Boys State participant and member of the Sons of the American Legion, he has much to offer and share with the young men who will attend.”
Boys State, founded in 1935 to counter the socialism-inspired Young Pioneer Camps, is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for U.S. high school students. When American Legion posts select high school juniors to attend Boys State, they consider only those who illustrate leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty, and service in their schools and communities.
Boys State participants learn the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of franchised citizens. The training is objective and focuses on the structure of city, county and state governments. Activities include: Legislative sessions, court proceedings, law-enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, choruses, and recreational programs—all conducted by students elected to various offices. Ian’s peers elected him as superior court judge.
Ian also competed in the oratorical contest, speaking about the 27th Amendment. Bob Brown, national executive committeeman for the Detachment of Georgia and an inductee in the Sons of the American Legion Hall of Fame, said, “After winning the county level oratorical contest, Ian and the state level winner, were by far the best two in the contest and the only ones who did not use notes.” Participation in the oratorical contest was completely voluntary and was in addition to other assigned classes and activities. Ian also volunteered to lead devotions in front of the 400 young men attending Boys State. He challenged them to live extraordinary lives for God and reminded them that they are a chosen generation.
Brown continued to praise 17-year-old Ian by saying, “When it was time to form up as a city to head to classes, flag raising or lowering, meals or general sessions, Ian was one of the leaders I could count on to get everybody there on time. Not just on time but always forming first and seeing that our city and county led the way by arriving first. Ian was always ready to volunteer in any way to help out whenever asked.”
“Ian also helped our city excel in athletics and win 14 out of 16 games in various sports with the other cities. Not only was our city good at sports, but our rooms (scrub report) were also neat and clean at all times. The garbage was carried out, laundry dropped off and picked up, and in every manner the greatest city at Boys State. There were absolutely no problems at all and arguably the best city I have had over my years as a counselor.”
Graduating with honors that week, Ian ranked in the top 10 percent of the entire program when he took the honors program test. The test assesses how well the student paid attention in classes and activities and remembered what was taught about citizenship, government, and the American Legion.
“Ian was a joy to be around. His infectious smile was noticeable every time I saw him in the theater, dorm, or cafeteria. He has a pleasant personality that captures and holds your attention. With young men like Ian—the future of Georgia and the nation is in good hands,” reminisces Dean Beachamp.
Ian commented that his time at Boys State was a week of a lifetime where he enjoyed working with such quality young leaders of Georgia and got incredible hands-on experience executing government.
Any club, civic group, school, church, or youth group that would like to hear Ian speak passionately about various educational and Christian spiritual topics may invite him to do so by calling 706-741-0094.

FRA Middle School Cheer Attend Camp

Published 6-26-2019
The Flint River Middle School Cheer team recently traveled to Griffin and spent two days at Legion of Allstars learning their new choreography and routines for their upcoming cheer season. They learned new sideline cheers, new dances and routines. The girls are now ready to show off their new moves this upcoming season.

The Bluff Scoop: Busy Bee’s at the Bluff

Published 6-26-2019
By Laura Adams, Bluff Coordinator
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Champs Program visits the Bluff for a second summer. The weather was perfect, with a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine, making for an all-around great day the park. Laura Adams, the park coordinator, the 26 champs and three of its counselors traveled the one-mile hike along the Natural Dam and Widow Maker Trail. While on this hike they learned of park wildlife, animal tracks, plant life and navigating trails with a map. They wrapped there visit up with some rock skipping, a picnic lunch and a visit to the Overlook and Trading Post.
We love teaching the youth about how special the bluff is and what makes it unique. We always look forward to hosting the Lamar County Champs Program for their annual summer trips to the park. We are look forward to hosting another group of Lamar County Champs children again next month.
The Bluff heads to “Georgia On My Mind Day” in Columbus. It is an Explore Georgia event at the Georgia Visitors Center. Kim Holmes, park clerk, made sure that Sprewell Bluff Park and Upson County had a presence and was well represented again this year. There were 30-40 of our tourism partners, from the Presidential Pathways with booths set up to promote businesses and hundreds of visitors that came through the Visitors Center they made their way from into Georgia.
Kim raffled off promotional items, gave out park brochures, chatted it up with visitors and learned more about the Presidential Pathways and our tourism partners in surrounding counties. She said people seemed to be amazed by how Sprewell Bluff Park has transformed and the boost in tourism that we have seen at the park and throughout the community. We really look forward to attending again next year and hope to be working closer with Explore Georgia in the future.

7&8 Thomaston-Upson All Stars
Advance to State Tournament

Players include Logan Berryhill, Jake Carroll, Jaxon Clarke, Kevin Delli-Gatti, John Gahagan, Brenton Glover, Tysun Lowe, Kolten Releford, Taelon Searcy, Candler Shaw, Behrett Simonds, and Avery Wilson. Coaches are Russ Clarke, John Gahagan, Bo Thompson, and Michael Shaw.

Published 6-19-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Thomaston-Upson County 7&8-year-old All Star team competed in their double elimination district tournament last weekend in Manchester, with the winning team advancing to the state tournament on June 21&22 in Cochran. Teams from Troup Co., Hogansville, and Manchester also competed. The Thomaston team didn’t get off to a hot start as they lost their first game of the tournament to Manchester by a score of 9-8 but would catch fire in game two of the day with a decisive 26-0 win over Hogansville to begin the loser’s bracket. The Thomaston team would face off with Manchester again the next day, and this time win by a score of 13-12 to knock Manchester out of the tournament.
With Thomaston’s back-to-back wins they advanced themselves to the championship where they would have to beat the undefeated Troup County team twice. Thomaston would squeak out a 7-6 win over Troup in game one to force a winner take all game, in which they would also go on to win 14-10.
With the district win the team will advance to the state tournament pool play on June 21st&22nd in Cochran, with a chance to advance to the double-elimination state tournament on June 28th and 29th if they win their pool.

Yankees Finish Runner Up in Dixie Youth Championship

Published 6-12-2019
Players for the Emily Bethune Realtor Yankees include Carson Kropel, Kameron Merchant, Raiden McAlum, Camden Walls, Cruz King, Braden Williams, Dawson Caldwell, Kaden Goins, Christopher Gresham, Zae’Quan Howard, Rielee Raybon, and Isaiah Morphis. Coaches for the Yankees are Wendell Caldwell, Rex King, Justin Morphis, and Ben Williams.

2019 Dixie Boys All Stars Announced

Published 6-12-2019
Players for the 2019 team include Freddie Bloodworth, Garrett Collins, Isaiah Morphis, Ty Gresham, Nathan Clemons, Joshua Tidwell, Gabe Weatherford, Dawson Caldwell, Zae’Quan Howard, Kaden Goins, and Rielee Raybon. The team is coached by Wendell Caldwell, Todd Weatherford, and Justin Morphis.

astros win dixie minors championship

Published 6-5-2019
Players for the Astros include Jackson Adams, Christian Chunn, Luke Gooden, Brayden Thornton, Tyler Webb, Keylan Yates, John Adams, River Bridges, Josiah Chambers, Colby Clay, Kanler Dudley, Landen Hughes. The Astros are coached by Kyle Dudley, Keith Clay, and Brandon Bridges.

dixie minors all star team announced

Published 6-5-2019
All Stars include Max Harris, Jy’Zavion Garmon, Camron Murphy, River Bridges, Trenton Hill, Tyler Jordan, Peyton Howard, Josh McGhee, Keylan Yates, Jaxon Creamer, Kanler Dudley, and Josiah Chambers. The all stars are coached by Kyle Dudley, Brandon Bridges, and Chris Murphy.

8 & under softball all stars announced

Published 5-29-2019
Players include Brooklyn McDaniel, Reagan Bennett, Brianna Neal, Kynzlee Harris, Lillian Osteen, Addilyn Hunt, Ella Creamer, Kinsley Kirkland, Emma Claire Harris, Autumn Lovejoy, Reagan Ruffin, and Brookelyn Rogers. Coaches are Jeff Rogers, Coty McDaniel, Jason Creamer and Shawn Kirkland.

10 & under softball all stars announced

Published 5-29-2019
Players include Kinslee Crawford, Logan Ellington, Laila Foster, Dakota Stanley, Taylor Smith, Keelyn Quiller, Reese Streetman, Anna Claire Dean, Kinsley Lonecke, Marlie Kelly, Mackenzie Howard, and Olivia Hancock. Coachers are Mike Dean, Johnny Howard, Rusty Ellington, and Andrew Smith.

12 & under softball all stars announced

Published 5-29-2019
Players include Braylee Pugh, JerCoreya Neal, Addison Bell, Natalee McGee, Nylin Underwood, Hailey Millard, Kensley Belcher, Harleigh Caldwell, Ceaziia Brown, Mackenzie Williams, Kiersten Peoples, and Gracin Arnold. Coaches are Dell Wheeler, Scott Peugh, and Ray Holley.

2019 coach pitch all stars announced

Published 5-29-2019
The 2019 coach pitch all-star players are Jaxon Clarke, Logan Berryhill, Avery Wilson, Behrett Simonds, Tysun Lowe, Jake Carroll, Kael Gahagan, Brenton Glover, Kolton Releford, Candlew Shaw, Taelon Searcy, and Tripp Delli-Gatti. They are coached by Michael Shaw, John Gahagan, Bo Thompson, and Russ Clarke.

Holley Asked to Join POWERLIFTING Team USA

Jordan Holley and Scott Ryals

Published 5-22-2019
Jordan Holley of Thomaston is one of only nine in the country in the 14-19-year-old male category invited to join the North American Powerlifting Federation to be a member of the U.S. Nationals Powerlifting Team. He will compete for Team USA Aug. 5-10 in Costa Rica.
Holley, 17, and his trainer Scott Ryals will travel to Costa Rica, where he will compete against several other countries for the gold medal. The week-long event will be available for viewing live online.
While training under Ryals at Iron Works Gym for only a year and a half, Holley has won two high school state championship titles, holds three state records, holds two world records in the RPS Federation, and placed second at the national high school competition in Alexandria, La.
Holley says he is grateful to his parents, Trey and Sasha Holley, to Ryals and his wife Lisa, and to all the gym members who motivated him during training, allowing him to fulfill his dream of competing internationally.

upson-lee advances to the final four

Senior defender John Armstrong takes a kick for the Knights in their 3-0 win over Blessed Trinity

Published 5-15-2019
By Austin Franklin
After an intense battle with Blessed Trinity in their Elite Eight matchup, the Knights have advanced to the Final Four of the state playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Knights hosted Blessed Trinity in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight and the outcome was the same, as they both resulted in a Knights’ win, last year by a score of 4-3, and this year by a score of 3-0.
The Upson Lee win did not come easily, as about midway through the first half the two teams had a scuffle break out at midfield and three red cards were given, resulting in an automatic ejection. Two were given to Upson Lee, and one was given to Blessed Trinity. The Knights played the last 60 minutes with only nine men as opposed to the 10 Blessed Trinity had on the field for most of the remainder of the game.
At the time the red cards were given, the Knights held a 2-0 advantage after goals were scored by Berklei Rakestraw and Brandon Martinez early in the first half. The Upson Lee defense would play lights out with only nine guys on the field and did not allow a goal to be scored on them.
With only minutes remaining in the game and the Knights’ defense battling, Chase Winters was able to score to give Upson Lee a comfortable 3-0 lead, and ultimately advance to the Final Four.
With the win the Knights advanced to the Final Four last night and hosted Druid Hills High School, who came into the game with a season record of 11-8-1. The winner of last night’s game will advance to the state championship game which will be played on either Friday or Saturday at McEachern High School or Mercer University. Results were not available at press time and will be posted on our Facebook page as soon as possible

Knights Prepare for Spring Football Game

Upcoming junior quarterback Jake Davis throws a pass during spring practice

Published 5-15-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off a season a year ago that saw the Knights go 7-3 in the regular season and advance to the playoffs, the Knights begin preparing to take the next step this season under Head Coach Justin Elder.
Spring practice in Georgia High School football began a couple of weeks ago, and the Knights hit the ground running.
The Knights will be without standout Travon Walker this season, as well as the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator a year ago, but will return standout quarterback Jake Davis, and two-way players Thad Webb and Demeke Colbert. This trio will look to elevate their high-scoring offense from a year ago this season.
With a week of spring practice under their belts, Elder feels good about his squad. “I really like what we have, we are going to have to rely on some sophomores to fill some holes from seniors leaving, but we have some guys that are going to be ready for those roles. I’m really excited to see our offensive line get after it Friday night, I think they have the potential to be one of the best lines Upson Lee has had in a while.” The Knights will cap spring practice on Friday night when they host Union

Knights Beat Columbus; Advance to Elite Eight

Senior Drae McDuffie gets a shot off in the 3-0 win last week over Columbus

Published 5-8-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights hosted Columbus last week in the “Sweet 16” round of the playoffs, with a chance to return to the “Elite Eight” for the second consecutive season. Columbus came into the game with a record of 12-4-1, were a very good team, and tested the undefeated Knights in ways that they have yet to be tested this season.
After a slow start to the game for the Knights and missed goal scoring opportunities in the box, the Knights finally executed and Chase Winters was able to find the back of the net on an assist by Berklei Rakestraw late in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Knights came out in the second half and had a tougher time moving the ball into Columbus territory, but executed when it counted as Winters and Triston Coker were both able to find the back of the net for Upson Lee in the second half.
The Upson Lee defense remained strong as they have all season and didn’t allow Columbus to score, to give the Knights a 3-0 victory, and advance them to the “Elite Eight” for the second consecutive season, to set up a rematch of their “Elite Eight” last season with Blessed Trinity.
The Knights defeated Blessed Trinity last year by a score of 4-3 to advance to the “Final Four” and look to repeat the success they had against the team last year. Blessed Trinity comes to Matthews Field tonight with a record of 12-7-1, looking to avenge their loss from last season. Blessed Trinity is a better team than their record indicates, as they have played teams from higher classifications frequently this season. The Knights will have their first test of the season tonight, as the only common opponent the two teams have is Columbus, who they both beat 3-0. Kickoff will be tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews Field.

diamond knights season comes to an end

Senior Trevor Crews throws a pitch in game three of the “Sweet Sixteen” series with Woodward Academy

By Austin Franklin
After sweeping the Thomson Bulldogs in the first round of playoffs the Knights advanced to take on the higher seeded Woodward Academy War Eagles, who are contenders in AAAA year in and year out. The Knights gave the War Eagles all that they had and surprised many around the state with the fight that they were able to put up, taking the series to game three, and leading for much of the deciding game.
The Knights were dominated in game one of the series by Woodward by their hard throwing right handed sophomore, Will Sanders, who is already committed to play baseball at the University of South Carolina. Smith would throw a perfect game in the shortened five inning game and the War Eagles would take a 1-0 lead in the series with their 11-0 win.
Upson Lee turned to their senior, Alex Blount in game two of the series who would not disappoint, as he would pitch all seven innings for the Knights allowing only two hits, one run, and striking out six in the 6-1 win to even the series back up at one game apiece. Gabe Pollard led the Knights offensively in game two, collecting two hits and an RBI. Chance Gamble, Logan Spivey and Blount added a hit each in the win. Spivey picked up two RBI in the win.
Game three of the series was a tale of two half innings, in a game that the Knights led for four innings. Upson Lee handed the ball to senior Trevor Crews to start the game on the mound, after not pitching much all year for the Knights due to injury. Crews dominated the War Eagles for three innings, as he was throwing strikes and keeping their hitters off balance. The Knights got on the board first with a leadoff single in the bottom of the first inning by Gamble, and a two-run home run by Turner Maddox to give Crews the lead, one he would not relinquish until the fourth inning. The War Eagles would score five runs in the fourth inning thanks to a grand slam, and take a 5-2 lead, one that they would hold on to for the series win.
The young Knights ended their season with a record of 16-15. Turner Maddox, Chance Gamble, and Ben McDaniel led the Knights offensively this season all hitting for over a .300 batting average. Alex Blount and Jake Willis both pitched over 50 innings for the Knights, both having an ERA under 3.00, and striking out over 50 batters each.

knights golf qualifies for state tournament

Published 5-8-2019
The Upson-Lee High School Golf Team finished in third place at the GHSA area tournament on Tuesday, May 1, at Bull Creek Golf Course in Columbus. Trey Kelly was the low medalist for Upson-Lee with a 77. Kelly tied for fifth place overall, out of a field of 63 players. UL's Sam Uphold placed 10th overall with a 79. Hayden Roberts scored 82, and Eli Eubanks scored 91. Upson-Lee has qualified for the 2019 GHSA State AAAA Golf Tournament, which will be May 20 and 21 at the Country Club of Columbus.

Diamond Knights Sweep Thomson,
Advance to Sweet 16

Turner Maddox waits patiently for a pitch in a recent game for the Knights. Maddox led the Knights with four hits in the first-round series win over Thomson.

Published 5-1-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming into the playoffs as the third seed from region 2-AAAA, the Knights had to go on the road to face off with the second-seeded Thomson Bulldogs last Thursday in a best two out of three series, with the winner moving on to the sweet 16. The Knights would win both games of the doubleheader Thursday by scores of 4-0, and 6-4 over Thomson to advance in the state playoffs.
The Knights were gifted with two incredible pitching performances by Alex Blount and Jake Willis. Blount pitched a complete game shutout in game one, striking out six batters and not allowing a walk. In game two the sophomore, Jake Willis, proved that he was ready for the pressure of playoffs by tossing six innings, allowing only two earned runs, striking out eight batters, and allowing zero walks. Game two was closed out on the mound by fellow sophomore Logan Spivey.
The Knights were led offensively by Turner Maddox, who racked up four hits in the two games. Spivey added three hits of his own, as sophomores Austin Hendricks and Chance Gamble added two hits each. Hendricks led the team with three RBI in the series, as Ben McDaniel and Josh Keeter added two each.
The Knights will go on the road again tomorrow to face off with the first seeded Woodward Academy War Eagles. Game one will begin at 4 p.m., followed by game two at 6:30 p.m. The “if” game will be played Friday at 4 p.m. if necessary. Woodward Academy sports a record of 22-7, with a region record of 13-1.

Knights' soccer pummels thomson in first round

Cameron Teal sends a ball up-field for the Knights in a recent home win

Published 5-1-2019
By Austin Franklin
After the Knights’ baseball team had to travel East to take on the higher seeded Bulldogs in the first round of the baseball state playoffs, the Bulldogs had to travel to Thomaston the next day to take on the higher seeded Knights in soccer. Neither sport fared well for Thomson, as the Knights scored seven goals in the first 20 minutes of the first half, sending the game to an early halftime, and shortening the second half to 20 minutes. The Knights needed just three goals in the second half to end the game at 10-0 mercy rule, and they would complete the task with under a minute remaining on the clock.
The Knights shared the scores across the team as seven different players would score in the game. Berklei Rakestraw completed the hat trick for the Knights with three goals, Chase Winters added two goals, Cameron Teal, Rhett Baucom, Pasley Thompson, Bryson Teal and Brandon Martinez all added a goal each.
With the win the Knights advanced to the Sweet 16 and will host Columbus High School tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Columbus comes into the game with a record of 12-4, with a region record of 7-1.

knights rifle team finishes top three at state shoot

Published 5-1-2019
On April 27, 2019, the Georgia High School Rifle State Championship was held at Fort Benning, GA. Of the 119 teams that participated in the regular season, the top 17 teams qualified for the state championship.
After two nail-biting relays, the Upson Lee Knights finished in 3rd place overall with a team score of 1147 out of 1200.
Individually, Ana Maldonado shot a season best score of 291 out of 300, making it to the finals and finishing overall in 8th place individually out of 93 competitors.
The other team members finished as follows: Grace Geldbach – 290 out of 300 (13th overall), Savannah Muse – 286 out of 300 (29th overall) and Eli Pollard – 280 out of 300 (56th overall). Jackson Roddenberry was the alternate shooter with a score of 274 out of 300. This was a great finish to a very long season.

ULMS Diamond Knights Win CGMSAL Title

Published 4-24-2019
After a regular season record of 8-4 the Upson Lee Middle School Knights fought their way into the playoffs and would knock off the top two teams in the league to secure the championship. After defeating Monroe County, the Knights would advance to take on the first seed in Clifton Ridge and after a thrilling game would claim the title with a 6-5 win in ten innings.

diamond knights fall short at suntrust park

Sophomore Austin Hendricks receives and releases a ball from third baseman Brooks Gulley to complete the double play at SunTrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.

Published 4-24-2019
By Austin Franklin
With a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play on a major league baseball field, the pitching for Upson Lee and Mary Persons shined on the big stage. Starting pitchers for the Knights and Bulldogs were Alex Blount and Trippe Moore, neither of which would surrender a run in the game.
Blount would throw four innings for the Knights, only allowing one hit before being pulled from the game to keep his arm healthy for the playoffs. Moore would go on to pitch a complete game shutout for the Bulldogs, striking out eight batters on the way to a region championship.
The Knights outhit the Bulldogs in the contest with three hits but were unable to cash in on the opportunities. Senior Trevor Crews singled in the game as juniors Turner Maddox and Brooks Gulley would double and triple in the contest.
The Knights dropped games one and two in the series to the Bulldogs by scores of 5-2, and 6-2 in extra innings, respectively. With the losses, the Knights dropped to third place in the region and will travel today for a double header with Thomson at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the first round of state playoffs. The series will be a best two out of three matchup with the if game being tomorrow at 3 p.m.

knights end regular season with a bang

Senior Jordan Massey heel flicks a ball he received on a corner kick for a goal against West Laurens

State Playoffs Round One Friday Night at Matthews Field
Published 4-24-2019
by Austin Franklin
After clinching their second consecutive region title the Knights’ soccer team had one region game remaining in the regular season as they hosted West Laurens last week. Upson Lee remained focused as they looked to close out an undefeated regular season and got the job done with a dominating 8-0 win on senior night.
Jordan Massey got the Knights going when he connected on a flick from a corner early in the game. Chase Winters got the Knights a 2-0 lead before Rhett Baucom connected on a free kick to extend the lead to 3-0. Winters scored once again to end the first half with a 4-0 lead for the Knights. Upson Lee went on to win the contest 8-0 to finish the season with a record of 15-0-1.
The Knights will host Thomson Friday night at 6 p.m. at Matthews Field for round one of the state playoffs.

diamond knights clinch state playoff spot

Logan Spivey stretches at first base to receive a throw from an infielder for an out in a recent win over Howard

Published 4-17-2019
by Austin Franklin
With the Knights two games to one series win over Howard last week they officially clinched their spot in the 2019 GHSA state playoffs with only one region series remaining this week versus Mary Persons. The Knights and Bulldogs will be battling for home field advantage as the winner of the series between the two is guaranteed a top two seed in the playoffs.
After a rainout on Monday the Knights began the series with Howard Wednesday with a double header at Silvertown Ballpark and would go on to win game one 14-5, and game two 5-4 on a last inning score. Thursday the Knights would be on the wrong side of a last inning score as the Huskies would take game three and prevent the sweep with a 3-2 win in extra innings.
The Knights rode good starting pitching to the series win over Howard as Alex Blount, Austin Hendricks, and Jake Willis all pitched extremely well in their starts. Blount started game one for the Knights and got the win with six innings pitched, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. Sophomore Hendricks was awarded the game two start, his first region start of the season and shined in the Knights’ win as he pitched five innings allowing three earned runs and striking out six batters. Logan Spivey would come in relief of Hendricks and get the win as Spivey tossed the final inning allowing zero runs and striking out two. Sophomore Willis got the start in game three and pitched the best game of the series as he pitched five and a third innings allowing one earned run while striking out six.
Upson Lee had a big day offensively Wednesday as they played a double header as the result of a rain out Monday, as they were led by Blount with four hits in the two games. Hendricks, Ben McDaniel, Chance Gamble and Turner Maddox all added three hits each in the pair of games. McDaniel and Maddox also accounted for four RBI.
The Knights hosted Mary Persons in game one of the final series Monday; results were not available at press time, game two will be today at 5:30 pm at Silvertown. The Knights will travel to Atlanta Friday for their final regular season game and game three of the series with Mary Persons at Suntrust Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The game will begin at 4:00 pm.

knights' soccer continues domination;clinches second consecutive region title

Senior forward Drae McDuffie prepares to jump up for a header in a recent Knight victory.

Published 4-10-2019
By Austin Franklin
After dominating ACE Charter School 5-1 at Matthews Field last week, the Knights would go on the road to face Perry, with the chance to clinch their second consecutive region title with a win. The Knights defeated Perry earlier in the season 3-1 for a huge redemption win as Perry dealt Upson Lee their only region loss of the year last season. Coach Bentley and the Knights weren’t going to allow that the be the case this season, as the Knights would go on the road and get a 5-1 victory over Perry to clinch the region 2-AAAA title for the second consecutive year and improve their undefeated record to 14-0-1. With this win the Knights are guaranteed homefield advantage in the playoffs in the first and second rounds at least.
The Knights will be at home Tuesday and Thursday nights next week at 7:30 pm to host West Laurens and Houston County in their final two regular season games. Senior night will be held after the Lady Knights’ game next Thursday before the Knights host Houston County. AAAA state playoffs for the Knights will begin April 26th.

diamond knights sweep perry in wild series

Brooks Gulley watches a pitch in a recent region game with West Laurens; Gulley recorded two hits and four RBI in the Knights’ 15-13 win over Perry last week.

Published 4-10-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off a tough series loss against West Laurens, the Knights were able to pick up a series sweep over the Perry Panthers, but it wouldn’t come easily, or in normal fashion. Upson Lee would take game one of the series with a 5-4 win in the 10th inning on the road in Perry, but this would just be the start to an unconventional high school baseball series. The Knights were led offensively in game one by Chance Gamble and Alex Blount with two hits a piece. Blount also got the start on the mound for the Knights and tossed six quality innings, only allowing three runs and striking out seven. Sophomore Austin Hendricks picked up the win for Upson Lee as he came on in relief of Blount and tossed four innings allowing only one run and striking out five. Perry’s starting pitcher was able to complete nine innings of pitching for the Panthers before being removed from the game.
Game two of the series was far from normal as well, as the Knights scored 13 runs in the bottom of the third inning to run rule Perry 15-0, and Perry had yet to record an out in the inning when the game was called. Blount, Gamble and Ben McDaniel led the Knights offensively with two hits a piece in the game. Hendricks also picked up two RBI in the game on one hit. Sophomore pitcher Jake Willis was phenomenal in the shortened game on the mound pitching three innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.
Game three of the series would put the stamp on the series being the wildest region series the Knights have ever played in, as Upson Lee would take game three 15-13 in 12 innings. The Knights 1-5 hitters in the lineup would combine for 12 hits in the game, and 36 plate appearances in the four-plus-hour game. Hendricks and McDaniel led the Knights with three hits each. Gamble, Brooks Gulley, Turner Maddox and Josh Keeter all added two each as well.
The Knights will return to action this week with a region series against Howard. They will host the Huskies today at 5:30 p.m. at Silvertown Ballpark.

diamond knights drop series to west laurens

Junior Chance Gamble strokes a base hit into right field for the Knights in a recent game versus West Laurens; Gamble leads the team with a .377 batting average.

Published 4-3-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off their opening region series sweep over Spalding, the Knights had two away games and a home matchup in a series with a good West Laurens team that features Bradley Wilson, a sophomore infielder/pitcher who is already committed to Mississippi State. He would play a big part for West Laurens in their sweep of the Knights.
Game one of the series saw the Knights take control of the game in the first inning on a Brooks Gulley two RBI double with two outs. There wouldn’t be another score until the top of the fourth when Turner Maddox would rip an RBI single to give the Knights a 3-0 lead. The Blue Raiders would get two runs back in the bottom of the fourth. Maddox would once again come thru for the Knights as he would have another RBI hit in the sixth, this time a double to score Austin Hendrix to take the Knights’ lead to 5-3 into the bottom of the sixth inning. A few hits for the Blue Raiders brought Wilson to the plate, where he unloaded for a three-run homerun to give West Laurens its first lead of the game 6-5, a lead the Knights were unable to erase in the seventh.
West Laurens would go on to hold the Knights down in games two and three of the series, with wins of 6-2 and 11-2. Alex Blount and Chance Gamble would be the two bright spots for the Knights offensively in the two concluding games of the series, both recording three hits in the losses. Josh Keeter would also pick up two hits and two RBI.
The Knights moved on to their current series Monday night to take on Perry; results were not available at press time. The Knights will return home today to take on Perry at 5:30 p.m.

knights' soccer remains undefeated in a thriller

Published 4-3-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights traveled to Spalding last week for their second matchup of the season with the Jaguars, and after an easy score by Berklei Rakestraw in the first minute of the game assisted by Chase Winters, it looked as if the Knights would breeze by Spalding for a second time, but it would be anything but a breeze. The game would remain scoreless until about 20 minutes left in the game when Spalding would find the back of the net for a 1-1 tie. Regular time in the game would end with the same 1-1 tie, and overtime would be forced. In overtime the Knights would prevail on a Triston Coker goal assisted by Winters again. Upson Lee would hold off Spalding for the remainder of overtime for the win.
The win moved Upson Lee’s record to 11-0-1, as they maintained their #1 ranking in Class AAAA according to Eurosport Scoreboard. The Knights will travel to Perry Friday night at 7:30 p.m. with a chance to clinch the region championship with a win. The Knights will return home April 16 for their last region game of the season against West Laurens, and April 18 will be senior night as the Knights host Houston County.

U-L’s Bryce Robinson Named 2019 Region
2-AAAA Athletic Director of the Year

At the Georgia Athletic Directors Association’s annual conference in Savannah, Upson-Lee Athletic Director Bryce Robinson was recognized as the 2019 Region 2-AAAA Athletic Director of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that Coach Robinson has received this award. He is pictured with his wife Abbey and son Parker.

Knights' soccer maintains number one ranking

Georgia Southern signee Chase Winters fights a Perry player for possession of the ball in the Knights’ 3-1 home win last week.

Published 3-27-2019
By Austin Franklin
With big region wins over Perry and West Laurens last week the Knights were able to maintain their number one ranking in GHSA class AAAA for the fourth consecutive week of the Eurosport Scoreboard Rankings with a record of 11-0-1 on the season.
The Knights hosted Perry last Tuesday in a rematch of the Knights only region loss in 2018, except this time, the outcome was different. Perry scored an early goal in the game on a corner kick within the first five minutes after kick-off, but from that point forward the Knights would dominate the game. Triston Coker would get the Knights back even on a rocket shot from long distance outside the box that banged off the bar and into the back of the net for the first Knight goal. A few minutes later Jordan Massey would find the ball on an Upson Lee corner kick and get a head on it to send it into the back of the net for a 2-1 Knights lead that would carry into half time.
The Knights’ defense had a magnificent showing in the second half of the game and hold Perry scoreless to preserve their 2-1 lead until senior and captain Chase Winters would dribble through multiple Perry defenders to get deep into the box and score easily to increase the lead to 3-1. The pesky Upson Lee defense would shut the game down from there and seal the 3-1 victory.
Upson Lee would head East on Friday to take on a tough West Laurens team with a 7-3-1 record on the season. The Knights came away with a 2-0 victory, but it wasn’t an easy one. The Blue Raider defense pressured the Knights all game, but Rhett Baucom and Cameron Teal were both able to find lapses in the defense to score from long range outside of the box and lead the Knights to a 2-0 win to improve their region record to 7-0.
Upson Lee will travel to Spalding tonight to take on the Jaguars at 7:30 pm.

Diamond Knights Sweep Spalding in Opening Region Series

Senior Josh Keeter gets a hit for the Knights in a recent game. Keeter had four hits, scoring three runs in the series sweep of Spalding.

Published 3-27-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights began last week hosting Spalding in game one of a three game set at Silvertown Ballpark in the opening region series of the season and extended their win streak to three games with a 6-5 win over the Jaguars. Senior Alex Blount started the game on the mound for the Knights and got the win.
Game two was on the road at Spalding Wednesday as the Knights surged past the Jaguars 10-0 behind a stellar pitching performance by Jake Willis who pitched five innings allowing zero runs and striking out five.
Upson Lee returned home Friday for the final game of the series and built a 9-2 lead before Spalding rallied back in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 9-9. With one out in the bottom of the seventh senior left fielder Josh Keeter hit a fly ball to center field for a double, and after an error by the Spalding centerfielder came all the way around to score for the Knights walk-off win to sweep the series.
Blount had a big series against Spalding both offensively and on the mound as he recorded five hits and four RBI in the series along with 12 innings pitched allowing six runs and striking out 12 batters. Turner Maddox was scorching hot for the Knights at the plate as he recorded eight hits in the three-game set. Chance Gamble and Keeter both added four hits a piece in the series. Sophomore Logan Spivey racked up six RBI as well. Austin Hendricks contributed in multiple ways as well as he pitched three innings in relief duty allowing no runs and striking out two, he always recorded two RBI.
The Knights returned to action Monday with the first of three games against West Laurens on the road; results were not available at press time. The Knights will host West Laurens today at Silvertown Ballpark at 5:30 pm in game two of the series.

diamond knights extend hot streak into region play

Sophomore second baseman Austin Hendricks makes a strong throw to first base in a recent game.

Published 3-20-2019
By Austin Franklin
After a slow start to the season offensively the Knights are beginning to heat up at the plate as they’ve score 26 runs in their last three games, including six in their first region game of the season.
The Knights competed in an invitational over the weekend at Mary Persons and defeated Rutland by a score of 11-4 and Cook County by a score of 9-1 to pick up two wins and some momentum heading into the region opener Monday against Spalding in a game they would win 6-5.
Over the past three games the Knights have had some major offensive production from Chance Gamble, Ben McDaniel, Turner Maddox and Logan Spivey. Gamble has tallied seven hits including two doubles in the three games, McDaniel has six hits including a double and a home run to go along with nine RBI, Maddox has six hits including a home run, and Spivey has four including a double.
Sophomore Jake Willis pitched a gem of a game for the Knights in their win over Cook County, pitching a complete game only allowing three hits, zero earned runs, and recording five strikeouts in the win. With this game Willis lowered his ERA to 1.75 for the season over a span of 16 innings with two wins in the three games he’s started.
The Knights will continue their three game series with Spalding on the road today and will return home Friday for the rubber match at Silvertown Ballpark at 5:30 pm.

Knights win knight invitational

Knights win Knight Invitational with a team score of 315. Players pictured include Sam Uphold, Hayden Roberts, Trey Kelly, Eli Eubanks, and Brennen Smith. Coaches are Brian Oglesbee and Taylor English.

Published 3-20-2019
By Austin Franklin
Upson Lee hosted Pike County teams one and two, Mary Persons, Lamar County, Schley County and Taylor County in the annual Knight Invitational at Raintree Golf Course Monday afternoon and walked away with hardware as they finished with a team score of 315, 24 shots ahead of second place team Mary Persons. Low medalist of the day went to Sam Uphold as he led the Knights with a score of 74. Hayden Roberts and Trey Kelly both turned in scores of 77, as Eli Eubanks shot an 87, and Brennen Smith shot an 89 for the Knights.
The Knights have a lot on the schedule for the week as they will be back in action today at Shoal Creek Country Club in Griffin to take on Spalding, will travel to River Forrest tomorrow to take on Mary Persons, and will travel to Whitewater Country Club Friday to take on Fayette County.

blount dominates on the mound for diamond knights

Turner Maddox makes a throw to first base to record an out for the Knights in a recent win over Manchester.

Published 3-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
In the midst of a four-game skid for the Diamond Knights they traveled to Lagrange to take on the Grangers and turned to senior Alex Blount to take the mound in hopes of regaining momentum before entering region play, and Blount gave them exactly what they needed. Blount pitched a complete game for the Knights, only allowing one hit and one run in the 5-1 win. Blount, along with Logan Spivey, Ben McDaniel and Turner Maddox all added a double each in the game at the plate, as leadoff man Chance Gamble collected two singles.
The Knights will host Lagrange today at 5:30 pm, and play a double header at Mary Persons Saturday against Rutland and Cook at 10:00 am and 12:00 pm before returning home Monday to begin their region play with a series against Spalding at 5:30 pm.

knights' soccer continues dominance

Drae McDuffie goes up between two opponents to win a ball in a recent Upson Lee victory.

Published 3-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
After defeating a top 10 ranked region opponent the Knights hosted two other region opponents in Howard and Mary Persons who they had both defeated earlier in the season.
Upson Lee defeated Howard 9-0 earlier in the season on the road, and it was the Huskies turn to make the trip to Matthews Field to face off with the undefeated Knights. The Knights would pour it on them again, winning by a score of 6-0. Drae McDuffie, Jordan Massey, Triston Coker, Pasley Thompson, Brady Puckett and Brandon Martinez found the back of the net in the win for the Knights.
The Knights switched their focus to region rival Mary Persons Friday night at home in a rematch of a 3-0 win for Upson Lee earlier in the season. The Knights would go on to successfully defend their home field by a score of 10-0. Chase Winters scored a hat trick for the Knights as Triston Coker and Berklei Rakestraw added two goals each in the win. Trent Linscheid, John Armstrong and Jordan Massey also scored for the Knights.
With these two wins the Knights retained their number one ranking in class AAAA and catapulted their record to 9-0-1 on the season. With their top 10 matchup against Columbus canceled Monday night due to weather the Knights won’t return to action until March 19th when they host a very good Perry team. Kick-off will be at 7:30 pm following the Lady Knights.

Diamond knights lose late lead to callaway

Senior Alex Blount delivers a pitch to the plate in a recent win over Griffin. Blount would go on to throw a complete game shutout over the Bears.

Published 3-6-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights hosted Callaway Saturday as part of their annual “Diamond Day” and took control of the game in the fifth leading by a score of 4-3 before surrendering two late runs in the seventh inning in a loss to Callaway High School.
Upson Lee was led offensively by Chance Gamble who had two hits in the game and scored a run. Josh Keeter, Logan Spivey and Ben McDaniel all added a hit each. Keeter drove in two runs and McDaniel added an RBI of his own.
Sophomore Jake Willis pitched five quality innings on the mound for the Knights allowing only three runs and recording five strikeouts in the game.
Upson Lee will return home next Monday and Wednesday against Brookstone and Lagrange, both games will begin at 5:30 pm. The Knights will begin region play at home on March 18th against Spalding.

Top-ranked knights rolling over region opponents

Senior Cameron Teal tries to get by a defender in the Knights' 2-0 win over Spalding last week.

Published 3-6-2019
By Austin Franklin
Coming off their debut ranking at the number one spot in the Eurosport Georgia AAAA rankings the Knights took on Mary Persons and Spalding and handled both region opponents in decisive fashion.
The Knights traveled to Mary Persons to take on the Bulldogs last week and won by a score of 3-0. Seniors Chase Winters, Berklei Rakestraw and Triston Coker all scored in the contest for the Knights.
The Knights returned home Friday evening to host the seventh ranked Spalding Jaguars at the time and beat them by a score of 2-0, by way of Rhett Baucom and Bryson Teal.
With these two wins the Knights improved their overall record to 7-0-1, and their region record to 3-0-0. The Knights hosted Howard last night who they defeated 9-0 earlier in the season; stats were not available at press time. The Knights will host Mary Persons Friday night at 7:30 pm following the Lady Knights.

Runnin' Knights Season comes to an end

Sophomore Malik Smith throws down a huge slam in the Knights loss over Americus-Sumter. Smith will be counted on as a leader in the coming years of Upson Lee basketball.

One of the most impressive high school basketball runs ever
Published 2-27-2019
By Austin Franklin
After winning their fourth consecutive region title the Knights got a win over the Academy of Richmond County, which set them up to play host to a very good, second seeded Americus-Sumter team last week, in a game in which they would lose a late lead to end their season, and one of the most impressive high school basketball runs ever. The Panthers, who had only surrendered four losses on the season, three of which were to region rival Carver, Columbus were not coming to Thomaston with the mindset that they were going to lose, and it showed in the fourth quarter.
After controlling most of the game by double digits the Knights tired out in the fourth quarter and the Panthers took full advantage of it, overcoming a 12-point deficit to win by a score of 59-53. The Knights couldn’t find a way to slow down Trae Brown late in the game, as he took the game over offensively and gave the Panthers a lead the Knights could never regain. Brown led the Panthers with 22 points.
The Runnin’ Knights have nothing to hang their heads about, though. This team contained players that will forever be remembered in Upson county for the incredible show that they have put on for this community to watch over the last four seasons. A group of these players, including Travon Walker, Zyrice Scott, and Jarrett Adderton played major roles in not only winning 107 games, two state championships, and four region championships for the Upson Lee basketball program over the last four seasons, but bringing a community together to support one team, and to renew a community love for high school athletics that this community has been lacking for years.
The level of dedication, athleticism, teamwork, and passion for the game that every player that has put on a Knights uniform over the last four seasons may never be seen again, not only in Thomaston, but in Georgia. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back region championships, back-to-back state championships, a 107-3 record, a 76-game winning streak, a City of the Palms Championship, and a Lake City Classic Championship over the span of four years is an unheard set of accomplishments in GHSA basketball, and for that, the Thomaston community will forever remember their beloved Runnin’ Knights.

runnin' knights are moving on

Senior Travon Walker throws down a slam for the Knights in their opening round victory over the Academy of Richmond County

Published 2-20-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Runnin’ Knights of Upson Lee began their quest for a third consecutive state championship Saturday night in front of a packed gym at “The Castle” with a 66-56 win over the Academy of Richmond County to advance to the “Sweet Sixteen” of the GHSA state playoffs.
The Knights jumped out to an early 16-3 lead over the Musketeers after the first quarter, by the Musketeers fought back and outscored the Knights in the second quarter to cut the Knights’ lead to single digits going into halftime. The Musketeers engineered another big run in the third quarter coming back to tie the game midway through the quarter before the Knights stretched their lead once again and would never surrender it.
Upson Lee was led by big man Travon Walker who scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the contest. Zyrice Scott added 15 points and eight assists, Jarrett Adderton put up 13 points and six rebounds, and Javeon Walker added nine points for the Knights in the win.
The Knights will host a very good Americus-Sumter team Thursday at 6:00 pm in the second round of the state playoffs. The Panthers represent region 1-AAAA as the number two seed with a season record of 23-4. The Panthers thumped Salem in the opening round of the playoffs by a score of 72-50.

knights win trojan cup for second year in a row

Published 2-20-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Knights traveled to Lamar County for two games last week, getting two wins and securing a second straight Trojan Cup championship. The championship didn’t come easy for the Knights as they were tested by Pike County in the semi-final round for the first time all season. The Knights were able to pull out a 2-1 win over the Pirates to advance to the championship round to face off with Harris County. The Knights had a much easier time in the championship game as they defeated Harris County by a score of 5-1 to win the title.
The Knights were led by senior Chase Winters who scored both goals in the win over Pike County and added two goals in the win over Harris County. Winters was joined in the championship game by Rhett Baucom who scored twice, and Cameron Teal who added a goal of his own.
The Knights will return home this Friday for their first home game of the season. Upson Lee is undefeated on the season with a 5-0 record. Kick-off will follow the Lady Knights at 7:30 pm at Matthews Field.

diamond knights off to hot start at home

Upson Lee catcher Ben McDaniel laces a base hit into left center field in the Knights win over Manchester

Published 2-20-2019
By Austin Franklin
After a tough season opening 4-2 loss on the road to Harris County the Diamond Knights returned home and got two victories in the first week of the season over Griffin and Manchester fueled by excellent pitching.
Senior Alex Blount led the Knights in their 4-0 shutout win over Griffin with seven excellent innings on the mound. Blount only allowed three hits and one walk over the seven innings while recording eight strikeouts. After walking the first batter of the game Blount didn’t allow another baserunner until the sixth inning when his no-hit bid was squandered by a swinging bunt. The Knights were led offensively by Chance Gamble who recorded two hits in the game. Josh Keeter and Blount also added a hit each in the win.
The Knights destroyed Manchester later in the week by a score of 11-1 behind a collective offensive effort and another gem of a game pitched by sophomore Jake Willis who threw five innings of one run baseball. The game was closed on the mound by fellow sophomore Austin Hendricks. Stats were not available at press time.

runnin' knights capture fourth straight region championship

The Knights were presented their region championship trophy for the fourth consecutive season last Friday in Forsyth.

Published 2-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
The Upson Lee Knights captured their fourth straight region championship Friday night in Forsyth as they pummeled Howard 72-31 after a slow first half start. The Knights defeated the Mary Persons Bulldogs 63-48 in the semifinals on Wednesday night to advance to the championship game.
Upson Lee led Howard by a score of only 28-20 at halftime in the championship game before they took off in the second half and outscored the Huskies 44-11 in the second half. The trio of Zyrice Scott, Travon Walker, and Jarrett Adderton filled the stat sheet for the Knights in the game as Scott led the way with 22 points, nine assists and four steals. Walker added a double-double with 15 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks, Adderton added 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
In the Knights impressive stretch of four straight region titles they have surrendered only one region loss, a 68-63 game in which they were defeated by Perry all of the way back in 2015. Since that defeat Upson Lee has won 49 straight games against region opponents.
The Runnin’ Knights will begin their state playoff journey in hopes of a third straight state championship this weekend as they host The Academy of Richmond County, date and time to be determined.

Lady knights fall short in region tournament

Sophomore Alonzea Montgomery puts back an offensive rebound for an easy two points.

Published 2-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
After clinching their third consecutive state playoff berth with a dominating 57-19 win over Mary Persons last week the Lady Knights fell flat in the remainder of the tournament with losses to West Laurens and Perry, and will represent region 2-AAAA as the fourth seed in the state tournament.
Upson Lee fell to a very good West Laurens team Wednesday evening by a score of 57-44, after cutting the deficit to five points late in the game. With this loss the Lady Knights moved on to face Perry Friday night to determine who would be the third and fourth seeds in the state tournament, and coming off of a disappointing loss to West Laurens two nights before the Upson Lee Lady Knights looked to be off of their game, and were defeated by a score of 50-42 to fall to the fourth seed heading into this weekend’s first round of state playoffs.
Stats were unavailable for both games. The Lady Knights will be on the road this weekend for the first round of the state playoffs to take on the region 3-AAAA winner the Baldwin Lady Braves. Time and date to be determined.

Knights' soccer off to fast start

Jordan Massey boots a free kick for the Knights in their 9-0 win over Howard.

Published 2-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
Following a spectacular 2018 season under Head Coach Matt Bentley that ended in a heartbreaking Final Four loss to Chestatee, the Knights returned almost all of their squad in 2019, and have began this season on a tear. The Knights are 3-0 on the season and have only given up one goal while scoring 28 in the three contests.
The Knights started the season on the road with region opponent Howard, and came out of the gates from the opening kickoff firing on all cylinders. Cameron Teal scored twice in the first minute of the game for the first two goals of his varsity career to put the Knights out front by a score of 2-0. The goals would just keep pouring in from there as Chase Winters had a hat trick with three goals, and Berklei Rakestraw and Drae McDuffie added two goals each in the 9-0 season opening victory.
The Knights began the annual Trojan Cup hosted by Lamar County last weekend with an opening round game against Jordan and won by a score of 11-1. With the win the Knights moved on to the second round to face Jackson, and won by a score of 8-0. Stats were not available for either game at press time. The Knights will play in the championship game of the Trojan Cup on Saturday, time to be determined.

lady knights' soccer gets first win of season

Zowie Curry gets a cross into the box for the Lady Knights in a recent game.

Published 2-13-2019
By Austin Franklin
After being shut out 5-0 in the Lady Knights’ first game of the season against Howard Upson Lee would go on to get a big 9-0 win in the opening round of the Trojan Cup over Jordan High School.
The Lady Knights would have eight players score in the win led by Abby Boyd with two goals. Emma Kate Peoples, Lillianne Rowland, Zowie Curry, Isabella Velasco, Maliyah Howell, Julia Walden, and Harlie Kate Hurst would all add a goal each in the game for the Lady Knights.
Upson Lee advanced to the second round on Saturday to face off with the host team, Lamar County, and lost by a score of 7-0. The Lady Knights will be back in action in the Trojan cup in the third place game Saturday; time to be determined.