Rutland hosting relay meet at Thompson Stadium
The Middle Georgia high school track and field season will have one of its biggest early season meets Thursday, when Rutland hosts the Canes Central Georgia Relays at Thompson Stadium.
Among the schools expected to send athletes are Baldwin, West Laurens, Upson-Lee, Westside, Mount de Sales, Mary Persons, Northeast, Peach County and Rutland.
Westside had the winning girls 4x100-meter relay team in GHSA Class 3A last year, along with Class 3A champion triple jumper Zoe Jordan. Mary Persons had a state champion sprinter, Amecia Pennamon, graduate and join the South Carolina program, but the Bulldogs picked up three-time state champion pole vaulter Carson Dingler, who transferred from FPD.
Dingler is entered in the New Balance Nationals indoor meet this weekend at The Armory Track and Field Center in New York, where she is the defending champion.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.
Ron Seibel
More signings
Jones County will have a football signing ceremony Friday morning in the school auditorium. Quarterback Bradley Hunnicutt will sign with Huntingdon, in Alabama, where he committed to last month. Offensive lineman Quay Pitts is the latest Middle Georgian to head to Highland Community College in Kansas. Defensive back Jimmy Haynes will be a preferred walk-on at Tuskegee.
Westfield is sending a girls basketball player to the next level. Gracie Duggan will sign with Birmingham Southern, a Division III program, on Tuesday. Birmingham Southern won the Southern Athletic Association regular-season title with a 10-4 conference mark, 17-11 overall. But the Panthers lost in the conference tournament championship.
Houston County’s Caitlyn Davis has signed a softball letter-of-intent with Georgia College.
Michael A. Lough
Middle Georgia All-Star Weekend
The Middle Georgia All-Star Weekend basketball event is scheduled to take place March 18-19 at Tattnall Square.
The 13th annual Middle Georgia All-Star Classic will take place March 18, along with 3-point and slam dunk contests. The March 19 action will feature the Mactown/Wartown Shoot-Out, a game pitting Macon all-stars against Warner Robins all-stars.
Action begins at 3 p.m. each day with community/legends games, with the all-star games starting at 5 p.m. both days. Tickets are $10 each day at the door, with a $15 weekend pass available in advance.
For more information, visit allstarweekend.net.
Ron Seibel
Transfer talk
The speculation began not long after Bleckley County parted ways with football head coach Tracy White and when conjecture on his replacement settled on Von Lassiter at Houston County.
The speculation apparently has become reality with the transfer of Dylan and Tyler Fromm, younger brothers of former Houston County quarterback Jake, to Warner Robins recently, less than a month after Bleckley County officially hired Lassiter. Dylan threw four passes last year, while Tyler caught 35 passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns.
Former Houston County offensive coordinator Mike Chastain took over at Warner Robins a year ago. The Demons started the season 1-7, changed quarterbacks and their offensive philosophy from passing first to running first and ended up making the Class 5A playoffs, losing 56-49 to Griffin in the first round.
Michael A. Lough
Help wanted, help found
Northeast and Central still have football head coach openings, and Bibb County athletics director Eddie Ashley expects to present a name at the next board meeting for the Northeast vacancy and in April for the Central opening.
Statewide, Fitzgerald hired a familiar face and name as its new head coach.
Tucker Pruitt, who played at Fitzgerald for his father Robby, will take over, leaving Valdosta as its offensive coordinator for a year. That came after several years at Valdosta under former head coach — and former Peach County head coach — Rance Gillespie.
Pruitt has coached at Lowndes, Thomson and Coffee, as well as Georgia Southern. He played at Valdosta State under Macon native Chris Hatcher.
Michael A. Lough
This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Rutland hosting relay meet at Thompson Stadium."