As the school year came to an end, so did the finals for spring sports like track & field, tennis, and baseball. It also means the chance to score a college scholarship which is what Scotty Arthur did. The Pirate’s wrestler signed with Emmanuel College which is in Franklin Springs, GA just north of Athens.
Baseball
After capturing the Region 1-AAA title, the Pirates moved into the state playoffs as a number one seed. In the first round, the Pirates baseball team and Coach Jeremy Smith faced the North Clayton Bulldogs. Appling County took both ends of a doubleheader against North Clayton winning 4-3 and 15-0 in the home stand. Next, the Pirates hosted the Jackson County Panthers from Jefferson, Georgia. Appling County jumped out to a 15-2 lead after the second inning and never looked back on their way to a 17-5 victory in five innings in game one. Jackson County managed to hold off the Pirates in game two and won 5-4 to tie the series at a game apiece with game three to decide the round two matchup. In game three, the Panthers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead and continued to pour it on as they took a 14-1 victory over the Pirates, ending Appling County’s baseball season in the second round.
Track
The Appling County Track and Field Teams had two high finishers at the 2016 Georgia Olympics. First, Kelsey Jones finished second in the shot put at the ladies’ state AAA meet in Albany. A week later, Devon Moore was second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 meters in the GHSA State AAA men’s championships that were held in Jefferson. Moore was part of Coach Sheldon Pearce’s Pirate’s team that had several qualifiers for state following the sectional championships. Moore qualified at third in the 200 meters and was also on the 4×100 meter relay team that finished second for the Pirates, along with Jetoine Jones, Al Lewis, and Japheth Morris. Moore was also on the 4×400 meter relay team that qualified at second with Keelan Crosby, Jetoine Jones, and Japheth Morris.
The Lady Pirates of Coach Garrett Cranford shined in the field events at sectionals where Kelsey Jones won the shot put with a heave of 39′-6.5″. She would go on to finish second at the state meet In Albany. Kaitlyn Paulk also qualified for state with a fourth-place finish in the discus at sectionals.
Tennis
The Pirates’ tennis teams fared well this season, with both the boys and girls team finishing near the top of Region 1-AAA and earning trips to the state playoffs.
The boy’s team was the region runner-up. The boy’s team had to face a tough Decatur team in the first round of the playoffs. With the match tied at 2-2, it came down to tie-breaker in the third set but the Pirates fell short and lost to the Bullldogs. Winners for the playoff match were Freshman Luke Lightsey and the No.1 doubles team of Caleb Johnson (senior) and Dalton Stipe. “Both doubles teams as well as Lightsey have carried the Pirate boy’s tennis this far in the season,” said Coach Linsey Tillman. The Pirate’s doubles teams were very strong with three seniors this year. “Those positions will be tough to fill but the upcoming freshmen are showing a bright future for the Pirates after helping win their middle school conference championship this past season,” Coach Tillman said.
The Lady Pirates tennis team finished fourth in Region 1-AAA. They had to play the reigning state champion, Blessed Trinity, and fell 1-4 to the Titans. Sophomore Halee Leggett was the girls only winner for that match. “Having Halee around for two more years certainly shows promise for the future of the girl’s tennis team,” Coach Tillman said.
Southeast Georgia/June 2016
Appling page
By Rob Asbell
Spring Sports End on High Notes
Photos by Sheldon Pearce and Linsey Tillman
