Calhoun at Gordon Central
Calhoun’s Morgan Hill (right) is congratulated by teammate Payton Greeson after a home run over the left field fence to lead off the third inning on Tuesday. (Rick Winters, Prepcentralonline.com)
The Lady Jackets had big home runs from both Carly Curtis and Morgan Hill, which backed up a shutdown performance from pitcher Shyanne Dobson.
“My girls came out and hit the ball today and they looked very relaxed,” said CHS coach Diane Smith. “Shyanne did a great job as well on the mound today.”
Dobson allowed only one hit in the game, which game in the first inning when Gordon Central leadoff hitter Maci Mills singled.
“I thought our girls would bounce back after being one-hit by LFO [on Wednesday]” said GC coach Brian Little. “We had opportunities but we didn’t take advantage.”
Dobson did not strike out a batter but was in full control as she held the Lady Warrior hitters off balance all game long. Her control was good, only walking one.
The Lady Jackets jumped on the board in the first inning when Danielle Phillips singled and later scored when second baseman Marisa Miller could not field a grounder cleanly off the bat of Shanta McDaniel.
“Danielle did a great job and got us going in the first inning,” Smith said. “She got it started early with two stolen bases after getting on.”
Calhoun pushed four runs across the plate in the second inning. Curtis singled to left bringing home Morgan Stewart, who led off the inning with a single. After Tori Jones singled, Phillips sent a shot over the right-fielder’s head for a triple. She would come in to score on a bad throw to third.
Hill led off the third with a solo-shot that sailed high over the left field fence. Her shot would be the start of a six run inning for Calhoun in which they sent 10 batters to the plate.
Bree Walraven singled in Morgan Stewart, and Blaire Parlo singled in both Walraven and Jones. Curtis ended the scoring with a two-run shot over the left field fence.
“That third inning was big, six runs and two homers” said Smith. Hill’s home run was way out there. She blasted that one.”
The Lady Jackets added their 12th run in the fourth when Hill walked and Walraven hit a fly ball that was misplayed by the Gordon Central right-fielder.
Mills picked up the loss for the Lady Warriors, allowing 12 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits. She struck out four and walked one. Gordon Central struggled on defense and with the sun, committing five errors in the game.
“We had errors that should have been routine plays,” said Little. “The sun played a little bit of a factor but we can’t let that be an excuse.”
“Maci pitched a good game. Her only mistakes were the two home runs, we just have to execute on defense,” Little added.
Curtis, Phillips, Jones and Hill each picked up two hits in the game. Phillips added two stolen bases.
Calhoun improved to 12-3 overall and 4-1 in the region. Gordon Central is now 5-9-1 overall and 2-2 in the region.
The Lady Warriors are coming off two straight tough games against top opponents.
On Wednesday, Gordon Central fell to LFO 8-0 in five innings.
Shawnda Martin picked up the lone hit for Gordon Central. Maci Mills reached base on a walk.
Mills took the loss on the mound, allowing eight runs on eight hits. She walked seven over the five innings. GC is now 2-2 in the region.
The Lady Warriors will be off this Thursday and will resume action on Wednesday (Sept. 8) at Sonoraville.
Calhoun will face Dade County this Thursday. Dade is ranked fifth in the state in AA and Calhoun follows in sixth. After Dade the Lady Jackets will be off until Thursday (Sept. 9) when they will host Chattooga.
“Dade County always brings a good team and the girls are fired up,” Smith said. “We will be ready.”
We'll just ignore everything else.
What I can tell you is that we have a very good coach who knows the game and who loves and takes very good care of her players. That is the example that she is setting and in turn, those players will do their very best to do what she asks of them.
Not every coach can say that of their team.
Having said that, I have no intention of discussing anyone's personal lives on this forum.
If you want to continue the discussion of the issue of out of district players on Calhoun's team, I'm more than happy to do that.
I want my daughter to play for a Coach that is a good life example on the field and off.
Can you say both about the current CHS softball Coach?
Then you are looking at the world with blinders on.
Alyssa=SHS district (Family moved to Calhoun when Alyssa was in 4th or 5th grade. She started Calhoun in 6th grade. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun over Sonoraville)
Cheyenne=Armurchee (She transferred to Calhoun in 8th grade when her mother took a job at CHS. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun over Armuchee.)
Bree=SHS district (Started Calhoun in Kindergarten. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun.)
Shanta=SHS district (Started Calhoun in Kindergarten or 1st grade. Transferred to Ashworth in 6th grade and then came back to Calhoun in 7th. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun, twice.)
Morgan Hill=SHS district (Started Calhoun in 2nd grade after moving here from Dalton. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun.)
Danielle=GC district (Started Calhoun in Kindergarten. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun.)
Carly= GC district (Started Calhoun in 3rd grade. Ask her parents why they chose Calhoun.)
My point is... the majority of those out of district players have been in the Calhoun City System a long, long time. Therefore, they are "Calhoun Kids", although they are out of district. So we are winning with "Calhoun Kids". Could we win without those out of district players? That's something we'll never know.
If you're going to complain about the athletes that are out of district, you might want to also take a look at our very successful debate and literary teams. And while you're at it, the band, I'm sure has a lot of out of district members too. For that matter, there are probably out of district students walking the hall that aren't involved in any extracurricular activitities. Does it bother you that those students are at Calhoun?
There have been county students going to Calhoun for decades. I'm sure the same thing applies to all the other city school systems in the state.
My suggestion is, instead of complaining about your students going to Calhoun, find out why the parents are choosing Calhoun over the other schools and then be proactive and make the necessary changes so that you keep those students and athletes in their own district.
Alyssa=SHS district
Cheyenne=Armurchee
Bree=SHS district
Shanta=SHS district
Morgan Hill=SHS district
Danielle=GC district
Carly= GC district
You obviously drink the Calhoun Koolaide.
Read this one more time....Calhoun cant win with Calhoun kids.
You never refuted that?? Did ya?
Maybe the county schools lose kids to Calhoun because a lot of parents of other county children are so full of hate that they can't get along with anyone else. Get over the Calhoun MYTH crap and start one of your own. It's good coaching that attracts these kids in the first place. I watched it evolve over the last 10 or 12 years and the county schools HORRIBLE choices for head coaching, in many sports, has been your downfall. Parents want their children to go to Calhoun not only for good academics and athletics, but as much to get away from snarky, jealous, gripe butts like yourselves.
And I still don't understand what the 8th grade rule is.
And it's not laughable to me to say that GC recruits like Calhoun. They may not have as much success at it but they are doing it. And the example I gave was a parent trying to get a student from Sonoraville, not Calhoun. Although I believe there have been some athletes that have transferred from Calhoun to GC to start the 9th grade. And GC also benefitted from a transfer from Adairsville last year, did they not?
You are right, Calhoun does want to win as I would hope every school would want to do, otherwise why waste time and resources. And I agree, I know of some instances where players that grew up in the system got bumped when a transfer who was a better player came in. And you're right, that is a shame. I'm not defending that.
They use the 8th grade rule to build the program. They are like vultures at the middle school games and recreation leagues.
Saying that GC recruits like CHS is laughable. i know of no athlete that has made that transfer.
The real problem with CHS is that they want to win no matter what. Even if it means that a local kid doesnt get a chance to play. Thats a shame.
As far as the 8th grade rule, I'm not sure what you mean by that either. I do know that if you transfer in at the beginning of the 9th grade then you can play right away without sitting out, no matter where you attended your 8th grade year. However, this doesn't apply to this softball team. Every player except for one that played in that ballgame has attended Calhoun since at least primary school, if not Kindergarten. And yes, all of this is perfectly legal by GHSA rules. The only way to prevent this would be for the State to mandate that a student HAS to attend the school that serves their district. And in that case, it goes back to a parent having the right to decide for themselves where they want their children to attend school.
I have no problem with any parent wanting to send a child to Calhoun. So what??
I do have a problem with hearing about the myth of Calhoun sports though
Calhoun only wins, because Calhoun has to depend on outside kids.
They cant win with what they have. Thats a fact.
Take your softball team. a few years ago you guys had a series of devestating injuries. yall lost a bunch of non conference games.
Then all of a sudden you get a transfer from whitfield county..A pitcher, just happened to be what yall needed. What luck? Your season was turned around.Just in time for the league games.
Everybody knows that you guys recruit. Yall live on the very fringe of the rules.They beat that transfer by the 8th grade rule to death.
They are pretty slick on how they recruit too. The Coaches dont do it. They get the parents and the other kids to do it. Therefore they arent breaking any GHSA rules.
As a parent, I think I should have the right to choose where I want to send my children to school. It doesn't matter whether it be for athletic, academic, literary, debate or just because I think the school has prettier buildings. In a lot of the cases, it is because the parent is an alumni of a certain school so they want their child to graduate from that school also. I believe that is the case with the SE Whitfield player. That should be the parent's choice. As long as it is done legally then I really don't see why there should be a problem with that.
All of the out of district players on our team are at Calhoun legally and have been there a while. Again, that makes them Calhoun kids. Therefore, we are winning with Calhoun kids.
Also how bout the ones that should be playing at Sonoraville? Or maybe SE Whitfield? I know there is a few of those.
Thanks for proving my point...CHS cant win with Calhoun kids!
fact: Calhoun cant win,with Calhoun kids!!!