Starr's Shine and War Eagles Soar

Let's get this over with up front. Yes, I heard from Whitt Jones. Yes, he claims his dating life is just fine and needs no help from me. I expected that. What I did not expect were both my daughters and my wife agreeing with him! The entire female population in my home thinks he's "a real cutie." I'm sick just repeating it in public. My daughters thought my comments last week about Coach Jones simultaneously combined with my mug shot "debuting" with the column was somewhat of an "oxy-moron." Ouch, next time I'll pick on Brandon Hutchins.

Last Saturday I spent 10 hours at the Panther Relays hosted by Starr's Mill. The event included 28 schools from the Georgia Mountains to the plains of Auburn. The weather was spectacular, old meet records were shattered and Head Track Coach Chad Walker and the entire event staff (coaches and volunteers) did an amazing job organizing and managing the 7th Annual Chick-fil-A Panther Relays to perfection. The hospitality room was terrific, the PA announcer was professional and on top of his game, the concession volunteers were polite, the
individual relay and field event coordinators kept the meet moving in
spite of the ebb and flow of so many heats per event. It was fun to
chat with so many kids I've had on the radio show and to see them all do so well.

If hosting 28 teams was not enough, Coach Glen Griffin hosted his
annual Lift-a-Thon in the Starr's Mill gym on Saturday morning. There's a guy you can't help but love and respect. Did you know that Glen was selected the Aflac National Assistant Coach of the Year (for football) in 2003? I do not mean to offend other local coaches but
I believe Glen is the best strength and conditioning coach I've observed at the high school level. The results are consistently impressive. He does more with average size and speed than anyone I know. The event on Saturday proved it. Did I mention he is just as
good on Friday nights pacing the sidelines as the Panther's defensive
coordinator? If you have an athlete in his off-season program - be thankful.

I'm not done. Starr's Mill finished the day by hosting McIntosh in varsity baseball! The atmosphere was terrific as these two quality programs squared off at 7PM. As I left the campus late Saturday evening I thought of Mike Davis the AD (actually, his title is Assistant Principal) for the Panther nation. I've been around the program and Mike for four years now and had most of the coaching staff on the radio show at one time or another (including Mike). They never complain. They are happy to be a part of the staff at Starr's Mill. They support each other. They are a very professional fraternity. The majority are classroom teachers including Head Football Coach Mike Earwood. Every sport on campus is evidence of quality leadership. I've yet to be at an event on the Starr's Mill campus that was done
poorly...credit Mike Davis! Did you know Mike actually played and coached under Woody Hayes at Ohio State? Not a bad mentor. Of course, my Hawkeyes beat his Buckeyes last Saturday in basketball for the Big Ten Tournament Title. I'll bet Mike took a well-deserved Sunday
afternoon nap before watching the game!

I missed Greg Davis Saturday. Greg throws the shot and discus for the
Panthers. He is a beast. He threw the "weight" (similar to the hammer throw) last Saturday in New York City at the National Scholastic Indoor National Track and Field Meet. He finished 4th in the nation and was awarded All-American honors! The "weight" actually weighs 25lbs.and Greg eclipsed his personal best by 2' 6" while competing in New York City with a toss of 67'7"...like I said...a beast. He doubles as the starting fullback for the varsity football team and rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. He is an honor student, polite and the guy you want mentoring younger players. He has found a way to rise above his dad’s
poor pedigree as a U.S. Naval Academy graduate. His dad’s claim to fame
is catching a pass across the middle against Pitt and getting knocked out by
Hugh Green. Enough said. Ain't nobody gonna be knockin' Greg out...ever.
Get out to a local track meet and see him throw. Keep up the good work
All-American!

Last but not least I have to brag on a couple of Landmark War Eagles.
Heather Hayes and Brett Lewis are brilliant competitors. They both
excel in track and field. Heather cleared the best height in all
classifications last spring in the pole vault on her way to the Class A State Title and won the Panther Relays on Saturday. Brett is one of the top milers in the area. He'll be in the hunt for the state title in Class-A later in the spring. However, their accomplishments pale in light of their commitment to an incredible work ethic. They both ran in numerous long distance relays last Saturday and seemed to get stronger as the day wore on. I've watch their daily practices. They never back off. They never give less than their very best effort. They leave nothing on the track at the end of each workout. I'm serious, if they would have run from
Landmark to Starr's Mill for the relays it still would not have been as taxing as all the events they ran Saturday. They dig down deep and find that extra "something" that very few athletes are willing to find. They get that from Coach Thorn. I'm proud they go to Landmark. They are way ahead in the race called life. God speed!