Friday, January 1, 1904
It was Gold for Silver in the Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series, which concluded Thursday night in Lewiston, Idaho, with top-seeded Faulkner University beating host Lewis-Clark State 11-4. Second-seeded Lee University, which ended its NAIA on-field history with a semifinal loss Wednesday night to Faulkner, placed senior catcher Danny Canela and senior outfielder Brady Renner on the all-tournament team, and junior shortstop Josh Silver was named the Gold Glove winner. Silver had seven putouts, 13 assists and only one error in 21 chances in the tournament, and as a batter he was 6-for-16 (.375) with a home run, five RBIs and seven runs scored. The runs total was second in the World Series to teammate Renner's 10. Faulkner pitcher Johnny Shuttlesworth was the most valuable player.
• Dalton High School girls' basketball coach Jeff McKinney has been named athletic director and assistant principal at the school, principal Steve Bartoo announced in a Thursday release. Replacing Ron Ward, who was promoted to associate principal, McKinney plans to give up his coaching position. "I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. "It's time to do something different. Dalton has a policy of not allowing principals to coach, so one of my first jobs will be to find my replacement." He spent three years in administration at Rossville Middle School before coming to Dalton and getting back into coaching. "We are fortunate to get someone with Jeff's background" to handle the two posts, Bartoo said. "He has served as a coach for many years in both male and female sports, giving him a good understanding of the comprehensive athletic program offered at Dalton High." McKinney's basketball Lady Catamounts reached the state playoffs in 10 of his 12 years with the program, including 11 as head coach. They finished second and went 32-1 in 2011, and he had 254 wins and five region championships. He coached the softball team to the Class AAAA state round of 16 last fall, but Stacy Parker already had been hired to succeed him in that sport. A math teacher, McKinney earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics education and a master's in educational leadership from the University of Mississippi and has a specialist's degree in education from Lincoln Memorial. Dalton also must hire an assistant boys' basketball coach after Jim Case to be the head coach across town at Southeast Whitfield, and assistant football coach and golf coach Chad Jordan is leaving DHS for Christian Heritage.
• As Adairsville High School graduate Emily Cole leaves Georgia Northwestern Technical College to continue her education and basketball career at Toccoa Falls College, another Adairsville alumna, Mallory Bramblett, is taking her place with the Lady Bobcats. The 5-foot-5 guard recently signed GNTC enrollment papers and said, "I've heard great things from Emily about the program, and I feel we will have a ton of fun and have a chance at going far." The Lady Cats were 15-10 last season. A four-year starter for the Lady Tigers, Bramblett averaged double-figure points as a senior, and Lady Cats coach Jim Williams likes her distribution ability. "She's very unselfish and she is a great pass maker," Williams said in the GNTC release. "She's a team playier and she really knows the game."
• Sung Back, a former Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School standout golfer who now lives in Duluth, Ga., will play in a 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier Monday at the Hawks Ridge course at Ball Ground, Ga. The 51 entrants will be trying for three spots and two alternate positions in the 113th U.S. Open Championship to run June 13-16 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. Back earned this chance in a five-man May 14 local-qualifier playoff that went to the next morning at Atlanta National.
• The CFCA '01 Premier under-12 boys' soccer team from Chattanooga won the Division 1 state title last weekend in Memphis with a goal differential of 28-3 for four games. It was the last tournament for the team in four years for the core group under coach Chris Zeller, a GPS teacher. Team members included Cole Avery, Godfred Collins, Joseph Collins, Will Fraser, Gage Finnell, Ben Harris, Andy McMeen, Nicholas Webber, Hayes Wood, Ronnie Zeineldin and Dylan Zeller.