Eight athletes are being inducted into the Central High Hall of Fame.
The group includes longtime supporter Connie Hay, a 90-plus-year-old former Mississippi State player who sponsors an annual golf tournament to benefit Central's football team. Hay also helps sponsor the Hay-Hoback Spirit of Central scholarship.
Others in the class include baseball player Daniel Curtis; softball player Sandy Hanks; multisport athletes Norman Hofferman, Ronnie Kincer and David Vaughn; football All-American Dickie Phillips; and veteran baseball coach Gene Lively.
Curtis played eight years of professional baseball in the Braves organization, spending much of that time with the team's Triple-A club in Richmond. Hanks played at Louisiana Tech and still ranks among the top 10 in single-season batting average, hits and runs.
Hofferman played football, basketball and baseball and also ran track and played football at the University of Chattanooga. He is a member of the Chattanooga Regional Jewish sports Hall of Fame. Vaughn was an all-state basketball and baseball player who became an All-Southeastern Conference player at Auburn.
Kincer played football and baseball for the Pounders and UC and was a prep All-American. Phillips was a football All-America lineman at both Central and Georgia.
The colorful Lively produced numerous quality teams including a pair of state championship squads. He was inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004.
Return to Ellijay
He's saying all the right things, but tonight's Ridgeland-Gilmer football game in Ellijay will be a bit more special than usual for Panthers head coach Wesley Tankersley.
"Tank" coached Gilmer for seven seasons before accepting the Ridgeland job this past offseason. His Bobcats teams, after a 1-9 first season, went to four postseasons, including in each of his final three years there. His final four teams combined to win 32 games, making him one of the most successful coaches in program history.
For now, though, he's trying to concentrate on winning what might be an elimination game between two 1-3 teams in Region 7-AAAA.
"I'm trying to look at it as just another game," Tankersley said. "You have to put all that out of your mind and focus on the players. It's an important game for both teams with big implications in the region."
Will knowing the Gilmer personnel help tonight?
"It maybe gives us a bit of an edge, but they know me well, too," he said.
Chargers retreat
Chattanooga Christian School held two football practices last week - Monday and Friday.
During the rest of the week, the entire senior class and the entire junior class took a retreat.
"They get away and pray and challenge each other," CCS coach Rob Spence said. "It's a time away for reflection and growth in their faith. They experience genuine community."
The Chargers were off last week and will play against Howard this evening.
"It's a good time for us to recover from bumps and bruises midway through the season," Spence said. "The retreat is traditionally when we have a bye."