Area Prep Notes: East Hamilton coach Rodney English remains on suspension

East Hamilton's head coach Rodney English and his bench follow the action. The Tyner Rams visited the East Hamilton Hurricanes in TSSAA basketball action on January 19, 2018.
East Hamilton's head coach Rodney English and his bench follow the action. The Tyner Rams visited the East Hamilton Hurricanes in TSSAA basketball action on January 19, 2018.

East Hamilton's high school basketball teams played at Van Buren County on Thursday, but the boys' team again was without its head coach.

Rodney English remains on suspension as confirmed by principal Gail Chuy, who continues to work on an investigation into a parent complaint that English made derogatory remarks to one of his players after last Friday's home game against Tyner.

Assistant coach Zach Roddenberry, who directed the Hurricanes to a District 5-AAA victory at Bradley Central on Tuesday, will remain the acting head coach while English's status with the team remains under review.

Georgia traditionals begin

The second phase of the prep wrestling postseason begins today across Georgia with area traditional tournaments.

Four of the five events involving northwest Georgia teams start today, the lone exception being the Saturday-only Area 6-AAAA tournament at Gilmer. The host Bobcats, fresh off a runner-up finish at the state duals, will be the favorites, though seeding suggests a closer-than-usual tournament.

"No one team just dominated the seeding," said Ridgeland coach Keith Mariakis, who has three No. 1 seeds in Jordan Hughley, Ryan McGill and Jacob Mariakis. "There is as much parity as I've seen in it, so it ought to be good. This region is also very young. In fact, McGill is the only senior No. 1 seed."

Gilmer has four top seeds, followed by Ridgeland and Pickens with three each and Heritage with two: 106-pound Ryan Craft and 220-pound Jeffery Curtis.

Another competitive tournament is expected at Bremen, where the host Blue Devils and Sonoraville are expected to fight it out for the Area 3-AAA title. The Phoenix, third at the state duals, have five No. 1 seeds in Eli Knight, Jayce Derryberry, Tyler Hunt, Trevor Burdick and John Knight.

The other areas will be held at Creekview for 6-AAAAAA, Armuchee for 3-AA and Darlington for 3-A.

Dalton's Tighe to GSU

Dalton catcher J.P. Tighe will keep the Dalton-to-Statesboro baseball connection alive next spring after signing with Georgia Southern University this week.

He led the Catamounts in the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals last year with a team-best .457 average and 45 RBIs. He had a .500 average the year before. Tighe, also the starting quarterback the past two football seasons, will play collegiately for former Dalton player Rodney Hennon.

"Coach Hennon came back home and got him a good one," Dalton baseball coach Rhett Parrott said. "And, as I've said before with J.P., he's a better young man than even a player. We're really excited for him. It's a very good fit for him, and I understand he will have an opportunity to catch there first, though some were looking at him as a corner infielder."

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