FYN Sports Top 5 Football Stadiums in Our Viewing Area
Team FYN Sports July 5, 2021
Just here to spark a little bit of fun debate during the off-season! Our writers blind voted on their favorite stadiums in our viewing area, and these were the results. I’m sure everyone will have their own opinion, so let us hear your opinions and what we got wrong!
Each stadium write up is written by a member of the schools community.
1. Fannin County High School
Fannin County High School Football Stadium comes in at #1 on our FYN Sports Top Football Stadium in our Coverage Area.
Although the stadium has no nickname, it is often been referred to in the past as “The Battlefield”
Fannin County may have the best entrance in all of Georgia. The Rebels walk out of their locker-room directly to a gigantic blow up Fannin County Football Helmet. Coach Cheatham usually is the 1st one to break open the facemask on the helmet and the Fannin County Football team walks onto the field with arms locked. The cannon fires, the smoke rises, music blares, lights go out and then flash from pole to pole. It is a striking entrance and one that every High School Football fan needs to see.
Yes, we mentioned a Cannon. And yes, it does fire. Every time Fannin County enters the stadium and scores a Touchdown the Cannon is shot and is heard throughout the town of Blue Ridge. Yes, we mentioned Lights cutting off and flashing. Every time a Touchdown is scored Fannin County’s LED Light system will flash from pole to pole igniting the roar of the Fannin County 12th man.
Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is played and PA Announcer Tim Towe famous “ITS 3rd DOWN” sparks the Rebel Nation to make noise on 3rd Down.
I think if you witnessed a game here during Fannin County’s magical season last season you would agree with our choice.
The Stadium is a true 12th man Atmosphere. Powered by everything we have mentioned and the award winning Fannin County High School Marching band, the cheerleaders and “The Blue Crew” ( Student Section) Fannin County is our choice for Top Stadium in our coverage area.
2. Murphy High School
Photo taken by Mark Muir
David Gentry Field at Bob Hedrix memorial stadium is nothing short of picturesque. The location of the stadium is one of it’s best qualities, being right off the road and allowing passers by to honk their car horns and cheer on the Dogs, whether that be on Friday night or Tuesday afternoon at practice. Watching the team walk down the hill at 7:27 on Friday night just before kickoff is electric. The sun setting behind the visiting bleachers on a crisp fall evening is really something to behold. Dont even get me started on the sheer history of what’s been accomplished on that field. 10 state championship teams have played under those lights, and for the past 40 years, perhaps the greatest High School football coach of all time has coached on that sideline. Add to that JR Carrol shouting “1st and 10 Bulldogs” over the speakers, you’ve got a recipe for one of the greatest high school football atmospheres in the country.
Photo taken by MHS Athletics on Facebook
They don’t call it “BULLDOG COUNTRY” for nothin’.
Former Dogs Head Coach & Hall of Famer David Gentry said, “There’s no better high than the one you get on Friday nights in Murphy between the hours of 7:30 & 9:30. That feeling you get for those two hours, it’s unattainable anywhere else.”
3. Robbinsville High School
Robbinsville’s Big Oaks Stadium is a rethink-your-ranking kind of stadium. A truly historical field, it has hosted the home games of over 50 years of Black Knight football teams without ever being moved to a new location. The stadium is also directly adjacent to the original “old rock” schoolhouse of the 1900s.
The field is not the only piece of historical significance—the players themselves, often generational descendants of fellow state champions, give the Friday Night aesthetic of a Robbinsville Black Knights’ football game the aura of dominance. These boys know the magnitude of what they are playing for.
With 14 State Titles earned on its grass, the Big Oaks guarantees you a night of knock-down and drag-out, old-fashioned football, complete with rows of aged-oak trees, and a sunset view over its Smoky Mountain backdrop. Being the true embodiment of the AC/DC rock hit—Back In Black—the Big Oaks Stadium is THE must see stop of any stadium tour.
4. Union County High School
Photo from Chris Mathis
We look to Union County’s Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium a.k.a “The Mike.” There are many great high school football venues; not many, however, pack a 1-2 punch with a beautiful view and electric atmosphere like this one.
Photo from Chris Mathis
This venue offers a beautiful turf field and an even more astounding view of the crisp Blue Ridge Mountains. Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium is one that you’ll never forget, one that provides a bit of everything you could ever want on a Friday night underneath the lights!
5. Pickens County High School
Photo from North Cobb Electrical Services
Hayesville Falls to Rival Bulldogs
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 13, 2021
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets hosted the Murphy Bulldogs in a rivalry matchup Friday night. The Bulldogs benefited from a few crucial referee decisions in the first half that led to a blowout game. If the decisions had gone in Hayesville’s favor the game probably would not have been a 54-21 blowout but rather a 10ish point game. Ultimately though the Bulldogs were simply the better team and proved as much throughout four quarters.
1st Quarter:
Hayesville on their first drive got a couple of big plays early but ended up punting away to Murphy. After getting the ball Murphy quickly marched down the field, scoring taking an early 7-0 lead. Hayesville once again found some success picking up a few first downs on their second drive. Yet once again they stalled shortly after getting into Murphy territory and on a bad shotgun snap turned the ball over to Murphy. Murphy capitalized on the turnover with a 45-yard scoring drive, closing the first quarter with a 14-0 lead.
2nd Quarter:
Hayesville started the second quarter on offense yet with some strange penalties by both teams Hayesville went three and out. Murphy like they did in the first quarter, had their offense humming and had another scoring drive to take a 21-0 lead. Hayesville was finally able to finally finish off an offensive drive. Freshman Taylor McClure scored a tough 12-yard run but Hayesvilles extra point was blocked making the score 21-6.
The next series was the one that really hurt Hayesville, with a crucial referee decision changing the game. Murphy quarterback was pushing forward when Hayesville forced a fumble taking it back for a touchdown. Yet after the referees talked it over they ruled the play dead, and Murphy ended up scoring on the drive. So if the correct call had been made it would have gone into half 21-14 instead we went into half Murphy leading 28-6.
3rd quarter:
The Bulldogs received the second-half kick and had a great return giving them good starting field position. A few plays into their drive Hayesville senior William Wimpey forced a huge turnover. Giving Hayesville the break they needed stopping Murphy’s offense for the first time all night. Hayesville could not capitalize though going three and out having to punt. a long touchdown run from Murphy on the ensuing drive increased the score to 34-6. On the first play of the drive, Hayesvilles Blake McClure ripped off a 60-yard run all the way down to Murphy’s 5-yard line.
McClure finished off the drive a few plays later and Hayesville converted a 2-point conversion to make the score 34-14. Murphy’s offense once again scored making the score 42-14 late in the third quarter. The last play of the quarter saw Hayesville throw an interception with Murphy returning it all the way to the 1-yard line.
4th Quarter:
Murphy punched it in to start the quarter extending their leading to 48-14. Hayesville did tack on a fourth-quarter touchdown, and both teams had several of their younger players see the field in the fourth quarter. The game ended with Murphy winning 54-21.
Game Notes:
-Sophomore quarterback Logan Caldwell played his best game yet and continues to grow into his role as QB1. His rapid growth rate will give this Hayesville team a chance to win some games down the stretch.
-Hayesville has come a long way since game one execution-wise. Look for Hayesville to get their first win next week at Andrews.
-Freshman Taylor McClure has been Hayesville’s leader defensively this year also saw some time on offense tonight scoring his first varsity touchdown. It appears Hayesville has found another weapon in the younger McClure, look for his role to continue to grow.
Notable Offensive Stats:
Logan Caldwell: 12/23 passing 137 yards 1TD, 2INT
Blake McClure: 17 rushes for 92 yards 1 TD
Kyle Lunsford: 8 rushes for 44 yards 5 receptions for 40 yards
Taylor McClure: 7 rushes for 38 yards 1 TD
Asher Brown: 2 receptions for 46 yards
Aver Leatherwood: 4 receptions for 52 yards 1 TD
Hayesville will next play on Friday, March 19th at the Andrews Wildcats. Team FYN Sports will be live broadcasting next week at Andrews. So for any Yellow Jacket fans not making the trip tune into fyntv.net to watch live. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
Early Miscues Result in Season Opening Loss for Hayesville
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 2, 2021
.The Hayesville Yellow Jackets football team played in their first football game of the year last night. They hosted the Franklin Panthers at home to open the season. First off it is great just to be able to play football this year for North Carolina athletes. With that said basketball and football had multiple weeks of overlap. This probably played a big part in Hayesvilles early game miscues, several bad snaps, and fumbles. Hayesville could not overcome the early mistakes as Franklin played solid winning 28-7.
1st Quarter:
In the first quarter, we saw Hayesville win the coin toss and take the aggressive approach choosing to receive. The first drive looked good picking up good yardage in the first few downs. Yet a false start penalty backed the Yellow Jackets up on third down and they were unable to complete their third-down pass. Hayesville looking at a 4th-8 to go chose to punt, a high snap on the punt led to the punter delaying his kick. It got partially deflected and resulted in only about a ten-yard net giving Franklin, great starting field position.
Franklin cashed in on that great field position by scoring quickly. Hayesville on their next drive went three and out once again having to punt. This time the snap went completely over the punter’s head into the endzone, with Franklin recovering it for a touchdown. Before you could even catch your breath the Yellow Jackets found themselves down 14-0.
2nd Quarter
Franklin had a good drive to end the first quarter and were on the Hayesville one-yard line to start the second quarter. They quickly punched it in on a QB sneak but missed the point-after try. Now leading 20-0 Franklin kicked off deep to Hayesville, who got a great return by senior Tyler Anderson out to their own 46-yard line. Blake McClure opened up the drive with a big 26-yard run, getting into Franklin territory. Later in the drive on Hayesvilles first play in the red zone Kyle Lunsford got some great blocking and ran for an 18-yard touchdown. Hayesville’s point-after try was good making the score 21-7 Franklin. The Panthers would tack on one more touchdown in the quarter making their lead 26-7 going into halftime.
3rd Quarter:
The second half opened with a long offensive drive by Franklin, but just as the Panthers were getting into the red zone Hayesville forced a big fumble. Avery Leatherwood recovered it for the Yellow Jackets giving Hayesville a chance to get back in it. After getting one first down Hayesville had to punt. Franklin got the ball back but went three and out. Hayesville muffed the ensuing punt giving it back to Franklin in Yellow Jacket territory. After a few first downs, Hayesville forced a turnover on downs by Franklin on the last play of the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter:
On the second play of the fourth quarter why trying to evade pressure Hayesville quarterback Logan Caldwell was sacked in the endzone for a safety. This brought the score to Franklin 28 Hayesville 7. Forced to punt off after the safety. Senior Blake McClure unleashed a howitzer of a punt and punted the ball 68 yards forcing Franklin to start at their own 12-yard line. Note while the ball did get a good bounce it had 55 yards of carry in the air. The rest of the fourth quarter saw the two teams trade the ball back and forth several times. There was no more scoring in the game though. Franklin finishing off the win 28-7 in both of the team’s first game of the season.
Post Game Interview with Head Hayesville Coach Chad McClure:
Q: Yall played better in the second half after the early miscues any thoughts coach?
A: I think we are as good as they are if we play the way we can.
Q: Thoughts on your son Taylor McClure, I know there was some debate whether as a freshman he would play varsity or not. Yet he played a great game had some big tackles for loss.
A: You know it is a great opportunity for him and those other freshmen, we had a lot of freshmen on the field tonight at times. It’s like I told them were only going to get better from here.
Q: First game of the season other than some bumps and bruises it looks like yall came out of the game healthy?
A: I have not talked to our trainer yet but it looks like we’re pretty good.
Q: Tough having to play Robbinsville as is Friday night, what does this week look like for you with only three days to prep?
A: We will come in tomorrow, make sure everyone is healing, we will stretch, watch the film and get in the weight room. Try to fix some things we need to work on after evaluating the film. We’re blessed to have an opportunity to play. It did not turn out like we wanted but we have to learn from that and move on.
Notable Hayesville Stats:
Blake McClure: 12 carries for 64 yards rushing
Kyle Lunsford: 2 carries for 19 yards rushing and 1 TD
Team: 6 fumbles, 3 lost
Remember all Hayesville home football games this season will be broadcast live on fyntv.net. As well as on the fyntv app, available on all major app stores for any of your smart devices. To get updates or see how the Yellow Jackets have done tune in to all the latest FYN sports coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://claync.fetchyournews.com/category/teamfynsports
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week- Kasey Owens, no. 63
Sports, TeamFYNSports September 27, 2019
Senior Kasey Owens for the Yellow Jackets played a great game last Friday night. He helped the offense gain 350 total yards and score 44 points. He also had 2 tackles on defense. Kasey played this great game Friday night despite an emotional week, displaying his strength both on and off the field.
Congratulations to Kasey Owens, the TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week for the game against North Georgia!
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week- Payton Ivester
Sports, TeamFYNSports September 17, 2019
Congratulations to this week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week for the Hayesville Yellow Jackets- Payton Ivester!
Payton played a pivotal role in the Yellow Jackets’ game against Lookout Valley. He scored all four touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets. He had 104 yards passing with two touchdown passes, and 89 rushing yards with two touchdown carries.
Good luck to Payton and the rest of the Yellow Jackets as they continue their season!
TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week- Blake McClure
Sports, TeamFYNSports September 9, 2019
This week’s TeamFYNSports Writer’s Player of the Week for the Hayesville Yellow Jackets is Blake McClure! Blake played great games against both Copper Basin and Tellico Plains. In the game against Copper Basin, Blake had 12 carries for 128 yards and a rushing touchdown, as well as three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown catch. In the game against Tellico Plains, Blake carried eight times for 117 yards.
This award is definitely well-deserved! Congratulations to Blake McClure!
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-First United Church of the Southeastern Conference
Sports August 16, 2019
On Wednesday I stopped by one of the local rec departments to iron out some details for an upcoming event that Team FYN Sports plans to cover. As often happens in small towns where time seems to move a little slower, you can’t go into a place where people are as close as a rec department and just have your meeting and leave. You end up talking about something like, in this case sports, that leads into one topic after another. Add a couple more people into the mix that you haven’t seen in a while and soon enough you glance down at your watch and you’ve been there for two hours with no idea where the time went. Southerners especially know what I mean.
Anyway, naturally with this being SEC country we had to talk about college football. And even more so when one of the people in the conversation was a Tennessee fan (you know who you are!)
Eventually our conversation turned to memories of our first college football games. The memories spanned years and were entwined with heartfelt stories of family, friends and Sanford stadium. There were tales of witnessing games where records were set and broken, of firsts and lasts. A couple of us could even recall games with rivalries so bitter that a rowdy fan from the opposing team was either physically injured or injured with glares.
Ah the glorious Sanford Stadium! And during a Georgia/Tennessee game, too!
For each of us that was sitting in the room we had a look of wonder in our eye. We were recalling memories that were so precious to us that we wouldn’t trade them for all the University of Florida defeats in the world. Especially the ones were loved ones were involved. Those are always the most precious.
Hearing those glorious tales took me back to my own first University of Georgia game. I couldn’t tell you who they were playing, but I remember watching the team run out with the big Georgia flag and feeling a since of pride I hadn’t felt before. I was with my mom and my grandparents. I had never seen my Nana get so rowdy. And my Papa Skip was especially proud to have the three most important women in his life with him and dressed in red and black. And a new love was born for me.
As a side note, my brother would later commit the ultimate sin in that side of the family and declare himself to be a Florida fan. I’m sure it broke Papa’s heart at the time, but he soon got over it when he had someone to accompany him to the Georgia/Florida game besides my Nana. Such is the seriousness of rivalries in the Southeastern Conference.
Here is a gem of a picture featuring my brother Devin, wearing a Florida shirt, and I with Governor Brian Kemp, who is a UGA alum. Even the governor gave Devin a hard time for being a Florida fan!
I know I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I firmly believe that nothing besides religion brings people together like a football game. Which is probably why it’s so common to refer to football as a religion in the South. You may hate someone during the week, but come Saturday morning if you’re both wearing red and black you’re going to at least be cordial.
I know that it may be more intense in other college towns, but in Athens people will arrive a full day early to claim their tailgating spots. Red and black tents flood the streets of downtown on every plot of grass that grows. Women (including myself) will go to get their nails and hair done ahead of time, and dress to the nine in ninety degree weather. There is no telling how many hundreds of thousands of dollars get spent on food and drinks for one weekend of tailgating alone.
I was recently watching an old episode of the show Designing Women. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s about four women running an interior design firm in Atlanta. In one scene Julia Sugarbaker, who is the sharp-tongued primary owner of the firm, is leaving for a football game with one of her co-workers. Sadly, she was going to a Georgia Tech game, but we’ll overlook that part for now.
As the two characters are heading out the door, Julia says that she and her husband used to plan their weekends around the Georgia Tech games. She quips, “In the East, football is a cultural exercise. In the Midwest, it’s cannibalism. In the West, it’s a tourist attraction. But in the South, it’s a religion!”
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-Back in season
Sports August 9, 2019
If any of you are under the age of 18 and reading this article, then I imagine this week was probably a tough week for you. I say that because the majority of schools in the state of Georgia started back this week.
I can remember being in high school and having a knot of dread in my stomach the night before the first day of school. I’ve never been a morning person, so having to get up early was my first problem. Add in all of the homework and having to spend my days in one building…it was easy to tell I wasn’t a school person.
The good news is there was always one bright spot in all of this gloom, and that was football season. I know I’ve said it before on our sports show, Instant Replay, and probably in this column as well, but in high school I lived for football season. I never missed a game, home or away. Granted I was in the colorguard with the marching band, so most of the time I HAD to go. But I can still remember a handful of games where we weren’t required to go, and some of my friends got together and still went anyway.
Those were good times, but I dare to say that these are even better. I’m thankful to have a job that pays me to follow a sport that I love. But on the other hand, it’s a job that’s helping me to get an inside look on other sports that are sometimes forgotten, especially in the South where football is a religion.
I covered my first softball game on Tuesday. I have watched and worked softball games in the past, so in my defense I knew what to expect, but it was my first time reporting on a game. It was the Lumpkin County Lady Indians against the Pickens Dragonettes in the Lady Indians home opener. One thing I loved about this game was that it wasn’t just smooth sailing, if you will. Just to give a brief recap, the Nettes put three runs on the board first. By the fifth inning, it was looking as though the Lady Indians might lose their home opener. But as with all great teams, the Lady Indians weren’t going down without a fight and ended up coming back to win 4-3. Ironically, I went to the next game where they played each other tonight and the Nettes ended up winning 9-4.
Softball is just one of several high school sports that is played in the fall. There’s also volleyball and cross country. While I haven’t gotten the chance to go cover either of these events yet, I know that I probably will be in the near future.
I’ve never personally played volleyball competitively, but I know several people who have. And from what I do know about it, there’s more technique to setting and hitting the ball than there seems. Whenever I play for fun at the beach I just feel lucky to get it over the net. But there are certain ways to prepare before you serve the ball and where to place your feet when you’re in an official match. I don’t see how players keep up with everything, other than that they practice. I know it’s got to feel great whenever you take all of your frustration out by smacking the ball.
Now I enjoy running, but I could never run cross country. I’ve seen the joke that says “my sport is your sport’s punishment” and to be honest, that’s how I feel because I don’t know how they do it. I can remember talking to cross country runners in high school, and them telling me that they would get up at 6 a.m. to run. And for some of them, the distances they would run blew my mind. But the other incredible thing to me about cross country is how much of a mental sport it is. Not only do runners have to be trained physically to maintain a certain time, they also have to be trained physically to encourage themselves to keep going.
The point I’m trying to make is that even though I’m still learning about other sports, I respect them because I do know how hard they work. I see the social media posts, I know people that play, and I see the teams out practicing well before their season starts. And even though the summer is ending and we’re back to school, the exciting thing is we’re past the days of camps and well on our way to the actual competition. I can’t wait to see what all of these young athletes accomplish.
Join the team…#TeamFYNSports!!! Become a Sports Reporter
Announcements, Featured July 11, 2019
When it comes to sports coverage if it is happening in North Ga, Team FYN Sports is #AllOverIt
Join the team…#TeamFYNSports!!!
Join us on the sidelines for Friday Night Lights as a member of our sports crew!
GREAT opportunities for:
- Internship in either high school or college
- Part-time and/or full-time work
- Experience in sports reporting at the local level!
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Post sports schedule(s) to our site.
- Commit to an entire season of that sport.
- Be prepared to cover all home and away games. Transportation is not provided.
- If there is a game you cannot make it to for scheduling reasons you must let management know it 36 hours in advance. Arrive at the sporting event/game a minimum of 30 min before it begins.
- Postgame updates before, during and after the game on Twitter and Facebook.
- Create a “hype” video clip of the team warming up, running out. starting kick off, etc (Using Magisto or Quick Story). Post this to social media.
- Take notes and pics during the sporting event/game.
- Write an article and post it on our website in the correct county under TeamFYNSports.
- Share the link and all pictures taken from the event on our TeamFYNSports Facebook.
- Pick a player of the week (Football ((different player each week)) & Basketball ((one boy and one girl player each week))
- When possible:
- Coaches Interviews
- Player Interviews
- College signings
- Follow up story once student-athlete is attending college and playing sport there.
- Coaching staff changes
About Team FYN Sports:
Team FYN Sports is the fastest-growing sports network in North Georgia and western North Carolina. Team FYN Sports is the sports division of media outlet Fetch Your News (FetchYourNews.com). FYN covers a dozen counties total, ten in North Georgia and two in North Carolina.
If interested in this opportunity, please contact Lauren:
Email: [email protected]
Phone number: 706.276.NEWs (6397)
Pre-season interview with new Hayesville Head Coach Chad McClure
Hayesville High, Sports, TeamFYNSports July 9, 2019
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets are excited about their 2019 football season under their new head coach, Chad McClure.
“I hear a lot of excitement,” said McClure. “They can’t wait to get started, they can’t wait to open up on August 23rd against Towns County.”
This will be McClure’s first season in the head coach position. A Hayesville native himself, he was previously a special teams assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets.
Although football hype can fade, McClure has a plan for building up the confidence among the team.
“The main thing that we’re trying to do is work on the kids [and] the mentality, getting them to believe that they can compete and they can win every game that they go out there,” said McClure.
Watch the rest of the interview below as part of the Team FYN Sports 2019 Western Carolina Coaching Series!
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter- Thank a coach!
Sports July 25, 2019
Over the last week and a half BKP and I have been going from school to school interviewing head football coaches for our North Georgia Coaching Series. Now if any of y’all know BKP, you’ll know what I mean when I say that he’s been doing most of the talking and I’ve been doing most of the observing. But this doesn’t bother me, it gives me a chance to learn more about the programs I’ll be spending a lot of time with this fall.
With that being said, there’s one thing in particular I’ve been noticing in our interviews, and that’s how much these coaches truly care about their players and their programs.
Now me saying that might make some of y’all think, “Well, duh. That’s what they’re supposed to do.” Well, maybe. But I like to think I’m pretty good at picking up when someone is just putting on an act for appearances. And I can say with all sincerity that none of these coaches are doing that.
Obviously when BKP and I go into these interviews, he asks questions about what the teams have been doing during the summer and how they’re planning to prepare for the regular season. But he also asks the coaches if they can highlight a few players that have really stood out. This point in the interview, I believe, is where a coach who didn’t care would possibly just say a couple names and move on.
But these coaches not only name the players, they tell us about why they stand out. And it’s a sign of the hard work of these athletes, but there’s also a sense of pride from these coaches as they name them. A couple of coaches have mentioned that it’s hard to name just a few, because all of their players have worked hard. And it’s not that the rest of the team doesn’t matter or that they don’t care about them, but the ones that they mention they do so without hesitation because they’ve been there with them through the summer truly coaching them. There’s no so-so about the commitment these coaches make- they’re all in.
Another thing that has amazed me about these coaches, not just in the interviews but learning about them off the field, is how much they care about their community as well. A couple of them, such as Chad Cheatham at Fannin County and Chad McClure at Hayesville, are natives to their communities. It’s home to them, and they’re not going to be just halfway in their commitments to their programs.
When Coach Caleb Sorrells of the Lumpkin County Indians was first named as head coach, the school hosted a meet and greet for him. It was one of the first stories I covered in this position.
In his address to the parents, Sorrells promised to not only invest in the team as players and athletes, but as men who would one day be employees and fathers. I remember being caught off guard at first because I was expecting him to talk about plans for the future of the program, the summer schedule and what not. He did talk about these things, but I believe by telling the parents that he was going to invest in the players as men showed that it was going to be a priority.
Although I know more about the commitment that Sorrells has made because I’m positioned in Lumpkin County, he’s not the only one in the area who gets involved in the community and works to build up the athletes’ character.
Tim Cokely with the White County Warriors has an entire wall of his office decorated with signs of good character qualities to instill in the team. Chad Cheatham, who I mentioned earlier, referees basketball in the football off-season just because, and the community loves him for it. I’m sure that many of the other coaches in the area do similar things and I just don’t know about it yet.
These are commitments that we see played out by coaches in movies and don’t always think to look for in real life. And because I grew up in Gwinnett County, population one million, if there was this sort of commitment by coaches I didn’t always see it because there were so many people. I love living up here in North Georgia in a smaller community where an act of kindness, especially where sports are concerned, rarely goes unnoticed.
We think about football as a sport that instills a since of discipline, but why is that? Because there’s a coach that sets that standard and inspires the team to do the same. As a community we love football and we love our team, and we can thank a coach for that.
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter-For love of the game
Sports May 30, 2019
Recently I’ve started watching the show Friday Night Lights again. Let me just say- this is partially important because I’m not a big TV show person. I don’t have the patience to sit through an hour-long episode nor do I usually have the time to keep up with a series. But I figure with pre-season football kicking in and the fall season quickly approaching, revisiting a show that revolves around high school football is one of the best ways to get me hyped up for what’s to come.
Watching this series has also made me think about a couple of things. For one, why do we as a society rally so much around a sport that’s played by boys no older than 18-years-old? Second, do we put too much pressure on athletes who play the game? And finally, is the hype and the pressure truly worth it?
I think the answer can be summed up pretty easily- yes. And why? For love of the game.
But the love of the game is different for each of us. We’re not all going to attend every single football game or spend thousands of dollars to sit in Sanford every Saturday. We all have our limits, and in my opinion that’s perfectly okay.
Why else would my friend Erin and I bundle up in the freezing cold for playoffs? Because we love football!
I like to say that there’s something about having a team that you love that will get inside of you and never leave. I find it fascinating that there are towns across America like Dillon, Texas that will show up in the thousands to support their Panthers. Coaches and players are local celebrities, and you get your butt in the stands every Friday night just as religiously as a pew on Sunday morning. I came from a high school of nearly 4,000 students and a county of almost one million people, but the same spirit that rallies much smaller towns across the country still pulses through mine.
Yes, oftentimes I’m afraid that means we put too much pressure on the athletes who play the game. In my own personal experience, at the high school level we had so many students that it was nearly impossible to know the daily goings-on at the field house. But it was that age-old cycle of that when we would win, the coaches and players would be praised. One loss and the attitude switched faster than the direction of a twister.
But one of the many great things about this country is we have the freedom of choice in many of our decisions. Even though the athletes and coaches who play these games catch a lot of grief, they still have the choice to walk away. Some do. But for those who don’t? I’d venture to say it’s for love of the game.
When it comes to putting pressure on athletes, especially young ones, I believe the relationship is a two-way street. They should know what they’re doing, but despite all the love we have for the game, we need to understand when enough is enough. I’ve heard the term “daddy ball” thrown around a lot before, and it makes me sad to think that there are parents out there who try to live through their children. It’s important to love and support them, but even more important to let them develop their own love for their game.
Finally, like I mentioned earlier, everyone’s love for the game is different. My Papa Skip, who I probably talk to the most about sports, has a different appreciation for them than I do. I’ll use UGA football as an example. He attended classes at UGA- I never have. He still goes every year to the UGA/Florida game in Jacksonville- I’ve only gone once. He pays each year to have season tickets for the home games- I CERTAINLY don’t do that, although when he doesn’t want them I get first dibs (thanks Papa!)
The point I’m trying to make is while we all may say we love sports, we each love them differently. We each have a certain line we’re willing to cross. But at the same time, come Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday or playoffs, we rally behind our team. And we each get our butts in the stands. Why? For love of the game.
Sports talk Thursday with Lauren Hunter
Featured Stories, Sports May 23, 2019
About five years ago I told my dad, who is one of my biggest fans but also one of the most blunt people you’ll ever meet, that I wanted to be the first female head coach in the NFL.
“You can’t do that, Lauren,” he said.
“Why?” I argued.
I was expecting some drawn-out response about how I didn’t know enough about football.
“Because you can’t go in the men’s locker room,” he said flatly.
Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.
That was my senior year of high school, and never did I think I would be where I am now.
I grew up an UGA fan; my grandad attended college there in the ’60s and the red and black passed down into my veins. I learned to spell Georgia by chanting the fight song in my head (I still do subconsciously whenever I have to write it out!) I had an UGA cheerleader outfit and one of my baby pictures has me holding a stuffed bulldog. One of my nana’s fondest memories is of dancing around the living room with me as an infant when Georgia scored a big touchdown against Georgia Tech. I’ve never considered myself athletic, but I believe I owe a lot of my passion for sports to Papa Skip and Nana.
Papa Skip, Nana, my momma and I at the Georgia v. Florida game in 2017
Flash forward a few years and the first time I stepped foot on a sideline was as a cheerleader for the 8th grade Mill Creek rec football league. Cheerleading was not for me, and within a year I traded in pom poms for a six-foot flag pole as a member of the Mill Creek High School Colorguard.
In high school I lived for Friday night lights, and I have many fond memories of screaming myself hoarse for the Hawks while in the stands with the marching band. It was a well-known fact that I was the most spirited person in the band when it came to football, and while my coach would be yelling at me to pay attention during our warm-ups I’d be busy trying to figure out how much yardage we’d gotten from the last pass.
I guess my fellow classmates took note of my love for the game as well, because they voted me their Homecoming Queen my senior year. That is still one of my all-time favorite memories from high school- hearing my name called while standing on the 50 surrounded by family and friends.
My senior year of high school I was elected Homecoming Queen. This was the moment after my name was called. Look at my dad’s face!
I graduated from Mill Creek in 2015 but I had a hard time staying away from Markham Field. The University of North Georgia doesn’t have a football team, and Mill Creek decided to get really good the year after I left (this was the fall of 2015, the year they got knocked out by Colquitt County one round before the state championship.)
In the spring of 2016 I heard of an opportunity to work for the Gwinnett Braves, Triple-A minor league affiliate for the Atlanta Braves. Needing a summer job but hoping to avoid retail, I took it. I spent the next two summers as a Guest Relations Representative scanning tickets and welcoming fans. In addition to my already-sound knowledge of football, I learned all I could about America’s favorite pastime and a new love was born.
I spent one more summer at Coolray Field before graduating college, and this time it was as a member of the Promotional Team. That may be the most fun I ever had at work. Our team set up the on-field promotional games, signed up contestants, sold 50/50 raffle tickets and overall worked to make sure people had a good time. I certainly did- the memories I made with my team that year will forever be some of my favorites.
For a while I told people that I wasn’t interested in sports journalism, but the Lord as he fortunately often does had other plans. I got the opportunity to intern with the UNG Athletic Department my senior year of college, and I left Gwinnett County to plant some roots in the North Georgia mountains.
I worked for the Gwinnett Braves (now Gwinnett Stripers) for three seasons. Here I’m in my third season as a member of the Promo Team.
Two months ago I still wasn’t certain that I’d ever work in sports again, but when baseball started back up I knew I couldn’t live without it. I was fortunate enough to find an opportunity to apply with FetchYourNews.com, and even more fortunate to get an offer. And here we are.
I don’t tell you all this to brag on my accomplishments or give you some long-winded biography. I want to be just as much a part of your community as you all are now a part of my daily life. When I come to your sideline I want to know each of you and each of you know me. Part of being a great sports reporter is establishing a relationship with your team and community. Part of that relationship includes establishing trust, and how can you can trust someone if you don’t even know them?
One of the biggest reasons I keep working in sports is because of the the communities they create and the people I get to meet. There’s something about having a team to rally around that gets inside of you and never leaves. The people I have met so far and the connections I have made are priceless and will forever be a part of who I am and a big reason for why I do what I do.
So here’s to the journey ahead, and here’s to memories that are yet to be made and the relationships yet to be formed. I can’t wait North Georgia!
–Lauren Hunter
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Community January 17, 2019
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