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SEC
Hoops Tourney:
I heard some rumblings the other day about seedings
for the upcoming Southeastern Conference Basketball
Tournament, this year in Nashville.
Scenarios
were discussed of what would need to happen for
Alabama and Auburn to get the #4 and #5 seeds.
Bama ended up being #4, Auburn #5. That is fourth
and fifth out of six in the SEC West, not overall.
Interest
for Saturday's "Iron Bowl" on the hardwood
was minimal at best. The Tide won 73-61. Most
people attended to see Nick Saban accept the football
trophy, where he called AU the University of Auburn.
Huh?
On
Thursday, both teams will play on opening day
in Music City. The two team's records are woeful.
The Tide is 16-14. The Tigers are 15-16.
Alabama's
future with Anthony Grant at the helm is expected
to improve, but how much? Will the Tide compete
for SEC titles and consistently make the dance?
Jeff
Lebo will likely finish his career at Auburn this
week. He has coached six seasons on the plains
and has never made the NCAA Tournament.
There is no doubt that football is king in this
state, but there are basketball fans. They long
for some hoops success. They want to see a state
representative besides Alabama State or South
Alabama in the NCAA's.
Bama's
last NCAA tournament appearance was in 2006. Auburn's
was in 2003.
If
either were to pull the unthinkable this week
and win the SEC for the automatic bid, would anybody
care? Most fans just want the season to end and
concentrate on spring football.
The
SEC Tourney is a fun event, though. I've been
to a few. My most memorable was Memphis in 1997.
It
was a fun trip. I was offered $1,000 for my media
credential by a Kentucky fan. I declined. What
was I thinking? I got to meet one of the biggest
Wildcat supporters on press row, Ashley Judd.
On second thought, I think I made the right decision.
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Vita
Cost Vitamins
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Tigers
win two on road trip
by Michael Butler
Tallassee
won two of three games on an eastern road trip
this weekend. The Tigers win streak was extended
to five games as Tallassee continued their domination
over Central Phenix City on Friday sweeping the
Red Devils on Friday; 14-11 and 6-0. The Tigers
have beaten the Class 6A club all four times this
year. On Saturday, Opelika downed THS 13-3.
Darius Williams won game one in Phenix City to
go to 3-0 on the season. Williams also belted
out five hits in the opener. Brad Stone and Caleb
Parker hit Tallassee's first homers of the season.
Trey Cochran-Gill had four RBI's. Morgan Faulkner
drove in two.
In
game two, Hunter Mullins improved to 2-1 beating
the Red Devils for the second time. In the previous
game in Tallassee, Mullins pitched a seven inning
shutout. He matched his first game effort on Friday
with another complete game shutout with seven
strikeouts. Davis Knapp had three hits with an
RBI. Michael Tinney and Williams had two hits
each.

On
Saturday at Opelika, the Bulldogs pummeled the
Tigers 13-3. Todd Burton (0-1) took the loss.
Tallassee (7-4) will host Alabama Christian this
afternoon (Tuesday) at 4:30 from Southside Field.
1300 WTLS and
106.5 FM will have live coverage with a webcam
simulcast available on Tallassee
Times TV.
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Track
team off and running
Staff
Report
The
Tallassee Track and Field has a full roster for
the 2010 season with 58 boys and girls from seventh
grade - 12th on the roster. The team opened on
February 20th at the Panther Relays. Select boys
on the varsity team traveled to Smiths Station
and finished seventh out 16 teams.
The
meat of the schedule begins this week. The junior
varsity team will be at Smiths Station this afternoon
(Tuesday) at 3:30.
The
varsity returns to action on Thursday at the Pelham
Speed Meet at 4:30 pm. On Saturday the varsity
will partake in the Beauregard Relays beginning
at 8:30 am.
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Former
Tiger NAIA Runner
Staff Report
2008
Tallassee High School graduate, Brandon Smith
is now a member of the Langston University track
team in Oklahoma. Smith was a part of THS' 4x400
state championship relay team.
His
relay team at Langston ran at the NAIA Indoor
National Championships in Johnson City, Tennessee
last weekend. The team is the third ranked relay
team in the country.
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JV Tigers bounce back with 2-1 week
Staff
Report
Tallassee's
junior varsity came back with a strong week winning
two of three games. The Tigers won in the home
opener over Benjamin Russell 1-0 on Friday. They
split with Charles Henderson in Troy on Saturday,
winning game one 10-1 and falling 4-3 in the second.
Ryan
McNaughton got win number two on the season Friday
against the Wildcats with four shutout innings.
He gave up two hits with five strikeouts and two
walks. Tyler Sayers closed it out with a line
of: 3 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 7 strikeouts, and 0
walks.
"Ryan and Tyler were lights out on Friday,"
Head Coach Craig McDaniel said. "I couldn't
ask for more out of these guys. They stepped up
and led us. We also probably played our best defensive
ballgame overall."
Blaise Coleman went 1-2 with a stolen base. Beau
Pritchard drove him in with an RBI single. Tyler
Sayers, Shawn Thomas and Jed Carter also had hits.
"I am also very impressed with Jed Carter
behind the plate," McDaniel added. "A
lot of people give the pitchers publicity but
the catchers position is super important. He handled
our pitchers very well Friday night."
Shawn Thomas got his first win of the season on
Saturday with a complete game giving up three
hits, no earned runs, three strikeouts and a walk.
Blaise Coleman and Pierce Gowan had multi-hit
games. Josh Highland, Don Speake, Creed Carleton,
Jesse Rowlin and Dalton Thornell also had base
knocks for the Tigers.
In the second game, Josh Highland took the loss
in a complete game performance. He gave up four
hits, four runs (one earned), two strikeouts and
a walk.
"Josh deserved the win in this one,"
McDaniel said. "He struggled early but he
battled, found his groove and pitched well."
Highland went 2-2 at the plate with a pair of
doubles and a stolen base. Nic Mullins also had
a RBI double.
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Stadium
upgrades about to begin
by
Michael Butler
Tallassee's
new homeside bleachers are being put together
at the factory. Tigers Head Football Coach and
Athletic Director Rodney Dollar said the color
choice for the 475 chairback seats will be platinum.
"They didn't have purple. We didn't want
yellow. The next thing they had was a maroon and
that would be more toward Elmore County,"
he said.
The
season opener will be played at the new and improved
J.E. "Hot" O'Brien Stadium on August
27th vs. Benjamin Russell. "It's going to
be fantastic with that new stadium built,"
Dollar said.
Reserved
ticket packages are being discussed with the school
board. Prices are likely to go up. "It's
going to be worth it to get a back on your seat,"
Dollar said.
Bids
on the bathrooms are now being taken. The complete
renovations are expected to be complete prior
to "Tiger Night" two weeks before the
season opener.
Dollar
said Tallassee could play Wetumpka again in a
scrimmage the week before kickoff of the 2010
season.
The
Tigers will have eight days of spring practice
this year, primarily for younger players beginning
on May 2nd. "The kids that are young that
need to learn some stuff, we want to (work) with
them," Dollar added. "We'll go over
to Eclectic and play (Elmore County), Booker T.
and Jeff Davis. It's May 14th."
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Softball
drops three at Auburn Invitational
by Michael Butler
The
Tallassee varsity softball team lost three times
at the Auburn Invitational last weekend. On Friday
vs. Alabama Christian, the Eagles shout out the
Tigers 7-0. Tallassee was no-hit in the five inning
game, striking out 12 times in 15 at-bats.
Also
on Friday, Opelika topped the Tigers by a 7-4
score. "We
put the bat on the ball during this game,"
Head Coach Jennifer Miller said. Kelly Sanders
had two RBI’s. Megan Mann had a two run
homerun.
"We
had a couple of tough innings where we left people
on base that could have really changed the outcome,"
Miller said. Brooke Meadows pitched two innings
with Erica Hollyfield closing it out.
Central
Phenix City shut out Tallassee on Saturday 6-0.
"In the first inning we had three errors
and they scored three runs," Miller noted.
"Kelly Sanders played a great game, even
turning a double play in the fifth inning."
Tallassee
has a busy week ahead starting with Elmore County
at Southside this afternoon (Tuesday) and concluding
with the Barry Mask Invitational this weekend.
"We
are still early in the season and trying to work
out some of the kinks in our lineup," Miller
pointed out. "(We've got) to eliminate leaving
runners on base. It seems when we are hitting,
we are making errors in the field or when we are
fielding well we are not hitting. I am confident
we are going to turn that corner and it is going
to all come together."
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Southside
has hot week
Contributed
The
Southside Middle School baseball team (6-7-1)
went 2-4 last week. SMS concludes their five day
eight games away set today (Tuesday) in Montgomery
against Alabama Christian Academy's 8th &
9th grade team. Them game will be at the AUM Dixie
Major field located on the AUM campus. Start time
is 4:30 which will consist of two five inning
games.
Friday night the Tigers faced Benjamin Russell
in Alex City. SMS won the first game 8-4 but blew
a last inning three run lead and lost the second
game 8-7. Seth Golden was the winning pitcher
in game one and Greg Bianchi took the loss in
game two. DJ Rivers, Colin Speake, Josh Epperson
and Colton Ankers all had hits for the Tigers.
Saturday the Tigers traveled to Troy to face Troy
Middle School. SMS was swept by the Trojans 7-2
and 5-3. DJ Rivers, Brandon Baynes and Greg Bianchi
had multiple hits for the Tigers on the day.
On Monday, the Tigers traveled to Beauregard.
They split with the Hornets winning game one 9-2
but fell in the second by a score of 9-0. Seth
Golden was the wining pitcher in game one while
Greg Bianchi took the loss in Game two. DJ Rivers,
Robi Rygiel, and Colin Speake had mulitple hits
for the Tigers.
"(I'm) glad this set of road games is almost
over," Head Coach Mark Baynes said. "We
should've swept Alex City. (Our) bats didn't make
the trip to Troy. (I('m) happy with the split
with Beauregard as they are very talented."
The Tigers have added Troy Middle to the schedule
for Friday. The Trojans will plays the Tigers
at Southside Field in Tallassee starting at 4:00.
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