By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

The Morgan County Middle School Pups soccer team shut out Oglethorpe to pick up a 4-0 road win last Wednesday.
Leading the way for the Pups was Hunter Moore with two goals. While Marty Cobb and Frank DuBose each added a goal in the win.
"Overall, we played our best game of the season," said Pups Head Coach Mike House. "Defensively, our guys have finally bought into the concept of being active, understanding proper positioning and out-working our opponents by being the first to the ball."
Also, highlighting the defensive effort for the Pups was goal keeper Jake Miles. Miles recorded his first shutout of the season and made key saves to hold Oglethorpe scoreless.
"Offensively, I would like to see us trust one another more to the point that we can balance the field and play sideline to sideline to create better shots on offense," House said. "However, our shot selection efforts continue to improve. I'm starting to see a great team play which directly results from excellent ball movement, control and communication."
The Pups will have a big test as Athens Academy comes to town on Wednesday afternoon. The team will be on the road Friday as they visit St. Joseph's.

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

The Morgan County High School mens and womens track teams competed Thursday at Oglethorpe against the Patriots and the Washington-Wilkes Tigers, as several Dogs and Lady Dogs placed in the event.
Taking first for the Lady Dogs were Shanae Boswell in the 800 meters and Andrea Ross in the discus. Chris Clyde took first for the Track Dogs in the two mile race.
Placing second for the Lady Dogs was Sara Mullens in the 400 meters. D.J. Bell took second for the Dogs in the 800 meters. Marquis Leary took second in the two mile race. Morton Williams took second in the shot put.
The Dogs took third place in the boys 4X100 race with their team of Jeremy Rivers, Marnez Walker, Terrence Greene and C.J. Benford.
Morgan County Head Track Coach Charlemagne Gibbons said things have been going well for the teams.
"We've been improving a lot," Gibbons said. "I'm really excited about where we're going."

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

The JV Dogs got their week off to a good start Monday, picking up a dramatic 10-inning 7-6 win over Newton County in Madison.
J.R. Messer played the part of the hero, picking up his third game winning-RBI of the season.
"It was a great overall team effort," said JV Dogs Head Coach Josh Reeves. "The kids never gave up and stayed confident the whole time."
Zack Bryant went 4-5 for the game, leading the Morgan County batters. Tim Azar picked up the win.
The JV Dogs came into the game riding momentum from two wins last week, over Clarke Central and Aquinas. The game was rescheduled from a rain out earlier in the season.
The team rides its momentum to East Jackson on Thursday afternoon. Friday they host Newton for a rematch scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Fans should expect Newton to come in hungry for revenge for the tight defeat.

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

All of the Putnam War Eagles starting lineup had one thing in common Thursday in Madison. They all fell victim to a Caleb Duvall strikeout in their first at bat in Morgan County's 11-0 win.
Coming up just short on a no-hitter, Duvall said he felt good about the way he pitched in the game.
When asked whether or not he would take such a performance, one which he called his best of the year, again, "Definitely," he said.
After striking out the first nine batters he faced Duvall finally gave up a putout and then a base hit in the fourth inning. Duvall finished out the game with a complete game, five inning shut out, allowing only one hit and racking up 12 strike outs.
"Caleb's performance was outstanding," said Diamond Dogs Head Coach Brandon Patch. "He had great command of all three pitches and he was aggressive in going after Putnam's offense."
As impressive as Duvall was on the mound in the win, the Dogs were equally impressive at the plate.
J.D. Hawkins went 3-4 with three RBI, three runs scored and two doubles. Tyler Ward had a homer, 2 RBI, going two for three. Clay Duvall went 3-3 with two RBI, Bobby Patrick went 2-3 with an RBI.
"It was also nice to see our kids making adjustments at the plate," Patch said. "We were patient and it paid off."
Monday night the Dogs were able to build off the momentum of the Putnam win to beat Greene 12-10 Monday night.
Hawkins, Clay Duvall and Bobby Patrick each had two hits in the win. Also getting hits for the Dogs were Tyler Ward and Parker Cline.
The Dogs came into the game with Putnam on Thursday with a loss last Tuesday, 6-2.

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

Last week was a good one for Bulldog soccer, as the varsity team picked up two big wins and the JV squad picked up another.
On Friday, the Dogs found themselves down 2-0 within the first five minutes of the game, but the Dogs responded to tie the game 2-2 at the half on their way to five unanswered goals and a 5-2 win at Newton County.
"Being able to pick ourselves up after being down 2-0 showed me our team has heart," said Bulldog Head Coach Chip Meyer.
Sean Caple led the Dogs with two goals against Newton. Zach Yost, Jacob Connelly and Justin Rivers each added a goal apiece.
The team kept their momentum going Monday, picking up a 6-0 win at GMC.
The Dogs only led 1-0 at the half, but in the second half the team finally began to capitalize on their opportunities to capture a lop-sided win.
"We had a bunch of opportunities," Meyer said of the first half when the team wasn't able to score on some of their shots. "Half-time adjustments made the difference."
Jacob Connelly was the top scorer against GMC Monday, scoring as the Dogs were able to build on momentum from Friday's win. Sean Caple  and Leo Mendoza each added a goal. One other of the Dogs' goals was credited to GMC as a Morgan kick deflected off a GMC player for a score.
The team hosted Monroe Area on Tuesday. They visit Winder-Barrow on Thursday night.
In JV action last week the JV Dogs handed Jefferson a 2-1 loss in Madison behind goals from Mason York and Zach Yost.
The JV team will resume action when they host Oglethorpe on Saturday.

By Greg Sullivan
Sports Editor

After a good effort against Jefferson where they came up short, the Lady Dogs soccer team bounced back to pick up a convincing 6-0 win at Newton County on Friday.
"This was the best girls soccer game I have seen played during my time at MCHS," said Lady Dogs Head Coach Jessica Ward of the Newton win . "It was a really fun game to be a part of."
"The girls were passing beautifully, talking, taking shots--it was textbook soccer," Ward said.
Tara Schultz led the Lady Dogs with two goals in the win. Also picking up goals in the win were Mandi Smith, Madison Eitneir, Elizabeth Newton and Malin Dartnell.
Last Wednesday the Lady Dogs fell 3-0 at Jefferson.
"We controlled the game almost the entire time," Ward said of the Jefferson game. "We just had two down moments in front of the goal, unfortunately.
Despite losing to Jefferson, Ward said she was pleased with her team's effort.
"Overall, I was very pleased with the way they played," she said.
The team looked to build on the momentum of Friday's big win as they hosted Monroe on Tuesday. They travel to Winder-Barrow for a game on Thursday. They welcome GMC for their next home game on April 4.