The Freeman sisters

Kayla Freeman

Courtney Freeman

Madison County’s Freeman sisters are making an impact in college basketball. Younger sister Kayla is in her second season at UT Chattanooga while Courtney is in her final season at Appalachian State in North Carolina.
As a freshman, Kayla played in 15 games including a season high 12 minutes versus Baylor. She recorded 19 rebounds and averaged 1.3 points a game. Kayla was also named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and UTC’s Dean’s List and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll both semesters.
This season Kayla has played in 9 games totaling 67 minutes. She is 10 of 19 on free throw attempts and has 9 offensive rebounds and 5 on defense and has scored a total of 14 points as of February 2.
While at Madison County, Kayla was a four-time All-Area First Team player and scored a total of 1,566 career points. She had 1,274 career rebounds averaging 11.2 a game in her senior season.
Older sister Courtney is a four-year letter winner and Athens Banner Herald Player of the Year her senior season at Madison County. She broke her 1,000 career point mark as a sophomore with the Lady Raiders and finished her high school career with a total of 2,414 points. She completed her career at Madison County with 1,043 rebounds.
Courtney’s career at Appalachian state has been outstanding. As a freshman she played in all 35 games including 16 starts in the 2009-10 season. Courtney ranked 14th in the SoCon in offensive rebounds averaging 1.9 per game. She scored her game high of 20 points her freshman year against Elon.
As a junior, Courtney was only one of two players to start in every game for Appalachian State. She finished second on the team and 10th in the Southern Conference in scoring (11.4 points per game) and earned second-team all SoCon honors. Her junior season game high of 23 points came against UNCG on January 9, 2012.
Her sophomore year consisted of 32 games played including 14 starts. Courtney ranked 15th in the conference in field goal percentage (.415) and led the team in scoring twice. She scored 10 or more points in 11 games during the season including a season high of 20 against Elon on November 29, 2010.
Courtney is now in her senior season with App State where she has started in all 18 games. She has connected on 93 of her 188 shoots. At the free throw line, Courtney is 60 of 77. She has a total of 38 offensive rebounds and 67 rebounds on the defensive side of the ball. As of February 2, she has scored a total of 247 points with her game high of 26 points coming against Gardner Webb.
Courtney has been named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll in each of her first three years at App State.
The two former Lady Raiders are the daughters of Sonja and Stanley Freeman. Stanley is a former college basketball player logging time on the court at both Emmanuel College and North Georgia College and State University.

Former Lady Raider begins career at UGA

Former Lady Raider softball player Sam LaZear will be starting her college softball career on Friday, February 8, when the Georgia Bulldogs open their 2013 campaign in Athens. LaZear, a 2010-11 National Fast pitch Coaches Association High School All-American Scholar Athlete, earned varsity letters 10 varsity letters while at Madison County. She has lettered in softball-4 years, 4 in tennis and 2 in basketball. She was also a Wendy’s High School Heisman award winner, National Merit Scholar and was ranked at the top of her class academically.

As for Georgia Coach Lu Harris-Champer, Sam’s addition the Lady Dawgs’ squad is a very welcomed one. “Sam is the fastest player we have brought in since Nicole Barber,” said coach LuHarris-Champer. “We are thrilled to have her speed, defense and toughness joining our program this season. Sam has incredible hand-eye coordination and rarely fails to make contact at the plate. She has the ability to bunt, slap and hit for power along with being a great student-athlete. We believe Sam is the best slapper in the 2012 class not only in Georgia, but in the country, and we look forward to seeing her develop in our program.”

Sam is one of 7 highly recruited players by the Georgia softball program. “We believe this class is the top recruiting class in the country,” said Lu Harris-Champer.

While at Madison County, Sam was a two-time All-State and three-time All-Region selection and helped Coach Doug Kesler’s squad win its region championship in 2009 and 2010. She was also part of a Lady Raider team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the AAAA division in the state tournament in 2009 and 2010.

As a senior, LaZear batted .407 with 46 runs, 18 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases. She also was part of the Southern Force travel softball team that finished in the Final Four at the ASA 16U National Championships in 2010. "Playing at Georgia has been an incredible experience. I have been blessed with an amazing opportunity and have learned so much in the short time I've been here," said LaZear. "It has been so nice to be on a team where all the players and coaches support you and want you to succeed. We just play ball-simple as that."

The Tigers and Dawgs should play every year

Column published in last week's issue of The Madison County Journal

Georgia and Clemson should play each other in football every year.

What am I saying?

This is the most nerve-racking game of any season for me. I live in the land of “Red & Black” and I proudly sport my orange and purple of the Clemson Tigers despite a hard time from my friends.

For that reason, I fear the meetings between the two. If the Tigers lose, I am forced to search for that “Ocean front property in Arizona” that George Strait speaks of in his song. In other words, I have to get out of Dodge. A Saturday afternoon loss to Georgia could take place in three hours of a four-quarter contest, but the repercussions could last for years. On the other hand, a win for the Tigers would allow me to live in peace at least for a few months in this land that bleeds red and black.

The love/hate relationship between Georgia and Clemson always brings out the best between me and my barking friends. It’s all in good fun when we taunt each other and brag about our loyalties of our home state teams.

Despite my nerve racking moments thinking about this long rivalry, I think the Georgia/ Clemson game should continue on a yearly basis. Forget all the year-opening games versus Georgia Southern, Wofford, Buffalo and Furman. This rival game should kick off each season for the Dawgs and Tigers. This rivalry series started in 1897 when Georgia defeated Clemson 24-0 and it came to a halt in 2003 when Georgia won again by a 30-0 score.

In the 62 meetings, which extends seven years longer than Georgia has played Florida, the Dawgs have won the last five meetings. Prior to that, Clemson won three in a row aided by last second field goals by David Treadwell in 1986 and 1987 followed by a 1990 game that the Tigers won 34-3. Clemson won seven in a row dating back to the years between 1900 and 1907. Georgia reeled off 10 straight wins between the years of 1920 and 1954.

Oddly enough, I don’t remember any of those years of course. But it’s all in the rivalry and the years of the past that make this meeting such a great one. Now with the expansion of conferences and the cut back on non-conference games, the rivals like the border wars with Clemson and Georgia have suffered. I can well remember this rivalry series during the 80s. I remember well the days of David Treadwell’s game winning-kicks and Herschel Walker’s big-time runs, but this series stretches long before these two guys. It was a coach name Charley Pell who led Clemson to a 7-6 win in 1977 that helped push Georgia to their only losing season in 25 years under legendary coach Vince Dooley’s reign.

Georgia posted a 10-1 record against Clemson since 1964, but from 1977 to 1990, the Tigers bounced back with a 6-5-1 mark against the Dawgs.

Clemson’s only regular season losses in 1978, 1982 and 1991 came at the paws of the Bulldogs. Georgia legend Herschel Walker’s only regularseason loss in three years came in Death Valley during Danny Ford and Clemson’s 1981 national championship season.

And I can remember the day when Kevin Butler launched a 60-plus yard field goal to defeat a number 3 ranked Tiger squad in 1984 between the hedges. That one hurt!

Many of the younger Tiger and Dawg fans of today won’t even understand the significance behind this battle. Many of the younger generation may not even know that these two teams used to meet annually and have been a hot ticket each time. There have been just six meetings between the Bulldogs and Tigers in 25 seasons between 1988 and 2012. Georgia will face Clemson in Death Valley this fall and in 2014 they will play in Athens in what might be the final meeting for a long time of this old rivalry.

But for now, it’s what Brent Musburger calls the typical neighbor-hood war between Georgia and Clemson. Two high-powered offenses led by returning seniors Aaron Murray and Tajh Boyd. Clemson’s highly touted core of wide receivers and what Dawg fans call “Gurshall” the duo of running backs Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley.

It’s “game on” on August 31 in Death Valley — two more years of the hated neighborhood war. A win for the Tigers to me would mean peace in my valley of Dawg friends; a loss would mean I’m signing my lease to my “Ocean front property in Arizona” and getting out of Dodge. 

Dallas Bordon writes for The Madison County Journal.

"Where Are They Now" Laura Baird

Published in the January 12 issue of The Madison County Journal

Laura and husband Will

By Dallas Bordon

Laura Baird Class of 2005

Laura Baird, class of 2005, gave up playing Junior Varsity basketball for the Lady Raiders after two years to concentrate on tennis and softball while at Madison County High School. Her decision paid off in the long run. In her senior season, Laura was named to the All-Northeast Georgia Tennis team. Along with her doubles partner Sarah Tippins, Baird was named to the number one doubles first team. Baird and Tippins held a 19-2 record and helped the Lady Raiders capture their fourth region championship in five years and held a perfect 12-0 record in region play. Laura played under current coach Keith Strickland. Strickland, who coaches both girls and boys teams at Madison County, has his Raiders in the state playoffs with one or both teams often.

Laura Baird recalls her favorite moment in high school sports occurring during her freshman year. Baird, a 2004 All-Northeast Georgia First Team selection for class AAAA in softball, remembers her Lady Raiders (at that time in class triple “A”) placing second in the state class AAA tournament. Upon their arrival back to the high school from the state tournament in Columbus, Baird recalls seeing the lights on at Raider field and much to her surprise, people in the community had gathered there to celebrate the team’s success, complete with roses and balloons. Under the direction of Coach Doug Kesler, Laura received class AAAA All-State Honorable Mention. Baird holds the school record for most career doubles (28) and singles season doubles (18). Laura credits coach Kesler for much of her success at the plate. “Coach Kesler instilled a confidence in me that I was going to get a hit and he often let me swing away in critical times in a game,” said Baird. Kesler, who continues to coach the Lady Raiders, led his girls to a second place finish in state quad “A” this past season.

Baird graduated from Valdosta State University and was actively involved with intramural sports. She is currently living in Fitzgerald, Georgia with her husband Will and Bailey their dog. Laura teaches kindergarten at Ben Hill Primary School and hopes to one day coach softball for the Fitzgerald High School Hurricanes. 

"Where Are They Now" Michael Youngblood

Published in January 12 issue of The Madison County Journal

By Dallas Bordon

Michael Youngblood Class of 98

Michael Youngblood graduated from Madison County High School in 1998. He now serves as Head Coach of the Oconee County boys’ varsity basketball team as well as Head Coach of the girls’ golf team (2010 State Champions). Michael currently teaches social studies; American Government and U.S. History. He has been at Oconee County High School for 5 years.

While at Madison County High School, Michael was a member of the Red Raider baseball team for one year, but his passion was being part of Raider basketball - playing all four years. After graduating from Madison County, Michael continued playing basketball for two years at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia.

Youngblood graduated for the University of Georgia in 2003 and in August of 2010 he earned his Master’s Degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University.

Michael credits his parents as well as Allen McCannon, Mike Osborne, Brad Bolemon, and Benjie Wood for being positive influences in his life throughout high school. “They were positive influences that molded me into the person I am today,” said Youngblood. “Even though I’m not around MCHS much, I am very fortunate to have these men in my life and I feel as if I can reach out to these guys any time.”

Although Michael’s time at Madison County was filled with many great memories and friendships that he stills values today, he claims his junior year of playing basketball as his most exciting year. “In my junior year we won our region tournament and advanced to the state tournament. We were very talented and led by a large group of seniors. We lost in the state tournament to Rome High School,” said Youngblood.

Youngblood was also very involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Other great memories for Youngblood included Black Mountain Winter Recharge, summer basketball camps, and Friday night high school football games.

Michael is happily married to Jennifer Elizabeth Queen. Michael and Jennifer were married this past summer in Jekyl Island and are expecting a baby boy in the near future. Michael also has a step daughter, five year old Alexa Ryan.