Sports

The Eastman-Dodge County 12 and under (12U) girls softball team finished their season recently with a runner’s up in the state championship played in Nashville. Team members are (first row, l-r) Lane Barrows, Gracie Lewis, Macey Haley, Addison Trawick, Jessie Trawick and Linzy Bowen; (second row, l-r) Madison Hardy, Amber Maxwell, Jenna Hickman, Olivia Cranford and Aniyah Black; and (third row, l-r) coaches Josh Maxwell, Tom Cranford, Al Lewis, Tavarius Black and Katie Selph.

The Dodge County 8 and under (8U) boys all-stars competed this past weekend in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) state tournament. The boys fought hard and placed third in the state after finishing second in their sub-district.
The Dodge team faced Putnam County in the first round and cruised to a 25 to three win in just three innings of work. In the second round the boys faced the eventual second place team from Jeff Davis. The young Dodge team played their best defensive game for four innings but lost their three to two lead in the fifth and eventually lost 10 to three.
With the boys falling to the lower brackets, they bounced back with a final at bat 14 to 13 win over a very tough Berrien team. Next up for Dodge was the host team of Screven County who had fought hard to remain in the tournament by upsetting some good teams. Dodge took the lead early and never looked back and defeated the Screven County team 13 to six.
The play-in game for the state championship was next for the 8U team facing once again the powerful team from Jeff Davis. The Dodge crew fought hard but were just over matched after playing three games in one day, including some playing with sickness, and lost 13 to one.
The eventually Class C State Champions, Evans County, was also from the Dodge District. The Dodge team has nothing to hang their heads about after playing in such a tough district and finishing third in the state. The coaching staff would like to thank the boys for their hard work and representation of Dodge County, as well as, the parents that put up with the long hours to get to this point.
Team members are (front row, l-r) Tye Moore, Landon Fordham, Zamiyan McDuffie, Jake Rogers, Gavin Fordham and Jarris Coney; (middle row, l-r) Jackson Stokes, Grant Goodman, Ashton Pitts, Riley Williams, Landon Walker and Mason Yeomans; (back row, l-r) assistant coach, Brian Yeomans; head coach, Jayme Fordham; assistant coaches Donny Fordham and Bryan Williams.

What do you know about life jacket safety, the 100-foot law, minimum age limits for boat operators, boating under the influence? These are just a few examples of things you should know before operating a vessel on public waters, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division.
How important is boater education? So important that beginning July 1st, completion of a boater education course will become mandatory for all vessel operators born on or after January 1, 1998.
“In an effort to provide a mechanism for ensuring that Georgia boaters are knowledgeable, boaters will be required to complete a boating education course,” says DNR Lt. Col. Jeff Weaver, assistant director of Law Enforcement. “After all, tragedy can happen quickly and making an effort to learn boating laws, rules and regulations can potentially save a life – including your own.” [Full Story »] 

The eight year old and under (8U) Middle Georgia Hurricanes softball team traveled to Savannah to participate in the USSSA Memorial Day Bash tournament which was a two day softball tournament held on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25. The Hurricanes were undefeated both days and were also the first place champions.

The Dodge County Sportsman’s Club and the Department of Natural Resources will hold their annul free fishing rodeo on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at the Dodge County Public Fishing Area from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on site.
The rodeo is open to all children ages three to 15. The participants will be divided into three age groups, three to six years, seven to 10 years and 11 to 15 years. All fish will be weighed and judged on site and prizes will be awarded.
Fishing will be in designated areas only and include bass, bream, catfish and shell crackers. Kids must bring their own bait and no parents are allowed to fish.
All children must have an adult present to register and must be supervised at all times. The event will be held rain or shine!
The Dodge County Public Fishing Area is located on the McRae Highway in Eastman.

The Dodge County Girls’ ten and under (10U) All Stars won the Soperton Tournament on May 31, 2014. The girls were undefeated throughout the tournament.

The “Colors for Kenya” color run was held on May 17, 2014 and there were over 120 runners. The race was organized to raise money for a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) mission team to travel to Nairobi, Kenya. The mission trip is scheduled to begin on June 5, 2014.
Paul Coogle won the men’s division and Cheerse Rowe was the winner of the women’s division.
Please pray for this team and if you would like to follow them on their journey please like the Kickin’ It In Kenya Facebook page.  More pictures from the race are available on the Facebook page also.
Thanks to all of the local merchants that donated door prizes. Those businesses are Sugarberry’s, Zaxby’s, Farmer’s Furniture, Bank of Eastman, Piddlin’ Peddler, Wholesale Builder Supply, Floor Plan, Citizen’s Bank and Trust, Handy Andy, Eastman Fast Lube, Attaway Sidetrack Café’, Butcher Block and Colony Bank.
A huge thanks to Mike Law for allowing the team to use the Piggly Wiggly parking lot as the registration point. Thank you to those that participated in the race as well as the organizers of the event.

Southern Hearts of Gold will hold a benefit motorcycle ride on Saturday, June 7, 2014.
The ride will benefit Presley Peacock and Zach Forrest.
Peacock, age six, was involved in a serious auto accident that caused a head injury and several broken bones. After her recovery she will have to attend numerous physical therapy sessions to fully recover.
Forrest, age 11, received third degree burns on his hands and face on January 1, 2014. He must goon numerous trips to Cincinnati, Ohio for treatments. His recovery can take up to one year.
The ride will start and end at The Leatherman’s in Eastman. There will be door prizes and a 50/50 drawing.
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and kickstands up at 11:00 a.m. T-shirts will be given to the first 80 people to register. Country style ribs, homemade potato salad, baked beans and Brunswick stew will be served.
For more information contact Mark Cravey at 229-315-3594 or Tony Cason 229-315-2849.

Dodge County boys’ basketball fundamental basketball camp will be held June 4 through June 6, 2014. The camp will be from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon daily and is open to girls and boys of all ages.
Each child will receive one on one instruction on the fundamentals of basketball and the importance of academics by high school, college and professional coaches and basketball players.
All attendees will receive a camp t-shirt with registration.
Concessions will be available for purchase during the camp.
Registration will be held on June 4 from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. To pre-register or for more information call Daniell Johnson at 478-319-9901, Ricky Collins at 478-231-4637 or Cedric Jordan at 478-230-7109.

[Full Story »] 

By Jessie Pruett
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) Indians baseball season came to a close on Saturday, May 2, 2014 in Baxley.
The Indians faced the Appling County Pirates in the first round of the state playoffs.
They split a double header with the Pirates on Friday and returned Saturday for a deciding game three. Dodge County lost a heart breaker three to two to end their season. 
The Indians finished the season with a 13 and 16 record placing them third in the region. This season the Indians will lose a lot of leadership as seven seniors will graduate.  [Full Story »]