VALDOSTA — Lowndes head coach Randy McPherson said on his radio show Tuesday night that the Vikings “got exposed in some places” in their 10-7 loss at Northside.
The Vikings are working extra hard this week in practice to make sure that doesn’t happen again this Friday in the Winnersville Classic against Valdosta.
“I think the loss has given us a little more focus, and made us quicker than we’d normally be,” linebacker Telvin Smith said. “Monday, we came in, and it was really intense. We were in full pads Monday. We usually come in in shorts and shoulder pads. Hopefully that’ll show up this Friday.”
McPherson confirmed the intense early-week practices.
“We worked them hard (Monday) and (Tuesday),” McPherson said on his radio show. “They’ve responded. Attitudes have been good. They had one bad game.”
The Vikings are coming off of their first Region 1-AAAAA loss since Nov. 3, 2006, when they lost at Tift County. Smith said the loss to Northside opened the team’s eyes and served as a reminder that in order to be No. 1, the Vikings have to work hard to earn it, that it won’t just be given to them.
“We didn’t come out like the Vikings should have come out,” Smith said. “I felt like it was a little bit of a lack of focus, but in the second half, we came out focused. It just wasn’t enough at the end.”
Since the loss, the Vikings have refocused. Smith said they’ve gone back to working on fundamentals and, surprisingly, having fun.
“After the loss last week, we felt like we were too intense, like too much into it,” Smith said. “We’re going back to the fundamentals and having fun. We’re going out there and playing our game.”
Now the Vikings are just two days away from the Winnersville Classic. While each team wants to win the game because it’s Winnersville, the game might be even more important because of region implications. With a win, the Vikings would move to 3-1 in the region and remain in at least second place. A win by the Vikings would also send the Wildcats to a 1-3 region record and near the cellar of Region 1. A loss by the Vikings would doom any chance they have of winning the region.
“It’s the biggest game of the season, so we have to come out and be ready,” Smith said.
Local Sports
Practice intensifies at LHS
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VSU teams hosting summer camps
The national champion Valdosta State softball team will host two separate summer camps this summer, as well as weekly clinics throughout the summer.
The two summer camps will be held on June 11-13 and July 9-11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The camps will cost $100 each. -
David Dean Youth Camp begins next week
The David Dean Youth Football Camp is quickly approaching.
The fourth annual camp will be held May 29-June 1 at the Athletic Fieldhouse off Mary Street. -
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck
National champion head coach rewarded with new truck Valdosta State head softball coach Thomas Macera was rewarded with a new Toyota Tacoma from Valdosta Toyota on Wednesday for his team’s 4-1 victory over the University of California-San Diego in the Division II Softball National Championship Game.
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Valwood’s Savino, Elliott named All-State soccer
Two Valwood boys’ soccer players have been named to the GISA Class AA All-State team.
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All-American again
Go ahead and add another award to resume of this year’s Valdosta State softball team.
Between conference player of the week awards, a national player of the week award, All-Conference and All-Region honors and four All-American awards, the national champion Blazers had plenty of individuals honored for performances throughout the season, which ultimately led to VSU’s first ever softball national title. -
Local area events coming soon
Several local area runs will take place in the coming weeks.
Monday, May 28, there will be a Memorial Day 5K, which will begin at 8 a.m. from the VECA School located on the corner of Azalea Drive and College Street. -
Tech bound
Donjahae Jones gets it done in the classroom and on the track.
One of the top students in her class, and one of the top track and field competitors in the state, Jones will be taking her talents to the Division I level after she signed a track and field scholarship with Georgia Tech on Tuesday. -
Blazers garner All-Region honors
Two Valdosta State baseball players have been named All-South Region while a third has garnered Academic All-Region, according to announcements made by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and the Collegiate Sports Information Director's of America (CoSIDA) this week.
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Lowndes' Phelps named tennis Coach of the Year
Lowndes tennis coach Heath Phelps has been named the Region 1-AAAAA girls’ and boys’ tennis Coach of the Year, after he guided both teams to region championships.
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Wildcats close spring practice
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Wildcats put their finishing touches on spring practice Saturday night with the playing of their annual spring game at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
No score was kept in the game, but the Wildcats did play best-on-best, pitting the starting offense against the starting defense. - More Local Sports Headlines
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VSU teams hosting summer camps
