Clarke Central men’s basketball team finds success off the court
By Connor Richter
The Clarke Central men’s varsity basketball team has had a record of 32-42 over the last three seasons. However, the Gladiators (3-0) are currently undefeated, and the team attributes its early success this season on the court to the strong bond that the team has developed off the court.
“They really like each other which makes a big difference,” said head coach Andre McIntyre. “A lot of successful teams have good camaraderie on the floor, but then they go their separate ways. These kids spend a lot of time together, and that helps them play for each other.”
Coach McIntyre creates many opportunities for his players to get involved with the community and build a stronger relationship as a team. This offseason, their team participated in Whitehead Road Elementary’s after school program, hosted a summer basketball camp for local kids and attended church together.
“During the season, these kids spend as much time with me as they do at home. So, you have to do more than just bang basketballs,” said McIntyre.
Senior guard Nick Johnson said he really enjoys these experiences with his teammates off of the court. He explained that it gives them a good opportunity to bond in a setting that they normally would not and get to know each other in ways that they did not before. It also gave them excuses to hangout after these events.
The team started going to Cici’s pizza, and it has become a weekly tradition for them to eat dinner there together as a team.
“We joke around and talk about the teams that we are going to play and the teams that we played before,” said senior power forward Tae Monfort. “We just bond. If anybody has anything that is causing problems for us as a team, we talk about it. We also bring our schoolwork to Cici’s and help each other with school.”
The co-coordinator for Whitehead Road Elementary School Rudene Bellamy said that Clarke Central came to entertain the children at the after school program in October. They did this in return for Whitehead Road Elementary allowing the Gladiators to use their gym for practice when Clarke Central was renovating their gymnasium in the offseason.
“The children loved it. They absolutely loved it,” said Bellamy. “I really wish that we could have them come over again to do the same thing.”
Bellamy recalled a moment that the children especially enjoyed. She said that because the players were so tall, they could hold the ball up and play keep away from the kids. The kids were laughing hysterically and jumping as high as they could to try to grab the ball out of the much taller high school students hands.
Johnson said he especially enjoyed his time at Whitehead Road Elementary because he recognized many of the kids from the Gladiators annual summer basketball camp.
Coach McIntyre began the summer basketball camp at Clarke Central eight years ago. He said he saw it as a good opportunity for the players to not only get involved with the community’s youth, but also learn to respect the referees on the court.
By having his players act as referees at this camp, coach McIntyre said that he believes they will understand the difficulty of making the proper calls in a basketball game, and they will treat them with respect when the season begins.
Johnson admitted that although it is fun to work at the camp, it is sometimes difficult to manage all the children.
Johnson recalled a kid that he met in the summer camp. He said that the kid caused them trouble, but he was very funny. He would hide from them to make the players find them. Johnson found him once hiding in the bathroom standing on top of the toilet so that they could not see his feet under the stall. Johnson said he had to climb under the stall to get him out and back to practice.
“He could play, but he was just bad,” said Johnson.
Johnson said that he believes that these funny stories and moments bring them closer as a team and help them play better together on the court.
Coach McIntyre said that he gives each of his players the option to go to church together as a team.
“When we go to church we get another bonding experience as a team,” said senior power forward Mijah Campbell. “All of these teammates, I treat them like my brothers. We all win together and lose together through blood and sweat.”
In the 2013 season, coach McIntyre and his team had a record of 26-2 and won the region 8-AAAAA championship. He said that he sees many strong similarities between that team with the current Gladiators.
“There is a lot of similarities in how they interact and also their playing style,” said coach McIntyre.
The Clarke Central varsity men’s basketball team said that they believe their relationships off the court create a more effective playing experience on the court. They are currently undefeated early in the season, and the relationships that they built will follow them as they dig deeper into their schedule.
Clarke Central running back hopes to “make it” at the next level
By Connor Richter
Clear skies drape over Clarke Central’s practice field at 4 o’clock on a scorching hot Wednesday afternoon in Athens, GA. Many of the Gladiator football players slowly walk down the long path to practice dragging their pads. Sunlight bounces off of metallic silver cleats like a disco ball as Jonathan Sewell jogs past his teammates onto the field already wearing his shoulder pads and helmet. He claps his hands as he steps onto the field because practice is about to begin.
Junior running back Sewell has led the Gladiators to a 4-2 record so far this season. His success has caught the attention of numerous recruiters from colleges around the country.
His goal is to keep a promise that he made to his late great-grandmother, Mary Sewell. She cooked him dinner every Sunday, and he especially enjoyed the occasions when she made his favorite dessert, Reese’s pie. She preached to all of her grandchildren to do their best, always follow their dreams and most importantly stay out of trouble. Before she passed in 2013, Sewell told her that he was going to “make it” in life for her.
“Everything that I accomplish I dedicate to her,” Sewell said.
Sewell has been playing football since the age of four. Although he also loved basketball growing up, he and his father, Cedric Sewell, decided that he should focus on football to keep his promise to his great-grandmother.
“I realized that this [football] is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Sewell said.
Sewell is on his way to keeping that promise. He currently leads the Gladiators in total yards with 688. He has rushed for 578 yards this season and averages 9.8 yards per carry to go along with three touchdowns.
He is currently being recruited by multiple major college football programs such as: Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State and several others across the country.
However, the football program is not his main concern when he chooses a school. Sewell wants to attend a college that will help him achieve his goals after his football career. He plans to study sports media, and he hopes to one day be an analyst working for a company like ESPN.
“I don’t have a favorite team that I want to play for, so I’m looking for which school is best for me and what I want to major in,” Sewell said.
According to his mother Tiera Rooks, he grew up interested in weather and meteorology. He loved watching the Weather Channel and studying the changes of the earth. Instead of getting frightened like most kids during thunderstorms, he would sit by the window and listen to the crackle of the thunder and watch the rain plummet to the ground. However, Sewell later discovered that his calling was sports. He decided that he always wanted to work in and be around sports even after his football career ends.
“It makes me feel good that he has his head in the right spot, and that he knows that football is not promised to everybody because anything can happen,” said Rooks.
Coach Aaron Cavin is Sewell’s running back’s coach and is Clarke Central’s academic coordinator. He admitted that Sewell struggled in school his freshman year, but he has improved every year since. Cavin believes that Sewell’s parents involvement has helped him tremendously in the classroom.
“I stay on him,” said Rooks.
According to Rooks, Sewell used to have a hard time in math class. He was discouraged and did not believe that he could learn the material. His mother pushed him to get extra help and tutoring. She told him that there was nothing that he can’t do if he tries his best. Sewell went on to greatly improve his grades.
Cavin believes that Sewell has not only improved in the classroom, but he has become one of the focal leaders of their team.
“He consistently encourages his teammates,” said Cavin.
Sewell celebrates as hard as anybody else on the team when someone else scores. When the Gladiators face adversity, Cavin said that Sewell is always upbeat and doing his best to keep his teammates confident.
On Sept. 29, Clarke Central lost 45-7 to region foe Buford. Although many on the team were demoralized during the game, Cavin recounts Sewell’s interactions with his teammates on the sidelines.
“Come on! We can do this! They’re not that good!” Sewell said.
Sewell not only leads his teammates during adversity, but he also leads after success. The Gladiators blast hip-hop music over the speakers and challenge each other to a dance-off after wins and during downtime. Sewell and teammate Zyon Rushad are always the first to hit the dance floor.
Sewell has a favorite dance move for these occasions.
“I like to Hit Dem Folks,” said Sewell.
On Oct. 6 Clarke Central (4-2) will face Loganville (1-4) for the Gladiator’s Homecoming game. It will be the next step on Sewell’s journey to meet his goal and keep the promise he made to his great-grandmother.
Clarke Central head coach David Perno is excited to have Sewell back for his senior year.
“Hopefully he can continue to mature with his craft and will be the type of prospect that we think that he can be,” Coach Perno said.
G-Day: a spring Saturday in Athens
By Connor Richter
In the premier event of the offseason, the Georgia Bulldogs hosted their annual G-Day scrimmage at Sanford Stadium on April 22 in front of a crowd of over 66 thousand Bulldog fans. Position battles intensified, new and old players showed off their skills and football on Saturday returned to Athens, Ga.
The scrimmage featured a Red versus Black contest. The first team offense sported the sleek black jerseys, and the first team defense donned the classic Georgia red.
The Red team won 25-22 ,but both of UGA’s young quarterbacks had strong games. The competition was tight as the quarterbacks went back and forth throughout the final quarter, each leading their team on drives to take the lead.
“I didn’t expect anything other than a very intense hard fought game,” said senior pass rusher Lorenzo Carter.
Sophomore Jacob Eason took snaps with the first team offense. He threw for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Eason’s showing was good news for the Bulldogs as they are counting on the highly recruited prospect from Lake Stevens, WA to make major strides heading into his sophomore campaign.
However, Eason is not the only highly recruited quarterback on Georgia’s roster. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm competed between the hedges for the first time in front of UGA’s fans.
The four star prospect from Houston County showed efficiency, putting up numbers beyond his years against the second team defense. He went 14-23 and threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
With 10:56 left in the second quarter Fromm threw his first touchdown pass to a wide open fellow freshman Jeremiah Holloman. The 42 yard score came off of a double move by Holloman to put the Red team up 7-3.
Having a year of experience under his belt, Eason should have the role of Georgia’s starting quarterback all but locked in, but Fromm’s strong showing will bring a competition to Athens that will be beneficial for the development of both the young gunslingers.
“It’s great because you always have someone pushing each other. Whether it is Jake pushing Jacob or Jacob pushing Jake, said junior wide receiver Terry Godwin. “Their always increasing each other’s level and pushing their game to another limit. You always gotta be on your A-game.”
“I think that Jacob [Eason] understands our offense better. He knows the checks. He knows where to go with the ball. He understands when to put us in the right play, and that part pleases me,” said coach Kirby Smart.
The starting defense played well. They held the Bulldog offense to 318 yards and 22 points. It was a team effort by the swarming defense as there was a host of red jerseys on each stop.
“We are playing a lot of technique. Football is literally line up, run the play and do your job, and everyone is doing their job,” said junior defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter about the defense. “It’s good to see.
“I was proud of the way that the defensive line played and rushed, and they played hard,” said Smart.
With senior stars Nick Chubb and Sony Michel not getting many touches in the contest, UGA struggled to run the ball as Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield both handled larger workloads.
Holyfield ran for 38 yards and a touchdown, and Herrien rushed for 18 yards.
“We didn’t run the ball like we wanted to, but to be honest with you that wasn’t part of the game plan” said Smart. “We wanted to see if we could throw the ball some and move it around.”
By adding more depth and talent to the team this offseason, returning multiple starters in key positions and adding a second year with Kirby Smart as head coach, the Bulldogs are looking to greatly improve moving into the 2018 season.
A new home
By Connor Richter
It has been a long journey for Auburn basketball player Khady Dieng. She traveled across the world by herself to reach her goals, and she credits her success to the relationships that she has made along the way.
It all started in the summer of 2011. Abbie Ringer attended a basketball camp at Auburn. She overheard a conversation and made a snap decision that kept the dream of playing basketball alive for the girl that Ringer would later call her sister.
Ringer’s coach, Melanie Walls, was conversing about two girls who moved from Senegal to North Carolina to play basketball for Oak Ridge Academy. The school dropped their basketball team, leaving them with no other school to play for in America.
“I immediately said we could take one. I called my parents right there on the spot,” Ringer said.
After working out the logistics, her parents, Dave and Kayleen Ringer, agreed to have one of the girls move into their house. The other decided to move back to Senegal.
That fall, Dieng, only 16, moved to Eatonton, Ga. to play basketball at Gatewood High School. There, she moved in with the Ringers and became the newest member of their family.
At first, it was not an easy adjustment. She is originally from Dakar, Senegal, and her native tongue is French. She was in an unfamiliar place with many cultural differences, and she barely spoke English.
“It was hard,” she said. “I didn’t know anybody. I was traveling by myself in a country that I didn’t know anything about.”
Dieng spent most of her time in her room when she first moved in. However, she was not being anti-social. She was learning a new language.
“She was watching the family channel on TV,” said Kayleen Ringer. “That’s how she was learning English.”
Due to the language barrier, she also struggled in school at first. None of Gatewood’s teachers spoke French, and she was having to translate all of her work before she could answer any questions.
“We tried to get things translated into French for her. School was so hard because she had to do good to be able to play basketball, and she didn’t know English,” said Abbie Ringer.
Dieng excelled at basketball in her first year at Gatewood. She led the Gators to a 30-0 record to win a GISA AA state championship. She was named team MVP and The Telegraph All-Middle Georgia Player of the year averaging 11.4 points, seven rebounds and 5.3 steals per game as a junior.
Throughout the season, her English improved, and she became closer with her coaches, teammates, teachers, classmates and her second family. She became closest with Abbie Ringer.
“Me and Abbie have a good relationship,” she said. “We are the same age, we played the same sports and we lived together. We basically did everything together. We are like sisters.”
The feeling is mutual for Ringer. She said that she would like Dieng to be one of the bridesmaids in her upcoming wedding.
With Dieng becoming more comfortable at school and home, she began to understand and embrace American culture.
“We wanted to let her do the things that made her a normal teenager,” said Ringer. “I taught her the same things that I taught all of my other kids. We taught her how to ride a bicycle, we taught her how to ride a horse, we taught her how to swim and we let her drive the car around the farm.”
Dieng went into her senior year feeling much more at home than she did when first moving to Eatonton. She averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.4 steals and 4.1 assists per game as a senior, helping Gatewood to a 27-2 record and a final four appearance catching the attention of college scouts.
“The recruiting process was a little bit difficult. In order for the college coaches to see you, you have to play AAU, but I didn’t play AAU. I had some offers, but I signed late because I was waiting for a big school,” she said.
Walls contacted her connections at Auburn, and Dieng worked out for one of their scouts. She was offered a full scholarship to play basketball, and she immediately accepted it.
Dieng just finished her final season with the Tigers and will graduate in the spring with a degree in international business and a minor in French. She is unsure if she wants to play overseas, coach or use her degree to get a job.
“I’m proud of every step that I took to get here. If I did not take the chance to come here, I would not be able to be at this point in my life,” she said.
The Titans’ biggest test
By Connor Richter
Led by their defense, the Titans (7-2) have had a strong season only giving up six goals thus far. With 10 seniors on their team, North Oconee has the experience and leadership to reach their full potential.
“I’m a big believer that we will go as far as our seniors take us, so their work rate has been fantastic,” said first year coach Ben Grassmyer.
Five of their 10 seniors are also captains and have grown up together and played together for at least four years.
“The fact that we want to play as long as we can with each other and as hard as we can for each other definitely has had a really big effect on how we play,” said senior captain Camryn Chiu.
North Oconee has found success this season despite having a very difficult schedule. They have already played multiple larger schools—four of which are in higher classifications. They have also competed against Jackson County who is ranked in the top-10 in AAA.
Their strong performances in tough match-ups earned the Titans a fifth place ranking in AAAA and the No. 19 ranked team in the state.
Their defense is a big part of North Oconee’s success. The resilient Titan defense has shut out five teams so far this season and has not given up more than two goals in a game.
After losing the first game of the season to Apalachee High School, the Titans rode a seven-game win streak into region play.
In their first region game, the North Oconee Girl’s Varsity Soccer team narrowly lost 1-0 on March 19 at home in a defensive battle against the first ranked team in AAAA.
“We have set more of a game plan this week because of who they are and what we know about them,” said Grassmyer.
Although the Titans lost their first region game to the No. 1 ranked St. Pius X, their swarming defense made it a stiff competition. The undefeated Golden Lions were heavily favored as they have already scored 51 goals this season and have totaled 10 goals in three different games.
Being the clear underdogs, the first year coach in his first region game had an impressive performance and a strong game plan to hold St. Pius X to only one goal.
“We have focused the past two days on not getting split in the middle and not being beat in the middle, so if they are going to beat us we are going to ask them to put it wide and just serve it in the box,” said Grassmyer. “We favor ourselves just about over anybody in battling ’50/50.’”
North Oconee is one of only three schools to hold St. Pius X to one goal in a contest. The other two schools include the AAAAAAA Roswell Hornets (6-5) and the AAAAA McIntosh Chiefs (5-4-2).
Although the game ended in a loss for North Oconee, playing the top ranked team in the state so closely will give them confidence going forward. However, the road ahead does not get much easier for the Titans.
They still have three Class AAAAAAA schools left on their schedule, and three of their four remaining region match-ups are on the road including a contest against crosstown rival Oconee County on March 25.
“Since it is the start of region play, we realize that it is our chance to go as far as we can go into the state playoffs. We have to play good in these next few region games if we want to reach our goal,” said senior captain Avery Langley.
The Titans play next against Collins Hill (8-2-1) at home in a non-conference game on March 22. The Eagles are the No. 4 ranked team in AAAAAAA.
Strong second half gives Clarke Central the win
By Connor Richter
After Clarke Central and Oglethorpe were locked in a 1-1 tie at the end of the first half, the Lady Glads scored 4 goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half to seal a 6-1 win on Feb. 21 in Billy Henderson Stadium.
The sequence of scores opened up with a deep goal by Clarke Central captain Nicolina Boza. She smacked a free kick from far outside of the penalty box and dropped it over the goalie’s head.
“I didn’t think that it was going to go in,” Boza said about her long goal. “I thought I shot it over, but we are still kind of working on that kick.”
It was her second goal in the game and her third of the season. Boza’s first goal of the game was assisted by fellow captain Saidee Perno. Perno sent a cross that allowed Boza to strike the ball into the goal with one touch out of the air. The goal was the first of the game for Clarke Central and tied the match 1-1.
“She [Perno] did really well,” said Boza. “She played a lot of balls so that other people could score. She definitely wasn’t selfish.”
Perno did not have to be overly generous when she set herself up for a score with 27:59 left to put them up 4-1. The score sealed the game and allowed Clarke Central’s coach Chris Hulse to bring the substitutes off of the bench to close it out.
However, the first half was not so easy for the Lady Glads.
Clarke Central statistically dominated Oglethorpe. The Gladiators attempted 14 shots and 7 corner kicks as they possessed the ball for 70 percent of the half. However, they were unable to convert on their opportunities scoring only one point.
Patriot goalie Tabitha High did not make scoring any easier as she had 12 saves in the first half alone.
“When you outshoot somebody 14 shots to two shots, you wonder why more of them weren’t falling in, and unfortunately, that has been a story for us. Sometimes they are not falling the way you want” said coach Hulse.
With five scores in the second half to clinch the victory, the goals did start falling in favor of Clarke Central after halftime.
“We knew we needed to come out more physical to set the tone for the second half, but I guess we are always more of a second half team,” said Boza.
The win for the Lady Glads (2-1) is their second in a row. They will travel to Winder on Friday Feb. 24 to play against Wider Barrow (2-1).
Postseason awards rolling in for Augusta’s Sherrill
By Connor Richter
Following the end of an impressive senior campaign, Augusta guard Keshun Sherrill is racking up awards and honors.
The 5-foot-9-inch scorer from Cleveland, N.C. has already been awarded Peach Belt Player of the Year and the NCAA Southeast Region Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and, this week, he was awarded national honors.
Sherrill has been named an All-American by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Also, he is All-District and will be one of 20 athletes to compete in the 2017 Reese’s Division II College All-Star Game on Friday, March 24.
These awards came after a statistically dominant season by Sherrill as he led the Jaguars to a Peach Belt Conference regular season title.
With 724 points,22.6 points per game and shooting 222–476 from the field, Sherrill was the most dominant scorer in the PBC this season. The senior leader was also strong at the charity stripe leading the conference in free throws attempted with 219, and free throw percentage shooting as well, going 89.5 percent from the line.
It is uncertain if Sherrill’s basketball career will continue, but the PBC all-time leading scorer is one of the best players in the history of the conference and to ever lace up for the Jags.
Nighthawks sweep Jags
By Connor Richter
Augusta faced North Georgia on March 19 for the last appearance of a three-game series in Dahlonega. The Nighthawks overpowered the Jaguars7–0 to complete the sweep.
Augusta was off to a rocky start as senior pitcher Will Thompson gave up four runs while only facing six batters in the first inning
Thompson struggled to find the strike zone, walking the first 3 Nighthawks he faced to load the bases. After recording a strikeout to get the first out of the inning, junior outfielder Steven Tomlinson knocked a grand slam to left center and gave North Georgia an early 4–0 lead.
Augusta was never able to come back from this deficit as Nighthawk pitcher Dylan Peppers had a strong performance for the day. He allowed only threehits and one walk in eight innings pitched. Peppers’ record improved to 2–1on the season after being awarded the win.
The Jaguars had a hard time making contact with the ball, as Peppers threw 63 strikes on 92 pitches, striking out eight batters.
Zach Verner closed the game for North Georgia in the ninth inning to seal the victory. He did not allow any runners on base and struck out twobatters.
The Nighthawks remain at the top of the Peach Belt Conference standings, moving to 21–4 and 8–1 in the Peach Belt Conference.
With the loss, Augusta now has a 10–14 record for the season and is 4–8 in conference play. They are currently the №11 ranked team in the PBC.
Augusta faces Armstrong in a three-game series at home starting March 24. Armstrong is ranked at the bottom of the PBC, having lost against each conference opponent they’ve played thus far.
Jaguars clinch East Division Peach Belt Conference title
By Connor Richter
In the last game of the regular season against rival USC Aiken, Augusta traveled to the Convocation Center and clinched the Peach Belt Conference East Division title in a 87–83 overtime victory.
The win gives Augusta its sixth PBC regular season championship, and it is head coach Dip Metress’ fifth with the Jaguars.
Senior Keshun Sherrill had another dominant showing in the overtime thriller. He scored 33 points and went 4–6 from behind the 3-point line. He missed a crucial jump shot with 27 seconds left, but he made four clutch free throws in overtime to clinch the game.
Romanian sophomore forward Vlad Cobzaru was a pivotal player for the Jaguars in overtime. He led all scorers in the extra period with seven points, including a dunk with seven seconds left to put Augusta up 87–83.
USC Aiken had a strong team effort with four players scoring double digit points. Henry Bolton III led the Pacers in scoring with 19 points. Jalin Barnes, who finished with 16 points, made a critical free throw with 57 seconds left to tie the game at 75 and eventually send it into overtime.
The regular season title earned Augusta a number one seed for the tournament. They will play at home against Montevallo in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference championship on Feb. 25.
Lone senior Sherrill shines on Senior Day
By Connor Richter
On Feb. 18, Augusta’s men’s basketball team hosted Lander and celebrated Homecoming and Senior Day for the final game of the regular season. The Jaguars dominated the Bearcats, and star senior Keshun Sherrill scored 29 points to lead Augusta to an 82–66 victory.
Being the only senior on the team, a special ceremony was held to celebrate Sherrill’s illustrious career at Augusta. In his last regular season home game, he posted another amazing performance stat-wise.
With 29 points, Sherrill shot over 56 percent from the field and went 5–11from 3-point range. He also earned three steals on defense and dished three assists to his teammates.
Sherrill has statistically been one of the strongest players in the Peach Belt Conference throughout the 2016–17 season.
Sherrill is leading the PBC in multiple statistical categories with 627 points scored, 418 field goals attempted and shooting 91 percent from the free throw line. Also, his 22.4 points per game and 189 free throws attempted are both the second highest in the conference.
With the win, Augusta remained in the top spot of the Peach Belt Conference standings, and on Feb. 22, they clinched the Peach Belt Conference East Division title with their victory against rival USC Aiken.
After his strong regular season performance, Sherrill will be a key player for Augusta in the postseason. The first round of the PBC tournament begins Feb. 25.
New Organization to Help Addicts
By Connor Richter
After his cousin overdosed on opiates, a University of Georgia student started an organization on campus with the goal to save lives.
Recovery Dawgs is a new organization partnered with the Fontaine Center which is a branch of the Health Center that provides resources to students struggling with addiction and depression.
Together, their goal is to promote an environment and other organizations on campus that support responsible decision-making regarding alcohol and other drug use.
Sterrett Woods is a senior risk management major at the University of Georgia and the founder of Recovery Dawgs.
He said that he started Recovery Dawgs in January of 2016 after Michael Jay Woods, his cousin, died from a drug overdose at the age of 20 after being six months sober.
“After losing my cousin it hit close to home,” he said. “I decided I wanted to try to help students at UGA struggling with addiction.”
Woods said that Recovery Dawgs is raising money to start a scholarship fund through UGA in his cousin’s name.
He said the fund will be used to provide money to the Fontaine Center for resources such as counseling and money for rehab to students.
Recovery Dawgs has a goal to raise $25,000 this year.
“The goal is to have enough money to leave a legacy cemented into the university long after I am gone, so that in the future when I am an alumni I can still donate to that fund,” he said.
Chase Robinson is a senior finance and real estate major at UGA.
He works with Woods and Recovery Dawgs to plan and execute fundraising activities to reach this goal.
Robinson said that they have hosted pay-in basketball tournaments and are teaming up with local businesses to provide a percentage of their earnings to the Recovery Dawgs fund.
“I hope to continue to get the Recovery Dawgs mission and goal out to the public to continue to gain donations,” he said.
Tucker Snipes is a junior finance and sports management major at UGA.
He made it to the championship game in the first basketball tournament.
“It was a fun and exciting way for them to raise money,” he said. “People enjoy competition and sport, and it is a bonus to play for a good cause.”
Woods said that he believed that his cousin overdosed after six months of sobriety because he lost track of having community support, and he wants Recovery Dawgs to get people in contact with and keep people plugged into that support.
People can get involved with Recovery Dawgs by visiting their website recoverydawgs.com and filling out a “contact us” form.
Connor Richter 