Generals clinch 6-AAAA
The Heritage Generals saw a 15-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of Class 1A powerhouse Gordon Lee early last week, but the Navy-andRed would immediately rebound by starting a new winning streak with a three-game region sweep of Gilmer.
Gordon Lee 2, Heritage 0
Last Monday in Chickamauga, the Trojans hit two solo homers and got solid pitching and defense to snap the Generals’ lengthy streak.
Gordon Lee’s homers would come in the second and the sixth innings, while the Trojans used a double play to escape a jam in the top of the sixth.
Heritage was held to just two singles, one each by Cole Wilcox and Josh Gibson. The Generals had their chances to score as five of the seven runners it left on base were stranded in scoring position.
Justin Morris went all six innings for Heritage, giving up two earned runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Heritage 10, Gilmer 0
The long-anticipated Region 6-AAAA clinching victory came in Boynton last Tuesday as the Generals runruled the visiting Bobcats. It was their second region title in program history and the second in the past three seasons.
Heritage scored in every inning, opening with four runs in the bottom of the first. They tacked on two runs in each of the next two innings before scoring solo runs in the fourth and fifth to cement the victory.
Jonathan Hickman had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Luke Grant had a double and a triple in the win. Brody Campbell and Gibson both tripled and had one RBI, while Blake Bryan also drove in a run.
Wilcox picked up the victory on the mound. He dominated with 10 strikeouts and no walks, while allowing just two hits.
Heritage 3, Gilmer 1
The Bobcats out hit Heritage 8-7 on Thursday, but could only manage one run as the Generals’ region unbeaten streak stayed intact with a victory in Ellijay.
Hickman ripped an RBI-double in the top of the first inning to stake Heritage to the 1-0 lead and Alex Coulter would plate a run with a squeeze bunt in the top of the fourth.
Gilmer would get its lone run in the bottom of the inning, but a Lance Dockery leadoff triple to start the seventh would set up the final run. Grant drove in the run with a sacrifice fly one batter later.
Dockery had three hits and scored twice. Campbell also went 2-for-3 to help Tripp Church pick up the win on the hill.
Church went 6.1 innings, scattering seven hits and striking out eight. Grant worked the final two-thirds of an inning. He gave up one hit and struck out one to
The Chattanooga Mocs continued building their 2018-19 roster with the start of the April signing period. Coach Lamont Paris announced the signing of national letters of intent by forwards Kevin Easley and Keigan Kerby.
Easley is 6-foot-6, 220-pound product of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. He’s a four-star prospect per ESPN.com ranking as the No. 6 player in Indiana and the No. 35 small forward nationally. He originally committed to former Mocs head coach Will Wade at VCU before his move to LSU.
He’s the 14th LNHS student-athlete to earn a spot on Team Indiana for the prestigious Indiana-Kentucky AllStar game joining the likes of Eric Montross (1990), Michael Conley (2005) and Greg Oden (2006) among others. The 1,000-point scorer averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game for the Wildcats posting AllMarion County, All-MIC and IBCA “Supreme 15” All-State.
“Kevin is a very accomplished player,” Paris noted. “He’s played in a tremendous league going against high-level competition on a regular basis. He has the ability to effect the game in so many different ways...from rebounding to handling the ball some, passing, scoring on the perimeter and around the basket and he has really good feel and passion for the game of basketball. It means a lot to him.”
Kerby (6-7, 215) is a forward from the Brooks School in North Andover, Mass. A native of Hampton Beach, N.H., the New England Recruiting Report ranks him No. 26 in Massachusetts and No. 74 in New England.
He helped lead Brooks to a third straight NEPSAC championships garnering All-NEPSAC. He earned MVP honors in the 2018 title game.
“Keigan is a versatile forward with good size,” Paris added. “His best attribute right now is his ability to the ball with range, but he is multifaceted as a basketball player. I think he will be able to put the ball on the floor as he develops. He has a tremendous feel for the game. I think he’ll develop into a really good passer and facilitator at the forward spot. His basketball instincts are high-level.”
The duo joins early signees Maurice Commander (Chicago, Ill.) and Donovann Toatley (Upper Marlboro, Md.). Transfers Jerry Johnson, Jr., (Fairfield) and Ramon Vila (Arizona get the save.
Heritage 5, Gilmer 0
The Generals made quick work of the visiting Bobcats on Friday, claiming the win in just over 90 minutes.
Heritage would get three runs in the bottom of the third and tacked on solo runs in both the fourth and the fifth. They allowed the Bobcats just four hits and took advantage of three Gilmer errors.
Of the five hits that the Generals would get, four went for two bases. Bryan, Coulter, Grant and Wilcox all had two-base hits, while Campbell added a single. Wilcox drove in two runs with Grant and Coulter each finishing with one RBI.
Hickman got the win on the hill, striking out eight and walking none on a five-inning, twohitter. Grant pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and no walks with two strikeouts. He got a double play to end the game.
Heritage 11, Signal Mountain 1
The Generals were able to get in five innings against the Eagles from southeast Tennessee on Saturday and made them pay off with a run-rule victory.
Heritage (20-6 overall) delivered the decisive blow early with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning. They tacked on four more runs in the second and one run each in the third and fourth.
The visiting Eagles got their lone run in the top of the fourth.
Grant had a 4-for-4 day, with a triple, three runs scored and an RBI. Wilcox homered and drove in three runs, while Coulter had two hits and also knocked in three runs.
Bryan went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Nolan Letzgus collected two RBIs and Morris drove in one run.
Letzgus threw four innings to get the win, giving up just the one run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Morris pitched the fifth inning.
The Generals will look to complete an 18-0 run through Region 6-AAAA with a regular season-ending three-game series with LaFayette.
They will host the Ramblers on Tuesday and Friday, while playing at LaFayette on Thursday. All three games will start at 5:30 p.m.
State) are new additions as well on the court with Johnson available to begin the 2018-19 season and Vila eligible at the end of fall semester finals.
“Really excited about where we are from a roster standpoint in general,” Paris summed up when asked about the roster to date. “The entire team really excites me. This group of newcomers...I can’t wait to get started
seeing what these guys are capable of and coaching these guys. I think we’ve filled voids and improved our overall talent and depth. We’re doing it with the type of guys I enjoy coaching. All of these guys are highlevel character with who they are as students, who they are as people and who they are as basketball players.
“Genuinely excited and ready to get going. This is probably as excited I’ve ever been to get the next season started as soon after the last one ended.”