Grubbs tosses complete game shutout to sweep series

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — It was a rainy night on Friday, March 6th as the Pickens Dragons took on the White County Warriors in the series finale. After winning the first two games of the series, the Dragons, were looking for the sweep. The Warriors, were looking to at least steal a game. After a weather delay that lasted over an hour, the Dragons, would finish off the series strong as Junior Everett Grubbs would toss a complete game shutout in a 14-0 win.

 

Grubbs, would sit the Warriors down in order on a pair of strikeouts and a pop out in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, Robert Turner, would draw a lead off walk. He would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Kam Jenkins, would then reach on an infield single to put runners at 1st and 3rd with 1-out. Boogie Lowit, would bring in Turner with an RBI single to make it 1-0.

Jennings Allen, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Lowit would be forced out at 2nd. Allen, would steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-out. Christian Starks, would drive in both courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff and Allen with a single to make it 3-0. Matthew Davis, would keep the inning alive by drawing a full count walk. The Warriors, would get out of the first with a fly out. Heading to the second, the Dragons led it, 3-0.

 

J. Padgett, would look to get things going for the Warriors in the top of the second with a 1-out single. Grubbs, would pick up back to back strikeouts, to strand Padgett and send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the second, the Dragons, would plate 2 runs on 5 walks. Lowit, would bring in Truitt Grubbs and Allen would bring in Turner to make it 5-0 heading to the third.

 

In the top of the third, Everett Grubbs would continue his great start with another scoreless frame as he picked up a strikeout, a ground out, and a fly out. In the bottom of the third, Truitt Grubbs, would reach on an error with 1-out. He would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. A double by Turner, would drive in Grubbs to make it 6-0 Dragons. Turner, would advance to 3rd on the play after noticing no one covering the bag.

Turner, would then come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 7-0. Rice, would then draw his second walk of the game. Rice, would use a stutter step move to steal 2nd. A ground out by Jenkins, would move Rice over to 3rd. Lowit and Allen, would then draw back to back walks to load the bases with 2-out. Rice, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 8-0.

Starks, would keep the inning going by drawing a walk to load the bases once again. The Warriors, would get out of the third with a ground out. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons were ahead, 8-0.

 

In the top of the fourth, S. Gailey, would reach with a 2-out triple. E. Grubbs, would get out of the fourth with his 7th strikeout to send it to the bottom of the inning. E. Grubbs, would get hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Cal Morrison, would come in for him to be the courtesy runner. Morrison, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. An RBI single by Truitt Grubbs, would bring in Morrison to make it 9-0.

Turner, would then follow that with his second double of the game to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Brock Teal, who came on in the top of the fourth, would be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jenkins, would drive in T. Grubbs with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 10-0. Lowit, would be hit by a pitch as the Dragons had the bases loaded for the second time in the inning. Tanner Bail, would come in to pitch run for Lowit.

An RBI single by Allen, would bring in Turner to make it 11-0. Starks, would drive in Teal with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 12-0. A wild pitch, would advance Bail and Allen. Jackson Walker, who came in to pitch hit for Davis, would drive in both Bail and Allen with a 2-RBI double to make it 14-0. Walker, would advance to 3rd on a wild pitch. The Warriors, would get out of the fourth with a ground out. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons led the Warriors, 14-0.

 

E. Grubbs would come out for the top of the fifth, looking to complete the shutout. Complete the shutout he did as Grubbs would pick up a ground out, and his 8th and 9th strikeouts to close it out as the Dragons picked up the win, 14-0 to sweep the series.

 

Stats for the Dragons:

Robert Turner: 2-2 with 2 doubles, 1 walk, 1 steal, and 3 runs scored

AJ Rice: 2 walks, 1 steal, 1 HBP, and 1 run scored

Brock Teal: 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 RBI

Caden Kirchoff: 1 walk and 2 runs scored

Dawson Lowit: 1-1 with 1 single, 2 walks, 1 HBP, and 2 RBI

Tanner Bail: 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 1-2 with 1 single, 2 walks, 1 steal, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Christian Starks: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 3 RBI

Matthew Davis: 1 walk

Jackson Walker: 1-1 with 1 double and 2 RBI

Everett Grubbs: 1 HBP, and 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 9 K on 60 pitches

Cal Morrison: 1 run scored

Truitt Grubbs: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored

 

6-AAA Baseball Standings:

Pickens: 12-0 (3-0)

North Hall: 9-3 (3-0)

Lumpkin: 8-3 (3-0)

Dawson: 5-6 (3-0)

White County: 8-4 (0-3)

GAC: 2-6 (0-3)

Chestatee: 4-8 (0-3)

Johnson-Gainesville: 0-8 (0-3)

 

The Dragons, will be in 6-AAA action once again next week as they take on the North Hall Trojans in what could be a regain championship deciding series. Game one, is set for Tuesday, March 10th at Dunn Field with a 6 pm first pitch scheduled.

Dragons win series against White County

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, took to the road on Thursday, March 5th for game two against the White County Warriors. After picking up an 11-1 win in game one on Tuesday, the Dragons, were looking to win the best of three series. The Warriors, were looking to tie the series heading into game three on Friday. A 4 run third and a 5 run fourth to go along with a great outing by Jackson Nunn, helped the Dragons earn a 10-3 win.

 

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the first on a line out and a pair of pop outs. The Warriors, would start the bottom of the frame off in a big way as C. Garrett, would hit a lead off home run to go up 1-0. Nunn, would do a good job of settling down as he would pick up a fly out, a pop out, and a ground out to send it to the second inning with the Warriors leading it, 1-0.

 

Boogie Lowitt, would lead off the top of the second with a double. After a pop out and a line out, Matthew Davis, would keep the inning alive with a 2-out single. The Warriors, would get out of the second after Davis would be caught in a rundown. W. Powell, would look to get something going for the Warriors in the bottom of the second with a 1-out single. Nunn, would get out of the second with a strikeout and a ground out. Heading to the third, the Warriors, were still ahead, 1-0.

 

The Grubbs brothers, would get the Dragons on the board in the top of the third as Everett Grubbs, would draw a lead off walk. He would then move up to 2nd after a balk was called. Truitt Grubbs, would drive in Everett with an RBI double to tie the game at 1. Truitt, would come around to score on an error to make it 2-1 Dragons. AJ Rice, would make it to 2nd on that error.

Kam Jenkins, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Rice would be forced out at 3rd. Courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff, would steal 2nd, then 3rd, then score on an error to make it 3-1. Lowitt, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single. Jennings Allen, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 2-out. A wild pitch, would move the runners up a base.

Lowitt, would come in to score after a balk was called to make it 4-1 Dragons heading to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Nunn, got some help from his defense as Robert Turner would make a diving catch in center for the second out. Nunn, would get out of the third with a ground out. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons were on top, 4-1.

 

Everett Grubbs, would reach base for a second time with a 1-out double. After Truitt Grubbs drew a full count walk, he and Everett would pull off a double steal to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Turner, would drive in Everett with an RBI single to make it 5-1. Turner, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Rice, would draw a walk to load the bases.

Jenkins, would bring in Truitt with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 6-1. Turner and Rice, would pull off the second double steal of the inning to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-out. Lowitt, would be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Turner, would come in to score on a wild pitch as Rice and pitch runner Tanner Bail, would also advance on the play. Allen, would drive in both Rice and Bail with a 2-RBI triple to make it 9-1 Dragons.

The Warriors, would get out of the fourth with a strikeout. N. Thomas, would lead off the bottom of the fourth with a double. Thomas, would advance to 3rd after a ground out. J. Padgett, would bring in Thomas with an RBI ground out to cut the lead to 9-2. Nunn, would get out of the fourth with a ground out. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons led, 9-2.

 

Drew Dunlap, pitch hitting for Matthew Davis, would lead off the fifth by drawing a walk. Dunlap, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Dunlap, would try to score on a single to center by Everett Grubbs, but a good throw to the plate beat Dunlap for the first out. Everett, would move up to 2nd on the play. Truitt Grubbs, would draw his second walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out.

The Grubbs brother, would pull off the double steal yet again to put runners and 2nd and 3rd. After a pop out, Rice, would draw another walk to load the bases. The Warriors, would be able to get out of the jam with a fly out. Nunn, would toss a scoreless bottom of the fifth with a ground out, a strikeout, and a line out. Heading to the sixth, the Dragons were ahead, 9-2.

 

Allen, would extend the lead in the top of the sixth with a solo home run to right to make it 10-2. The Warriors, would get out of the sixth with a pair of pop outs. MT Crenshaw, would come on in relief of Nunn in the bottom of the sixth. Garrett, would lead off with a double to right center. A. Freeman, would then be hit by a pitch to put runners at 1st and 2nd.

Garrett, would come in to score on an RBI double by Thomas. Freeman, would be thrown out at 3rd for the first out. Crenshaw, would pick up back to back strikeouts to send it to the seventh with the Dragons leading, 10-3.

 

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the seventh on a pair of pop outs and a fly out. Elijah Barton, would come for the bottom of the seventh to try and close it out for the Dragons. Barton, would strike out the side to seal the 10-3 win and the series for the Dragons.

 

Stats for the Dragons:

Robert Turner: 1-5 with 1 single, 2 steals, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

AJ Rice: 2 walks, 1 steal, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1 RBI

Caden Kirchoff: 1 run scored

Dawson Lowitt: 2-2 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 HBP, and 1 run scored

Tanner Bail: 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 2-3 with 1 triple, 1 home run, 1 walk, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored

Matthew Davis: 1-2 with 1 single

Drew Dunlap: 1 walk and 1 steal

Everett Grubbs: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 steals, and 2 runs scored

Truitt Grubbs: 1-2 with 1 double, 2 walks, 2 steals, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Jackson Nunn: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 59 pitches

MT Crenshaw: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 1 HBP, 2 K on 17 pitches

Elijah Barton: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 17 pitches

 

The third and final game of the series will shift back to Jasper and Dunn Field on Friday, March 6th. The Dragons, will look to go for the series sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm.

 

 

Dragons open region play with win over Warriors

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — 6-AAA region play began on Tuesday, March 3rd as the Pickens Dragons welcomed the White County Warriors to Dunn Field for game one of a three game series. The Dragons, came into the game with a 9-0 record. The Warriors, came into the game with an 8-1 record. The Dragons, scored 5 runs in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away and pick up an 11-1 win.

 

Dragons starter AJ Rice, worked a short top of the first as he forced a ground out and two line outs on 8 pitches. In the bottom of the first, Rice, would reach with a 1-out single. Rice, would advance into scoring position after stealing 2nd. After a line out for the second out, Rice, would swipe 3rd. Boogie Lowitt, would drive in Rice with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Dragons.

Back to back singles by Jennings Allen and Christian Starks, would load the bases with 2-outs. The Warriors, would get out of the jam with a pop out. Heading to the second, Pickens led White County, 1-0.

 

S. Gailey, would lead off the top of the second with a double. J. Padgett, would drive in Gailey with an RBI single to tie the game at 1. Rice, would do a good job of settling down and would strikeout the side to send it to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the second, Truitt Grubbs, would draw a walk to reach 1st. Grubbs, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position.

Grubbs, would be left stranded at 2nd as the Warriors picked up a pop out, and a strikeout to send it to the third. Heading to the third, the game was still tied at 1.

 

Rice, would pull off an immaculate inning in the top of the third as he would strike out the side on 9 pitches to send it to the bottom of the inning.  In the bottom of the frame, the Dragons, would go down in order as we had a pitchers duel going. Heading to the fourth, Pickens and White County were still tied at 1.

 

In the top of the fourth, for the third straight inning, Rice, would strikeout the side. In the bottom of the inning, Matthew Davis, would reach with a 1-out triple. Everett Grubbs, would bring in Davis with an RBI single to make it 2-1. Everett Grubbs, would then steal 2nd to advance into scoring position. Truitt Grubbs, would then reach with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out.

Robert Turner, would drive in the Grubbs brothers with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-1. Turner, would move up a base after stealing 3rd. Rice, would bring in Turner with an RBI ground out to make it 5-1. Kam Jenkins, would keep the inning going for the Dragons with a 2-out double. Lowitt, would drive in courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff with an RBI double to make it 6-1. The Warriors, would get out of the fourth with a line out. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons were back in front, 6-1.

 

Rice, would polish off a fantastic start as he would force a ground out and pick up his 10th and 11th strikeout in a scoreless top of the fifth. Starks, would lead off the bottom of the fifth with a double. Davis, would bring in Starks with an RBI single to make it 7-1. A stolen base and a wild pitch, would advance Davis all the way to 3rd. Davis, would come in to score on an RBI ground out by Truitt Grubbs to make it 8-1.

Turner, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single. Turner, would then steal 2nd and advance to 3rd on a passed ball. Turner, would come in to score on a wild pitch. Rice, would then draw a walk to keep the inning alive. A double by Jenkins, would put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-out. Rice, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 10-1. Courtesy runner Kirchoff, would advance to 3rd on the play.

Tanner Bail, who came on a a pitch runner for Lowitt in the fourth and stayed in at 1st in the fifth, would walk it off with an RBI single to score Kirchoff as the Dragons would pick up the win, 11-1.

 

Stats for the Dragons:

Robert Turner: 2-4 with 2 singles, 2 steals, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored

AJ Rice: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 2 steals, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 11 K on 64 pitches

Kam Jenkins: 2-3 with 2 doubles

Dawson Lowitt: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, and 2 RBI

Tanner Bail: 1-1 with 1 single and 1 RBI

Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single

Christian Starks: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, and 1 run scored

Matthew Davis: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 triple, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Everett Grubbs: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 steal, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Truitt Grubbs: 1-2 with 1 double, 1 walk, 1 steal, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Caden Kirchoff: 2 runs scored

 

The Dragons, will look to win the series as the series will now shift over to Cleveland for game two on Thursday, March 5th. First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 pm.

Dragons finish non-region at 9-0

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Blue Ridge, Ga — It was a beautiful afternoon for baseball as the Pickens Dragons, closed out the month of February with a trip up to Blue Ridge to take on the Fannin Rebels in non-region action. The Dragons, came into the game with an 8-0 record. The Rebels, came into the game with a 2-5 record with wins over Rabun County and Gilmer. The Dragons, powered by an 8-run first inning, picked up a 14-4 win in five innings.

 

Robert Turner, would lead off the game by reaching on a three base error. Turner, would come in to score after a ground out by AJ Rice to make it 1-0 Dragons. Kam Jenkins, would then draw a walk. Courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff, would advance to 2nd and 3rd on back to back wild pitches. Dawson Lowitt, would draw a four pitch walk to put runners at 1st and 3rd. Jennings Allen, would draw a full count walk to load the bases.

Kirchoff, would come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Lowitt and Allen, would also advance on the play. After Christian Starks drew a walk to load the bases, Matthew Davis, would bring in Lowitt on a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 3-0. A single by Drew Dunlap, would once again load the bases. Truitt Grubbs, would bring in Allen after drawing a walk. Turner, up for the second time in the inning, would hit a grand slam to make it 8-0 Dragons.

Rice, would get hit by a pitch to reach 1st. Jenkins, would then draw his second walk of the inning to put runners at 1st and 2nd. The Rebels, would get out of the first with a pop out. Everett Grubbs, in his only inning of work, would get the Rebels in order with a strikeout, a line out, and a ground out. Heading to the second inning, the Dragons were ahead, 8-0.

 

In the top of the second, Starks, would reach for the second time on a 1-out single. He would be left stranded as the Rebels picked up a line out and a pop out to send it to the bottom of the inning. Jackson Nunn, on in relief of Everett Grubbs, would work around a 2-out single by I. Stephens as he picked up two strikeouts and a ground out. Heading to the third, Pickens led it, 8-0.

 

Truitt Grubbs, would draw his second walk of the game to lead off the top of the third. Turner, would follow that with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. After a strikeout, Jenkins, would drive in Grubbs with an RBI single to make it 9-0. Turner, would reach 3rd and Jenkins, would reach 2nd on the play. Lowitt, would bring in Turner on the sacrifice fly RBI to make it 10-0 Dragons heading to the bottom of the third.

R. Holloway, would reach with a 1-out single. R. Davis, would follow that with a double. C. Bailey, would drive in Holloway with an RBI single to make it 10-1. E. Queen, would bring in pitch runner B. Walker with an RBI single to make it 10-2. Bailey, would make it to 3rd on the play. D. Barfield, would bring in Bailey with an RBI ground out. N. O’Neal, would then reach with a single as Queen would head to 3rd.

O’Neal, would steal 2nd to get into scoring position. Queen, would come in to score on an error to make it 10-4. MT Crenshaw, would come in to get the final out of the third. Heading to the fourth, the Dragons led it, 10-4.

 

Starks, would lead off the top of the fourth with his second hit of the game. Starks, would then take 2nd after a wild pitch. After a pop out, Starks, would take 3rd on another wild pitch. Dunlap, after drawing a walk, would steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out. Truitt Grubbs, would reach on a two base error as Starks would come in to score to make it 11-4. Dunlap, would advance to 3rd on the play.

A double by Turner, would drive in both Dunlap and Grubbs to make it 13-4. Turner, would make it to 3rd on the play. Brock Teal, who came on as a replacement in the bottom of the second inning, would bring in Turner on a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 14-4. A 2-out single by Tanner Bail, would keep things going for the Dragons. The Rebels, would get out of the fourth with a line out.

Crenshaw, coming back out for the bottom of the fourth, would pick up a ground out, a fly out, and a pop out in a scoreless frame. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons were ahead, 14-4.

 

Allen, would lead off the top of the fifth with a single. After a strikeout, Davis, would reach with his first hit of the game as Allen would make it to 3rd on the play. Davis, would then take 2nd after a wild pitch to put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1-out. The Rebels, would get out of the fifth with back to back strikeouts to send it to the bottom of the inning. Jenkins, who came out in the third, would take the mound for the bottom of the fifth.

Bailey, would lead off the bottom of the fifth with a single. Bailey, would advance to 2nd after a ground out. Barfield, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Jenkins, would get out of the fifth after an infield fly out and a strikeout as the Dragons would come away with a 14-4 win in five innings.

 

Stats for the Dragons:

Robert Turner: 3-4 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 home run, 5 RBI, and 4 runs scored

Brock Teal: 1 RBI

Kam Jenkins: 1-1 with 1 single, 2 walks, and 1 RBI and 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 1 BB, 1 K on 23 pitches

Dawson Lowitt: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 walk, and 2 runs scored

Matthew Davis: 1-3 with 1 single, and 1 RBI

Drew Dunlap: 1-2 with 1 single, 1 walk, 1 steal, and 2 runs scored

Truitt Grubbs: 2 walks, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored

Tanner Bail: 1-1 with 1 single

Caden Kirchoff: 1 run scored

Everett Grubbs: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K on 8 pitches

Jackson Nunn: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K on 12 pitches

MT Crenshaw: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 1 K, on 9 pitches

 

The Dragons, will begin 6-AAA play on Tuesday, March 3rd as they welcome the White County Warriors to Dunn Field for game one of a three game series. First pitch is set for 6 pm.

Dragons run win streak to six with sweep of White County

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, came into their game against the White County Warriors playing their best ball of the season as they brought a five game win streak with them. In what was a close game throughout, the Dragons, were able to pull away in the fourth quarter to pick up a 66-48 win.

 

Blayne Gunter, would get the game started with a layup to give the Warriors the early advantage. McCord Purdy, would tie the game with a bucket. Carter Nguyen, Gunter, and Cohen Michaud, would combine to go on an 8-0 run to make it 10-2. The Dragons, would counter as Aiden Mumaw and Brody Bryant, would combine for a 5-0 run to cut the lead to three.

Gunter and DJ Mitchell, would trade baskets to end the first quarter as the Warriors would take a 12-9 lead into the second quarter.

 

Gunter, would open the second quarter with another bucket to stretch the lead to five. Purdy and Jonah Jordan, would then combine to go on a 7-0 run to give the Dragons a 16-14 lead. After Gunter tied it with a basket, Purdy, would then complete an and-1 play to make it 19-16. Michaud, would answer that with his own and-1 play to tie the game at 19. Back to back buckets from Mumaw and Purdy, would make it 23-19.

The Warriors, would counter with back to back baskets to once again tie the game. Mitchell, would give the Dragons the lead and Purdy, would split a pair of free throws to make it 26-23. Michaud, would trim the lead to one after a pair of free throws. Purdy, would then get another bucket to drop as the Dragons would lead it, 28-25. A pair of free throws by Gunter, would once again make it a one point game.

Purdy, as he has done several times in his career at PHS, would beat the first half buzzer with a three to give the Dragons a 31-27 lead at the break.

 

Mitchell, would begin the second half with a three to make it 34-27. Nguyen, would counter with a 6-0 run to trim the lead to 34-33. The Dragons, would answer that with a 5-0 run as Mitchell would hit another three, and Hayden Jones would make a pair of free throws to make it 39-33. A 5-0 run by Cooper Adam and Nguyen, would trim the lead to one. Purdy, would make a pair of free throws to give the Dragons a three point lead.

A 4-0 run by the Warriors, would give them a 42-41 lead. A three by Jedidiah Lanford and a lay-in by Mumaw, would make it 46-42 Dragons. After a bucket by Gunter, Bryant and Purdy, would end the third quarter on a 4-0 run to make it 50-44 heading to the fourth.

 

Jordan, Mumaw, and Bryant, would start the fourth quarter by going on a 10-0 run to stretch the lead out to 60-44. After a basket by Gunter, Bryant and Jordan, would make back to back buckets to make it 64-46. Nguyen, would make it 64-48 after a layup. Purdy, would end the night with a layup as the Dragons would come away with the win, 66-48.

 

Scoring leaders for the Dragons:

McCord Purdy: 20 points

Jonah Jordan: 12 points

Brody Bryant: 11 points

DJ Mitchell: 10 points

Aiden Mumaw: 8 points

Jedidiah Lanford: 3 points

Hayden Jones: 2 points

 

6-AAA Boys Region Standings:

GAC: 11-11 (10-2)

Lumpkin: 20-3 (10-2)

Pickens: 14-9 (10-2)

Dawson: 13-10 (7-5)

North Hall: 9-14 (5-7)

White County: 4-19 (4-8)

Chestatee: 5-18 (2-10)

Johnson-Gainesville: 0-21 (0-12)

 

The Dragons, will be back on the road for their second of three straight road games to close out the regular season as they will head over to Gainesville to take on the Johnson Knights on Tuesday, February 10th. Tip off is set for 7:30 pm.

Dragons split in season series with Spartans

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — It was Senior Night inside the Dragons Den on Tuesday, February 3rd as the Pickens Dragons took on the GAC Spartans in 6-AAA action. Like the Nettes, the Dragons, came into the game riding a four game win streak and were also looking to get a win back against the Spartans. The Dragons, had three score in double figures on the night as they picked up the win, 66-55.

 

Kenneth Braswell Jr, would get things going with a basket to make it 2-0 Spartans. A jumper by DJ Mitchell, would tie the game. After Braswell Jr split a pair of free throws, Ledger Kincaid, would give the Spartans a three point lead with a bucket. Brody Bryant, would tie the game with a three. A layup by Baer Bailey, would put the Spartans up by two. A layup by Bryant, would once again tie the game.

A three by Adrian Hughes, would make it 10-7. Bryant, would hit his second three of the first half to tie the game at 10 heading to the second quarter.

 

The Spartans, would retake the lead to start the second quarter as Christian Wofford, would hit a three to make it 13-10. A layup by Senior Hayden Jones, and a three by the other Senior, McCord Purdy, would make it 15-13 Dragons. Mitchell, would cap off the run with his second field goal as the Dragons would take a four point lead. A 5-0 run by Bailey, would give the Spartans a one point advantage.

Purdy, would respond with a 5-0 run of his own to put the Dragons up 22-18. Braswell, Jr, would then complete an and-1 play to trim the lead to one. After Camden Jones split a pair of free throws, Aiden Mumaw, would get a bucket to drop as the Dragons would extend the lead back to four. After another basket by Bailey, Mitchell, would split a pair of free throws to make it 26-23. A late bucket by Hughes, would cut the lead to 26-25 heading to the break.

 

Bryant, would open the second half with his third three of the game to give the Dragons a four point lead. After a basket by Bailey, Hayden Jones and Bryant, combined to go on a 5-0 run to make it 34-27. Back to back buckets by Hughes, would trim the lead to three. A layup by Mumaw, would make it 36-31. After a layup by Bailey, Mumaw, would complete the and-1 play to make it 39-33.

After Hughes and Hayden Jones traded buckets, DJ Newman, would complete an and-1 play and Bailey would cut the lead to one with a basket. Mumaw, would put the Dragons up by three after a layup. Bailey, would then split a pair of free throws as the Dragons led it, 43-41. Mumaw, would then go on a 5-0 run to stretch the lead out to 48-41. After another basket by Bailey, Purdy and Mumaw would end the third on a 5-0 run as the Dragons led it, 53-43.

 

Damon Horton, would get into the score book to start the fourth quarter by completing an and-1 play to trim the lead to seven. Purdy, would then go on a 5-0 run to stretch the lead out to 58-46. The Spartans, would respond with a 5-0 run of their own to cut the lead back to seven. Mumaw, Mitchell, and Hayden Jones, would combine to go on an 8-0 run to give the Dragons a 66-51 lead.

A three by Wofford, would end the run and make it 66-54. Wofford, would then split a pair of free throws as the Dragons were able to run out the rest of the clock to come away with a big 66-55 win.

 

Leading scorers for the Dragons:

Aiden Mumaw: 20 points

McCord Purdy: 16 points

Brody Bryant: 14 points

Hayden Jones: 8 points

DJ Mitchell: 7 points

Camden Jones: 1 point

 

The Dragons, will begin a three game road trip to end the regular season on Friday, February 6th when they head up to Cleveland to take on the White County Warriors. Tip off is set for 7:30 pm.

Dragons defeat Warriors to even up record

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, stepped onto Roy Cowart court for the first time in 2026 on Friday, January 9th as they took on the White County Warriors in 6-AAA region action. The Dragons, were coming off a big road win over the North Hall Trojans on Tuesday. The Warriors, built a little momentum for themselves after picking up their second win of the season on Tuesday against Johnson. A fast start for the Dragons, helped carry them to a 63-26 win over the Warriors.

 

Brody Bryant, got things going early as he would nail a three pointer to give the Dragons an early 3-0 lead. John Jarrard and Blayne Gunter, would then hit back to back threes to give the Warriors a 6-3 lead. After a layup by Aiden Mumaw cut the lead to one, Cooper Adam, would hit a three to make it 9-5. A 6-0 combined run by DJ Mitchell and Hayden Jones, would give the Dragons an 11-9 advantage.

Gunter, would tie the ball game up with a bucket. The Dragons, would close out the first quarter on a 15-0 run to jump out to a 26-11 lead heading to the second quarter.

 

Scoring, was tough to come by for both teams in the second quarter. Both teams would combine to score ten points in the second quarter. The Dragons, would take a 31-16 lead into the break.

 

The Dragons, would begin the second half by going on a 14-0 run led by Mitchell, Hayden Jones, Bryant, Mumaw, and McCord Purdy. Adam, would end the Pickens run with a basket as the Dragons led it, 45-18. After Cohen Michaud, would split a pair of free throws, the Dragons, would end the third on a 4-0 run as Landon Rice would split free throw attempts and Mitchell would hit a three to make it 49-19 heading to the fourth.

 

That run by the Dragons would carry over to the start of a shortened fourth quarter as Purdy would make back to back buckets and Bryant would hit a three to make it 56-19. Gunter and Jarrard, would go on a 4-0 run for the Warriors, to make it 56-23. After back to back baskets by Cam Jones and Mumaw, Raleigh Carbonneau, would split a pair of free throws.

Cam Jones, would split a pair of free throw attempts as the Dragons led it, 61-24. After a bucket by the Warriors, Rice, would close it out with a nice layup as the Dragons would come away with a 63-26 win.

 

Leading scorers for the Dragons:

DJ Mitchell: 19 points

Brody Bryant: 11 points

McCord Purdy: 11 points

Cam Jones: 7 points

Hayden Jones: 6 points

Aiden Mumaw: 6 points

Landon Rice: 3 points

 

6-AAA Boys Basketball Standings:

Lumpkin: 14-1 (4-0)

Pickens: 7-7 (3-1)

GAC: 4-9 (3-1)

Dawson: 8-7 (2-2)

North Hall: 6-8 (2-2)

White County: 2-12 (2-2)

Chestatee: 3-12 (0-4)

Johnson-Gainesville: 0-12 (0-4)

 

The Dragons, will have little time to rest as they will be back on the home court on Saturday, January 10th as they will host the 15-1 Fannin County Rebels. The Rebels, were able to pull away from the Dragons after a relatively close game on November 18th. Tip off is set for 7 pm.

Dragons open region play with road win

PHS Football, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — Region play began for many teams across the state of Georgia on Friday, September 12th. Six of the eight teams in 6-AAA, were in action on Friday including the Pickens Dragons and the White County Warriors. The Warriors, got the better of the Dragons last year in Jasper and the Dragons came into Cleveland looking to return the favor. The Dragons, would have control throughout the game en route to a 34-7 win.

The Dragons, would get the ball first to start the ball game. Pickens, would keep their opening drive alive as Cal Morrison would convert on a fourth down play from the Dragons 47-yard line. After a big run by Ezra Faber and a nice run after catch by Jaxon Carver, the Dragons would get on the board first after an 11-yd touchdown pass from Hayden Jones to McCord Purdy. The PAT was good and with 9:18 left in the first quarter, Pickens led the Warriors, 7-0.

After forcing a three and out, the Dragons, would start their next possession with great field position after the Warriors were called for fair catch interference. Facing a third and long, Jones would find McCord Purdy for a first down. A couple of plays later, facing another third and long, the Jones/Purdy connection were able to pick up another first down after a screen pass.

On the next play, DE Josiah Williams, would get into the backfield to force a fumble. The Warriors would recover and take over on offense. On their second play of the drive, the Warriors would fumble the ball, but QB Alex Freeman was able to recover it. The Dragons, would bring pressure on third down and pick up the sack to force a punt. A short punt by the Warriors would give Dragons possession at the Warrior 35-yd line.

The Dragons, would add to their lead as Jones would connect with Sawyer Purdy for a 28-yd touchdown. The PAT was no good and with 1:10 left in the first quarter, Pickens led White County, 13-0. Heading to the second quarter, the Dragons were ahead of the Warriors, 13-0.

With the Warriors facing a third down, the Dragons would dial up another blitz as McCord Purdy would get home after the corner blitz to force a fourth down. Hagen Mullins, would partially block the Warriors punt and Landon Poole would take it 31 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was good and with 11:09 left in the first half, Pickens led White County, 20-0.

The Dragons, would get the ball back after forcing and recovering a fumble. The Dragons, would cash in on the turnover as Jones found McCord Purdy for a 13-yd touchdown. Their second connection of the first half. The PAT was good and with 8:10 left in the first half, Pickens led White County, 27-0. Facing a third down, Freeman, would find ach Godfrey for a big gain into Dragon territory.

They would follow that up with a nice run by Savion Anderson down to the Dragons 25-yd line. Anderson, would again find a hole and get down to the Dragon 10-yd line. Facing a fourth and goal from the Dragon 6-yd line, the Warriors would look to throw a corner route, but it would fall incomplete. Poole, would get off a great punt from deep inside his own territory as the ball would rest at the Warrior 32-yd line.

After forcing a punt, the Dragons, would run a couple of plays to end the first half as they led the Warriors, 27-0 at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter for both teams, the Dragons, would add to their lead midway through the fourth quarter after a 45-yd touchdown run by Faber. The PAT was good and with 6 minutes left in the game, Pickens led White County, 34-0. The Warriors, would get on the board with 57 seconds left in the game after Freeman found Godfrey for a 25-yd touchdown. The PAT was good and the Dragon lead would be cut to 34-7.

The Dragons, would just take a knee to run out the remaining time as they moved to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in 6-AAA play with a 34-7 win.

6-AAA Football Standings:

Pickens: 4-0 (1-0)

North Hall: 4-0 (1-0)

GAC: 3-1 (1-0)

Dawson: 1-2 (0-0)

Johnson-Gainesville: 0-3 (0-0)

Lumpkin: 2-2 (0-1)

Chestatee: 2-2 (0-1)

White County: 0-4 (0-1)

The Dragons, will be back home on Friday, September 19th as they host the Dawson Tigers to begin a three game home stand. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm.

Dragons move to 3-0 after taming Bobcats

PHS Football, Team FYN Sports

Ellijay, Ga — It was rivalry week across the state of Georgia this week with one particular match up gaining interest was the rivalry game between the Pickens Dragons and the Gilmer Bobcats. Both teams were off to fast starts to the season as they were both 2-0 heading into the game. In what’s always an emotional and physical game, the Dragons were able to pull away and pick up a 38-24 win.

After the Dragons went three and out to start the game, the Bobcats, would drive down inside the Dragon 30-yd line. The Dragons, would get a stop on their 27-yd line for a turnover on downs. On the first play from scrimmage after getting the stop, the Dragons would take the lead after a 73-yd touchdown run by Ike Wyngaard. The PAT was good. Heading to the second quarter, the Dragons led the Bobcats, 7-0.

The Bobcats, would tie things up about midway through the second quarter as Cheyne Smith would score on a 19-yd touchdown run. The PAT was good and with 6:27 left in the first half, the game was tied at 7. Wyngaard, would strike again as the Dragons would only need one play to retake the lead after a 76-yd touchdown run by Wyngaard. The PAT was good and with 6:05 left in the first half, the Dragons were up, 14-7.

The Dragons, would add to their lead as Ezra Faber, would rip the ball out of the hands of the running back and take it 21 yards for the touchdown. The PAT was good and with 5:06 left in the first half, the Dragons led the Bobcats, 21-7. The Bobcats, would put together a quick scoring drive as Madden Hopkins would power his way in for a 4-yd touchdown. With 2:15 left in the first half, the Dragons lead was cut to 21-14.

The Dragons, would answer that scored with a score of their own as Faber would cap off the drive with a 10-yd touchdown run. The PAT was good and with 59 seconds left in the first half, the Dragons now led the Bobcats, 28-14 heading into the half.

The Bobcats, would trim the lead to 11 after a 32-yd field goal by Carter Gearhart to make it 28-17 with 7:12 left in the third. The Dragons, would match that later on in the quarter as McCord Purdy would connect on a 40-yd field goal to put Pickens up 31-17 heading to the fourth.

The Dragons, would stretch their lead out after Wyngaard made his third house call of the night. This time, from 34 yards out. The PAT was good and with 10:12 left in the game, Pickens led Gilmer, 38-17. The Bobcats, would stay alive as Peyton Chancey would score on a 27-yd touchdown run. The PAT was good and with 6:46 left in the game, the Dragons led it, 38-24.

The Dragons, would cap off the win with an interception by McCord Purdy in the end zone. Pickens, ends a two game losing streak to Gilmer with the 38-24 win.

The Dragons, finish out the non-region portion of their schedule with a 3-0 record. They will be on a bye next week. Pickens, will be back in action on Friday, September 12th on the road against White County to start region play. Kickoff for that one is set for 7:30 pm.

Dragons sweep Warriors to begin region play

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, took to the road on Friday, March 7th as they took on the White County Warriors in the third and final game of the series. After taking the first two games of the series, the Dragons, were looking for the series sweep. After getting runs from the 2nd-5th inning, the Dragons, picked up the win in the series finale, 8-1.

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top half of the first as Warriors starting pitcher, Shelton Ramey, would force a ground out, a fly out, and pick up his first strikeout of the game. In the bottom of the first, Trevor Butler, would draw a lead off walk. Dragons starting pitcher, Christian Starks, would induce a 6-3 double play to clear the bases. Caleb Campbell, would keep the inning alive for the Warriors as he drew a 2-out walk.

Starks, would get out of the first inning with his first strikeout of the game. Heading to the second inning, Pickens and White County, were tied at 0.

In the top of the second, Kam Jenkins, would lead off with a hustle double as the ball would fall in between several Warriors in no mans land. Matthew Davis, would move the courtesy runner Zach Williams over to 3rd with a ground out. After Ramey picked up a strikeout for the 2nd out, Williams, would come in to score after a wild pitch to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. Ramey, would pick up his 3rd strikeout of the game to send it to the bottom of the second.

In the bottom of the second, Starks, would toss a scoreless frame as he picked up his 2nd and 3rd strikeout of the game, and fielded a comebacker for the ground out. Heading to the top of the third, Pickens led White County, 1-0.

Ezra Faber, would lead off the top of the third by working a full count walk to reach 1st. A double by Jennings Allen, would put runners at 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. A.J. Rice, would bring in Faber with an RBI ground out to make it 2-0 Dragons. Allen, would advance to 3rd on the play. Allen, would then come in to score on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 heading to the bottom of the third.

In the bottom of the third, Starks, would pick up two quick outs with a ground out and a strikeout. Butler, would keep the inning going by drawing his 2nd walk of the game. Starks, would get out of the inning with a fly out. Heading to the fourth, Pickens led White County, 3-0.

Davis, would add to the Dragons lead in the top of the fourth as the lefty would pull one over the right field fence for a solo home run to make it 4-0. Ramey, would get out of the fourth with a pair of ground outs. In the bottom of the fourth, Campbell, would lead off by drawing his 2nd walk of the game. After picking up his 5th strikeout, Brady Gaddis, would draw a walk. John Bannon, would pick up the Warriors first hit of the game to load the bases with 1-out.

Starks, would do a good job of settling in and calming himself down as he would pick up his 6th and 7th strikeout of the game to keep the Warriors scoreless. Heading to the fifth, Pickens led White County, 4-0.

In the top of the fifth, Allen, would reach with a 1-out double. Rice, would follow that up by drawing a walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1-out. After a strikeout, Cade Sutton, would send a shot down the right field line for a 2-RBI triple as both Allen and Rice would come in to score. Jenkins, would keep the inning alive for the Dragons by drawing a walk.

Davis, would then reach on a two base error as both Sutton and courtesy runner Zach Williams, would come in to score in the play to make it 8-0 Dragons heading to the bottom of the fifth.

Daven Abernathy, would come on in relief of Starks in the bottom of the fifth. The Warriors, would threaten a big inning yet again as they would load the bases. Abernathy, would work around a pair of walks and a single to keep the Warriors scoreless. Heading to the sixth, the Dragons led it, 8-0.

In the top of the sixth, Sam Hammontree, would lead off by drawing a walk. Caden Kirchoff, would come in to pitch run for Hammontree. Warriors relief pitcher, Josh Adams, would pick up a strikeout and two fly outs to keep the Dragons off the board. In the bottom of the sixth, Abernathy, in his second inning of relief, would force three ground outs in a scoreless frame. Heading to the seventh, the Dragons led the Warriors, 8-0.

Dawson Lowitt, would lead off the top of the seventh with a single. Chase Hulsey, who would come in to pitch run for Lowitt, would steal 2nd to get into scoring position. After a pair of strikeouts, Williams, would draw a 2-out walk. Hulsey, would advance to 3rd on a passed ball to put runners at 1st and 3rd. Adams, in his 2nd inning of relief, would strikeout the side to send it to the bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kam Jenkins, would come on in relief of Abernathy. Carter Nguyen, would lead off the inning with an infield single. Butler, would then draw his 3rd walk of the game to put runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Alex Freeman, would then reach on an error to load the bases. After Jenkins would strike out Campbell for the first out, Ramey, would bring in Nguyen with an RBI ground out to make it 8-1.

Jenkins, would close out the game with his second strikeout of the inning as the Dragons would pick up the win, 8-1. The Dragons, sweep the series, 3-0.

Stats for the Dragons:

A.J. Rice: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 4 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 7 K, 5 BB on 69 pitches

Dawson Lowitt: 1-1 with 1 single

Cade Sutton: 1-3 with 1 triple, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1-2 with 1 double, and 1 walk & 1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 K, 1 BB on 25 pitches

Matthew Davis: 1-3 with 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Sam Hammontree: 1 walk

Ezra Faber: 1 walk and 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored

Chase Hulsey: 1 steal

Zach Williams: 1 walk and 2 runs scored

Daven Abernathy: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 K, 2 BB on 31 pitches

6-AAA Baseball Standings:

Pickens: 11-1 (3-0)

Lumpkin: 9-2 (3-0)

North Hall: 7-3 (3-0)

Dawson: 8-4 (3-0)

White County: 5-6 (0-3)

GAC: 3-6 (0-3)

Johnson-Gainesville: 2-10 (0-3)

Chestatee: 1-11 (0-3)

The Dragons, will begin probably the most important series of the season as they will travel down to Gainesville to start a three game set with the North Hall Trojans. Most polls have the Dragons and Trojans #2 and #3 in AAA. Game one, will be on Tuesday, March 11th at North Hall. First pitch scheduled for 5:55 pm.

Six run sixth inning propels Dragons to series win

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, hosted the White County Warriors at Dunn Field on Thursday, March 6th for game two of their three game series in 6-AAA play. After a 4-0 victory on Tuesday at White County, the Dragons, were looking for a series win in game two. After trailing 1-0, 4-0, and 4-2 during the game, the Dragons, used a 6-run sixth inning to take the lead where they would hold on for the win, 8-4.

The Warriors, would scratch a run across early on in the ball game after a double by Alex Freeman and an RBI single by Caleb Campbell would make it 1-0. Dragons starter Jackson Nunn, would do a good job of limiting the damage as he would force a pair of ground outs to send it to the bottom half of the first. In the bottom half of the inning, the Dragons, would get back to back 1-out singles from Christian Starks and Cade Sutton.

Starks, would be forced out at 3rd as Kam Jenkins would reach on a fielder’s choice. Warriors starter Grant Gooch, would force a fly out to get out of the potential jam and send it to the second with White County leading, 1-0.

In the top of the second, Nunn, would work around a pair of walks as he would force a ground out, a pop out, and pick up his first strikeout of the game. Matthew Davis, would lead off the bottom of the second with a single to right. After a pop out to 2nd, Sam Hammontree, would reach on a fielder’s choice as Davis would be forced out at 2nd. Gooch, would get out of the second with a strikeout to send it to the third with the Warriors still leading it, 1-0.

Campbell, would lead off the top of the third with a single. Shelton Ramey and Sawyer Gailey, would follow that with singles of their own to load the bases with nobody out. John Bannon, would bring in Campbell after drawing a walk to make it 2-0. Nunn, would come back with back to back strikeouts. The Warriors, would add to their lead as Brayden Roach would drive in Ramey and Gailey with a 2-RBI single to make it 4-0 Warriors.

Nunn, would get out of the inning with a fly out. Heading to the bottom of the third, White County led Pickens, 4-0. In the bottom of the third, Sutton, would reach 2nd on a 2-out error by the right fielder. A passed ball would allow Sutton to advance over to 3rd. Gooch, would get out of the third after forcing a fly out to send it to the fourth with the Warriors ahead, 4-0.

Ezra Faber, would come on in relief in the top of the fourth for the Dragons. He would force a ground out, and pick up two strikeouts to send it to the bottom of the frame. In the bottom of the fourth, Davis, would reach for the second time with a 1-out single. He would then advance to 2nd on a wild pitch. Dawson Holland, would then draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out.

A single by Hammontree, would load the bases for the Dragons. Jennings Allen, would bring in Allen with an RBI single to make it 4-1. A.J. Rice, would drive in Holland after reaching on a fielder’s choice. The Warriors, would get out of the fourth with a ground out. Heading to the fifth, White County now led it, 4-2.

In the top of the fifth, Faber, in his 2nd inning of relief, tossed another scoreless inning with a pair of ground outs and his 3rd strikeout. Sutton, would lead off the bottom of the fifth by drawing a walk. Jenkins, would draw a walk as well as the Dragons had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Dawson Lowitt, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Sutton would be thrown out at 3rd.

Freeman, who came on in relief of Gooch after the back to back walks, would then pick up a strikeout for the 2nd out. Lowitt, would be forced out at 2nd as the Warriors would get out of the fifth still ahead, 4-2.

In the top of the sixth, Faber, would pick up his 4th and 5th strikeouts for the first two outs of the inning. Cooper Garrett, kept the inning alive for the Warriors with a 2-out single. Rice, would then rob Freeman of a line drive hit as he would leap to make the grab to send it to the bottom of the sixth, Dragons trailing, 4-2. In the bottom of the sixth, Allen, would reach with a 1-out double.

After a close call on a strikeout of Rice, Starks, would drive in Allen with a 2-out RBI double to make it 4-3. Sutton, would follow that up with a double to left center that would bring in Starks to tie the game. After Jenkins drew a walk and Lowitt would be hit with a pitch, the Dragons had the bases loaded with 2-out. Davis, would drive in Sutton and courtesy runner Zach Williams with a 2-RBI double to give the Dragons a 6-4 lead.

Holland, would get in on the fun with a 2-RBI double as both Lowitt and Davis would come in to score to make it 8-4 Dragons heading to the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, Faber, would pick up his 6th strikeout for the first out. Holland, would then go flying as he would drive to catch a liner by Ramey for the 2nd out. Gailey, would keep the game alive for the Warriors by drawing a 2-out walk. Faber, would force a ground out to seal the win for the Dragons, 8-4.

Stats for the Dragons:

A.J. Rice: 1 RBI

Christian Starks: 2-4 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 2 walks

Dawson Lowitt: 1 HBP, and 1 run scored

Matthew Davis: 3-4 with 2 singles, 1 double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored

Dawson Holland: 1-2 with 1 walk, 1 double, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored

Sam Hammontree: 1-4 with 1 single

Jennings Allen: 2-3 with 1 single, 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Zach Williams: 1 run scored

Ezra Faber: 4 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 6 K on 49 pitches

The series, will shift back over to White County on Friday, March 7th as the Dragons will be looking for a series sweep. First pitch is set for 5:55 pm.

Rice throws no hitter as Dragons defeat Warriors

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — The calendar flipped over to March which meant it was time for the region schedule for baseball to get underway. The Pickens Dragons, made the trip up to Cleveland to begin a three game series with the White County Warriors. The Dragons, came into the game with an 8-1 record. The Warriors, came into the game with a 5-3 overall record. Junior Auburn commit A.J. Rice, threw his 2nd no hitter of the season as the Dragons got the win, 8-0.

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the first as Warriors starter, Trevor Butler, would force a pair of ground outs, and pick up his first strikeout. In the bottom of the frame, Rice, would work around a 1-out walk drawn by Alex Freeman, as Rice would strikeout the side to send it to the second inning, with the score tied at 0.

Kam Jenkins, would draw a walk on a full count to lead off the top of the second. A sacrifice bunt, would move the courtesy runner Caden Kirchoff, over to 2nd. An RBI single from Matthew Davis, would drive in Kirchoff to make it 1-0 Dragons. Davis, would then steal 2nd to get into scoring position. A 2-out RBI single by Sam Hammontree, would bring in Davis to make it 2-0.

A double by Jennings Allen, would put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2-out. A 2-RBI double by Rice, would make it 4-0 Dragons heading to the bottom of the second. The Warriors, would go down in order in the bottom of the second as Rice forced a ground out, a line out, and picked up his 4th strikeout to send it to the third with Pickens leading, 4-0.

Butler, tossed a scoreless top of the third with a ground out and a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom half of the third, Rice, would strikeout the side to push his total up to 7 for the night. Heading to the fourth inning, the Dragons continued to lead White County, 4-0.

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the fourth as Butler would force a pop out, and pick up another pair of strikeouts to push his total up to 6. In the bottom half of the fourth, Rice, would again strikeout the side. The second inning, continued to be the difference maker as the Dragons still led the Warriors, 4-0, heading to the fifth.

Butler, doing his best to keep his team in it, tossed his third consecutive scoreless inning in the top of the fifth as he forced two ground outs and picked up his 7th strikeout. In the bottom of the fifth, Rice, would force a ground out, and pick up his 11th and 12th strikeout to send it to the sixth with Pickens leading, 4-0.

Cade Sutton, would lead off the top of the sixth by drawing a walk as the Dragons would have their first base runner since the second inning. Sutton, would then advance all the way to 3rd after an error by the Warriors. After Butler picked up back to back strikeouts, Davis, would reach on a dropped third strike as Sutton would come in to score to make it 5-0 Dragons.

Dawson Holland, would keep the inning going with a 2-out single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Butler and the Warriors, would get out of the sixth without any other damage done after a ground out. In the bottom of the sixth, Rice, would force a ground out, and pick up strikeout #13 and #14 on the night. Heading to the seventh, Pickens led White County, 5-0.

Rice, would reach with a 1-out single in the top of the seventh. Christian Starks, would drive in Rice with an RBI triple to make it 6-0. A sacrifice fly RBI by Sutton, would bring in Starks to make it 7-0. A 2-out double by Jenkins, would keep the inning going for the Dragons. Dawson Lowitt, would drive in courtesy runner Coleman Keener with an RBI single to make it 8-0 Dragons heading to the bottom of the seventh.

In the bottom half of the seventh, Rice, would finish the complete game no hitter with his 15th and 16th strikeout, and a ground out. The Dragons, pick up the win in their 6-AAA opener, 8-0.

Stats for the Dragons:

A.J. Rice: 2-4 with 1 double, 1 single, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored & 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 16 K on 86 pitches

Christian Starks: 1-4 with 1 triple, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Cade Sutton: 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Kam Jenkins: 1-3 with 1 double, and 1 walk

Dawson Lowitt: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 RBI

Matthew Davos: 1-4 with 1 single, 1 steal, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Dawson Holland: 1-3 with 1 single

Sam Hammontree: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 double, and 1 run scored

Caden Kirchoff: 1 run scored

Coleman Keener: 1 run scored

The Dragons and Warriors, will be back at it on Thursday, March 6th as the series shifts to Dunn Field for game two of the three game set. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:55 pm.

Dragons drop road game against Ringgold

PHS Baseball, Team FYN Sports

Ringgold, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, made the trip up to Ringgold on Friday, February 28th as they took on the Tigers in their final non-region game before 6-AAA play started. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were 8-0. The Tigers, were 5-3. After trailing 7-1, the Tigers, would come back to pick up an 8-7 win over the Dragons.

A.J. Rice, looked to get things started early for the Dragons as he reached on lead off single. The Tigers, would induce a double play to clear the bases. Cade Sutton, would keep the inning alive as he would reach base after an error. Tigers starter Wesley Blair, would get out of the inning with a ground out. The Tigers, looked to put some runs up early as they would pick up a pair of walks and a single to load the bases with nobody out.

Dragons starter Christian Starks, was able to get out of the bases loaded jam as he picked up a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to send it to the second with the score still tied at 0.

Sam Hammontree, would reach with a 1-out single. Dawson Holland, would follow that up with a single of his own. Matthew Davis, would then draw a walk to load the bases with 1-out. A 2-RBI single by Jennings Allen, would score both Hammontree and Holland to make it 2-0 Dragons. Davis and Allen, would come around to score as Rice would reach on an error.

Rice, would then make his way home as Starks would reach on an error to make it 5-0 Dragons. The Tigers, would get out of the top of the second with a double play trailing the Dragons, 5-0. Blair, would reach on an error to lead off the bottom of the second. The Dragons defense, would then turn a 4-6-3 double play to clear the bases. Cade Broom, would keep the inning going by drawing a 2-out walk.

Starks, would get out of the second with his 3rd strikeout of the game to send it to the third with the Dragons leading the Tigers, 5-0.

In the top half of the third, Dawson Lowitt, would draw a 1-out walk to reach base. Lowitt, would then take 2nd after a throwing error on a pick off attempt. Hammontree, would draw a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1-out. Holland, would then reach on a fielder’s choice as Hammontree would be forced out at 2nd. Holland, would then steal 2nd to put runners at 2nd and 3rd.

Davis, would drive in both Lowitt and Holland with a double to make it 7-0 Dragons. The Tigers, would get out of the inning with a ground out to send it to the bottom of the third. In the bottom of the third, Jackson Black, would lead off with a single. Garrett Edgar and Eli Crew, would follow with back to back walks to load the bases with nobody out. Haddon Fries, would drive in Black with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 7-1.

Starks, would get out of the inning by inducing a 4-6-3 double play to send it to the fourth with the Dragons leading the Tigers, 7-1.

Starks, would look to get something going for the Dragons as he would reach on an error with 1-out. Sutton, would follow by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Starks and Sutton, would then advance up a base after a passed ball. The Tigers, would get out of the third with a pop out and a ground out to send it to the bottom of the fourth with the Dragons leading, 7-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers, would draw a few walks as well as take advantage of some errors by the Dragons as they would plate 5 runs to get back into the game. Heading to the fifth, the Dragons, were hanging on to a 7-6 lead.

The Dragons, would go down in order in the top of the fifth as the Tigers would force a pair of fly outs and a line out. Daven Abernathy, who came on in relief in the bottom of the fourth, would work around a 1-out walk in the bottom of the fifth as the Dragons would send it to the sixth, clinging to a 7-6 lead.

In the top of the sixth, the Dragons, would again go down in order as the Tigers would pick up a ground out and two strikeouts to send it to the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, Crew, would reach first on an error with 1-out. Fries, would follow with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd. A wild pitch, would allow pitch runner Franklin Helsel and Fries to move up a base.

Helsel, would then come in to score on a fielder’s choice. Fries, would also come in to score after a fielder’s choice as the Tigers would take an 8-7 lead into the seventh.

Sutton, would lead off the top of the seventh with a single. Kam Jenkins, would then follow that up by drawing a walk to put runners at 1st and 2nd. A ground out by Lowitt, would advance the runners over to 2nd and 3rd. The Tigers, would end the game with a double play as Ringgold would hold on to defeat Pickens, 8-7.

Stats for the Dragons:

A.J. Rice: 1-4 with 1 single and 1 run scored

Christian Starks: 3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 3 K on 66 pitches

Cade Sutton: 1-3 with 1 single and 1 walk

Kam Jenkins: 1 walk

Dawson Lowitt: 1 walk and 1 run scored

Sam Hammontree: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 walk, and 1 run scored

Dawson Holland: 1-3 with 1 single, 1 steal, and 2 runs scored

Matthew Davis: 1-2 with 1 double, 1 walk, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored

Jennings Allen: 1-3 with 1 single, 2 RBI, and 1 run scored

The Dragons, will be back in action on Tuesday, March 4th as they begin 6-AAA play with a three game series against the White County Warriors. The first game of the series will be at White County with a first pitch time scheduled for 5:55 pm.

Dragons clinch #1 seed in 6-AAA region tournament

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Jasper, Ga — On the final day of January, the Pickens Dragons welcomed the White County Warriors to the Dragons Den for a 6-AAA contest. The Dragons, came into the game 21-0 overall and 11-0 in 6-AAA. The Warriors, came into the game at 5-17 overall and 4-7 in 6-AAA play. The Dragons, used a big first quarter to cruise to an 89-42 win.

The Dragons, got things going right after the tip as McCord Purdy, found Dodge Davis for the three to make it 3-0. That would help kickoff a 7-0 run for the Dragons as they took a 7-0 lead. Blayne Gunter, who recently returned for the Warriors, would put an end to the run and make it 7-2. The Dragons, would then go on a 10-0 run to stretch their lead out to 17-2. A basket by Dawson Oliver, would put an end to the run and make it 17-4.

Dodge Davis, would then get the layup to go through contact. He would make the free throw to make it 20-4. After a three by Cohen Michaud, Purdy and Brock Barton, would hit back to back threes to give the Dragons a 26-7 lead. The two teams would trade baskets to end the first quarter as the Dragons led it, 28-9.

A bucket by Barton, would start the scoring in the second quarter as he would make it 30-9. The Dragons, would then go on a free throw streak as Parker Davis and Jamin Martin, would go 6-6 to make it 36-9. A three by Michaud, would make it 36-12. After a layup by Caleb Lanford, Gunter, would go on a 5-0 run as he would hit a three and then complete an and-1 play to cut the lead down to 38-18.

A jumper from DJ Mitchell, would make it 40-18. A buzzer beater from Gunter, would make it 40-20 with Pickens ahead at the half.

Much like he did to begin the game, Dodge Davis, would start the second half off with a three to make it 43-20. Purdy, would follow that up with a layup to make it 45-20. A three by Tripp Nix, would get the Warriors on the board in the third. The Dragons, would then go on an 8-0 run to stretch the lead out to 53-23. A basket by Gunter, would put an end to the run and make it 53-25.

Lanford and Dodge Davis, would then hit back to back threes to make it 59-25. Michaud, would make a pair of free throws to make it 59-27. The Dragons, would then go on a 7-0 run to stretch the lead to 66-27. After a three by Gunter, Parker and Dodge Davis, would close out the third quarter with back to back baskets to make it 70-30 heading to the fourth.

Parker Davis and Lanford, would begin the fourth quarter by going on a 9-0 run to make it 79-30. After a bucket by Gunter, the Davis brothers, would make back to back baskets to stretch the lead to 83-32. Michaud and John Phillips, would then go on a 4-0 run to make it 83-36. Mitchell, would end the mini run with a three to make it 86-36. After Phillips split a pair of free throws, Oliver, would connect on a layup to make it 86-39.

Montego Morgan, would get in on the scoring action with a three to make it 89-39. A late three by Tyler Franklin, would make it 89-42. The Dragons, would dribble out the clock and come away with an 89-42 victory.

Leading scorer for the Dragons:

Dodge Davis: 24 points

Parker Davis: 23 points

Caleb Lanford: 12 points

McCord Purdy: 12 points

Brock Barton: 10 points

DJ Mitchell: 5 points

Montego Morgan: 3 points

Jamin Martin: 2 points

6-AAA Boys Region Standings:

Pickens: 22-0 (12-0)

GAC: 17-6 (9-3)

Lumpkin: 15-8 (9-3)

North Hall: 13-10 (6-6)

Dawson: 8-15 (5-7)

White County: 5-18 (4-8)

Chestatee: 4-19 (3-9)

Johnson-Gainesville: 1-19 (0-12)

With that win, the Dragons, have clinched the #1 seed for the 6-AAA region tournament that will begin for the boys on Wednesday, February 12th. Before that, the Dragons will make the trip down to Milton to take part in the Longhorn Showcase where they will take on the North Gwinnett Bulldogs in non-region action on Saturday, February 1st. Tip off is set for 1:30 pm.

Davis brothers combine for 50 as Dragons sweep Spartans

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Norcross, Ga — The Pickens Dragons, took to the road for the final time during the ’24-’25 season as they battled the Greater Atlanta Christian School Spartans on Tuesday, January 28th. Coming into the game, the Dragons, were 20-0 and 10-0 in 6-AAA. The Spartans, were 15-5 and 7-2 in 6-AAA. The Dragons, got 26 from Dodge Davis and 24 from Parker Davis in route to a 76-50 win over the Spartans.

Parker Davis, got the scoring started with a layup to make it 2-0 early. A layup by Baer Bailey, would tie the game up at 2. From there, the Dragons would go on an 11-0 run as Dodge Davis, Caleb Lanford, MCord Purdy, and Parker Davis would all combine to give Pickens a 13-2 lead. The Spartans, would counter with a 5-0 run as Vinh Nguyen would hit a three and Bailey would make another lay in to make it 13-7.

A three by Lanford, would stretch the lead to 16-7. After a pair of free throws from Ledger Kincaid, Mario Hill Jr would make a basket to cut the lead to 16-11. A three by Dodge Davis, would temporarily put an end to the Spartans run. Hill Jr and Kincaid would then team up again to go on a 5-0 run to make it 19-16. A layup by Dodge Davis would give the Dragons a 21-16 lead heading to the second quarter.

Purdy would get things going in the second quarter with a three to make it 24-16. Nguyen and Hill Jr, would then combine for a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 24-22. Parker Davis, would then make back to back shots to give the Dragons a 28-22 lead. After a couple of fouls by both teams, Hill Jr., would step to the line and make both free throws. Mikey Carpenter, would then get his name in the score book to make it 26-24.

The Dragons, would close out the first half with Lanford hitting a three, and Parker Davis completing an and-1 play to give Pickens a 34-26 lead at the half.

The Dragons, would begin the second half by going on a 6-0 run as Parker Davis would make a layup, Dodge Davis would split a pair of free throws, and Brock Barton would hit a three to make it 40-26. A three by Bailey, would put an end to the run and make it 40-29. Later on in the quarter, Barton, the Davis brothers, and Lanford, would help stretch the lead out to 51-37.

A three by Hill Jr., would make it 51-40. The Davis brothers, would go on a 6-0 run to end the third quarter as the Dragons took a 57-40 lead into the fourth.

The Spartans, would start the fourth quarter by hitting a three to make it 57-43. After Parker Davis and Hill Jr. traded baskets, Parker Davis, would complete another and-1 play to make it 62-45. Kincaid, would hit a three to make it 62-48. A 5-0 run by Dodge Davis, would make it 67-48. After a basket by Bailey, the Dragons, would close out the game on a 9-0 run to pick up a 76-50 victory.

Leading scorers for the Dragons:

Dodge Davis: 26 points

Parker Davis: 24 points

Caleb Lanford: 13 points

Brock Barton: 7 points

McCord Purdy: 6 points

6-AAA Boys Basketball Standings:

Pickens: 21-0 (11-0)

Lumpkin: 14-8 (8-3)

GAC: 15-6 (7-3)

North Hall: 12-9 (5-5)

Dawson: 7-14 (4-6)

White County: 4-17 (3-7)

Chestatee: 4-17 (3-7)

Johnson-Gainesville: 1-17 (0-10)

The Dragons, will begin a three game home stand to close out the regular season beginning with a game against the White County Warriors on Friday, January 31st. The Dragons, defeated the Warriors back on January 3rd. Tip off is set for 7:30 pm.

Dragons open 2025 with big region win

PHS Basketball, Team FYN Sports

Cleveland, Ga — On Friday, January 3rd, the Pickens Dragons made the drive up to Cleveland to take on the White County Warriors in a 6-AAA match up to begin the 2025 portion of the schedule. The Dragons, came into the game a perfect 12-0 on the season and 3-0 in region play. While the Warriors came into the game at 3-9 overall, they held a 2-1 record in region play. Behind a big performance from Dodge Davis, the Dragons, kept their hot streak rolling with a 73-35 win.

The Dragons, began the first quarter by going on a 14-0 run. Caleb Lanford, and Dodge and Parker Davis contributed to the big run. Dawson Oliver, would end the run with a floater to make it 14-2. Dodge Davis and McCord Purdy, would then hit back to back threes to make it 22-2 Dragons heading to the second quarter.

Purdy, would start the second quarter with a layup to make it 24-2. Tripp Nix, would then connect on the first three pointer of the night for the Warriors to make it 24-5. After a three by Lanford, Nix, would make another three to make it 27-8. The Dragons, would then knock down 8 straight three pointers as Dodge Davis would hit seven of the eight. His brother Parker, would make the other one to make it 51-8.

Oliver, would put an end to the run with a pair of free throws. Parker Davis, would make a layup to make it 53-10. Oliver, would make another pair of free throws to close the first half as the Dragons led it, 53-12.

Dodge Davis, began the second half with a layup to stretch the lead to 55-12. After a three by Cohen Michaud, Brock Barton, would answer with a three of his own. After both teams traded baskets, the Dragons, would go on a 7-0 run to close out the third quarter as they led it, 68-20.

Purdy, would open the scoring in the fourth quarter by splitting a pair of free throws to make it 69-20. After a bucket by Nix, the Dragons would go on a 5-0 run as Aiden Mumaw would make a layup, and Jamin Martin would hit a three to make it 74-22. The Warriors, would counter with their own 5-0 run to make it 74-27. After a three by DJ Mitchell would end the run, The Warriors, would go on another 5-0 run to make it 77-32.

A floater by Martin, would end the run and make it 79-32. A three by Nix, would be the final scoring of the game by either team as the Dragons, come away with the 79-35 victory.

Leading scorers for the Dragons:

Dodge Davis: 37 points: (9 threes)

McCord Purdy: 12 points

Parker Davis: 11 points

Caleb Lanford: 6 points

Jamin Martin: 5 points

Brock Barton: 3 points

DJ Mitcherll: 3 points

Aiden Mumaw: 2 points

6-AAA Region Standings:

Pickens: 13-0 (4-0)

Lumpkin: 9-6 (3-1)

GAC: 10-4 (3-1)

North Hall: 8-6 (2-2)

White County: 3-10 (2-2)

Chestatee: 2-13 (1-3)

Dawson: 4-11 (1-3)

Johnson-Gainesville: 1-9 (0-4)

The Dragons, will be right back on the court on Saturday, January 4th as they take on the Coahulla Creek Colts in the first home game of 2025. Tip off is set for 5:30 pm.

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