Central Georgia Sports ReportFebruary 20, 20211 Comment

Friday's Daily News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; Mercer FB, BSB, BKB; Mount de Sales' Hatcher, Mayhem; Thompson Stadium; Madness fans, more

Central Georgia Sports ReportFebruary 20, 20211 Comment

Friday’s Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.

In Coverage: Central Georgia’s only Scoreboard, with high school, college, and pro, with basketball, baseball, hockey

Alumni Update

Stratford alum Avant off to a good start

Around/About Central Georgia

Mercer opens the second part of the football season

The first game of spring football in 2021 for Mercer has the impact of a late fall showdown.

The last Southern Conference champion welcomes Mercer when the Bears visit Wofford. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The Terriers went 8-4 and 7-1 in 2019, winning their seventh league title. They didn’t participate in competition in the fall of 2020, while Mercer went 0-3, losing to Jacksonville state, Army, and Abilene Christian.

Wofford has beaten Mercer six straight times, every meeting in the modern era of the Bears. Two games have been fairly close: the 34-33 win in 2014, 31-21 a year later and 28-7 a year later.

But the last two scores have been 42-21 and 41-7 for the Terriers.

Mercer is going 112 days between head coach Drew Cronic’s third game and fourth game.

Wofford has no Central Georgians on the roster.

The Bears listed a few Central Georgians on the two-deep: snapper Zach Lassiter of Bleckley County, punt returner Landon Miller of Rutland. Other area players on the roster: QB Dylan Fromm of Warner Robins, DB Brandon Mays of Wilkinson County, DL Kashawn Baker of Crawford County, WR Isaia Harris of Houston County, and DL Nathan Seiy of Jones County. The latter two are true freshman.

The Bears host The Citadel next week, and are at home on March 20 against Western Carolina, April 3 against Furman and April 10 against ETSU.

Mercer adjusts baseball opener to Saturday afternoon

Mayhem get big road win in OT

Mercer women pull away from Wofford

Georgia College men on NCAA watch list

Thompson Stadium to get upgrades

The Macon-Bibb Board of Education approved on Thursday a variety of renovations and upgrades to Thompson Stadium in east Macon.

A 2021 ESPLOST will fund the improvements.

Synthetic turf and a video scoreboard will be added in phase 1. Improved lighting, 1,500 more seats and more than 550 added parking spaces along with assorted track & field upgrades are planned, as is a new ticket booth and renovations to the current field house.

The second phase is focused on upgraded concessions and the existing plaza, more parking, and signage.

Northeast is Thompson’s primary tenant for football.

Mount de Sales’ Hatcher changes non-football title

Head football coach and athletics director Keith Hatcher is having one of those titles changed.

The school announced Friday that Hatcher would move from athletics director to one in the advancement office, and would be succeeded as AD by Kenny Epps, the Cavs’ girls soccer head coach and assistant girls basketball coach.

Both are Mount de Sales alums, Hatcher the Class of 1996 and Epps the class of 2004.

Hatcher will “enhance outreach with alumni and other constituents while developing resources for athletic programs and facilities,” according to a Friday morning release from the school.

The official change takes place on July 1.

Epps returned to his alma mater as a coach starting with the fall of 2016 after leaving Tattnall.

Around/About Georgia/Southeast

Fight ends the seasons for Beach and Savannah girls basketball teams

Stratford’s Avant part of a no-hitter in UGA win

Obit: Legendary Georgia State baseball coach Hurst

Evansville nips Georgia in season opener

Freshmen – including one from Houston County – to be key in UGA’s first series

Yellow Jackets cruise in season opener

Georgia State swipes assistant from Louisiana-Monroe

Sports and COVID-19

Dodgers’ Turner: World Series COVID issue was brutal