Central Georgia Sports ReportApril 20, 2021Comment

Monday's Daily News 'n Notes: Scoreboard; GHSA meeting, Valdosta pleas; Mercer golf; Tech HOF; Braves/Acuna; college football; Alex Smith; soccer league

Central Georgia Sports ReportApril 20, 2021Comment

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

College players of the week

Southern Conference softball: Mercer’s Donner

GHSA deals with plenty of non-Valdosta business at meeting

Once the morning meeting regarding Valdosta’s appeal of sanctions was over, the GHSA executive committee had a moderately routine but notable meeting.

The executive committee voted unanimously to continue the current region alignments for two more years, 2022-23 and 2023-24. The board of trustees voted 9-0 to recommend it.

But it will take a second vote to become official and added to the constitution. Such a vote would eliminate discussion of reclassification, which in the latest round was of note because it separate public and private schools in Class A regions for everything, not just the playoffs.

That hasn’t been overly popular with many private schools that left the GISA only to find themselves lumped together with only private schools.

Pep bands will be allowed to play at playoff basketball games, a wrestling scrimmage will be permitted, and the budget for 2021-22 was passed.

The board of trustees had voted down a week of fall soccer tryouts.

Two old-business items were the second vote needed to add to the Constitution, and involved some muscle-flexing of the association and the executive director’s position.

One allowed executive director Robin Hines to push particularly notable violations of by-laws and rules to the board of trustees for further penalty. Another piggybacked on that and gave the board power to add penalties for “intentional or grossly negligent violations” by a school, including an additional fine and probation.

Additional penalties are appealable. Both passed unanimously.

Despite the havoc of all sorts wreaked by COVID-19, the association’s financial picture remains strong, to the point of the GHSA waiving member dues for the second straight year, to the tune of $109,530, and waiving insurance fees, to the tune of $202,470.

It proposed the same budget as last year, of $5, 584, 300.

The biggest revenue-producer is state tournaments and playoffs, bringing in $2.94 million, followed by venders and partnerships, good for $890,000.

The largest expense is the state tournaments and playoffs, costing $2.2 million, followed by salaries and wages – the GHSA has 14 full-time employees, as per its website – at a million, about the same as insurance expenses.

Around/About Central Georgia

Rutland grad Pyon among Bears in SoCon women’s golf hunt

Mercer men in sixth at SoCon golf

Around/About Georgia/Southeast

GHSA appeals committee smacks down Valdosta’s arguments

Eight to join the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame

Acuna avoids injury list

But joins Rodon for weekly honors

What did we really see at G-Day?

Who got the most out of Georgia State’s spring?

Obit: Butch Brooks was a football – high school and college - lifer

Vandy won series with Vols, but showed some mortality