Coastal Pines Technical College

      By Kevin Price

Ja'Londi O’Hara didn’t catch a bunch of passes last Friday night for Ware County in the team’s victory over Tucker in the opening round of the Class AAAA state playoffs. 

But the sophomore receiver for the Gators made the most of the passes he did catch in the team’s 38-0 victory at home inside Memorial Stadium.

O’Hara finished the game with four receptions for 127 yards and two of those catches went for touchdowns. 

O’Hara also played well when he wasn’t catching the ball and his overall performance earned him the Coastal Pines Technical College Player of the Week award from 912 Sports. 

“Ja'Londi was fantastic and explosive in the passing game,” said Ware head coach Jason Strickland. “But, his major impact was his blocking in the run game. He was a dominant force blocking the secondary Friday which helped us rush for 240 yards as a team.”

O’Hara was credited with three pancake blocks while performing admirably as a blocker for the Gators. 

O’hara is listed at 6-foot and 166 pounds on the Ware roster. 

For the season, he has 21 catches for 330 yards and six touchdowns. He averages 15.7 yards per reception. 

With their opening-round victory, the Gators improved to 6-5 on the season. They entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Region 1-AAAA. 

This week, the Gators have a tougher assignment in the second round as they travel to take on North Oconee in Bogart. The Titans are 11-0 after rolling past Eagle’s Landing 49-0 in their first-round game. 

North Oconee won Region 8-AAAA and finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the state poll. 

Coastal Pines Technical College

Male Athletes of the Week

Week 1 - Derrick Irons, McIntosh County Academy, DE 

Week 2 - Tyrese Woodgett, Coffee, RB

Week 3 - Rashawn Truell, New Hampstead, QB

Week 4-  William Heck, Brunswick, RB

Week 5 - Caden McGatha, Pierce County, QB 

Week 6 - Anthony Walker, Brantley County, CB

Week 7 - Grant Moore, Brunswick QB

Week 8 - Dixon Morris, Pierce County, LB

Week 9 - Xavier Brown, Camden County, LB 

Week 10 - Jayden Hancock, Coffee, CB

Week 11 - Tucker Perkins, Effingham, QB

Week 12 - J’Shawn Towns, Brunswick, LB

Week 13 - Kamari Maxwell, New Hampstead, WR

Week 14 - Ja'Londi O’Hara, Ware County, WR 

    By Kevin Price

Gianna Brown’s big season continued last week for the New Hampstead flag football team in victories over South Effingham and Jenkins. 

The senior linebacker for the Phoenix intercepted four passes in the two games combined to help New Hampstead knock off the above-mentioned teams which are front-runners in their respective regions. 

For her outstanding play in these matchups, Brown has been chosen by 912 Sports as the Coastal Pines Technical College Girls Student-Athlete of the Week for our Southeast Georgia coverage area. 

New Hampstead head coach Robert Lanier lauded the play of Brown. 

Gianna had two big games defensively against two of the top teams in the state,” Lanier said. “She helped us secure two wins over two No. 1 teams in their respected areas. She had two interceptions against South Effingham and one was for a touchdown.

“In the second game against Jenkins, she added two more interceptions and one was when the game was locked in a scoreless tie. She put us in good field-position for the go-ahead score to beat Jenkins. Gianna also added 10 flag pulls and two deflections as well.”

New Hampstead toppled South Effingham 20-0 before knocking off Jenkins 7-0. Both games were played last Tuesday in Guyton on South Effingham’s field. 

For the season, Brown has seven interceptions for New Hampstead and has returned two for scores. She also has 40 flag pulls. 

Brown also plays on the offensive side of the ball for the Phoenix. She has 212 receiving yards on the season and has scored four touchdowns. 

The Phoenix are 12-1 for the season. They are slated to play Portal and Savannah Arts Academy at home on Thursday. 

New Hampstead is currently ranked No. 6 in state’s Divison 2 rankings by MaxPreps. The Phoenix are ranked No. 17 overall in the state by MaxPreps. 

Coastal Pines Technical College

Female Athletes of the Week

Week 1 - Presley Harrison, Appling County, Softball

Week 2 - Miranda Harrell, Ware County, Volleyball 

Week 3- Marin Bograd, Camden County, Cross Country

Week 4 - Candice Thornton, Wayne County, Softball 

Week 5 - Molly Smith, Ware County, Softball 

Week 6 - Audrey Slayton, Glynn Academy, Softball 

Week 7 - No Player named 

Week 8 - Marlee Walling, Wayne County, Softball 

Week 9 - Alyssa Martin, South Effingham, Softball 

Week 10 - Cassidy King, Glynn Academy, Cross Country 

Week 11 - Ellie Harrison, Wayne County, Softball

Week 12 - Ellie Kate Marchant, Jeff Davis, Cross Country

Week 13 - Julia Anastasio, Richmond Hill, Cross Country

Week 14 - Gianna Brown, New Hampstead, Flag Football