From the notebook: Ponder helps lead Tusculum to conference title

Published 12:06 pm Monday, April 12, 2021

By Wayne Grandy

MOULTRIE – Tory Ponder caught a career-high seven passes to help Tusculum defeat Lenoir-Rhyne 28-23 last Saturday in the South Atlantic Conference championship game.

Those seven receptions went for 123 yards. One was for 49 yards.

It was the first conference championship for Tusculum since 2008.

The Pioneers finish the spring season with a 4-1 record after denying Lenoir-Rhyne its third straight SAC title.

Ponder finished the season with 18 catches for 341 yards and one touchdown.

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On the opposing sideline in the championship game was Lenior-Rhyne starting right tackle Ian Brinson, Ponder’s former Colquitt County High teammate.

Of this and that:

• Last week in Barnesville, former ABAC’s Chloe Gould got her first collegiate goal in a 5-1 loss to Gordon State.

Gould’s goal came in the 26th minute and tied the game 1-1.

The Fillies, now 0-2, played on Tuesday at South Georgia State.

• Colquitt County freshman tight end Landen Thomas has committed to playing his college football at Florida State.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder caught eight passes for 97 yards and one for a touchdown, for the Packers last season.

Although he has three more years of high school eligibility, he also has received offers from Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and Miami.

Florida State currently has another former Packer tight end on its roster: Carter Boatwright, who was a freshman for the Seminoles last fall.

• Two other members of the Colquitt County football team have received collegiate offers: receiver Ontavious Carolina, from Austin Peay, and linebacker Pershaun Fann, from Liberty University.

• Andrew College’s J.T. Whatley had a productive pair of doubleheaders recently against south Georgia rival ABAC.

In the twin bill on April 6, Whatley went 4-for-6 with a double and four runs batted in.

The two schools played another doubleheader on Sunday in Cuthbert and Whatley went 2-for-5 with a home run and three runs driven in. He did not bat in the second game.

Whatley is hitting. 341 with six homers and 31 RBIs.

Andrew swept all four games from the Stallions, who feature Whatley’s former Packer teammate Henry Daniels.

In the April 6 doubleheader, Daniels went 4-for-6 with a double and a pair of walks. He is hitting .400 with eight home runs.

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