By MIKE FITZPATRICKAP Sports Writer

NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman had five RBI in

the first two in-nings and the Atlan-ta Braves battered Johan Santana in his re-turn from the dis-abled list, routing the slug-

gish New York Mets 9-3 on Saturday night.

Michael Bourn had three hits, Chipper Jones chased Santana with an RBI single in a seven-run second in-ning and Atlanta sent the two-time Cy Young Award winner to the worst start of his career.

Kris Medlen (3-1) pitched effectively into the seventh inning, striking out seven while improving to 2-0 since joining the rotation. A solid reliever most of the season, he has permitted one run in each of his three starts.

Santana (6-8) got only four outs. He was charged with eight hits and a season-high eight runs in his first outing since July 20.

By DOUG FERGUSONAP Golf Writer

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — First came the black cloud that has been following Ti-

ger Woods on the week-end at the ma-jors. The real storm arrived a short time later Satur-

day in the PGA Champion-ship, halting the brilliant start by Rory McIlroy and giving Woods a chance to stop his slide at Kiawah Island.

McIlroy opened with three birdies and two par saves, none bigger than on the third hole when his tee shot lodged

in the crevice of a branch about 7 feet off the ground. He reached up to remove the ball, took a penalty drop and made a 6-foot par putt to con-tinue on his way.

It all looked so easy for McIlroy, who was at 6 un-der through nine holes and tied for the lead with Vijay Singh when the third round was suspended.

For Woods, it was a grind on another windswept day at Kiawah Island.

He failed to birdie the par-5 second hole and then bad-ly missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the next hole. He hit a spectator with a fair-way metal off the tee at the fourth, pulled a shot into the

mounds short of the par-5 fifth hole and made yet an-other bogey on the par-5 sev-enth with two poor shots to

By SETH EMERSONsemerson@macon.com

ATHENS — The plan is on a parallel track. It is well-de-vised, and so far being per-fectly executed. The object of this plan is John Theus.

The first part of the plan is to make clear to Theus that he has to earn his start-ing spot, that just because he was a five-star recruit, with all the hype attached to him, that he wouldn’t automati-

cally play. The second part of the plan

is, in fact, to play him.

Because when you’re the Georgia football pro-gram, and your offen-sive line is

perhaps the team’s top con-cern entering 2012, you don’t keep a player like Theus on your bench.

You can see the plan in ac-tion with these types of com-ments from offensive line coach Will Friend: “He’s a good player. He’s got a long way to go though.”

Merely a “good” football player? According to the re-cruiting hype, Friend is un-der-selling it.

Theus is one of the most accomplished offensive line recruits to enter the program

SEE PGA, 3C

Sticking to the plan

ALSOn Georgia

notebook, 6C

C

SportSSports Editor Daniel Shirley | dshirley@macon.com | (478) 744-4227Sunday August 12, 2012

OLYMPICS, 5CThe United States women’s basketball

team goes for the gold medal.

Bill Shanks

THE GAME CONTINUES...The 10s. Pages 8-9C.

8C

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2012

THE TELEGRAPH

macon.com

Bobby Bryant, Willingham, football/baseballBio: Bryant earned 11 letters

as an athlete at Willingham before

heading to South Carolina, where

he was an All-ACC halfback. Bryant

was an All-ACC baseball player as a junior and senior, and he was the ACC’s Athlete of the Year in 1966-67.

He was drafted by the New York

Yankees and Boston Red Sox,

but he spurned those offers to

play for the Minnesota Vikings.

Bryant played 14 seasons for

the Vikings, making two Pro

Bowl teams. He led the NFC in

interceptions in 1973, and he is

second on the Vikings’ career

interceptions list with 51. Bryant

played on all four of the Vikings’

Super Bowl teams in the 1970s

and played on 11 NFC Central

Division championship teams.

Bryant is in the following

Halls of Fame: Macon Sports,

Georgia Sports, South Carolina

Sports and University of South

Carolina Sports.Why we picked him: Bryant

is probably the greatest athlete

to come out of Willingham. He

also is one of the best pound-

for-pound athletes in Middle

Georgia history.Others to considerA.J. Bryant, Peach County,

football: Bryant was the

Class AAA Offensive Player

of the Year in 2003 after

leading the Trojans to the

state championship game.

Bryant moved to wide receiver

at Georgia, and he caught a

touchdown pass against West

Virginia in the Sugar Bowl.

Ken Bonifay, Lanier, football/

baseball: Bonifay made the

all-state team in 1963 before

earning three letters at Georgia

Tech in football. Bonifay also

played baseball at Georgia

Tech, leading the Yellow Jackets

in home runs in 1966.Bryan Ellis, Peach County,

football: Ellis played just one

season at Peach County, but

he sure made it count. He

passed for 3,600 yards and

31 touchdowns to lead Peach

County to the 2006 state

championship. Ellis, who was

the Class AAA Offensive Player

of the Year and The Telegraph’s

All-Middle Georgia Player

of the Year in 2006, played

three seasons at UAB. He

passed for 2,940 yards and 25

touchdowns as a junior.Johnny Henderson, Mount

de Sales, football: Henderson

led Mount de Sales to five

total state championships

in football and baseball. He

made three all-state teams

in football while posting close

to a .500 batting average in

baseball. The Chicago Cubs

drafted Henderson in the

third round in 1974, but he

choose to play baseball and

football at Georgia. Henderson

had four interceptions in one

game during his three years

as a starting defensive back in

Athens. Henderson spent some

time in camp with the Baltimore

Colts and Kansas City Chiefs

following college.

MikeJolly,

Central, footballBio: Two years after Steve

Dennis electrified Bibb County

football fans, Jolly stepped

under center for the Chargers

and led the team on a magical

run to a state championship

in 1975, the first in Bibb

County since 1948. He was

unstoppable for much of his

senior season, but Jolly’s

postseason performance made

him legendary. He picked up

a long fourth down on the

game-winning drive to beat

Northside in the quarterfinals

just two weeks after the

Eagles beat Central by 13.

In the championship game,

Jolly led his team on a 76-yard

touchdown drive, scoring

on a 1-yard touchdown with 1:23 left to beat

Douglass. Jolly went on

to play at Georgia Tech and Tennessee State,

and he spent some time with the Memphis

Showboats in the USFL.Why we picked him:

Who has had a

bigger impact on the football

field in Bibb County since

integration than Jolly? Probably

no one. His performance during

the 1975 season looms even

larger now considering it has

been 37 years since a Bibb

County program has won a

state title. When Jolly’s Central

teammate Roger Jackson

played for the Denver Broncos,

he said he used to tell John

Elway, “You remind me of

Michael Jolly.”Others to considerMichael Brooker, Brentwood,

basketball: Arguably the

greatest basketball player in

GISA history, Brooker made

close to 40 percent of his

3-point shots in high school.

He made national headlines

when he made 87 consecutive

free throws to set the national

record. Brooker averaged 33.7

points and 10.5 rebounds as

a high school senior. He holds

program records in single-game

points (52) and career points

(2,501). Brooker went on letter

four seasons for North Carolina.

He now serves as the head

coach at FPD.Terry Brown, Southwest,

football: Brown was a do-

everything quarterback for the

Patriots before earning four

letters at Tennessee.Jay Cranford, Stratford,

baseball: Cranford was a part of four no-hitters at Stratford. He hit 13

home runs in 1988, and he holds the school’s record for career pitching wins. He

went 36-3 on the mound.

Cranford was drafted twice,

the final time by the Pittsburgh

Pirates in 1992. He also played

at Georgia.Vince Datillo, Mount de

Sales, soccer: Datillo was a

four-time Telegraph All-Middle

Georgia soccer player of the

year before playing at Mercer,

where he was the A-Sun Player

of the Year in 1992. He was the

fourth overall pick by the Dayton

Dynamos in the 1993 National

Professional Soccer League.

Ed DeFore Jr., Lanier,

baseball: DeFore went 15-2 on

the mound as a senior before

signing with Georgia. He was

drafted twice, signing with

the New York Mets after they

drafted him 12th overall in

1971.Darius Dewberry, Peach

County, football: Dewberry was

a wrecking ball on defense for

the Trojans during an all-state

year in 2004. Dewberry earned

four letters at Georgia.Moses Herring, Ballard-

Hudson, football: Herring might

have been the first great black

quarterback in Macon. He

led Ballard-Hudson to a state

championship in 1959. It was

the school’s only undefeated

season.Marques Ivory, Northside,

football: Ivory never lost a high

school game as a starting

quarterback, leading the Eagles

to state titles in 2006 and

2007. His most memorable

game came at the Georgia

Dome in 2007, returning at

halftime of the state semifinals

to help Northside to come back

from a 28-7 deficit. Ivory had

missed the previous six games

with a broken leg. Ivory plays

quarterback at Jacksonville

State.Morgan Johnson, FPD,

softball/basketball/track:

Johnson played key roles in

state championship runs in

all three sports she played.

She holds FPD’s career home

run record. Johnson started in

the outfielder during Valdosta

State’s run to a national

championship in 2012. Johnson

won the Gulf South Conference

Commissioner’s Trophy as the

conference’s top female athlete

after hitting .427 with 11 home

runs and 51 RBI.Walter Johnson, Appling,

basketball: Johnson may be the

best player in Appling history,

and he had a standout career at

Fort Valley State.Larry Lawrence, Mount de

Sales, basketball: An all-state

high school player, Lawrence

played at Dartmouth, where he

made the All-Ivy League team

in 1979 and 1981. He scored

1,000 career points and was

named the Ivy League Player of

the Year in 1981. Lawrence was

drafted by the Atlanta Hawks,

but he became famous playing

in France. He averaged 32.4

points in 1989 with a French

team.Tommy Reid, Willingham,

baseball/basketball: Reid

was a standout baseball and

basketball player with the

Rams. He led Georgia in hitting

in 1964 and made the All-SEC

team in 1965. He later won

the Georgia Senior Amateur in

2001.Justin Tyler, Jones County,

baseball/football: Tyler was a

tremendous two-sport athlete

for the Greyhounds. Tyler hit

more than 30 home runs during

his final two seasons at Jones

County. He played college

football at Mississippi State

before playing at Arkansas-

Monticello.Chris Wilson, FPD, football:

Wilson rushed for 4,442 yards

and 53 touchdowns at FPD. The

all-state pick played at Georgia

Southern and is a member of

the Macon Sports Hall of Fame.Billy

Henderson, Lanier, baseball/footballBio: Lanier’s two-time all-

state running back made two

All-Southern teams, including

being named as the top player

in Georgia in 1945. Henderson

set the Macon touchdown

record as a senior — the mark

stood for 28 years until Steve

Dennis broke it. Henderson

was just as solid in baseball,

playing in a national showcase

at Yankee Stadium for Babe

Ruth against a team coached

by Ty Cobb. After being drafted by the Chicago Cubs,

Henderson decided to head to

Georgia, where he earned eight

combined letters in football and

baseball. He was a two-time

All-SEC pick in baseball, leading

Georgia in batting three times.

He still holds the career record

for steals with 91, and only two

players in the past 62 years

have stolen more bases in a

season than Henderson’s 29 in

1950. Henderson led the SEC

in hitting twice, and his .375

career average is sixth best

in Georgia history. Henderson

returned to Macon to coach

at Willingham and Mount de

Sales. He later won three

state championships at Clarke

Central.Why we picked him: This was

such a difficult choice between

two of the greatest high school

athletes in Middle Georgia

history in Henderson and

Chansi Stuckey. Stuckey might

be one of the five best players

who didn’t make the cut at

their number, alongside players

like Norm Nixon, Jeff Malone,

Al Wood and Roger Kingdom.

It’s hard to compare players

from completely different eras,

and it’s also easier to pick the

player who’s fresher on the

mind. But Henderson is still

one of the greatest baseball

players in Georgia history, and

he’s one of the best high school

football players in state history.

He rushed for more than 20

touchdowns in a season back

The 10s

ONLINEGo to macon.com for more photos of the players who were chosen, as well as Jonathan Heeter’s podcast.

The

NUMBERSGameA look at Middle Georgia’s all-time greats

SEE NUMBERS, 9C

Billy Henderson was a four-time

letter winner in both football and baseball at

Georgia, where he still holds the

career steals record.

University of Georgia

Braves 9,Mets 3 Next: at Mets,8:05 p.m., Sunday(ESPN)

The Atlanta Fal-cons lost their first preseason

game Thursday night. Losing is never fun, but in the exhibition season you must look a bit deep-er to find out what really happened.

It’s a small sample size, but if you watched the game, particularly the first quarter, you know Atlanta’s first-team offense and defense did well. In fact, they did well enough to make you feel pretty good about what we might see in the regular season.

The defense stood out, and if you did not know the Falcons had a new defensive coordinator, you would have been able to tell by watching the players play. Not one player stood out, but there was a different look to the defense, and it had nothing to do with scheme.

There was an aggres-siveness that has been needed for a long time. New coordinator Mike Nolan is more known for running a 3-4 defense, but going to that completely would scrap what head coach Mike Smith has had in place since he took the job. Instead, it was obvi-ous Nolan is looking to be creative to take advantage of the personnel.

There’s no doubt the middle linebacker situ-ation is an issue. Akeem Dent got hurt playing special teams, and he might miss the valuable time he needs to ac-climate himself as the replacement for Curtis Lofton. The Falcons need to bring in another veteran, since Mike Pe-terson mainly has played on the outside, and we still don’t know if Dent will be good or not.

But at first glance, No-lan’s defense looks more like a NFL defense, com-pared to what we’ve seen with Brian VanGorder at the helm the past four years.

Offensively, there’s still a lot to figure out. Now that draft pick Bradie Ew-ing is out for the season with a knee injury, the Falcons must bring in someone to help out Mike Cox at fullback. It’s a shame they released Ovie Mughelli, who had been the starter for the past five years but was released af-ter Ewing was drafted out of Wisconsin.

The offensive line still must show more, and I am not certain Garrett Reynolds is the answer at guard. He looked better than he did last season, but perhaps I just can’t convince myself that someone who looks like a tackle can play guard.

Lots of good can be

found in loss

SEE SHANKS, 6C

ALSOn PGA

Championship notebook, 3C

BEAU CABELL/bcabell@macon.comGeorgia offensive linemen Kolton Houston, left, and John Theus collide during drills at a recent Bulldogs practice.

BEAU CABELL/bcabell@macon.comGeorgia offensive linemen Kolton Houston (75) and John Theus (71) compare notes during drills at a recent practice.

As expected, Theus emerging for Georgia

SEE GEORGIA, 6C

EVAN VUCCI/Associated PressRory McIlroy opened his third round at the PGA Championship with three birdies in his first five holes.

McIlroy, Singh tied for lead in rain-delayed PGA

Santana chased early as Braves rout Mets

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