The Coach and his girl

BACK 2 SCHOOL

2010-08-11T05:00:00.001-07:00

so after an awesome 2 week vacation including a TORNADO at the beach.... yes we were in a tornado at the beach... we are now BACK in tally!!! and also BACK to work.. Matt started Monday and today is my FIRST day !!! it feels soooo good to be back teaching again oh how I have missed it... more updates and vacay pics to come!!!

2010-05-20T09:53:00.001-07:00

MY NEW LOVE

2010-05-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just got my new dyson in the mail yesterday and I couldn't stop vacuuming all night long... :) it is simply AMAZING!!!

everywhere....

2010-05-13T13:10:00.001-07:00

everywhere you look in our house you see one of these.... I have been doing a lot of packing.... we move NEXT WEEKEND!!!! AHHHHHH we are so excited!!

NFC hires boys basketball coach- according to the Tallahassee Democrat....

2010-04-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Potential basketball players at North Florida Christian School can no longer hide. The incoming Dean of Students will also be the next Eagles boys basketball coach.

The school announced this week Matt Ruta will return to Florida to coach the team. Ruta has won 40 games coaching at Sherwood Christian Academy in Albany, Ga. the past two years.

More than 40 people applied for the position, but Ruta was the only candidate who was interviewed said NFC athletic director Mike Posey. The school attempted to hire Ruta following the 2009 season, but he decided to remain in Albany, where he took his Eagles to an appearance in the Class AA quarterfinals.

"We've had our girls team that has been strong over the years," Posey said. "We feel like we can compete in boys. We feel like we need to work at it. Like any sport, it takes a lot of commitment. I think Coach Ruta will do a good job. We're competing against some good teams in our district."

If NFC is to overtake Maclay and Jefferson County in District 4-2A this winter, Ruta said it will start with a summer conditioning program and the implementation of his system.

"I want to develop young men," Ruta said. "We're going to worry about character first and winning games second. But, I don't want to downplay the winning part. If you develop young men, and do it the right way, then you will win. The winning will follow the character development."

this is an old article... but forgot to post it SCA boys reach 3-AA title game

2010-02-17T07:33:00.001-08:00

Sherwood's Wesley Pittman hit three 3s in the first half of Thursday's Region 3-AA semifinal against Valwood and finished with 13 points in the Eagles win

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian will get its shot at payback for last year’s loss in the GISA Region 3-AA championship to Tiftarea Academy.The top-seeded Eagles advanced to the region championship game Thursday at home with a convincing 75-51 win against No. 4 seed Valwood School. Sherwood and Tiftarea meet at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Darton College.Eagles coach Matt Ruta won’t need a pre-game speech, either. “They’re our rival,” Sherwood senior John Schramm said. “We’ll be ready.” To get to this point, the Eagles had to deal with Valwood’s Neo Banks again, while his 27-point performance against them earlier this season was still fresh on their minds.Banks scored half of Valwood’s points in the first two quarters, but couldn’t keep pace with Schramm and the 3-point marksmanship of Wesley Pittman. Sherwood (18-6) used a 14-2 run to close out the first half, and when Schramm and Pittman hit back-to-back 3s before the break, the Eagles found themselves up 39-28.“We had an 11-point lead at halftime and we pushed it (out),” said Pittman, who hit three 3s in the first half and finished with 13 points. “(Banks) is a heck of a player. He shocked us (in the last meeting). The second time we were more prepared for him.”After dropping 14 in the opening half, Banks finished with a game-high 23 points, but was the only Valiant in double figures.“We ran three, four guys at him,” Ruta said. “Derinique Daniel did a great job on him and we were able to hold him down a little in the second half.”Schramm led Sherwood with 22 points. His scrappy play, along with Pittman’s high-arching 3s that splashed through the net, kept Sherwood’s student section alive for most of the night.“We feed off the crowd’s energy a lot and I think that helps us, especially on the defensive end,” Pittman said. Sherwood now turns its attention to No. 2 seed Tiftarea (11-14), a team the Eagles have beaten twice already this season — albeit by close margins each time.“It’s been tight,” Rutta said of the previous games. “They got us last year in the region championship game, so I hope we come out with a little bit of energy.”

Region champs!

2010-02-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Sherwood Christian boys basketball team wins its first GISA region championship in years, beating Tiftarea, 69-58, on Saturday night at Darton College.

ALBANY — Gary Holloway threw the ball toward the heavens.And when it fell back to earth, four years of frustration landed with it.Then came the dancing, the hugging, the shouting -- and the sheer joy that always accompanies the end of a long wait, always walking hand-and-hand with patience.All of that and more -- the game, the night and this magical season -- belonged to the Sherwood Christian Academy’s boys basketball team that tossed away all they had lost before and celebrated like there was no tomorrow after beating Tiftarea Academy 69-58 on Saturday night for their first Region 3-AA title in years.No one wanted to leave the Darton College court. The Sherwood kids just wanted to hold onto to this one. They had waited their entire careers to win this game.And as the clocked ticked down and Holloway threw the ball in the air, joy washed over the court. “I couldn’t believe it,’’ said Wesley Pittman, one of seven seniors who had suffered through the long days at Sherwood. “It feels so good. I never expected this to happen. I expected to have a disappointing career. Two years ago I never would have believed this would happen.’’Those seven know all about waiting. The Eagles won just seven games over a two-year stretch, before Matt Ruta showed up last year and turned the program around. Still, they hadn’t tasted a region title until Saturday.“When coach Ruta came everything changed,’’ Pittman said. “He taught us how to play real basketball.’’Well, the Eagles played real good basketball on Saturday.And none was better than Pittman, who was there every time SCA needed him. He poured in 25 of his 27 points during the first three quarters, including a 10-point third quarter that lifted SCA to a 52-43 edge. After that, Tiftarea was never closer than six points.“He can shoot it,’’ Ruta said of Pittman, who made five 3s, including a couple of long range bombs that seemed to take the heart out of Tiftarea. “He was on fire tonight.’’So was Sherwood at the beginning of the game. Pittman hit the first shot of the night -- a long 3 with a message at the end of it, and the Eagles made 11 of their first 14 shots to rip off a 22-9 lead. They were up 24-13 after eight minutes. Pittman had 10 of those points, and SCA never trailed.But Tiftarea (11-15) wouldn’t go away, thanks to Wes Carter, a point guard who did everything he could to ruin SCA’s night. Carter finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds a couple of steals and a blocked shot. He scored 15 points in the first half and when he tipped in a missed shot at the halftime buzzer, suddenly SCA’s lead was only 34-33. .Then came Pittman’s 10-point third quarter and a rush from the other Eagles. Holloway scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in the third, and finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior Brannan Anthony finished with eight points, hitting back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to lift SCA to a 58-49 lead, before putting Tiftarea away with a slick assist to Patrick Stanford that gave SCA a 64-54 lead with 1:35 left in the game.“I was so happy when we won it, I didn’t even have words for it,’’ Anthony said. Pittman, Anthony, Holloway, and seniors John Schramm and Pete McSwain were named to the all-tournament team.SCA had to find a way to win it in the end, because Tiftarea beat SCA on the boards and had second and third shots all night. But the Panthers couldn’t find the bottom of the net, making only 11 of 36 shots in the second half. Pittman and Anthony made seven shots between them in the second half for SCA.“We were on fire to start the game’’ Ruta said. “But give Tiftarea all the credit. They battled back. But I was real proud of our kids for staying with it. We could have let the momentum let the game get away from us.’’SCA led 52-43 after three quarters then opened the fourth by making its first four shots. Ruta was asked what he told his kids before the fourth quarter.“I don’t remember,’’ he answered honestly.At that point it was hard to think. The celebration was growing on the court, and Ruta was in the middle of it -- just like he has been in the middle of the turnaround. His kids have won 39 games over the past two seasons, including a 19-6 record this year, and a 10-0 record in the Region 3-AA.But even in the midst of the jubilation, the SCA kids remembered — remembered just what it took to get here.“It was really frustrating,’’ Pittman said. “You had the mindset you were going to lose. Nobody came to the games, and everybody at school expected us to lose.’’But look at them now. They drew a large raucous crowd , including their own Sherwood Crazies — a student body section that whooped and screamed and held the Ruta-on-a-stick fans all night.“It feels great,’’ Pittman said. “We just want to keep the ride going -- to the Final Four and maybe beyond that.’’Why not?Just have a little patience...

SENIOR NIGHT!!!

2010-02-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

SCA BOYS 67, CITIZENS CHRISTIAN 51:
The Eagles closed out late with the win as Brannan Anthony led the way with 20 points, followed by Wesley Pittman (16), Gary Holloway (13) and John Schramm (10).Sherwood now is 17-6 and will play Tuesday’s Valwood-Windsor winner in the GISA Region 3-AA tourney at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at home. SCA coac Matt Ruta was pleased with Saturday’s win.“It was good,” Ruta said. “We lost a tough one Friday against Fullington. The kids did a good job bouncing back and showed a lot of heart and character. It was senior night so it was good to get them out on a high note and I was just pleased with everybody. We even led by 16 at one point.”

our coach is hotter than yours

2010-02-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Sherwood boys secure No. 1 region seed with win vs. SGA

2010-02-03T05:41:00.001-08:00

ALBANY — There’s nothing like a little tune-up before the start of what Sherwood hopes is a deep run at state.
Alex Harrell and Gary Holloway scored 15 points each in the first half as the Eagles roared to a 45-25 lead at the intermission and finished the regular season unbeaten in region play to lock up the No. 1 seed with a 77-49 romp past Southwest Georgia Academy on Tuesday.
Harrell finished with 23 points and Holloway added 20 as the Eagles closed the regular season at 16-5 and 8-0 in GISA Region 3-AA play.
“That first half shows you how we are capable of playing if we put together a complete game,” SCA coach Matt Ruta said. “If we can play at that level of effort and intensity we can hang with anybody.”
With the region tournament set to begin next week at Sherwood, Ruta couldn’t have gotten a better effort from his team.
The Eagles kept that 20-point cushion for most of the second half before SGA, which fell to 9-13 and 3-4, narrowed the gap to 14 points, 57-43 with six minutes remaining. But Wesley Pittman, who finished with 17 points, canned three straight 3-pointers during a 16-2 run to spark SCA to 73-45 advantage with 3:10 remaining.
Ruta then pulled his entire five off the floor.
“I feel every game is an opportunity to get better and we got better (Tuesday night),” the coach said. “We built some confidence and we built some depth, which is exactly what we need headed into the region tournament.”
Danny Doster led SGA with 14 points and Parker Adams chipped in with 11.
The Region 3-AA tournament will be played at SCA beginning next Tuesday with a play-in game between Windsor and a team yet to be determined. Sherwood will play the winner of that game Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The region championship games will be played Friday at Darton College.

SHERWOOD BOYS 74, WINDSOR 26:

2010-01-27T05:19:00.001-08:00

Sherwood jumped on Windsor early, scoring 61 points in the first half. Wesley Pittman and Brannan Anthony scored 17 points apiece for Sherwood. “We came out with a lot of defensive intensity,” Sherwood coach Matt Ruta said. “It’s been awhile since we played this well.” Sherwood’s next game is Friday against Valwood.

5-0 IN THE REGION!!!! Whoop Whoop

2010-01-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

The Eagles have won 12 of their last 14 games after starting the year 1-2 and now sit on the verge of their first Region 3-AA championship in six years.

At 5-0 in Region 3-AA, it would take an awfully lot of bad things to happen for Sherwood not to win its first region championship since 2004.This after the Eagles survived Tiftarea, 63-58, on Friday night to seize control of 3-AA — with just three region games left to play before hosting the tournament in mid-February.“Big win,” said SCA coach Matt Ruta, whose team has won 12 of its last 14 games after starting the year 1-2. “We beat them by one earlier this year. It’s just a big, big win for this program.”The three remaining opponents for SCA — which was led Friday by Wesley Pittman and Gary Holloway’s 12 points each, followed by Brannan Anthony with 11 — the Eagles have already beaten.But Ruta’s not ready to crown his kids just yet.“Well, one of those (games) is against SGA (which we went to double overtime with) and another is with Valwood, who just got a transfer from Valdosta High who scored 25 the other night in a win against Tiftarea,” he said. “So nothing’s certain, but we like where we’re at for sure.”The SCA girls, meanwhile, were routed by Tiftarea (17-1, 4-0), 73-29, behind 15 points from star Courtney Albritton. Kaylee Dixon and Emilee Cook each scored six for SCA (7-9, 3-2).

Sherwood, SGA boys go into OT as Eagles pull out win to move into first place in region

2010-01-20T16:41:00.001-08:00

DAMASCUS — You wouldn’t expect anything less than a thriller from the top two boys teams in GISA Region 2-AA.And that’s exactly what Sherwood and SGA delivered Tuesday night — needing overtime — in a showdown for first place in conference as the Eagles held on for a 55-47 win.“The fans certainly got their money’s worth (Tuesday night),” said SGA coach David Byrne, whose team fell to 6-9 overall and 2-2 in region after starting 2-0, while Sherwood moved to 4-0 in region and 12-4 overall.“We are happy to be No. 1 but we gotta get a lot better.” Sherwood head coach Matt Ruta said. “We survived (this time).”Wesley Pittman scored a team-high 12 points for Sherwood, while Pete McSwain added 11 in the win. SGA’s Parker Adams led all players with 14 points.

Catch up ... games last Friday and Saturday

2010-01-20T16:39:00.000-08:00

Sherwood boys close strong, down Southland; Lady Raiders roll SCA girls Led by Wesley Pittman and Brannan Anthony, the Eagles earn a big road win Friday against Southland. Posted: 9:58 PM Jan 15, 2010 Reporter: Scott Chancey Email Address: scott.chancey@albanyherald.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sherwood boys beat Southland; Lady Raiders roll Sherwood's Brannan Anthony led the Eagles with 17 points on Friday night in a 55-39 drubbing of Southland in Americus. AMERICUS — One common denominator in the Sherwood Christian boys’ nine previous wins before Friday’s contest at Southland Academy was building double-digit leads. Another was nearly blowing them. That was not the case, however, against the GISA Class AAA Raiders as coach Matt Ruta’s Class AA Eagles went on a 17-3, second-half run for a 55-39 victory That’s the best we’ve closed a game by far,” Ruta said. “We had really focused on closing games out during the past couple of weeks.” Brannan Anthony led Sherwood (10-4) with 17 points, followed by Wesley Pittman and Gary Holloway with 10 each. Calling in from the road after previous close wins, Ruta often expressed frustration at his team’s lack of intensity near game’s end. Pittman also had experienced that frustration but did not show any after Friday’s win. Making two 3-pointers during Friday’s game, Pittman said the timing could not be better for Sherwood to build a lead and hold it since the region playoffs are a month away. “In the playoffs, all the teams are good so they are going to make a run at you,” Pittman said. “Hopefully, we can repeat this in the future.” Ruta, however, did become frustrated at times during the first half after Sherwood built a double-digit lead and had trouble adjusting to Southland’s slower pace. “We play best at a fast pace, and Southland did a really good job in slowing things down,” Ruta said. Sherwood began its game-changing run with defense when Anthony blocked a Rolie Hancock shot. Eagles teammate John Schramm then made a steal that resulted in a Pete McSwain layup and 31-24 lead. A strong move for a layup by Holloway kept the momentum from the third quarter as the Eagles’ defense created key turnovers, leading to a 46-27 lead in the fourth quarter. The Eagles, from there, never looked back. “Our defense was the key,” Anthony said. “It just came up big for us. We played hard on defense, especially in the second half, and had great energy all the way around.” Raiders coach Ernest Scott, on the other hand, is just trying to build on his team’s youth and inexperience. It struggled when Sherwood sped up the pace at game’s end. “They got a lot of transitional baskets and that came from unforced turnovers,” Scott said. “We didn’t get back enough in transition.” Southland (6-11) was led by Andres Chaparro with 15 points, followed by Jose Hernandez with 10.

SATURDAY SHERWOOD BOYS 50, WESTWOOD 25:
The Eagles had no trouble Saturday, beating Westwood for the second time this season. Though. SCA coach Matt Ruta wasn’t exactly pleased with the effort one night after what he called his team’s most complete game of the season in a win against Southland on the road. “I think we were tired,” said Ruta, whose record is now 11-4 overall. “We got up big by halftime and led by about 25 or 30 going into the fourth quarter. I guess we played OK.” John Schramm led SCA with 15 points, followed by Wesley Pittman with 10. Jake Kotter and Mason Jones each led Westwood with 6. If SCA can beat SGA on Tuesday in its region showdown, the Eagles will be alone in first place. SGA comes into the game 2-0 in region, while Sherwood is 3-0.

CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYNESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

2010-01-06T05:46:00.001-08:00

SHERWOOD BOYS 61, TIFTAREA 60:
In a hard-fought game by both teams, Tiftarea missed two shots within the final 10 seconds, either of which would've beaten Sherwood as the Eagles improved to 7-3 overall and 1-0 in GISA Region 3-AA.Tiftarea saw the return of one of its star players, Wes Carter, who scored 13 points and missed one of those final shots that could've upset SCA. Sumner McWhorter led with way for Tift with 18 points.But it wasn't enough as the Eagles had three players break double figures.Brannan Anthony and Gary Holloway paced Sherwood with 16 points each, followed by Wesley Pittman's 14.The game, however, shoudn't have ever been as close as it was. Sherwood more than once had leads of 13 points or better and couldn't hang on."I told the guys afterward I wasn't real happy about this win because we continue to get big leads and fail to close it out," SCA coach Matt Ruta said. "Playing well for three quarters isn't gonna cut it." Tiftarea missed a running shot in the lane in the final seconds that would've put it ahead by one point, then both teams scrambled for a loose ball, prompting a jump ball. Tift got control of the ball and popped it out to Carter, who couldn't connect on the last-second miracle."We defended it well," Ruta said of the last shot. "It was a hard shot from a bad angle. It was one of those where (everyone in the gym) would've been impressed if he could've made it."

FAMILY PHOTOS

2010-01-05T07:53:00.001-08:00

Here are the "backstage" photos from the family photoshoot we had... it was the first time everyone was in the same place at the same time!!! we had a blastttttttttttttttttt

THIRD PLACE IN TFA TOURNAMENT

2010-01-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome time in orlando at the Christmas Tournament!!! the boys played AWESOME!!!... here are the Albany articles from the tournament

SCA BOYS 64, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 56: The Eagles’ Wesley Pittman made seven 3-pointers, including two during a game-turning stretch, and finished with 23 points in an Orlando, Fla., tournament. “We came out strong,” Sherwood coach Matt Ruta said. “We led, 24-9, after the first quarter and we were up 20 in the third, but we kind of relaxed after that and they came back. After they got within six, Wesley made a couple of big 3-pointers and we held them off.” John Schramm scored 13 for the Eagles (5-2), followed by Brannan Anthony with 11 and Gary Holloway with 10. Sherwood plays an undetermined opponent at 6:15 p.m. today AMERICAN HERITAGE BOYS 66, SCA 50: A brief lapse in the second quarter proved costly for the Eagles in an Orlando, Fla., tournament. “We were winning the game, 23-20, about halfway through the second quarter and they went on something like a 13-0 run on us,” said Eagles coach Matt Ruta, whose team’s record is 5-3. “We played toe-to-toe with them the rest of the way, but we just couldn’t execute at times when it really counted.” Sherwood was led by Gary Holloway with 12 points, followed by Brannan Anthony with 10 and Wesley Pittman with nine. Sherwood plays East River for third place at 6:15 p.m. today in Orlando SCA BOYS 58, EAST RIVER 47: In an Orlando, Fla., tourney, the Eagles clinched third place and Wesley Pittman was named to the All-Tournament team. Pittman scored 19 Wednesday, followed by Brannan Anthony with 10 and Pete McSwain with nine. “We were up by 20 at one point, so we need to do a better job closing out games,” Sherwood coach Matt Ruta said. “Overall we played well, but I’d just like to see us cruise down the stretch next time.” Sherwood’s record is 6-3.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T07:32:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY NIGHT PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP: Sherwood boys crush Crisp Academy, win third game in a row

2009-12-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian went from being off the tracks to on the right one.After starting the season 1-2, SCA has now won three games in a row, including Friday’s rout of Crisp Academy, 70-40, despite only leading by five points at halftime, 23-18.“It was a pretty poor first half,” SCA coach Matt Ruta said. “About as bad as a half as we’ve played, to be honest. But we came out in the third quarter, picked things up and I was very pleased with (how we closed).”Led by Gary Holloway’s 16 points, 11 from Brannan Anthony and 10 from Jay Cunningham, Sherwood is now 4-2, but won’t play again for more than a week when they travel to Orlando, Fla., for the First Academy Christmas Tournament. First Academy is the school Ruta coached at before being hired by Sherwood two years ago.

FRIDAY NIGHT....

2009-12-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

SHERWOOD BOYS 61, SOUTHLAND 44:
The Eagles seemed to be hitting their stride — and doing so without former leading scorer Dequan Green.Green left the program earlier this week in hopes of transferring to Westover, though it didn’t seem to matter as coach Matt Ruta’s eagles had four scorers in double figures for the first time all season to make up for it.Wesley Pittman finished with a team-high 18 points — all on 3-pointers — while the Eagles also got big games from Gary Holloway (15), while both John Schramm and Brannan Anthony, who each added 13 apiece.“There’s not doubt we played really well together (Friday night),” said Ruta, whose team improved to 3-2 after starting 1-2 and coming off a 20-6 season in 2008. “We played selfless basketball and it’s the most consistent on defense we’ve been all year. We stopped dribble penetration, went up and got rebounds and really shared the basketball on the offensive end. I felt very proud after this win — and the effort.”Southland, meanwhile, was led by Andres Chaparro with 11, followed by Jose Hernandez with 9.Sherwood now gets set for a trip to Crisp Academy next Friday, then will hit the road and head South to Orlando, Fla., to face Ruta’s old school, First Academy, as part of an eight-team Christmas tournament.

Sherwood boys win battle of the ‘Woods’

2009-12-09T05:17:00.001-08:00

SHERWOOD BOYS 73, WESTWOOD 43:
Eagles boys coach Matt Ruta called it a win “where we finally played like I think we can.” Westwood coach Al Timmerman, meanwhile, couldn’t disagree.“It’s how I expected them to play,” he said. “We owned the first half — and they really owned the second.”The Wildcats led, 29-25, at halftime, but were simply out played in the second half as Sherwood won its home opener by outscoring Westwood by a staggering 48-14 after halftime.“We’ve got so many new kids, so many kids who haven’t played — it’s just taking awhile for everyone to find what they’re good at,” said Ruta, whose team improved to 2-2 overall, while handing Westwood (2-1) its first defeat of the season. “Last year, we had a great inside presence, but this year we don’t as much. So we’re just trying to find our identity. And I think we took a big step (Tuesday night).”Leading the way in the win was SCA’s Brannan Anthony, who was the high man for both teams with 18 points, followed by John Schramm (16) and Gary Holloway (14).The Wildcats, meanwhile, got a team-high 10 from Jake Edore and 9 from Andrew Adams. Timmerman said he knew when his team missed a few easy shots after halftime — and then watched Sherwood quickly go from trailing to leading — the momentum had officially swung in the Eagles’ favor.“We got behind in a hurry,” he said. “And if Sherwood was struggling before (Tuesday night), they sure didn’t look it the way they played in the second half.”

FIRST GAME 84-22

2009-11-30T06:48:00.001-08:00

Sherwood boys crush in opener
ALBANY — Wesley Pittman scored 18 points, Dequan Green added 16 and John Schramm rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 as Sherwood cruised to an 84-22 blowout win in its opener against Crisp Academy.“Well, the kids played hard, so that was good, but we have some things to work on still,” second-year SCA coach Matt Ruta said. “The other good thing was we got all 14 players on the floor and everyone got some action, so I was pleased with that.”Pittman’s total came thanks to four 3-pointers, while Green added two.

THE SEASON HAS STARTED!!!

2009-11-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

PREP BASKETBALL: 2009 Herald Preview

SCA boys aiming high in 2009

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian Academy’s boys basketball team insists this season’s motto is not, “Final Four or Bust.”Still, “that’s definitely a goal,” second-year Eagles coach Matt Ruta said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time and try to win each one and make these guys into great men. That’s the goal.”For a team, however, that returns four starters from last season when it reached the GISA Class AA quarterfinals, Ruta has to like his team’s chances.“We lost a heartbreaker (46-44 against eventual state champ Arlington Christian) in the Final Eight and we feel we have a pretty good team coming back,” Ruta said. “We’ve just got to work hard and get better every day.”A lot of that success could have to do with sophomore DeQuan Green, son of former Westover High School star/NBA player Dontonio Wingfield. At 6-foot-2 with plenty of athleticism, Green is arguably Eagles’ spark plug.“He’s improved a lot since last year,” Ruta said. “We like his work ethic. He’s got to be more of a leader for us.”Green, although he is a sophomore, realizes that a great deal of leadership could be placed on his shoulders as the season goes on.“With me coming back and everybody looking up to me and I’m a sophomore, it’s a big responsibility,” Green said. “I just want to be selfless on the court and get everybody involved.”A big reason for Sherwood’s success last season was the post play of Cameron Williams. Although Ruta said the post won’t be as big a factor this year as it was last, guard Wesley Pittman’s 3-point shooting could give opponents something else to be concerned about besides Green.During the 2008-09 season, Pittman made 88 3-pointers.“I don’t think we have to ride on just one guy,” Ruta said. “(But) Wesley is definitely a threat from the outside.”Pittman, along with Green and Brannan Anthony, could possibly be part of a guard presence that Ruta thinks will be the strength for this year’s Eagles. On-court chemistry, however, is another thing Ruta stresses as his team gets ready for today’s 8 p.m. home opener against Crisp Academy. And while the Eagles’ motto is “Trust,” taken from a Bible verse (Jeremiah 17:7), some players can’t help but also think of “Final Four or Bust.”“There are a lot of expectations for us because of the run we made last year,” Pittman said. “I think we’ve got a target on our backs this year, and we’ve just got to play hard and come to win every game.”Considering that the boys program had struggled before last season, another challenge the Eagles face is handling their newfound success. Anthony, however, doesn’t see that as an issue.“I think that’s a good thing,” he said. “That can motivate us.”

MIA

2009-11-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

So I have been Missing in Action.... the new job has been keeping me CRAZY BUSY .. along with coaching the upwards cheerleaders... and basketball season starting up... and WE ARE MOVING!!!!! yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

we found a house that is barely over 2yrs old to rent!!! with hardwood floors and a FIREPLACE!!! yeahhh is super de duper BEAUTIFUL!!! ill take lots of pitctures....

oh yeah that is the other thing my camera broke and well it took me a whiel to pick out a new one and we finally got a new one so Ill be able to post more pictures on here!!! whoop whoop

this weekend was a supppperrr BLAST!!!

FRIDAY NIGHT: The SCA football team ( this is the school where Matt coaches) WON THE REGION CHAMPIONSHIP fo rthe first time in SCHOOL HISTORY!!! talk about a great game!!! it was AWESOME!!! those boys played their hearts out.. there were some crying on their daddies shoulders after the game.... super intense!!!

SATURDAY: I ran my first 5k ever and I was 7th overall and the 2nd female ( yes I did get beat by a 64 yr old woman!!!) my time was 26 minutes hopefuly it will be improving .. i did get a pretty impressive trophy.. ha!! then we went to the FSU game with our good friends and had sooooooooooooooo much fun!!! I had to end up buying a FSU shirt because I wore a long sleeved one to the game and it was sooooo stinkin hot!!! we had soo much fun and stopped at Sonics after for HAPPY HOUR!

Sunday: was typical.. church NFL football and a late afternoon jog and this time it was in crisp 60 degree weather!!! I AM LOOOVVING FALL!!!

alright... off to lunch!!! Ill post pictures of my cheerleaders tomorrow!!!!

New wedding Dress????

2009-08-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

One of Matt's Basketball Parents own Chicas a bridal shop in Albany ...she asked us to come and try on some of her gowns and tuxes and be photographed by the super fabulous TAMMI NOWACK ...seriously one of the greatest photographers.... call her right now... here are the pics

more wedding pics from denver

2009-08-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

dancing
BRIDESMAIDS

IN THE LIMO

BOWLING!!!

Me,Liz,and Jamie

Lined up at the rehearsal

WE HAD SOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wedding weekend in DENVER

2009-07-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

One of my greatest friends from Liberty Elizabeth Digiorgio got married alst weekend in DENVER!!! matt and I fell in love with that city and cant wait for another excuse to return!!!
Here are some pictures ( my camera is broken soooo these are from other people I stole :) )

Ceremony

Liz and Randy with her family

DISNEY WEDDING WEEKEND!!!!

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

On the bus to go see the fireworks... the night of the rehersal dinner

in the rain watching FIREWORKS( matt was excited)

FIREWORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MATT LOVED THIS QUOTE

the carriage!!!!!!!!!!!!

the bride and groom had a coregraphed dance it was sooo cute

the cake!!!!!! GORGEOUS

ended the weekend at the farmers market!!!!

MY TJ MAXX SPECIAL!!!

2009-06-25T05:34:00.000-07:00

FRILLS FLUFF AND TRUCKS is a great blog!!! She is having a contest to win a $25.00 gift card to TJ MAXX my ALLL TIMEEEE favorite store!!! I would spend that 25 bucks sooo well!!!

Here is my FAVORITE TJ MAXX FIND!!!

I got this$300.00 Laundry by Shelli Segal Dress for only TWENTY DOLLARS!!!!! I wore it to my husbands best friends wedding!!! I am wearing it this weekend for the DISNEY WEDDING!!!! I CANT WAIT!!!!

THIS IS WHY I LOOOOOOVEEEEE TJ MAXX!!!! because they have such GREAT deals on designer frocks! I usually go to allof our boutiques in town just to see what they have then try to find a similar item at TJ MAXX!!!!

My Birthday

2009-06-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

I had suuuuuchhhh a wonderful BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks to all of my family and friends for the gifts and showers of love!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU ALLLL!!! Pictures from Mexican last night... this is a true sacrifice of my husband as mexican is not too sweet to his belly!! :(

this precious boy

2009-06-16T05:26:00.000-07:00

KALEB MICHAEL
Me and Jenny with Kaleb

So I basically have great friends from High school ... JUFE ... :) hahaha yes I have such grea great girlfriends and we still see each other to this day between teaching, working, husbands and babies we still have time for each other.... well this is now the 6th child in the bunch... KALEB MICHAEL BIELSKI and he is a cutie at that!!!

I had made plans to go see him this past weekend and when the Valdosta State Basketball Camp was canceled Matt came too!! We had sooo much fun ... Friday night Matt went to TFA to catch up with everyone and Mom and I saw Hes Just Not That Into You.... then Saturday Mom took me shopping for my birthday and I got some of the greatest deals EVER!!! we had so so much fun... while we were there Matt found his favorite game of all times... Mexican Dominoes or something like that HE LOOOVEESS IT! ha... and then that night Rick Carrie and the kids came over for steaks that Matt grilled ( he did an awesome job)!! Sunday we went to church with the Rutas and then finally made our way over to see precious Kaleb!!

THANKS TO ALL WHO MADE THE WEEKEND A BLAST!!!

we will be in town yet again next week for the Tomlinson wedding extravaganza OH HOW MUCH FUN!!!

WEEKEND

2009-06-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

...Pictures to come soon of Yesterday's trip to WILD ADVENTURES...

THIS WEEKEND!!!!

Today... Albany State Basketball Camp starts...3 Games tonight

Tomorrow...Albany State Basketball Camp ...4 Games

Sunday... REST :)

Monday NIght ... Albany Tech Basketball Camp ... 3 GAMES

Tuesday Night .... Albany Tech Basketball Camp ... 3 GAMES

BUSY BUSY BASKETBALL WEEK!!!!

THE GRILL

2009-06-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the grill I got Matt for his BIRTHDAY!!! He loved it he was sooo soo surprised... I had it hiding on the back patio and told him I didnt get him a gift until he open the patio door and SURPRISEEEEE

HE LOVESS IT!!! He will be a grilling machine :)

Matts Birthday Extravaganza

2009-06-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Matts Birthday!!! We had sooo much fun.... he opened all of his presents at lunch time... he had recevied sooo many cards in the mail and I kept hiding them ... eh was soo surprised to have gotten so many !! What sweet sweet family and friends we have... then we went out for his birthday dinner ( his choice) ...we went to Mikata's for sushi and salad... Matt had real deal sushi for the first time and he LOVED it!!! we had so much fun then we went and got Ice Cream since Matt had had cakes 2 nights in a row for his birthday already... Happy Birthday to the greatest man on earth :) .

Typical picture.... :) Matt with his eyes closed

The GRILL

MANLYYYYYY

ALL of His Cards

MAGIC PARTAAAAA

2009-06-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

We had a Magic Party Saturday with Todd Mallery and THe BAXLEY clan!!! we had a blast we played the Wii for our pregame show and then we had fun watching the Magic dethrone King James!!!! WHOOP WHOOP

Matt and I like to make the same face ... ha

Then they stole the camera................

and this video is stinkin hilarious:

Anniversary Dinner

2009-06-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

SOOO I forgot my camera when we went to PCB for our anniversary... I was soo soo upset that I spent ten bucks on a disposable and took 2 pictures iwht it... ha... oh well... I will be getting those pics developed soon until then here are the pictures from Friday night..

Since the Magic were playing on our actual anniversary we went out Friday night to OUTBACK to celebrate our anniversary... The first time we ever ate at the outback in Albany was when we were househunting.... we drove around all day long looking for a place that we never stopped to eat lunch... we were serious house hunters :)...ha.... so when we stopped for dinner we scarffed down every single bit of food ...Matt and I always joke about that meal our server brought us like 5 loaves of bread he must have thought we hadnt eaten for days... hahha oh well... now we made another special memory at this OUTBACK ! :)

LOVE HIM!

Goofball

Matt was scared because he was driving and I still wanted to snap another picture haha

5.30.08

2009-05-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

One year ago this Saturday I married the greatest man on the planet. Matt Ruta... I remeber when when I met him it was the summer after I graduated in the hallway of TFA on my way to work at JCREW... he had long hair and his high school coach introduced us.... we never saw each other until the fall of that next year... he always hung out in my room and even put together a desk for me during teacher work week that year... we dated casually for like a month and then just stayed friends... and then the following fall after a day at disney with the-soon-to-be RAYS he realized he couldnt live life without me :) haha... and I am so so glad he realized that because in the following months I had the same realization and that February he put quite a large rock on my hand asking me to spend everyday and every night by his side.... this could not have made me a happier more blesed woman. He is an incredible man, husband, coach, son, brother in law and son in law , confidant, friend... I am a better woman because I got to have RUTA for a last name meaning he is mine. SO glad that 5.30.2008 changed my last name and my life forever

beautiful.

2009-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

deep in our heart there is a longing to be beautiful.

I dont care who you are ... I dont care how much of a tom-boy you are... you long for it.

We moved to Georgia lasst year and I have never lived in a place where there are so many stinkin pagents... first each high school has a Miss ( insert name of high school here)... then there is miss plains... miss cotton.. miss pecan... miss ( insert name of city here)... miss tractor... miss ( insert something southern here )... it is just insane...

It is like some one knows deep in the heart of a girl we want the identity of being beautiful youknow... and then they capitalized on it by making you pay entry fees and buy expensive dresses ... go to a tanning bed... get a talent... get your nails done.. hair done.. etc etc etc.... CRAZINESS...

What stops us women ( because Lord knows it is doesnt stop when you leave your teenage years) ... what stops us form know ing and realizing our worht.. I just recently read our friend Jason Dukes post about his daughters... He made such a good statement ... We as women need to realize our worth - we are worth DYING for... man wow ... that just made my heart stop... do I ever realize that simple truth... I am worth the death of a perfect savior.... man thats sobering...

Matt Ruta is so incedibly gifted at telling me how beautiful I am .... I mean seriously when I look my absolute worse he says you are beautiful... and means it deeply ...

How many times is God whispering that same truth into so many women's hearts as they slit their wrist one more time.. as they skip a meal.... as they look in the mirror and wish for something different God is whispering the sweet sweet truth of her beauty in her ear.

We are called to be Christ in this world.. that means we are called to tell the women of this world they are beautiful... sometimes it must be with action and not necessarily words... How must we fight for the truth that we are worth so much that there is not a more beautiful us?!!

When we refute the lies and misconceptions of magazines and tv with this truth:

HE FORMED US INTO BEAUTY

Psalm 139:13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

Read these Lyrics from a song my Johnny diaz ( literally it is on repeat on my computer):::

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazineSays she wants to look that way But her hair isn’t straight her body isn’t fake And she’s always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see That beauty is within your heart And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hairAre perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you Don’t buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump throughYou were made to fill a purpose that only you could do So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty-one the things that you’ve already doneAnything to get ahead And you say you’ve got a man but he’s got another plan Only wants what you will do instead
Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come You starve yourself to play the part But I can promise you there’s a man whose love is trueAnd he’ll treat you like the jewel you are
So turn around you’re not too far To back away be who you areTo change your path go another wayIt’s not too late you can be savedIf you feel depressed with past regretsThe shameful nights hope to forgetCan disappear they can all be washed awayBy the one who’s strong can right your wrongsCan rid your fears dry all your tearsAnd change the way you look at this big worldHe will take your dark distorted viewAnd with His light He will show you truth And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

go tell a woman ,teenager,girl in your life how therer couldn't be a more beautiful her.

favorite things

2009-05-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

I know most girls would love to bathe themselves in diamonds...

I know most girls looove love love gifts..

I know it is important what they get from their lover on anniversaries and valentines..

I know these things...

but that is not me...

Matt got me a beautiful engagement ring and wedding band I LOVE IT... I never ever want to take it off ( he now makes me take it off when I work out so I dont lose any diamonds)... and I love them more for the meaning ...

I am not much of a gift person... I always tell Matt not to get me a gift....persay but just spend time with me... I looove love love his gift of time....

and I also love when he makes a short little pitstop at Publix and brings me home flowers :) I love that ...

I love that way way more than diamonds and jewels.. isnt it so so sweet :)

He just brought me new flowers the other day Gerber Daisies ( my favorite )

Every time I see them I smile... I just love that man.

Signing Day

2009-05-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

TODAY WAS THE BIG DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOP WHOOP... This was the first ( of hopefully many) players Matt will see continue their career in college!!! What an exciting day it was for Cameron Williams and his family!!! He is going to play at Atlanta Christian College 3 hours away hopefully we will be able to make it to some of Cameron's games next year!!! We are sooo soo proud of Big Cam and this great accomplishment!

Coach and Cam

Some of the Team that was able to come!
What an awesome priviledge!!

A proud coach giving a few words about a great player!

3 pictures and lots of fun

2009-04-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Karen and Jakes wedding it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo GORGEOUSSSSSSS!!!! we had such a great time we got in late Friday to David and Amy's and had so much fun watching the end of slumdog millionaire ( a great movie by the way that you must go see RIGHT NOW!) and hanging out then saturday the boys woke up and played ball while amy and I hung out walking the neighborhood and shopping... then we all ended up at the Track meet at Jackson Prep to cheer on some of David's players... and then the WEDDING!!!! not to mention the late night stop at MAtt's favorite ice cream shop that is only in Mississippi BOPS!!! he loves that place!!! and we eneded the weekend with a great service at Pinelake and then a cookout with Bray and Sally and the HOrners!!! we had suchhhhhhhhhh a good time!!! How awesome it is to have such great Friends!!!

on the road again!! Kiss for the road and he's lovin it!!!
WHAT?!?!...only in Alabama....

THE RAYS AND RUTAS!
Our only picture the whole weekend

CONGRATS BIG CAM!!

2009-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

One of Matt's Players Cameron Williams was the

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

at Sherwood this year!!! WHAOOOO

He was also just offered a spot on the team at Atlanta Christian College and Brewton Parker College and Clearwater Christian College also have him on their radar!!

We are so so proud!!!

AND I am soo soo proud of Matt having a hand in Cameron's life and driving him to go look at all of these colleges!! I am married to one fabulous man!

2009-04-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Romans 13:14 (The Message)
11-14But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

HAPPY TAX DAY

2009-04-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

GOOO FASTTTT visit one of these stores and get a discount or a freebie!!!

McCormick & Schmick's diners will get a $10.40 certificate for future use. There'll be $15 to $20 entrees discounted to $10.40.
The P.F. Chang's chain is keeping it simple with a 15% discount for folks who dine at its 193 restaurants on Wednesday.
•Free ice cream. MaggieMoo's Ice Cream and Treatery will give away single-scoop servings to customers at 200 stores in what it calls an "e-cone-omic ice cream stimulus package."
•Free sweets. Snack chain Cinnabon will give out Tax Day Bites, free bite-size cinnamon rolls usually known as Classic Bites, from 5 to 8 p.m. at its 700 outlets on tax day.
•Free tacos. At its 275 restaurants in the West, Taco Del Mar will run a promotion: "Taxes Suck. Tacos Don't." People can register at the Taco Del Mar website for an e-mailed coupon for a free tax day taco.
•Free gift cards. T.G.I. Friday's will give Wednesday customers $5 Bonus Bites gift cards for food and beverage purchases of $15 to $25 and $10 cards for those who spend more than $25. Members of the 1,000-outlet chain's frequent-customer program also will get double points.

Chick-Fila if you save your receipt from today's purchase you can go back on April 30th and get the same exact food for FREE!!!!

ORLANDOOOOO

2009-04-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

We are leaving right now!!! whaoooooooo

Honey can you .....

2009-03-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

I think this is the cutest thing ... I found it on this blog flip flops and applesauce

here is the link to print off the pages for your honey :)

O LA LA LINGERIE

2009-03-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday Anna Marie had a Lingerie shower and I went with Debbie.... what a funnnn time we had!!!

Here are the two things I got her and both have matching panties....

All of her Lingerie... wont alan be sooo excited !!:)

WISH I MAY WISH I MIGHT

2009-03-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

We found a wish bone and then one night we both made a wish and I WONNNNN!!!

but the funny thing is we both had the same wish :)- Ill keep you updated if it comes true!!

WEEKEND @ WHITESTONE

2009-03-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

We went away this past sunday monday and tuesday to a Inn in Tennessee we had sooooooooooooooo much fun!!!

We left after church on sunday... Matt is going crazy with excitement!!
We are ready for another great weekend together!!!

Kiss for the road

ATLANTAAAA we were sooo excited to be in a big city... Matt hadnt seen one since Christmas!

goofball

WE ARRIVEEEED!!

When you get there you drive through the "entrance barn" ... everything there is like a movie set perfect and beautiful!!!

you check in at the little red school house

View from our 1,000 sq foot room !!!

Our bed

View at sunset

We had dinner in our room the first night so we could watch the NCAA tournament...

After breakfast we went on a hike

we could chose between a 2 mile hike or a 4 mile hike... we actually ended up doing both!

We found the HIGHLAND CATTLE

Little to my knowledge matt is quite the cattle whisperer.... they had a good conversation...

then we hiked down to the lake.... it was sooo beautiful!!!

Dinner in the inn.... we were the last couple standing... guess all the old couples that were there couldnt hang with us... we had soo much fun talking and laughing after everyone left... we had to stay for dessert and coffee!!

as usual i woke up super early our last morning and I saw this beauuutiful sky just before sunrise... had to snap a picture!

GOODBYEE WHITESTONE!!!

Kiss for the road!

Matt loved the room! we were in the cardinal suite... and boy did they find every cardinal decoration ever invented!!! it was cute

door to our farmhouse!

the chapel and another pretty building

were we stayed- THE FARMHOUSE

WHAT ANOTHER FABUUUUULOUS WEEKEND TOGETHER!!!

NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND

2009-03-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here is Matt ready to get away for the weekend soooo excited to finally be going on our Christmas trip... we rented a cabin on Cold mountain as our Christmas Gift to each other

OUR CABIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matt is super strong

our address!! 417

Breakfast on the deck!!! we only got to do this Friday morning it rained the rest of the weekend

THE VIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We decided to go on a hike that morning around the cabin....

Matt is a beast!!!

The hooks got in town Friday night and we went to dinner at the most fabulous restaurant in the whole world SWEET ONION!!!! sorry i forgot to take pics at dinner

THE WEEKEND WAS FULLL OF GUY TIME!!! i was sooo glad phil and laura got to come for the weekend!! Matt and Phil are basically brother and I had such a good time getting to know Laura better!!!

Morning we left

Kiss for the road!!!

on the way home we went to JCREW these were our faces pulling into the outlet center we were sooooo excited ... ok so Matt was playing around but still he was excited I got a shirt for 8 bucks!!! :)

We had sooo much fun!!!....

a double baby shower for Cara and Kaleb's Mommies

2009-03-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Friends since high school

the diaper cakes I made them

me and my momma

The Coach Said it Best- Season Wrap Up

2009-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

Matt wrote this to recap the season this year and I thought he did such a great job... and I knew some of you :) would love to read it!!!- always proud of the coach-nat

The Sherwood Christian Academy Varsity Boys’ Basketball team accomplished much during the 2008 – 2009 season. With a record of 20-6, this team became first Sherwood basketball team to win 20 games since 1996.
In the season opener, Wesley Pittman’s 6 threes and 25 points lead Sherwood to an exciting 27 point home victory over Citizens Christian Academy. The Eagles continued to have success through the first half of the season and posted a 7-3 record going into Christmas vacation.
After Christmas, the Eagles cruised to a 30 point victory of Crisp Academy and then began Region play. Region play began with a huge 11 point win over Tiftarea, the third ranked team in the state. That night the boys were lead by Cameron Williams and Dequan Green, who scored 31 and 26 respectively. After this game, the Eagles were ranked fifth in the State for the next two weeks. The rest of the regular season and region play saw Sherwood only lose one more game finishing with a regular season record of 18-4 (7-1 in the region). With the region record of 7-1 the Eagles earned the #1 seed in the Region Tournament.
In the region tournament, Sherwood earned the right to play for the Region Championship by defeating Southwest Georgia Academy 70 – 42 in the semi-final game. Despite a 37 point effort by Cameron Williams in the Region Final, the Eagles fell short of a Championship by loosing to Tiftarea Academy by seven points. Even though it was a loss, this marked the first time since 2004 that a Sherwood Boy’s Basketball team made it to a Region Champion Game.
A second place finish in the Region Tournament gave the Eagles a #2 seed in the State Tournament. Despite the favorable seed, Sherwood was forced to play the fifth ranked team in the state, Memorial Day, because of an upset in their region tournament. However, the Eagles were up for the challenge, opening the game vs. Memorial with a 20 – 0 lead. Even though Memorial cut the lead to three in the fourth quarter, Sherwood held off Memorial’s late charge and won the game 72 – 66. The Eagles were led by Cameron Williams’ 40 points and 22 Rebounds. Dequan Green added 15 points. This marked the first playoff win by a boys’ Sherwood Basketball team since 2002.
The Eagles were now in the Elite Eight and only 32 minutes away from a Final Four appearance. But the Eagles would have to face the #1 ranked team in the state, Arlington Christian Academy. Sherwood played their best defensive game of the season, and led most of the first half before going into the intermission tied at 23. Arlington led most of the second half before Sherwood climbed back to take a two point lead. The lead flip flopped down the stretch as both teams fought hard to make it to a Final Four. Arlington took a two point lead with 30 seconds, and despite having the ball two different times down 2, Sherwood was not able to regain the lead. Sherwood fell to the eventual State Champions by a score of 44-46. It was a disappointing loss but the final 2008-2009 record of 20-6 was a tremendous improvement for the 4-19 record posted in 2007-2008.
Individual awards were given to numerous members of this team. All-Region Honors were given to Wesley Pittman (12.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.2 spg, 40% 3-point percentage, 81.6% free percentage), Brannan Anthony (8.9 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 spg), Dequan Green (13.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.0 spg), and Cameron Williams (24.3 ppg, 14.8 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.7 bpg). All-State Honor (GISA Class AA) was given to Cameron Williams. Cameron was also named to the GISA Class A/AA All-Star Team; which consists of only 12 players from both A and AA classifications.
Individual school records were set by three members of the 2008-2009 team. Freshman Dequan Green set the single season and career assist record with 102 assists. Dequan will look to add to that total over the next three years. Wesley Pittman set the single season record for 3-point field goals made with 88 this year. He also holds the record for most 3-point field goals made in a career with 116. Wesley will likely add to that mark next year as a senior. Cameron Williams set the single season and career record for rebounds in only one season as an Eagle with 371 rebounds in his senior campaign. Cameron also set the single game scoring mark with 41 points vs. Tiftarea Acamdemy.
This was truly a memorial season for the boys and for me personally. As a team we grew in our love for each other and our love for our Lord. Our team theme was “Selfless”, which was taken from Philippians 2. The players, myself, and the rest of the coaching staff grew in selflessness towards one another and will strive to continue to grow in this area of our lives individually and collectively.
Eagle Nation, I can’t wait until next year.

Coach Ruta

whats cookin good lookin?

2009-03-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

Menu for the Week

Tonight- GINGER CHICKEN, SNOW PEAS, NOODLES- I am using Boneless Chicken Breasts for this..

Wednesday night- Sante Fe Foldover

Thursday night- Baked Talapia and brown rice and asparagus

Friday night- ORLANDO

Saturday night- ORLANDO

Sunday night- black bean pasta cancun

Ruta Update

2009-03-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

OK so since Basketball season is over I havent posted anything for a long while... I thought I would give a quick RUTA FAMILY UPDATE!!!

This past Friday we left town for the FINAL FOUR games that were in Milledgeville, GA... we watched all of the AA and AAA games.... there were a couple teams that we were better than in the final four so that was pretty fustrating but it was definitely fun to watch all of the game sand fun for Matt to see some of his new coaching buddies that he only gets to see at meetings and tournaments!!

So we were leaving the school for our hotel around 1030 and we heard a horrible noise in the car... in our 2006 chevy trailblazer with only 60,000 miles on it... and then after the horrible noise the car would not accelerate... yes instead of a fun shopping spree we get to buy one of these:

A TRANSMISSION!!! it was horrible we called AAA and 2HOURS Later we had a tow truck come rescue us.... and take us to our hotel.... the next morning we had the sicky car towed to Albany and we stayed at the gym from 11:00Am til 10:30 pm we saw 6 games and 6 different teams named state champs! it was a fun day and one of the basketball families kindly drove us back to Albany!:)

Then Sunday we threw a wedding shower for our friends Anna Marie and Alan...

They are getting maried one month from tomorrow!! It so made me miss getting ready for our wedding!! it is such a blissful time!

This weekend we are headed to ORLANDO!!! I am helping with a baby shower for two of my very dearest High school girlfriends Heather and Stephanie!! This is heather's first! and Steph's second!! we are sooo excited it is a JUFE shower:)

So that is the update for the week!!oh I forgot to tell you I found the greatest easiest pizza recipe... pizza is a weekly sometimes biweekly meal in our home.... so I always am looking for cheap easy ways to make it

here you go....

2 tablespoons of active dry yeast

mix those with 1 cup of warm water (105 degrees)

then after it is disolved mix in 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour ( you can use white flour if you want), 2 tablespoons of veg oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt

and woooolah!!! you have healthy cheap easy pizza!!! yummooooooo

gotta go.. Hari appointment during my lunch break!! I need a trim BADLYYYYY

article about the game

2009-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

Williams drops 40 points as SCA advances at state tourney

Cameron Williams has another career night as Sherwood wins a state tournament game for the first time in nearly a decade.

MATT STEWART matt.stewart@albanyherald.com
MOUNT VERNON — Cameron Williams exploded for 40 points Thursday and helped lead Sherwood Christian to its first playoff win in nearly a decade.
Sherwood (20-5) was faced with a tough draw in round one of the GISA Class AA state playoffs, but came away with a 72-66 win over Memorial Day — the top regular-season seed from Region 2-AA before a loss in the first round of its region playoffs.
“This was the fastest team by far we’ve seen all year,” Sherwood head coach Matt Ruta said. “A very big test.”
The Eagles’ playoff exam doesn’t get any easier from here. Sherwood faces GISA Region 4-AA’s top seed, Arlington Christian (22-3), Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Elite Eight.
The game will be played at Brewton Parker College.
“The big thing is, no matter how you cut, we’re 32 minutes away from the Final Four,” Rutta said.
Sherwood jumped out to a 24-5 lead at the end of the first quarter Thursday against a smaller Memorial Day team, but the pressure from Memorial Day’s speedy lineup began to wear on the Eagles, which saw their lead cut to three in the fourth quarter.
Sherwood, which also got 15 points from freshman Dequan Green and nine from Wesley Pittman, held on late by making its free throws down the stretch.
“At times we could have folded after being up so big early and having them rush us at the end,” Rutta said. “But we held them off.”
Memorial Day was led by Shaad Wright’s 23.

PICTURES FROM LAST NIGHT'S WIN!!!

2009-02-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

Matt brought the tradition of praying with the other team after the game here to SCA! here they are praying with Memorial Day

FINAL SCORE!!! 72-66

look at that HOTTT COACH on the right ... ohhhh baby he came home with me :)

players super excited about the win!!!

Oliva Williams made Matt this sign and I thought it was soooo adorable!! we have so much support from the whole school it is wonderful

2009-02-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

Sherwood Christian Academy
Seed: Region 3, No. 2.
Record: 18-5.

Opponent: Region 2,
No. 3 Memorial Day.

When/Where: 4 p.m. today, Brewton-Parker College.
What: First round of state playoffs.
Game analysis: This will be the ultimate contrast in styles. Memorial Day, which was the top seed in Region 2 before being upset in the first round, utilizes three speedy guards and doesn’t have a major contributor more than six-foot tall. Whereas SCA will bring Cameron Williams and his 24 points and 14 rebounds a game to the party.
X-FACTOR: Wesley Pittman. Memorial Day makes a living with full-court pressure. Pittman, SCA’s point guard, will be given the task of controlling the ball and not allowing Memorial to force turnovers.
COACH SAYS:Sherwood’s Matt Ruta — “They are very capable. If we handle the pressure, don’t turn the ball over and stop dribble penetration, we should be good. If they can pressure us and we turn ball over and we let them dribble around, it could be a long night.”
If win: Will play the winner of Region 4 No. 1 Arlington Christian and Region 1 No. 4 Monsignor Donovan.

WE AINT DONE YET!!!!

2009-02-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

SCA falls just short
Tiftarea’s Tay Mallory scores 36 points to lift the Panthers past Sherwood Christian in the GISA Region 3-AA championship game.
PAUL DEHNER JR. paul.dehner@albanyherald.com

TIFTON — Sherwood Christian coach Matt Ruta threw every defense he knew of at Tiftarea’s Tay Mallory on Friday.
None of them mattered.
Confronted with a double team in the post, Mallory used his quickness to slip to the rim. Against a strict ball denial, his speed blew him open into the lane. Against the triangle-and-two, he stepped back for a 3-pointer. Against a smothering double team on the perimeter, he stepped back further.
He was the best player on the court in the GISA Region 3-AA championship game on Friday at ABAC in the 72-65 Tiftarea win. And on a night Sherwood Christian star center Cameron Williams scored 37 points, that is saying something.
Casting a shadow on a dejected Eagles bench, Mallory proudly lifted the GISA Region 3-AA championship trophy high in his left hand near midcourt with 36 points in the book.
“A great player like that — it is hard to defend him,” Williams said.
Tiftarea coach Chris Champion would have to agree.
“What a talent,” Compton exclaimed.
Added Ruta, “He’s phenomenal.”
Despite jumping out to a 22-10 lead, Sherwood Christian (19-5) never retaliated after two Mallory-fueled runs left the Eagles as the No. 2 seed out of their region in the Class AA State Tournament. They will now play Memorial Day on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Brewton-Parker College in the first round.
“I knew it would be a game of runs,” Ruta said. “We did a good job on Mallory early but then Cameron Hammonds got in foul trouble. He is the only person I have that can physically match him. That was when they went on their run because we couldn’t match.”
The sentiment went both ways.
In the third game of a series that included both teams winning on their respective home courts earlier this year, the battle between Williams and Mallory lived up to the hype that drew a boisterous crowd to Tifton.
Mallory scored 14 of his team’s points during a 16-9 run to open the third quarter. He knocked down two 3-pointers, hung in the air for a falling bank shot in the lane and skied to the glass for an offensive putback.
Williams countered with a step-back 3 of his own and two determined post moves. He would score 28 of his team’s 40 points in the second half. But once the dust settled, Sherwood was in a nine-point hole at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles would never cut the lead to less than six points in the fourth.
“My teammates got me open, coach is always telling me to be aggressive,” Mallory said. “I knew my teammates had my back.”
Champion would argue those teammates made the difference. With Williams and Mallory in superstar mode, Tiftarea’s Josh Haynes and Colby Czerepinski both scored 11 points in support. Whereas Sherwood got 13 points from Wesley Pittman, second-leading scorer Dequan Green was held to only two points while battling foul trouble.
“A game like this, it can be about the other four,” Champion said. “We got the best of them from that angle.”
This was the third consecutive year in the region title game for Tiftarea, but only the first time it held the championship trophy after consecutive losses to Brookwood, which moved to Region 3-AAA this offseason.
Sherwood finished 4-19 last year and its only region championship came in 2004. Even in the moments following the defeat Ruta would not let the accomplishments of this turnaround season be dwarfed by Mallory’s magic.
“They have some experience we haven’t had,” Ruta said. “They have been to the last three of these. But I am proud of my guys. They fought their tails off. You’ve got to put in perspective where we came from. We were 4-19 a year ago, we are 19-5 right now and a (No. 2) seed going into the state tournament.”

will you be mine

2009-02-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

oh gosh ... I love love..... just love it..... especially now being married.... I am ssooo glad I married a gushy mushy guy.... he might not want the whole world know it but he is.... he is always telling me I am beautiful... even when I have just washed my face and mascara is running down the front... even after I finish spinning class and I am possibly the most sweatiest human being.... even when I wake up after falling asleep with wet hair and it is all crazy and curly... yes even at my worst moments he tells me how beautiful I am to him.... he send me sweet and sometimes even sassy emails declaring his love for me while I am at work... He is mushy gushy and IIIII LOVE IT!!!!... because I love love... I love to see a dad buying something for his little girl that she has been asking for and he can't wait to see the look on her face because he just loves her and he always wants her to be happy... I love seing families laughing together... loving each other .....

Tomorrow is a day that our nation will celebrate love... there are little kids bringing sweets and cards to school today to share with their friends.... they will even bring a cupcake to that bully or to the outsider that they have been mean to ... today they will be kind .... tomorrow is a day where we hopefully love all the people around us and say you are vaulable you are worthy of love.... everyone is worthy of our love because they are made by God and that gives them value.... I am a jean snob.... I know I know... I am a budget friendly girl most of the week.... I dont spend more than 20 bucks on anything clothing related except when it comes to jeans..... and then I spend all the money I save on other clothes... oh gosh its bad....and why... I really do think there is a difference ... but I have been tricked before ... by a label... I have bought jeans that had one of the labels I love but they were an imposter a fake.... I thought those jeans where something but they were not.... but if we are alive and breathing we are made by God because he is the giver of life.... well we are all labeled by God... we are all made by HIM.... that means we all have VALUE.... WE ARE ALL WORHTY OF LOVE.... that weird girl ... the kid that eats glue... the cashier at walmart... the janitor at your work place.... the postman... the waitress ... EVERYONE... I want to be more intentional in making the people I come in contact realize their value.. you know stop and listen to them share a funny story with them let them know hey I am interested and let them know they are worthy of GOD'S LOVE and mine... even if I just met them.... I want to make them feel as good as this man makes me feel everyday

I want to see the beauty in each person I meet... and not see how long it took for her to bring out my food.... not see how he cut in front of me when I was running late... not see that weird spot on her face... not see the differences that I have with other people but their beauty and their value... think of it as...get ready for cheesiness..... happy valueable day... ok ok I now that is wayyy too cheesyyy....

know you are valueable

know you are loved

happy valentines day

2009-02-13T05:45:00.000-08:00

Sherwood, Tiftarea win easily
The two will now face off in the GISA Region 3-AA boys championship game tonight.
Paul Dehner Jr. paul.dehner@albanyherald.com

CHULA — The stage is officially set.
Sherwood Christian Academy and Tiftarea both blew out its semifinal opponents at the Region 3-AA tournament on Thursday to set up a much anticipated third game between the two Class AA heavyweights tonight at ABAC.
Sherwood got 15 first-quarter points from leading scorer Cameron Williams en route to a 70-42 romp against Southwest Georgia.
Dequan Green added 18 points for SCA.
“We played OK,” Sherwood coach Matt Ruta said. “You could tell we were looking forward to (today), but we did enough to win. I think we are really ready to go for (today). We are excited.”
Nobody more than Williams who helped SCA jump out to a 36-20 lead by halftime.
“He came out ready to roll,” Ruta said of Williams, who led all scorers with 27 points.
Ruta drove to Chula early to catch the Tiftarea-Windsor semifinal and the No. 2 seed Tiftarea jump out a 30-point lead going into halftime.
Sherwood and Tiftarea split the season series with both teams winning on its home floor.
Tonight ABAC represents a neutral floor and Ruta know his team can’t wait to go after only its second region championship in school history.
The last was captured in 2004.
“It should be pretty packed,” Ruta said. “I talked to a lot of students talking about coming out. It’s a chance at a region title and we are ready to go after it.”

REGION CHAMPION BOUND

2009-02-13T05:43:00.001-08:00

WE ARE GOING TO THE REGION CAHMPIONSHIP GAME!!!

click on the white text for our news spotlight

Lets GOOOOO EAGLESSS

Media Day at Practice

2009-02-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

Ok so now Matt can know what it feels like to be a big time college..... well they have been practicing at the local Junior College to get used to the larger gym for regions and yesterday the newspaper and local news cam out to their practice and interview Matt and some of the boys!!!

REGION TOURNEY STARTS TONIGHTTTTTTTTTT!!!!

GOOOO EAGLESS

(sorry that they news guy doesnt know how to say RUTA hahah its kinda funny)

WATCH THIS

Getting Ready for Region Tourney

2009-02-12T05:24:00.001-08:00

Whole new attitude
Behind Dougherty transfer Cameron Williams, the Sherwood Christian Academy boys basketball program shed its losing image this year as it enters as the No. 1 seed in the Region 3-AA Tournament, seeking a rare shot at a region title.
PAUL DEHNER paul.dehner@albanyherald.com
ALBANY — Cameron Williams didn’t know much about the Sherwood Christian Academy basketball program before transferring there this offseason.
Partially because there isn’t much to know.
In a city steeped in basketball tradition at public school programs, SCA barely serves as a footnote. The program has lived near the cellar of GISA with only one region
championship (2004) in more than a decade.
Final Fours? There was that one time. State championships? Never.
Yet, phrases like state championship and region championship slip off Williams’ tongue with confidence, just like it did Wednesday during a break from practice at Darton College.
His Eagles are in the midst of an 18-4 season and preparing to open the GISA Region 3-AA tournament today as the No.1 seed. The buzz around SCA — which faces Southwest Georgia Academy in the semifinals today — revolves around a likely rubber match with No. 2 seed Tiftarea on Friday at ABAC. It’s the type of intense basketball atmosphere rarely felt off Old Pretoria Road.
“I thought we would win more than we lose,” first-year coach Matt Ruta began, “but I didn’t think it would be like this.”
And Williams is the main reason why. The senior is averaging 24 points and 14 rebounds a game. He set the single-season school rebounding record halfway through the year and grabbed the school career mark after just one season.
Twice this season Williams broke the school single-game scoring record, the first time with 34 points and the second dropping 41 in the first of two heated games against Tiftarea.
All the pieces seemed to have fallen perfectly into place for Sherwood Christian, but this was hardly the plan Williams imagined two years ago.
For two varsity seasons, Williams sat on the end of the bench at Dougherty High. His sophomore year, inexperience locked him on the sidelines and during the first half of his junior year, a knee injury kept him out of the action. Even when healthy, his minutes were minimal as the team added a second consecutive GHSA Region 1-AAA championship last spring.
And Williams’ frustration mounted.
“I was one of the hardest working guys in practice,” he began, “but I never was able to get into the flow of the game.”
Ultimately, all he ever wanted was an opportunity.
So, Williams sought one out. When he walked into the hallways of Sherwood this summer, he found he wasn’t alone.
He first came across coach Ruta, who was a former assistant coach at a high school in Orlando ready to run his own program. He bolted Florida two weeks after getting married, shunned job offers closer to home and settled in Albany.
All Ruta wanted was an opportunity to coach.
Williams then reacquainted himself with a gritty point guard named Wesley Pittman he knew from playing with the Albany Hawks a summer earlier. Pittman stewed in the demoralizing nightmare of falling behind, 52-4, at halftime against rival Deerfield-Windsor last year.
All Pittman wanted was to be excited for game night.
This school appeared to be the perfect fit. So, along with freshman Dequan Green, son of former Westover High legend and NBA player Dontonio Wingfield, Williams enrolled and began changing the face of SCA basketball.
“Cameron brought a toughness and competitiveness,” Ruta said. “It was something we weren’t necessarily lacking, but he kind of drew it out of them.”
When Ruta first met Williams, he ushered him down the hall to meet football coach Rock Knapp. As Williams tipped the scales well above 200 pounds, he looked more like a center on the offensive line than a center on the baseline.
“I told Rock, ‘I got a football player for you,’ ” Ruta said. “Then when I first saw him play basketball, I saw he has some skill; I knew he could be special at our level.”
This entire season has been special for SCA. Crowds now flock to games and Ruta expects the same as the region tournament begins tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Tiftarea against No. 4 seed SGA (4-19).
The season hasn’t been as special at the school Williams left behind as Dougherty struggles through a disappointing two-win year. Williams wouldn’t mind a game against his former team to see what would happen, though he admits the competition level is much different back in GHSA.
But as he prepares to try and lead the Eagles into the postseason with realistic hopes of competing for the school’s first state championship in boys basketball, it’s clear to him he made the right choice.
“Sometimes I think about it,” Williams said of how he’d feel if he’d stayed at Dougherty. “Some of my friends, the season at Dougherty didn’t go how they planned for it to go, so I am kind of happy that I transferred.”

What we are doing for the next three weeks

2009-02-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today Matt was involved in a coin toss... we split with TIFT AREA ACADEMY.... so we were both tied for first place in region and a coin flip decided that we are the one seed in region tourney…

So this is what the Georgia RUTAS will be doing for the next three weeks....
This week:
Thursday @ Tift Area we will play at 8:30

Friday @ ABAC we will play at 8:30

Then Next week the games are Thursday(19th) and Saturday (20th)

If we win Friday we will play at 7:00pm at Brewton Parker on Feb 19th

If we loose this Friday we will play at 4:00pm at Brewton Parker on Feb 19th

Then if we win on Thursday the 19th…. We will either play at 1:00pm on the 20th or at 4:00pm on the 20th again at Brewton Parker

It all depends on this Friday’s game… PRAY THAT WE WIN!!!

If we win this Friday we play at 7:00 on the 19th and 4:00 on the 20th

And then if we loose Friday we play at 4:00 on the 19th and 1:00 on the 20th.

THENNNNNN WE ARE PLAYING WITH THE BIG DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS....
week 3:
The Final four is Friday Feb 27th at 4:00 or 5:30 @GA College & State Univ., Milledgeville (OUTSIDE ATLANTA)

And State championship game is Feb 28th at 5:00pm

so now you know where to find us... or you know why we arent answering our phone... we will be either stressed out or at a ball game... oh gosh we pray that God blesses our team with one more month of BASKETBALL!!!!!!

SENIOR NIGHT ARTICLE- Front page !!!

2009-02-09T13:34:00.001-08:00

Solid sendoff
With the red-hot, reinvigorated Sherwood boys basketball team barreling into the GISA playoffs next week as a top seed in Region 3-AA, Friday’s “Senior Night” saw the Eagles’ elder statesmen go out with a bang in a 71-52 romp against Fullington.

ALBANY — A Sherwood Christian fan approached Eagles’ head coach Matt Ruta Friday night and congratulated him on a great regular season.
“We haven’t had that in long time,” the Eagles’ supporter said.
Sherwood’s boys basketball team flipped last year’s dismal 4-19 season on its head and turned it into an 18-4 regular season, capped on Senior Night with a 71-52 win against Fullington Academy.
“It’s been a turnaround,” Ruta said. “Especially for the kids last year who haven’t won. They’re loving it and it’s been great for their confidence.”
The Eagles will enter the GISA Region 3-AA playoffs next Tuesday as the No. 1 or 2 seed.
A coin flip Monday will decide the top seed, currently a tie between Sherwood and Tiftarea.
Ruta’s coaching style in his first year at the helm has been a welcome addition to the Eagles’ players and a key to the successful turnaround. Of course, area transfers like Cameron Williams and Dequan Green haven’t hurt either.
“The couple transfers helped for sure,” Ruta began, “but the kids who returned have bought in and helped turn things around.”
Williams, who came over from Dougherty County High and broke the Eagles’ single-season rebounding record by averaging more than 14 boards a game, scored 25 points Friday in his last game on Sherwood’s court to cap off a memorable final year.
“I’ll miss everybody here,” Williams said. “They’ve been great to me. We just want to try to make a little noise in the state playoffs this year.”
Green, a freshman, led all scorers with 25 points Friday and will be a force for years to come at Sherwood. Williams is the only starting senior, although big man Taylor Ours got the start Friday in his final home game.
“There’s a lot of emotion,” Ours said afterward. “Last year, we didn’t win many games, but this year we’ve been pretty successful. (Coach Ruta) has totally changed the atmosphere here. Now we’re excited and we’re winning.”
The Lady Eagles’ home finale wasn’t as fitting, ending in a 50-26 loss to Fullington Academy, although hope still remains with the region playoffs beginning next week. Sherwood’s senior girls have gone through three different coaches in the last three years, but first-year head coach Rebecca Fyock has seen steady improvement throughout the year.
“All our girls are real young basketball-wise,” she said. “We’ve come a long way. They’ve had to learn different coaching styles (in consecutive years) and I think they’ve been lost in the shuffle the last couple years.”
Senior Amber Lane scored six points in Friday’s loss, while Princess Williams and Emilee Cook led the Lady Eagles with seven points apiece. Sherwood led, 9-7, after one quarter of play but Fullington outscored the Lady Eagles, 34-13, in the second half to run away with the win.
“As a team, we’re young, but we still work together,” Lane said. “There’s not a team in our region we can’t beat if we play like I know we can.”
Sherwood’s two seniors, Lane and Cassie Nobles, will need one more win in the region playoffs next week to move on to the state tournament. Regardless, they believe the foundation has been set for future success.
“We’ve improved a whole lot,” Nobles said. “Hopefully it will lead to a good year next year.”

PLEASE GO HERE before you do anything else

2009-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE - http://www.iamsecond.com/

so I have been thinking today about our life with Christ... I think many Christ followers live in guilt and bondage....why when all through the scriptures it speaks of FREEDOM

dont we all remember singing the song in youth group if the son has set you free you are free indeed?!?!?! WE ARE FREE if we follow Christ....

we are not bound to going to church... we arent bound to following rules.... we arent bound to programs and responsibilities... we arent bound to anything but CHRIST!!!... it actually says in the word to ABIDE in him... sounds better than bound... Christ always puts things better than me anyways .... ABIDE... like abiding in bed for ten more minutes while I hit the snooze every morning... ABIDE... there is comfort in that word.... when you abide Him you see his Beauty you have an appreciation for Christ... like Abiding on the couch watching basketball with your husband.... its sweet sweet fellowhsip with the best friend you will ever have in your life... and you maybe wanting to watch WHAT NOT TO WEAR or HGTV but you dont not out of guilt or responsilibilty but out of love and appreciation and the beauty you see in him... and the more you watch basketball you start to develop an appreciation for it... you know the more we spend time ABIDING in Christ the more we will fall in love with the things he loves... or how in the busyness of life you find time to meet with your best girl friend for coffee..... and before you know it that one hour lunch date turned into a three hour one....

I think too many times we equate following God to repsonsibilities.... like we HAVE to spend time in the word for this amount of time at this hour of the day....

so many times we are contridictory to the WORD OF GOD!!!

like we have to think this type of church has it right and this type has it wrong.... you know or because I dont do that and she does ... she must not follow Christ....

Look at what the very words of God say....

ROMANS 14
1 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
2-4For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
6-9What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
10-12So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: "As I live and breathe," God says, "every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God."So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.
13-14Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I'm convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
15-16If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don't you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!
17-18God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
19-21So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by finding fault. You're certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God's work among you, are you? I said it before and I'll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
22-23Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong.

I sure as heck dont have it all right in this life... I mess up daily... actually probably more like minute-ly... I left my cell phone at Cracker Barrell on Sunday went and got it around 2 and then threw it away in the DUMPSTER that night... I mean seriously if a girl does that she really doesnt have it all together.... ( by the wy I went dumpster diving for it and got it :) )

I want to seek him more, ABIDE in him more like I do in my big comfy white bed each morning... or on my comfy brown leather couch ( thanks dad rick and carrie) with my best friend each evening.....

and I want to place myself SECOND!

GUESS WHAT I GOTTTT

2009-01-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I came home I had the cutest little white box waiting for me!!!

GUESS WHAT WAS INSIDE!!!!- WITH MY MONOGRAM!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

It was from my greatest friend Melanie... oh gosh how much I love her and I have let her down with not keeping up with our Beth Moore Bible Study!!!...oh gosh mel please please please forgive me!!!! I absolutely love love love this apron... and I am going to try to make two yummy desserts in it tonight :)!!!!

2009-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

PREP ROUNDUP: Sherwood girls earn second region win against Windsor, boys roll as well The Lady Eagles earn their second region win of the year, both of them coming against Windsor Academy
STAFF REPORTS sports@albanyherald.com
MACON — The Sherwood Christian girls basketball team defeated Windsor, 35-29, on Tuesday night. A 14-9 third quarter was the difference as Emilee Cook led the Lady Eagles with 14 points, followed by Princess Williams with 13.
“We executed a game plan almst to perfection, 11-of-12 at the free-throw line,” said SCA coach Rebecca Fyock. “We just played a really good box-and-1 defense on their point guard, who had a decent amount of points. That frazzled them.”
Sherwood (6-12 overall, 2-5 GISA Region 3-AA) hosts Valwood at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
SHERWOOD Boys 77, WINDSOR 36:
A 21-2 third quarter put the Sherwood Knights’ latest win out of reach on Tuesday. Sherwood Christian moved to 15-4 overall and 4-1 in GISA Region 3-AA behind 18 points from Wesley Pittman and 16 from Dequan Green.
Brannan Anthony also added 14 points for the Eagles. Sherwood next plays at home against Valwood on Friday at 8 p.m.

Sherwood Sweeps Windsor

2009-01-28T05:33:00.001-08:00

By Jeff AbelnTuesday, January 27, 2009 at 9:51 p.m.
MACON -- Sherwood Academy improved to (15-4) overall and (5-1) in region play defeating Windsor on the road 77-36. Wesley Pittman paced the Eagles with 18 points. This Friday SCA hosts Valwood. The Lady Eagles also beat Windsor 35-29.

tonight

2009-01-23T06:03:00.000-08:00

Sherwood Christian Academy (13-3) at Tiftarea (16-1)
When: 8 p.m., today.
Where: Tiftarea
Key Player: Sherwood — Cameron Williams. The adage goes big players play big in big games. This is as big as it gets for SCA, who handed Tiftarea its lone loss this year. Williams has paced the Eagles offense and will be counted on to do the same tonight.
Breakdown: Tiftarea hopes to pull even in first place in GISA Region 3-AA with a win. Sherwood pulled off a 68-59 win at home earlier in the year. I expect the rematch to be one of the wildest GISA games this year.

2009-01-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

SCA Rolls over Southwest Georgia, 64-38

By Brian PerkinsTuesday, January 20, 2009 at 10:12 p.m.
ALBANY -- The Sherwood Christian Eagles Men's Basketball team picked up another region win on Tuesday night, rolling over Southwest Georgia Academy 64-38.
Wesley Pittman led the way for SCA with 20 points; Cameron Williams tallied 11 points.
The Eagles improved to 13-3 overall with the victory, and are 4-0 in region play.

SHERWOOD RANKED NUMBER 5 in the STATE on the COACHES POLL!!!

2009-01-21T05:24:00.000-08:00

Coaches Top Five teams in AA School Points
Christian Heritage School 38
Arlington Christian School 27
Tiftarea Academy 23
Griffin Christian High School 18
Sherwood Christian Academy 14

We are now 13-3 and 4-0 in REGION!!!!!

2009-01-21T05:22:00.000-08:00

WATCH THIS

we are on the highlights after Deerfield Windsor

Article from last nights game we are now 12-3 !!! whoop whoop GOOO EAGLESSS

2009-01-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

Sherwood wins at home 73-59

By Brian PerkinsThursday, January 15, 2009 at 10:39 p.m.
ALBANY -- The Sherwood Christian Eagles have been perfect in 2009, picking up three region wins this month. The most impressive win in that stretch was a victory over No.3 and then-unbeaten Tiftarea. Still, the Eagles will really have to be perfect with four games in the next seven days, including trips to Windsor and Tiftarea.
The Eagles started that stretch with a hard-fought win over Westwood at home. Cameron Williams carried the Eagles through a sloppy first half, as SCA rolled 73-59.
SCA will host South Georgia Academy on Tuesday at 6:30pm.

Article from Fox 31

2009-01-15T05:34:00.001-08:00

A pair of Eagles broke school-records on Tuesday night

By Brian PerkinsWednesday, January 14, 2009 at 10:16 p.m.
ALBANY -- Sherwood Christian's record-breaking night on Tuesday was a team effort.
A pair of Eagles broke school-records in a 75-41 victory over Windsor on Tuesday night. Cameron Williams, who broke the single-season rebounds record one week ago, set the school's record for career rebounds on Tuesday night.
"Cameron set the school record with 195 rebounds, and that's just 14 games into the season," head coach Matt Ruta said. What makes Williams' mark so impressive, is that this is his first season at Sherwood Christian.
Wesley Pittman also set a single-season mark with his 52nd three-pointer of the year. "He's shooting 40 percent on three-pointers, so that's not a bad percentage at all," Ruta said. "Again, that's in only 14 games of the season."
While Pittman and Williams will have their names in the record books, Ruta said the team takes pride in the marks.
"We didn't talk about it before the game, but the guys have been keeping track with them," Ruta said. "You could just tell down the stretch that they were just trying to get them the ball and trying to set screens for Pittman," he said.

HAPPPPYYYY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

2009-01-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Matt's Parents 35th Wedding Anniversary and they surprised us and came up!!! we had sooo much fun with them playing the Wii and eating pizza! Happy Anniversary!

GAME LAST NIGHTTTT

2009-01-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

OK... CRAZYYYYYYYYY game last night wild fans and crazy attitudes.... Matt's parents surprised us with coming up for their anniversary!!!! It was Susan's gift to John!!! a great gift for him!!! We were soooo glad they could make it up for the game!!! we ordered the new NATURAL PIZZA from pizaa hut which I do not recommend and played the Wii until midnight!! Susan and John had soooo much fun bowling and golfing on the Wii!!!!

Here are some things to Watch and Read from last nights game

oh yeah... score 75 -41 we are 11-3 and 3-0 in the Region

WATCH THIS- Video from game last night

READ THIS

SCA EAGLES MAKE THE NEWS AGAIN!!!

2009-01-12T08:42:00.001-08:00

READ THIS

Pictures from Savannah!!!

2009-01-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

WE loved having our new GPS!!! we changed the voice to an australian man... hilarious!!!

Keep your eyes on the roaddddddd

OUR BEAUTIFULLL ROOOMMMM!!! it had a fake fireplace and a beautiful queen bed and a flat screen TV!!! such southern charm!

The bathroom was even more charming.... claw foot tub and toile shower curtain

View from our room!

On our late night walk we saw the weirdest store....

You can barley see us but we are under the famous lady and sons sign

savannah candy company Matt loveeeedddd all the candy he tried in savannah

Dinner at the famous vinnie van go gos

Sunday morning walk on the river

RIVERWALK was beautiful

Pirate ship tour....

Matt's pirate impression

Where too baby????

always time for kissing in an alleyway

our hotel

We had such a funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn weekend!!!! a sweet romantic getaway in the middle of the season!!! who knew such a thing could happen.... wel when you are married to such a great man you get spoilllllleed :)

ON TV

2009-01-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post the video from Tuesdays game

WATCH THIS

Matt was just interviewed by FOX 31 yesterday about the big game !!!

TONIGHT::::: Sherwood vs Valwood!!!

Wear RED to support the EAGLES!!!!

MY FAVORITE PLACE WITH MY FAVORITE PERSON!!!!

2009-01-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Matt has to scout three teams in savannah Saturday and I get the perk of going with him and staying with him downtown in the MARSHALL HOUSE>>> WEBSITE BELOW ... whaooooo

We'll walk here saturday night after a yummmmmy dinner

We are staying here

http://www.marshallhouse.com/gallery_property/photo_gallery.htm

9-3 and our first region win!!!

2009-01-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

Last night the boys beat a 10-0 Tiftarea team.... they came to our gym undefeated but left with a loss!!! read about it here:

Sherwood upends unbeaten Tiftarea
The Eagles beat previously unbeaten Tiftarea and start region play off, 1-0
DANNY ALLER danny.aller@albanyherald.com
TIFTON — The Sherwood boys basketball team started region off right Tuesday by beating previously unbeaten Tiftarea, 79-68, to move to 1-0 in Region 3-AA play.
“It was a big,” SCA coach Matt Ruta said. “It was an excited locker room afterward, that’s for sure.”
Cameron Williams led the way with 27 points, followed by 26 from freshman Dequan Green, who also scored the Eagles’ first 10 points of the game to give them a cushy lead early. Wesley Pittman added 17.
“Cameron, Dequan, Wesley — those guys played well,” Ruta said. “Cameron was 5-of-6 from the free throw line and Dequan was 8-of-9. That’s a good night,
SCA improved to 9-3 and 1-0.

and here:http://www.mysouthwestga.com/sports/sports_story.aspx?id=243333

First Region Game

2009-01-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

::::::::TONIGHTWE PLAY:::::

Our First REGION game!!!!

Results to come

ANOTHER WIN!!! 8-3

2009-01-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.albanyherald.com/archivefs.html

Removal of the tree

2009-01-05T05:39:00.000-08:00

Much to Matt's dismay the tree had to go.....

so sad Christmas is over and work begins ...

trouble geting it out the door
finally out of the house...

the sad trip to the dumster bye bye first Christmas tree ever you were a joy to have and we shall not forget the hard time we had finding you!!!!!!!!

California Grill

2009-01-05T05:36:00.000-08:00

After Matt and I got engaged he made reservations at a fabulous restaurant I had been DYYYYINGG to go to... the california Grill... it is on top of the contemporary hotel at Disney and you can watch the fireworks on a balcony.... FOr Christmas I told matt I didnt want any "Thing" I wanted us to DOOO stuff together... part one of my Christmas gift was dinner at the same restaurant we went after one of the best nights of my life!!!:)

Unfortunately it was 30 degrees unexpectedly when we went.... or at least it felt that cold and the only cold weather thing I brought was this brown sweater I do have a pretty dress on under.... :)

Christmas Eve

2009-01-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Carolers.....

2009-01-05T05:31:00.000-08:00

The kids in the Rutas neighborhood were caroling the sunday before Christmas.....

and I LOVEEEDDD IT!!!

New Bible Study

2008-12-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

I have been dying to get the new Beth Moore Bible Study in our bookstore... and since I didnt spend all of my Orlando Spending money I splurged today and got it... I have only done day one but I am soo excited to see how God will use this strong fearless woman to teach me how to be close with Him and intimate with Him so that I live in His boldness and confidence! If anyone is interested in doing it too with me and then we can talk about it together on a weekly basis let me know!!!

What a difference a year makes

2008-12-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

I took a personality test

2008-12-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

www.41q.com

Your personality type:
Enthusiastic, idealistic and creative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Great people skills. Need to live life in accordance with their inner values. Excited by new ideas, but bored with details. Open-minded and flexible, with a broad range of interests and abilities.
Careers that could fit you include:
Actors, journalists, writers, musicians, painters, consultants, psychologists, psychiatrists, entrepreneurs, teachers, counselors, politicans, diplomats, television reporters, marketers, scientists, sales representatives, artists, clergy, public relations, social scientists, social workers.

2008-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

20 Things I Love at Christmas

Decorating the tree with my husband. Right after our family left from the Thanksgiving extravaganza we went out and got our tree cam home and decorated it... it was our first tree... we hung new ornaments and ornaments from my childhood... It was soo much fun I was thinking about how many more year I will get to do this with Matt!!!

Christmas lights. If there was one thing I had to do in the midst of our very busy and very exciting basketball season it was to hang up Christmas lights.... Matt knows how much I love them and will randomly drive through neighborhoods helping me indulge in my love of finding the prettiest house dripping in lights at Christmas time.. sadly albanians arent too fond of hanging up lights yet he still amauzes me about every other night .... knew there was a reason why I love him soooo

Watching Christmas Movies. ELFFFFFFFFFF... Christmas Story... and there is always a new movie in the theaters dealing with Christmas I love them all!!!!!!!!!! We just went to see Four Christmases very very cute :)

Giving Gifts. I love thinking of gifts to give those that I care about and the anticipation of giving those things.... Matt nad I just went Christmas Shopping and I cant wait to give our gifts to those we love !!!

FAMILYYYYY... We leave Saturday to go home and see our family.. unfortunately we still have some family that lives out of state and some friends that seem like family that do too!!! If you are one of those we seriously wish we had a private jet and could make it to see all of you this holiday season.... Matt and I both cherish time spent with those we love!

Shopping... I am a sucker for deals and steals.... I am become a very frugal shopper and I love the after Christmas sales and extra percentages off... cant wiat for my mom and I to wake up early and beat all those other women to the good deals!!

Hot Chocolate. Matt and I began a RUTA tradition... Hot chocolate while you hang the ornaments on the christmas tree of course it is topped with tonsssss of marshmellows!! and I have continued that tradition to have hot chocolate on most nights leading up to Christmas... I jsut loooooveee hot chocolate especially at Christmas!!

Running to the mailbox everyday.I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting Christmas Cards in the mail.... we get to see cute pictures of friends and family close and far away.... each with a sweet note wishing us a very merry Christmas

Basketball Tournaments... ok this is new to my list as this is my first year as the coaches wife... but seriously I am very very excited!!! we have had no games all week so I have been highly anticipating seeing a game ....also we will hopefully play one of the two teams that beat us so far!! VERY VERY EXCITING!

Christmas morning. My favorite things about Christmas morning is waking up to see what unwrapped present santa left... even into my adult years Santa would come visit me leaving at least one or two unwrapped gifts!! Cant wait to see what he bring this year!!

Traffic... I know I know everyone hates the Christmas traffic but there is something about the holiday hustle and bustle that I LOVEEEEE!!! Maybe it excites me to see everyone shopping for other people !

SURPIRSES!!! and I know someone who has a big surprise coming!

Holiday cooking.... I love being in the kitchen with my mom cooking for the holidays

florida weather.... I do love my fair share of snow but having never grown up with it I love the fact that we wear shorts on Christmas day... in fact one year I got a black fur coat and wore it on my new bike outside in shorts and barefooted.... I am a true florida girl

New family traditions..... now that I have a "new" family with Matt we can make so many new Ruta family traditions at Christmas time!!!

Christmas Trees... just love the smell of a good pine :)

Specail Coffees and Creamers.... there is just something about Gingerbread lattes...and peppermint mocha creamers that I just get so excited about!

Christmas Parties.... Who am I kidding I love any kind of party :)

Driving with Matt in a car just us two... some of our best memories have been the two of us trapped in the trailblazer for a car trip to florida or somewhere else fabulous

Orlando..... there is something in that town I love.... oh yeah family and friends... this move has made Matt and I realize nothing... and I mean nothing replaces a good friendship or the love from your family.. CANT WAIT TO SEE Y'ALL!!!!

Sherwood on ESPN

2008-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hopefully the headline will be different this Saturday!!

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?page=onthetrail&recruitId=66426&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fpage%3donthetrail%26recruitId%3d66426

two great articles

2008-12-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

Four facts we learned
Herald prep writer Paul Dehner Jr. tells four things he learned during the past week of high school basketball.

Paul Dehner Jr. paul.dehner@albanyherald.com

Every Tuesday through the rest of the high school basketball season I will be bringing you five facts I learned over the course of the previous week covering games and talking to coaches and players.
While the preliminary portion of the prep season rolls into holiday tournament time, lessons have been easier to come across than a $5 footlong jingle.
So, here you go:
1) Nobody plays with more heart than Arabian Williams.
At every exit of the Westover High School gym on Friday, people flowed out into the hallways. The background disappeared and only eyes peeking over the top of hats could be seen.
What the sprawling crowd saw was Dougherty’s Williams give one of the most inspired single performances in the area’s recent history.
More than the 40 points he poured in during the overtime defeat, the special aspect of his show was where most of the points came from.
The 5-foot-6 guard repeatedly challenged Westover’s interior players and never flinched.
Whether coming down with an offensive putback for a score or flying out of control into the lane, he willed his team to overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit.
To watch Williams high-five fans standing on the baseline after baskets and fly into the stands after loose basketballs showcased an intensity and desire rarely seen in the high school ranks.
2) The Americus-Sumter girls are on a short list of the Class AAAA state championship contenders.
Last season, the Lady Panthers broke through for their first playoff win since merging with a first round victory. The run ended in the next round against Wesleyan, which advanced all the way to the Final Four.
Judging by the early returns in Americus, this team won’t stop in the second round.
Evelyn Wright’s crew pulled off its biggest win of the season this past Tuesday at Kendrick. Nobody is saying this year’s Lady Cherokees are the same that went 33-0 and won the state title like last year, but they have members of that team back and even beat Lee County 88-30 earlier in the year, to which Lady Trojans coach Fran McPherson said, “they are for real.”
After Amercius-Sumter’s 59-51 win on Tuesday we know they are for real as well. The only other team to beat Kendrick this year was Hardaway, which is 6-0, has beat every other opponent by at least nine points and barely pulled out a 54-53 win.
Four different players can post big numbers for the Lady Panthers with Jayme Gilbert, Amanda Cross and Jasmine Solomon as the supporting cast for team leader Abril Peeples.
3) Driving to Crisp County is the quietly the toughest road trip on the Region 1-AAA schedule.
Just ask Westover and Monroe.
The two talented Albany teams drove up expecting an easy win against the Cougars, who have recently been more doormat than window dressing.
When dealing with teenagers, overconfidence can backfire, particularly on a bus ride that lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half depending on the point of origin.
Westover coach Dallis Smith said he knew he could be in trouble on the ride up. Turns out he was when a tip-in with 11 seconds left by Crisp County buried the Patriots. Three days later, Monroe, still beaming off its first region victory in two years, learned it still has a way to go as Crisp decisively sent them back to Albany, 70-53.
While the championship may not run through Cordele this season, nobody in the hunt for it wants to run through there, either.
4) Sherwood Christian picked the wrong year to move down from Class AAA.
This is the year the Eagles could have beaten their crosstown rival Deerfield-Windsor. For years, Sherwood has taken the brunt of Deerfield’s blowouts and gone into halftime demoralized. That wouldn’t be the case this season, and that is not taking anything away from the Knights.
The additions of Dougherty transfer Cameron Williams and Dontonio Wingfield’s son, Dequan Green, among others, have turned Sherwood not only into respectability but the upper echelon of GISA Class AA.
Their only two losses have come to highly-touted Loganville Christian and defending state champion Brookwood by a combined seven points.
Deerfield has a talented team of its own, suffering its lone loss against Stratford Academy by one. But to watch this Sherwood team go against Deerfield would be an intriguing matchup for once. Too bad they are now not on each other’s schedule.
Scrimmage anyone?

Sherwood boys nearly upend one of state’s top teams
Sherwood’s boys battle back from a double-digit deficit against Loganville Christian only to fall short.
DANNY ALLER danny.aller@albanyherald.com

Sherwood fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit to tie its game up against state power Loganville Christian on Saturday.
And in one shot by Loganville’s Andre Jones at the buzzer, all the hard work came undone.
“(Andre Jones) scored 14 points in the game,” said Sherwood coach Matt Ruta, whose team fell, 71-68, with Jones’ 3-pointer being the difference. “I wish he scored 11.”
Sherwood faced a big test against Loganville star and Georgia signee Daniel Miller, who ledhis team with 25 points. The 6-foot-11 tower was guarded all afternoon by SCA star Cameron Wolliams — who is 6-3 — but managed to notch a game-high 27 points in the Eagles’ loss.
Freshman Dequan Green dropped in 15 and Wesley Pittman added 12 for SCA.
Afterward, Ruta was asked if Saturday was a moral victory of sorts.
“Not really. I want to win games like those,” he said. “The way we fought back, down by nine going into the fourth quarter, we were right there.”
Sherwood likely will meet Loganville in the title game of next week in their Christmas Tournament.

sooo proud

2008-12-15T10:32:00.001-08:00

WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT MATT AND HIS TEAM

FINALLY...

2008-12-15T07:33:00.001-08:00

I finally made our homemade garland and decorated our porch....

GEORGIA ICESICLES

2008-12-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

on our trip to North Georgia this weekend there were icesicles haning froma roof.... ohhh how I wish it would snow here..... it would make all this coldness worthwhile....

Surpise date night...

2008-12-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

I have planned a surprise date night for Matt andI tonight!! I am sooo super EXCITED!! Pictures to come ... He doesnt know what we are doing ... here is a hint for you though can you guess what we are doing?!?!

5-1

2008-12-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we played WESTWOOD in Camilla..... about an hour from Albany.... I rode there with one of our families ( the Pittmans) and had a great time riding with them... we even got caught in the Camilla Christmad Parade ... so Bruce flashed his lights and we all waved out the window... hahah jk... but we did get behind some of the floats on a side road....

Some of our guys got in foul trouble last night..... we were only up ten going into the half... we scored 30 point in the 4th quarter and Matt pulled the starters with 3 minutes to go.... Cameron Williams scored 32 points he tied the school record for most points in a game.... too bad he got pulled early... GREAT NIGHT!!!!

Sherwood 85 Westwood 56

NEW ARTICLE!!!!

Two more wins!

2008-12-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

article : http://www.mysouthwestga.com/sports/sports_story.aspx?id=231970

video about all high school basketball we are the Third report:http://www.walb.com/global/story.asp?s=9471539

Two games this weekend...and Two WINS this weekend!!!

Citizens @ Citizens ... score -65 -58

Calvary @ Home 81-42