[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO LaGRANGE GRANGERS, GEORGIA'S 2004 AAA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL 
                               CHAMPIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the LaGrange 
High School Grangers, Georgia's 2004 AAA high school baseball 
champions.
  To win the State championship, LaGrange had to beat one of Georgia's 
greatest baseball powerhouses, the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes, a 
program that captured State titles for the past 3 years in a row. I am 
proud to say that the runner up and defending champion, Cartersville 
High School, is also in Georgia's 11th congressional district.
  The Grangers' crown did not come easily. They split a double-header 
to force a decisive game three. In that final game, LaGrange jumped out 
to a big lead, going ahead 9 to 2. But the Purple Hurricanes were not 
done yet. They crawled back, and then notched three runs in the sixth 
inning to tie the game at 10 to 10. That is when the Grangers proved 
they had the heart of champions.
  In the bottom of the sixth, LaGrange knocked in three runs, and 
senior Josh Edmonson took the mound in the seventh inning to snuff out 
any more comeback hopes for the Purple Hurricanes.

                              {time}  1545

  After winning game three of the series, the Grangers finished the 
year 31-6. I am proud for the team and I am proud for the coaches, 
Donnie Branch and Jon Powell, who have been together with the team 
since 1989. Their teams had advanced far in the tournament in previous 
years, but the ultimate crown had remained elusive until now.
  As Coach Powell explained his excitement to the LaGrange Daily News, 
``You can't put it into words. You dream about it and you work and you 
work and you work.''
  Coach Branch, congratulations on a dream come true and a job well 
done.

                          ____________________