The Trion Bulldogs are in rare air.  For the first time since 2015, the Bulldogs are in the quarterfinals of the GHSA state playoffs, better known as the “Elite 8”.  Trion made it as far as the quarterfinals in both 2015 and 2012, but as the playoffs were structured at that time, Trion only had to reach the second round in the playoffs to get into the Elite 8.  This year, Trion has advanced to the third round of the playoffs and the last time Trion reached the third round of the playoffs was way back in 2003, better know as the “Dome Team”.

The Bulldogs will face a team that have some recent history with in the playoffs in the Irwin County Indians.  Tonight will be the 4th meeting between the two teams with all four of those meetings taking place in the playoffs.  Trion won the first contest in the series back in 2012 but Irwin County has won two straight lopsided contests against the Bulldogs in 2013 and 2015.  Their last meeting in 2015 was a quarterfinal matchup just like tonight that the Indians won 21-0.

There will be something unique about tonight’s game between the two teams.  In each of the three previous meetings, Trion has had to make the four and a half hour trip to Ocilla, GA to play the Indians.  Tonight will be the first time the Indians will have to travel to Sam R. McCain Stadium.  Both Trion and Irwin County are the #3 teams from their respective regions and have had to pull upsets against higher seeded teams in each of the their two playoff victories this postseason.  After Trion defeated Telfair County last Friday night, the Bulldogs were pulling hard for Irwin to upset Region 1 Champion Early County because an Irwin win would mean a home playoff game for the Bulldogs.  Irwin County did just that by defeating Early County 28-20.

Irwin County is a proud program that has had a lot of success over the past decade.  Irwin County has been a region champion in 8 of the last 11 seasons and won back to back state championship in 2019 and 2020.  Tonight, Irwin County comes into the game ranked # 3 in the state while Trion is ranked # 7.  Irwin County is 11-1 on the season with their only loss coming at the hands of Clinch County 34-28.  Clinch County is currently ranked # 2 in the state and will be playing Bowdon tonight.  Brooks County, Clinch County and Irwin County all ended up in a three way tie in Region 2-A and Irwin County ended up with the # 3 seed despite defeating the region champion Brooks County 17-14.

The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the Final Four and play the winner of Bowdon vs Clinch County in the semi-finals.

Due to GHSA rules and the fact that Trion High School is an NFHS member school, WZQZ will not be able to video stream tonight’s game from Sam R. McCain Stadium.  However we will be audio streaming the game live on the WZQZ Facebook page and on the radio on 99.1 FM and AM 1180.  Join WZQZ’s Paul Cavin, Jeremy Burke, cameraman Jim Warnock and engineer Sam Kohler for live coverage tonight beginning at 6:45 pm with kickoff to follow at 7:00 pm.

A 27-year-old man has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after allegedly using counterfeit currency at Rome-area McDonald’s restaurants. Malik Rayon Morris Baker faces two felony counts of 1st-degree forgery and one misdemeanor count of theft by deception. The charges stem from incidents that took place on November 17, when Baker reportedly used counterfeit $50 bills at McDonald’s locations on Martha Berry Highway and Turner McCall Boulevard. According to arrest warrants and records from the Floyd County Jail, Baker’s actions raised suspicions among restaurant staff, leading to an investigation by local authorities.

The holiday spirit is alive and well at Chattooga Family Connection, as the organization gears up once again to create Christmas stockings for children in the area. Director Maisha Ludy is reaching out to the community, announcing that there are still stockings available for donations, and inviting everyone to get involved in this heartwarming initiative.

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Only a few spots are available for the 2024 Chattooga Young Farmers annual Holiday Wreath Class.  The event will take place this coming Thursday, December 5th at the Chattooga County Ag Center, located on Middle School Drive in Summerville.  The cost is $40 for non-members and $20 for Young Farmer members.  The cost of the class includes all the supplies for your holiday wreath and a light supper.  For more information, contact Chattooga Young Farmer Director Lauren Jarrett.

The Chattooga Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce a special event honoring the 2024 graduating class of Leadership Chattooga. Join the Chamber for a catered luncheon that will celebrate the achievements of these remarkable individuals who have shown exceptional commitment and dedication to improving our community. The event will feature Angie Hutchins, Executive Director of the Community Resource Center (CRC), as the Special Guest Speaker. The public is invited to this celebration, which will provide a fantastic opportunity to network and engage with community leaders. Reservations are required to ensure your spot at this event. The cost for Chamber members is $12, while non-members can attend for $17.  The meeting will be held on December 17th at Noon at the Chattooga County Civic Center on Highway 48 in Summerville.  Click HERE to reserve your seat.

Former Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Joe D. Tanner passed away last Sunday, according to the agency. He served as commissioner from 1972 to 1984 and again from 1990 to 1995. During his 26 years in state government, Tanner merged 38 state agencies into the DNR and initiated over 400 legislative efforts, notably creating the Safe Dams Act after the 1977 Toccoa Falls dam failure. He also simplified the permitting process with a single-point environmental system. Tanner was instrumental in forming the Department of Natural Resources by combining dozens of state agencies into what the DNR is today.  The consolidation was part of then-Governor Jimmy Carter’s reforms in state government that reduced redundancy in state governmental agencies and streamlined state agencies and services.  This week, current Governor Brian Kemp expressed condolences and highlighted Tanner’s significant contributions to protecting Georgia’s natural resources. Services for Tanner are planned for next Wednesday.

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a recall of nearly 11,000 units of organic eggs due to possible salmonella contamination. This recall was made public on Wednesday by Handsome Brook Farms, which voluntarily recalled their 24-count eggs sold under the Kirkland Signature brand in several states.

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A Georgia man died in a crash during a high-speed chase with the Georgia State Patrol on Tuesday night. At around 8:12 p. m. , a trooper was monitoring speeds on Interstate 75 near Catoosa County. The trooper spotted a black 2015 Infiniti Q50 going 114 miles per hour and attempted to pull the driver, 22-year-old Hugo Urbano Chavez, over. Chavez did not stop, leading to a high-speed chase. As he approached exit 348, he lost control of his car, which flipped and stopped between the northbound lanes and the exit ramp. The trooper’s vehicle did not collide with Chavez’s car. Chavez was declared dead at the scene, while his passenger, 30-year-old Angel Aleman, was seriously injured and taken to a medical center. The crash is still under investigation.

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Thursday, November 28, 2024:

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