WAYCROSS –Ask any one of the Northside Eagles, and they’ll tell you the same.

Chris Johnson was on the bus, in the locker room, on the sideline and on the field Friday night.

So even though Northside had to fight its way to a 20-14 win in the GHSA Class AAAA championship against Ware County, with the Eagles’ late teammate on their minds, there was never really a doubt.

“I feel like Chris was out there catching balls for us,” wide receiver Kevyn Cooper said of Johnson, who died during the summer after a two-year battle with leukemia. “Like I said last week, I think he was out there catching for us, helping us out.”

That’s what made this one so special. The Eagles have now won two straight AAAA titles - last year’s coming in a 30-6 trouncing of Marist. But that one doesn’t even begin to compare to what happened Friday night.

The Eagles entered the field by walking around a banner created for them that they traditionally run through. The large banner bore an image of Johnson and read: “Right Here. Right Now. For Chris.”

As they walked to their sideline arm-in-arm, they carried a framed picture of the defensive lineman. As it turns out, they would need his help.

The Eagles were forced to battle from the beginning as they started the game with three straight turnovers - two interceptions and a lost fumble.

Facing a 14-10 deficit as time expired in the third quarter, the Eagles got the emotional lift they had been looking for. During the break between the third and fourth quarters, Northside fans created a sea of white signs bearing a blue 96 - Johnson’s number.

The emotion was palpable.

“We fed off of that well, obviously,” Northside quarterback Marques Ivory said. “We started making plays.”

The biggest of all proved to be a fourth-quarter pass from running back Tijuan Green to wide receiver Nick Bass for the go-ahead touchdown. It was all the Eagles needed to put Ware County away and continue a winning streak that has lasted two years.

Head coach Conrad Nix, who has been leading the Northside program for 20-plus seasons, said the idea of retirement isn’t an issue right now.

“It’s something that me and my wife and my family need to talk about,” Nix said. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I love what I do. I love the kids. I love Northside. But I’ve been in it a long time, I’ll tell you that.”

Northside’s title win caps an impressive set of numbers for the current group.

• Ivory has never lost a game he has started, finishing his high school career with a 24-0 mark.

• The current team has lost just once, racking up an impressive 44-1 record.

• The Eagles have been to the state semifinals seven times in their history - all of which came under Nix.

• The program is currently on a 30-game winning streak.

“We practice real hard,” Cooper said. “See, we start in January and end in December, so we do it for a whole 12 months, so we work real hard.”

But perhaps no number for this group is more important than 96.

“We won this for our friend, Chris,” Bass said. “This is more special, two years running. This was for him.”

To contact writer Jay Adams, call 744-4401.

The Georgia National Fair has received six Awards of Excellence for its agricultural and competitive exhibits programs from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. In addition, the Fair earned three other awards during the annual IAFE convention.

“I am very proud of the staff and the Fair,” said Michael A. Froehlich, executive director. “Even though the Fair has been in existence for only 18 years, it has had a national impact on the industry.

“And awards and designations such as these validate the Georgia National Fair’s goal: to educate and entertain Georgia’s youth and families,” Froehlich added.

According to a release, this marks the 17th consecutive year the Georgia National Fair has been designated an award-winning fair.

Since 1992, the Georgia National Fair has won a total of 78 IAFE awards for its agricultural, competitive exhibits and communications programs.

The Fair also was designated a Top 50 Fair by carnivalwarehouse.com. With an attendance of 443,351, the Georgia National Fair ranked No. 42 – up four slots from last year’s ranking. Reithoffer Shows ranked No. 6 for Carnivals Playing the Top 50 Fairs with total attendance of 1,880,211 at four fairs.

Agricultural Awards of Excellence

l Overall Program for the Nonagricultural Fairgoing Public l Video of a Special Event for Exhibitors or Fairgoers (Honey Bee Story) l Outstanding Media Commitment to Agriculture Programming – Television (Georgia Farm Bureau’s Farm Monitor TV Show)

Agricultural Award Third Place

l Overall Program for Competitive Agricultural Exhibitors See AWARDS, page 10A Competitive Exhibits Contest Awards of Excellence

l Competitive Exhibit Display Method and/or Prop l Use of Fair’s Theme in Competitive Exhibits l New or Unique Strategy to Increase the Number of Competitive Exhibitors or Attract New Competitive Exhibitors

Communications Awards Third Place

l Television Ads (Clark Media Services) l Website (Najera Design) The Georgia National Fair competed against other fairs whose annual attendance ranged from 250,001 to 500,000. The IAFE has a membership of more than 3,200 from around the globe. The Agricultural Awards are sponsored by John Deere.

The Georgia National Fair has been designated a Southeast Tourism Society “Top 20 Event for October” 11 times (1991, 1996, 1997, 2000 - 2007). The Fair has also received one “Special Events Directory and Events Business News Top 200 Event” award.

In 2002, the Fair was designated one of Southern Living magazine’s “Our Best 202 Things About the South First-Prize Fair.”

The Bronze Star Medal, according to a release, was presented Tuesday to Capt. Jason Hamman of the 78th Security Forces Squadron member for his exceptionally meritorious service in Iraq.

Col. Warren Berry, 78th Air Base Wing vice commander, presented the award. Hamman deployed in March 2007 and returned in the middle of September in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom supporting the Army in Iraq. Per the release: “His superior leadership and outstanding achievement in a combat zone led to his earning the Bronze Star Medal.”

The Bronze Star Medal is presented for heroic or meritorious achievement of service, not involving aerial flight, in connection with operations against opposing armed forces.

Authorized Feb. 4, 1944, it is presented to members of all branches of military service.