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PAGE 8 May 2025 E-edition
Jacksonville State Standout Clay Webb Signs with Broncos
Jacksonville
State
guard last season and was the ninth-best run blocker. Webb was the 14th member of the Jax State football team recently honored with the Eagle Owl Award as the most outstanding senior athlete. During his three years as a starter on the Jax State offensive line, Webb helped clear the way for some of the best rushing attacks in all of college football, earned a pair of conference
“We former players who are doctors, nurses, accountants, businessmen, coaches, have teachers, pilots, project managers – you name it,” he said. “Some are working at Delta, FedEx, Honda and Google. We are very proud of these men.” As he reflects on his coaching career, Stewart said it has been just as much a learning experience for him. “Coaching has taught me to treat people fairly and with respect,” he said. “And, I try very hard to help the young people to not have any regrets when they leave Gadsden State.” While he’ll miss the daily rhythm of practice and time spent with his players, Stewart is looking forward to his next chapter. “I’ll miss the practices and the players most of all,” he said. “That’s where the heart of coaching lives – in the everyday effort, the small wins, the growth. Those are the moments I will always cherish. As advice to his successor, Stewart offered a single strategy. “Recruit, recruit, recruit,” he said. “The game has changed. Recruiting is just as important, if not more important, than coaching the game.” In retirement, Stewart plans to remain an active Cardinal. “I plan to help more at church, spend time with my grandchildren and go fishing and golfing,” he said. “Paula and I are Cardinals forever. We will always love Gadsden State.” titles, and the program's first FBS bowl game victory. He is a two-time All- American, a two-time All- Conference USA selection, a Walter Camp Preseason All-American, and was on the Lombardi and Outland Award watch lists. Webb also has drawn attention from the National Football League, drawing invitations to the Hula Bowl and the Reese's Senior Bowl during the pre-draft process.
After more than two decades of leadership, mentorship and success on the court, Buster Stewart, the Gadsden State Community College men’s tennis head coach is retiring. “The decision to retire wasn’t easy because coaching has been such a big part of my life,” he said. “But after 21 incredible years, I feel like it’s the right time. I’m proud of what we’ve built here, but I’m excited for the program to start a new chapter.” Stewart’s relationship with Gadsden State spans more than five decades, beginning when he enrolled fresh out of high school in 1971. Alongside his doubles partner, Stewart received the first-ever tennis scholarship awarded by the College. He attended Gadsden State as a student-athlete for two years, and he met his future wife, Paula, who was also a Gadsden State student. After earning an associate degree in business administration, he transferred to Shorter College in Rome, GA where he continued his athletic and academic career and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration in 1975. In 1977, Stewart returned to Gadsden State to pursue engineering classes, which he completed in 1980. Stewart’s coaching career began in 2004, marking the start of a new era for Gadsden State tennis. He and Paula, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August, worked together to make an immediate impact at the College. In their first season, the 2004-2005 University offensive lineman Clay Webb signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos. The move was made shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Gamecocks were third nationally last year in rushing yards per game at 251.2, largely in part due to Webb's dominance at guard. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 10th-best
GSCC Tennis Coach Retires
Austin Hill Wins Xfinity Series race at Talladega Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo By Logan Riely, Getty Images
By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill prevailed in a three-wide photo finish in the Ag- Pro 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Saturday afternoon – edging ahead of Jeb Burton and his RCR teammate Jesse Love at the time the field was frozen with an electronic timestamp approaching the checkered flag. The caution flag and checkered flag flew simultaneously after Love’s No. 2 Chevrolet made contact with the rear of then- race leader, JR Motorsports rookie Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 Chevy just after the white flag came out signaling one lap to go. Zilisch’s car spun down into the track apron hitting the wall hard leaving Hill, Burton and Love to sort out the trophy. It marks the ninth superspeedway victory for Hill, making the 30-year- old Georgia-native the NASCAR Xfinity Series all-time winningest driver on drafting style tracks such as Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta - breaking a tie with a pair of NASCAR Hall of Famers, Tony Stewart and the late Dale Earnhardt. “Man, we really had to work for that one,’’ said Hill, who now has a series- best three victories this year and 13 in his career. “It just seemed like our car was really good. Everyone at RCR and RCR engines are bad to the bone, like always. We had to work. I thought the 2 (Love) was really good and when we got the push from the 2 going into [turn] one, he got inside of me and I thought that was a bad mistake and I should have covered it. So I thought we were done. But I just locked in and kept pushing the heck out of the 2-car.
“I knew it was either me or the 27 [Burton],’’ he said of the photo finish. “Man, to win them - any way you win them is always great - and finally to conquer Talladega, that’s something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time. “We’ve won at all these other superspeedways and to finally get it done at all the different superspeedways we go to, it just shows the 21 team can win at any of them and we’re really good at this style of racing.’’ It was especially tough outcome for Burton, who has two previous wins in this 2.66-mile high-banked Talladega track – NASCAR largest - and still felt after the race that his No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet was leading the field at the time of caution - although ultimately video did confirm Hill’s win. “I felt like we did everything we could today, so just frustrated,’’ said an emotional Burton, “Every angle I see, we won the race. “Just appreciate my guys,’’ he continued. “We do a lot with a little team. We don’t have a lot of chances to win, you know. That’s what’s frustrating.’’ The defending race winner Love, who was scored third, led a race best 50 of the 113 laps on the day, but conceded the last lap was a typical superspeedway all-out rush to the checkered flag. “I’m pretty sure I wrecked my best friend, I’m going to owe him an apology,’’ Love told the Motor Racing Network of contact with Zilisch, who was checked out in the infield care center and released post-race. “I just got really good pushes there at the end and I was able to lift enough off of [turn] two to get really good
pushes. I kind of thought we’d made our bed and were not in position to win, but I was able to get Austin [Hill] connected to me and he was able to give me a push down the backstretch and get rolling again.” Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, finished fourth followed by Viking Motorsports’ Matt DiBenedetto. Anthony Alfredo, Blaine Perkins, Harrison Burton, Sheldon Creed and rookie Daniel Dye rounded out the top 10. Zilisch, who led nine laps, was credited with 27th place. Of note, Katherine Legge became the fourth woman in history to lead a NASCAR Xfinity Series race – and the second at Talladega. The sports car and IndyCar veteran led lap 75 in the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Motorsport Chevrolet, equaling Danica Patrick’s one-lap out front at Talladega in 2012. Legge looked to be turning in a solid Talladega debut – her second NASCAR Xfinity Series start this season – and was running 15th on lap 100 when she was collected in an accident triggered by NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola, who later apologized, saying miscommunication with his spotter led to the high-speed miscue. Allgaier’s runner-up showing was enough for him to maintain a 79-point advantage over Hill atop the standings. The NASCAR Xfinity Series moves to the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway for next Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 (2 p.m. ET, The CW Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Haas Factory Team driver Sam Mayer is the defending race winner.
Buster Stewart
team, which included their son, Trey, finished in the Top 20 nationally, making its first national tournament since 1980. The program continued to flourish, and the Cardinals claimed back-to-back conference championships in 2010 and 2011. The Stewarts also founded the annual Alumni Tournament, held every October and draws former players from across the region. “We love the relationships we have with our players and their families,” he said. “Seeing these guys grow up and bring their wives and children to the tournament is an absolute privilege that I don’t take for granted.” Throughout his tenure, Stewart emphasized character, perseverance and life lessons beyond tennis. “We always tell them to play hard, prepare, play fair and never give up,” he said. “I hope they take that with them through life.” Stewart had valuable, dedicated assistant coaches, he said, including Paula, their sons Trey and Taylor, Andre Bentley and Dan Berry. He said these dedicated assistants helped shape the program and the young men who’ve come through it.
REEL 1 - Zane Smith poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega on April 26, 2025. (Photo by Sean Gardner, Getty Images) REEL 2 - DAR Golfer Alex Stinson during recent action at Gunter's Landing. (Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger) REEL 3 - Former Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne, who has reportedly reached a free agent agreement with the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger) REEL 4 - Jesse Love poses with the pole award winner $2,000.00 check during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Logan Riely, Getty Images) Highlight Photo Reel Pictures
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