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The Upson-Lee Knights held their annual Kick-off Dinner last Friday evening, giving the community a chance to meet the 2012 Upson-Lee Knights football team. Parents, family members, and fans of Upson-Lee football in general turned out in droves for the dinner, packing out the ULHS cafeteria for their chance to get a glimpse of this season’s gridiron Knights.

Head Coach Tommy Watson spoke to the crowd about the upcoming season and the team’s excitement of preparing for another playoff run in 2012.

“I want to thank all of you for coming to support us tonight,” said Watson. “We are extremely excited to get this season underway, and we are looking forward to start the season on August 31 when we travel to up the road to play Pike County. We have never played Pike County in football, even though they are just a few miles away. I promise you this, it will be a night to remember,” stated Watson, to the roar of the crowd.

After a fantastic meal, the crowd was introduced to each player by their position coach, with everyone getting a chance to meet each member of the 2012 Knights squad. After the introductions, Coach Watson announced the winners of the 2012 Iron Man Competition. Winners were named for each class, with points earned in the bench press, power clean, squat, 40 yard dash, standing broad jump, L-drill, 20 yard shuttle, and attendance. Here is a list of the top 10 for each class:

Freshman Class - 10th place - Jalen Ali, 9th place - Chirs Cummings, 8th place - Edwin Mast, 7th place - Ryan Hood, 6th place - Charlie Huff, 5th place - Kendarious Traylor, 4th place - Aaron Warren, 3rd place - Jordan Stensen, 2nd place - Jordan Ramey, Freshman Class Winner - Shamare Bailey.

Sophomore Class - 10th place - Dravian Ivey, 9th place - Cory Chenoweth, 8th place - Rusty Spraggins, 7th place - Quen Matthews, 6th place - Kaleb Allen, 5th place - Jeffery Washington, 4th place - Kenderius Pennyman, 3rd place - Ty Collier, 2nd place - Joey Choy, Sophomore Class Winner - Jaimoni Parks.

Junior Class - 10th place - Markel Manuel, 9th place - Ronta Ausbrooks, 8th place - Toby Fuentes, 7th place - Justin Shaw, 6th place - Kelton Raines, 5th place - Thomas Dawson, 4th place - Chris Price, 3rd place - Taylor York, 2nd place - Jacob Gross, Junior Class Winner - Sontrell Perry.

Senior Class - 10th place - Austin Greene, 9th place - Ben Barber, 8th place - Cornell Harris, 7th place - Terrance Williams, 6th place - C.J. Kirschmann, 5th place - Danqarius Hamilton, 4th place - Travis Pittman, 3rd place - Marcus Bussey, 2nd place - Corey Moss, Senior Class Winner - Nick Kennedy.

Overall Top 10 - 10th place - Taylor York, 9th place - Terrance Williams, 8th place - C.J. Kirschmann, 7th place - Jacob Gross, 6th place - Danqarius Hamilton, 5th place - Travis Pittman, 4th place - Marcus Bussey, 3rd place - Corey Moss, 2nd place - Sontrell Perry, 2012 Upson-Lee Iron Man - Nick Kennedy.

Following the dinner and awards presentation, the Knights took to Matthews Field under the lights, where fans got the chance to watch the team in scrimmage action.

The Knights will be in action this Friday night, when they travel to Barnesville to take on the Trojans from Lamar County High School in a scrimmage game. Upson-Lee will open their 2012 season on the road against Pike County on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m.