Well folks, it finally came to pass.

            Your Weekly Whatuper and diligent sports editor Chad Bishop has flown the coop and moved on to new things.

            We all knew it was only a matter of time, but it didn’t really hit me until it actually happened.

            Before I fill you, the loyal reader, in about the new look of the Herald sports staff, I’d like to take this time to hop on a proverbial soap box — if you don’t mind.

            Firstly, if I could just say a few words… I’d be a better public speaker. (I had to drop a “Simpsons” reference in there. Chad would’ve wanted it that way.)

            But on a serious note, Chad did some great things as the overseer of this sports section. His hard work, his dedication and his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty to get you all the local coverage that could fit into these pages, have been an inspiration to me.

            Sure there was plenty of help along the way, but as I have submerged myself into the world of sports journalism over these last two-and-a-half years, I’ve felt the need to credit Bishop with teaching me darn near everything I know.

            Hopefully that’s a lot, because he set the bar here pretty high. And that’s where I come in. Armed with what Chad taught me, it’s up to me to make sure we continue to, at the very least, keep reaching that bar.

            Worry not. Our friends at GSU, Statesboro High, Bulloch Academy, Southeast Bulloch, Portal, Metter, Screven County, Claxton, and all our favorite area teams can rest easy. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

A brave new staff

            Now that I’ve gotten all the sentimental stuff out of the way, let me introduce you to some new (and some old) friends who will help to bring you all your local sporting news.

            As I said, I’ll be taking the reigns from Chad as your sports editor, and I’ll continue with the Georgia Southern beat.

            Our new prep writer, Mike Anthony, will walk the Statesboro beat and we’ll keep you up to date on all the rest of our area squads. I’ve got to take a moment to thank Rahn Hutcheson and Burton Kemp for all they do for us as well. We couldn’t do it without you guys.

            Anthony, like myself, is a GSU grad. Don’t be surprised if his name sounds familiar. If you’ve ever been to see the Eagles play baseball, you’ll recognize him as the voice of J.I. Clements. If prep sports are your fancy, well he’s spent the last several football seasons doing some free-lance work for us. That’s good news, because that means he’s already familiar with the local scene.

            I’m not quite sure who’s more excited about his new role at the Herald — him or me.

            He’ll be hitting the ground running on Wednesday, and aside from these pages, you’ll also be able to catch him alongside Vince Johnson every week on Prep Sports Blitz.

            Of course, we’ll continue to bring you all the football you can handle. Our summer interns — Andrew DeGraff and Jeff Harrison — have also signed on for the fall to help make sure no football field is left uncovered and no storyline is left untold.

            Enough about the changes.

            We’ve had a lot of fun covering this area under Bishop’s guidance here at the Statesboro Herald, and that’s one thing that will stay the same. And in case you’re wondering — Chad’ll be following all our (and his) favorite teams every step of the way.

            Good luck on the next step, Chad. We’ll hold down the fort.

            Oh, and in case anyone’s wondering if I’ll run out of things to complain about because of my new role here, worry not.

Here’s a good start — ESPN did a presentation Monday which dealt exclusively with college football in the state of Georgia. The “worldwide leader” managed to make it through the entire presentation without a single mention of Erk Russell.

            Yeah, there’ll always be plenty of material to mouth off about.

            Stay tuned.

            Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.