Georgia June/July 2021

PARKVIEW BASEBALL 3 PEAT WESTMINSTER SCHOOL CAPTURES 10 STATE TITLES IN 2020-21 MILTON SENIOR NAMED TOP GIRLS LACROSSE PLAYER

BY ITG NEXT MADDIE DORA MILTON

JUN/JUL 2021

CAMDEN WINS SEVENTH STRAIGHT COMBINED STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

LOCATIONS

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• Saturday morning injury clinic • Researching and implementing concussion management software for local athletes

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ITG Next | 3

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Milton Senior Named Top Girls Lacrosse Player by ITG Next Maddie Dora | Milton

12

Camden Wins Seventh Straight Combined State Wrestling Championship

20

Saying Goodbye with A Ring ShoShoni Williams | Perry

32

35

Bears Dominate with Record Setting Season En Route to a Championship

47

Carson Tyler Diving into Indiana Colquitt County

Parkview Baseball 3 Peat 8 | itgnext.com

40

More: 17

Lowndes Wrestler Hunter McCullough Wins Individual State Championship

24

Jeff Davis Baseball Wins Back-To-Back State Titles

26

Valwood Volleyball Captures State Championship

29

Ending with Gold

43

It’s Just the Beginning

Austin Jernigan | Pierce County

15

Shawn Harrell | Worth Co.

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Newnan's Recovery Starting With Football

25

Claudia Erwin | Parkview

49

Starting A Trend

31

Camron Priest | Brooks County

38

Myles Rice | Sandy Creek

44

JaDarian Rhym | Valdosta

51

Timberly Peters | Parkview

56

James Hays | Westfield

73

Damaris Gaines | Parkview

Zach Brown | Turner County

Carver

50

A Win for the Community

52

Let’s Hear About Lee County Cheer

54

Southland Academy Girls Basketball Captures First State Title in Over 30 Years

Rubylyn Goad | Newnan

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The Father-Son Combo

60

Westminster School Captures 10 State Titles in 2020-21

63

Athletic Awards Show Major Award Winners

74

Eagles Tennis Teams Soaring High

Player Profiles

Tate Evans | Richmond Hill

Marist

ITG Next | 9

Our Team Contributors Publisher Mark Dykes Editors Phil Jones Graphics Mandy Douthit Player Profile Photography Madison Tucker Brandon Pham Feature Photography Micki Krzynski Micki K Photography Brandon Pham

Mark Dykes

Mandy Douthit

aNNA Limoges

Chief Executive Officer

Creative Director

director of operations

Founder Mark Dykes is the entrepreneur and mastermind behind the In the Game vision. Back in 2007, Mark set out to create a company that captured the passion, intensity, and unrivaled commitment toward high school athletics in the South Georgia area. Today, that vision has become a reality, and he continues to be the leading influence in what lies ahead for In the Game, despite his annual prediction that UGA will win the National Championship.

As a Pine Mountain, Georgia, native, Mandy’s move to Valdosta has brought enhanced artistry and intricacy to the ITG design team. The University of West Georgia alum graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in art with a concentration in graphic design. Her artistic nature has allowed her to use graphic design to win national and international design competitions, all of which are meant to serve as diversions and coping mechanisms for Alabama’s loss in the National Championship.

Anna became a member of the ITG Next team in 2016, serving as an intern for three semesters. After graduating from Valdosta State University in 2017, she remained with the team as an editor, devoting her editorial eye to the company for two years before becoming the Director of Operations. In her free time, Anna enjoys reading and writing. More importantly, although she claims to be a fan of the New Orleans Saints, there is fortunately no other sign of such irrational fandom.

Andrew Pipkin Account Executive

Phil Jones

Tyrah Walker

Broadcaster/Writer

Broadcaster

Born and raised in South Georgia, Andrew attended Valdosta State University where he obtained a degree in marketing and business. He is passionate about sports, especially high school football (Go Cats!). Andrew’s focus is to develop and cultivate relationships with businesses all around South Georgia. Like so many other Georgia Bulldogs fans, his hopes of a national championship increase every year, but in the end they are just long lost dreams.

Phil Jones is a native of South Georgia and calls Valdosta home. He is a 19-year veteran of the newspaper business, during which time he served as chairman of the Georgia Press Association’s Sales and Marketing Committee. He was also recognized as the state’s top newspaper circulation and sales director in 2002. Phil has worked in the radio industry for the last 12 years as host of The Afternoon Sports Drive, a daily sports show devoted mostly to high school football and other local sports.

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Tyrah Walker is excited to join the ITG Next family as one of the on-air hosts. A graduate of the preeminent University of South Florida, she received her bachelor's degree in mass communications with an emphasis in broadcast news (Go, Bulls!).

Tyrah is also an author. She is looking forward to sharing sports stories with the community. When she's not hosting or blogging, Tyrah enjoys reading, photography, and spending time with family.

Feature Writers Phil Jones Kaitlyne Piper Advertising/Marketing Andrew Pipkin andrew@itgnext.com Mark Dykes mark@itgnext.com Digital Manager Mandy Douthit

ITG Next is published bi-monthly. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in part or in full without written consent from the publisher.

Dykes Media Group LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind for accuracy of content. All advertisements are assumed by the publisher to be correct. Copyright 2021 Dykes Media Group LLC. All rights reserved. ISSN 1945-1458.

10 | itgnext.com

Brandon Pham

Micki Krzynski

Videographer

Contributing Photographer

Brandon recently graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in mass media. He is a sports videographer ready to get back into the action. He prefers to use Sony cameras. He currently uses a Sony 6300 but will be getting the new Sony A7siii. His dream is to be a videographer for the NFL or any sports team. His favorite sports team is Orlando City SC even though they’ve never been to the playoffs.

When it comes to loyalty to In the Game, it is hard to top Micki. Since the very beginning of In the Game, Micki has provided strong, creative, and highly professional photos. Consequently, Micki and her son/assistant, Jake, have become our go-to photo duo. With enough talent, equipment, and experience to make her dangerous, she continues to push ITG’s photography forward.

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Milton Senior Named Top Girls Lacrosse Player by ITG Next Written by: Phil Jones | Courtesy of Kenny Grimes Photography

Maddie Dora, a senior lacrosse player at Milton High School, has been named “Top Girls Lacrosse Player”

by ITG Next.

Head coach Tim Godby said he knew he had a superstar in the making the first time he met Maddie Dora.

“I first met Maddie when she was just a fifth-grader,” said Godby. “She and her family had just moved here from New York State. She enrolled in our local development league, Eagle Stixx, which I oversee.”

According to Godby, Dora stood out as an athlete, even as a young girl.

“You could see that she had the ba12 | itgnext.com

sic skill set-even at that young age-that was a step above the other players, and that’s no knock on any of the kids,” said Godby. “It’s just Maddie was a special player.”

Today, Dora has taken all those skills that she learned and has developed into one of the top girls lacrosse players in not just Georgia but the entire country.

She has just completed her senior season at Milton, capping what has been a stellar high school career with the Lady Eagles.

Dora helped lead her team to the GHSA Class 6A/7A State Championship in 2019 and this past

2021 season, a dominating performance over West Forsyth. The state title capped off a season that saw the Lady Eagles finish undefeated at 21-0. It was Milton’s 14th overall state championship in girls lacrosse.

Dora scored 112 goals this season, with 42 assists. She also had 48 draw controls and caused 22 turnovers. She was selected as a member of the 2019 Georgia Coaches Association All State Team as a sophomore and to play on the 2021 Under Armour All-American Lacrosse team as a senior.

The 2021 All State selections have not

yet been announced.

Dora has also been a key member of the Eagle Stixx Lacrosse Club Team since 2019. That hard work that began as a fifth-grader and continued through high school.

Club lacrosse has paid off for the Milton senior in a big way. She will attend the University of Southern California, where she’ll continue her lacrosse career as a member of the Lady Trojans. USC offered her a scholarship during her sophomore season.

During her time at Milton, Dora was an attacker for the Lady Eagles, which is the primary goal-scoring

position. She was the team’s leading scorer this past season as their primary attacker.

According to Godby, Dora has all the tools required to not only play the position but to excel there, as well.

“She knows how to use both hands really well and has the explosiveness and quickness required to get past defenders,” said Godby.

“But once you do that, you’ve still got to be able to score, and she can do that as well as anyone.”

Most elite scorers in sports want the ball in their hands when the game is on the line, and Godby says that’s Dora.

“She wants the ball all the time, and she works hard to get open, get the ball, and score the goal,” said Godby.

A part of the game that every elite athlete and goal scorer worries about is attracting the opponent’s best defenders, and many times, Dora was no different, according to Godby.

“Oh yes, Maddie drew a lot of double teams this season,” he said. “The other teams knew where she was at all times.”

Dora says her love for lacrosse began when she was growing up in New York, on Long Island, where lacrosse has always been popular.

“I was able to play both soccer and lacrosse growing up

there, and actually wanted to really play soccer in college,” said Dora.

But it was when her family moved to Georgia, when Dora became involved with the local Eagle Stixx lacrosse development league, that things changed.

“Once we moved to Georgia when I was a fifth-grader, I started focusing on

lacrosse more and just loved it,” she said. “So, I stuck with lacrosse.”

Dora says lacrosse was attracting because it is more exciting than soccer.

“With lacrosse, I think its more exciting, plus the speed of the game is amazing, and it’s such a finesse sport,” she said. “It’s so much fun to play and be a part of.”

Dora says she is excited about starting the next chapter of her life, which will be as a member of one of the most elite lacrosse programs in Division I at USC. “I can’t wait,” said the soon-to-be USC Lady Trojan. “I leave on Aug.16th to go out and get settled, then my move-in day is just a couple of days later.”

Dora is the latest in a line of great lacrosse players that have hailed from Milton High School.

Godby says without Dora, the Lady Eagles would have had a more challenging state championship game.

“It would have been a lot tougher road with out her, I can guarantee you that,” said Godby.

ITG Next | 13

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Lowndes Wrestler Hunter McCullough Wins Individual State Championship Written by: Phil Jones Photography by: Micki K Photography

Hunter McCullough is finally a state champion.

The Lowndes sophomore captured his first state championship this year at the GHSA Traditional State Wrestling Championships in Macon. He defeated West Forsyth’s Reed Walker in the 106-pound weight class to take the championship.

Hunter is the son of Christal and Tom McCullough, and he is one of the three McCullough triplets. His brothers also wrestle, and all three are very good at what they do.

His brother Cole, who wrestles at 113 pounds, was the state runner-up last year as a freshman, and his brother Ethan placed fourth at 113 pounds this year at the same tournament that saw Hunter win the state championship.

In fact, Hunter says that, after watching his brother Cole during that stellar performance last year, he became motivated to work harder and push himself even more at practice in hopes of winning a state championship. It worked.

The state championship win is the first for the wrestling McCullough brothers trio, although it’s safe to say it won’t be the last.

This season saw Hunter make quite a run, finishing with an overall record of 22 wins and just two losses. He was ranked No. 1 in the state for the majority of the season in the 106-pound weight class, and his performance at the various meets and matches shows that the top ranking was well deserved.

The state championship win is the first for the wrestling McCullough brothers trio, although it’s safe to say it won’t be the last.

He started off wrestling in The Grapple on the Gridiron and went undefeated. He went undefeated at the Tifton duals, and he won every match at the regional duals. Once again, Hunter went undefeated at the 4-man challenge, pinning the No. 2-ranked wrestler at the time.

Hunter would place second at the Region 1-7A individuals, and, in his state championship title match, he won by a technical fall 17-2.

Hunter and his brothers took up wrestling after visiting their aunt in Augusta during their summer break heading into their sixth-grade school year. The school where their aunt was working hosted a wrestling camp, and Hunter and his brothers just

happened to be there that day. They went to the camp to simply watch.

“We liked it right away and knew it was something that we wanted to try,” Hunter said.

That year would begin the McCullough brothers wrestling career, and they haven’t looked back since.

Hunter wrestles in what is known as “Folkstyle” with his Lowndes team, but he wrestles in a different style with his club teams, the Devil Dogs out of Valdosta and The Storm Center in Perry, in the offseason. There, he wrestles what is known as “Greco/Freestyle.”

Christal McCullough says Hunter is dedicated to making himself the best wrestler that he can be.

ITG Next | 17

“He works out with his brothers at least four days a week right now during the offseason, wrestling freestyle, Greco Roman, and Folkstyle, hoping for a spot on the National Dualsteam with Team Georgia and a chance to go to individual Nationals in Fargo, ND.” She goes on to explain Hunter’s schedule during the school season.

“That’s when they do folkstyle, and they’ll practice five to six days a week, with two daily practices on at least two of those days.”

Hunter’s head wrestling coach at Lowndes, Spencer Graybeal, says Hunter is special because he stays hungry.

“Hunter has an extremely good work ethic and is always hungry to win. He is truly a student of the sport.

Those things are what makes him a champion.”

Hunter says his success is because of his family, his parents, his brothers and his aunt Carol, who was the person who first introduced he and his brothers to wrestling.

“I’m thankful for everyone in my family, my brothers and my coaches. I wouldn’t be where I’m at without any of those people. My high school coaches Spencer Greybeal, Coach Alligood, Coach Giddens, Coach Williamson and Coach Godwin. I also am thankful to my club coaches Jason Griner, Coach Paradise, Coach Carr and Coach Mike Di. I want to be sure to thank them all.”

Well done, Hunter.

Could it be that we’ll be talking about three state champions from the family next year?

18 | itgnext.com

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Camden Wins Seventh Straight Combined State Wrestling Championship Written by: Phil Jones | Photography submitted by Jess Wilder and courtesy of Amber Cloy

Ask any coach in any sport at any level and they’ll all tell you the same thing: It’s hard to win a state championship. It takes everything coming together at the right moment. Now, consider that you’ve won it all seven times in a row. Does the word “remarkable” come to mind? It should.

Remarkable seems to be just the right description to use when talking about the accomplishments of the Camden County High School wrestling team over the past seven seasons. That’s how many state championships the wrestling Wildcats have won consecutively under head coach Jess Wilder.

20 | itgnext.com

To take it a step further, now consider the fact that Camden County has won those state championships in two separate categories: dual and traditional wrestling. Wilder says what makes this year’s state titles even more improbable was the fact that there was little to no offseason.

“COVID really put us behind, as it did every sport,” Wilder, who just completed his 15th season as the Wildcats’ head wrestling coach, said.

“We just didn’t have a chance to do much with these guys because, while other sports can accomplish some things virtually with individual weight training, keeping up with playbooks

and those kind of things, we need two guys to wrestle. That’s to practice technique, speed... so, I was really worried that we would not be as sharp as we have been in past seasons.”

But, in the end, Camden County was able to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and win another state wrestling championship.

In winning the traditional wrestling championship, they outdistanced the West Forsyth wrestling team by 101 points, 253.5 to 152.5.

Three individual wrestlers captured state titles: freshman Konlin Weaver in the 126-pound class, junior Riley Dahlgren in the 120-pound

class, and senior Kaleb Clark in the 132-pound class.

The remaining Camden wrestlers who placed were juniors Anthony Doyle, junior Cah’Mari Johnson and senior Garrett Gaston. They each finished in second place in their respective weight categories.

Finishing in third place were senior Daniel Fredericks, sophomore Mat Morton and junior Anthony Yancey.

Placing fourth at state were junior Deonte Dozier and sophomore Brit Blair, while junior Porter Bryant placed fifth.

For those wrestling novices who may be wondering what the differences are in “traditional” wrestling versus “dual” wrestling, coach Wilder explains: “When you hear traditional wrestling, think individual wrestling. In traditional wrestling, individual wrestlers can qualify for the state tournament in their individual weight class and win an individual — or traditional — state championship.

“In dual wrestling, each team has 14 weight classes, and you put your

best wrestler from each weight class, and they will wrestle against another team’s wrestler at that same weight class. So, my top 14 wrestlers will wrestle against the other teams top 14 wrestlers. The great thing about dual wrestling is that your weakest kid is just as important as your strongest kid.

So, just as traditional is individual, the duals are more of a team concept.”

Speaking of the team concept, Camden County won their seventh straight Dual Wrestling State Championship with a dominating 63-12 victory over West Forsyth High School. Just as Wilder explained, it was Camden County’s 14 wrestlers in their respective weight classes taking on West Forsyth’s top 14 wrestlers. In the end, Camden won in 12 of the 14 weight classes to take the title.

It marked the conclusion of a dominating performance that started earlier, with Camden County soundly defeating Archer High School in their first match of the day by a 62-point margin. Then, the Wildcat wrestling team would improve upon that victo-

ry with a 66-point win over Lowndes High School. That would set up the third and final match of the day, the 51-point win over the Wolverines of West Forsyth.

While Wilder has Camden’s wrestling program rolling along like a fine-tuned machine, it wasn’t always this way.

“When I first got here, it was really annoying, to be honest with you,” Wilder said. “Most of the kids felt like they were doing us a favor by showing up.”

He says that wasn’t necessarily their fault, though.

“Hey, kids will take things as far as you let them, and I believe that’s what happened here. There were some really good kids, but the culture of working hard was not here…it was just not where it needed to be if Camden County was going to become a championship-caliber program,” he said.

So, Wilder went to work on changing that culture. First, he went into the

ITG Next | 21

halls and talked to anyone interested in becoming a wrestler.

“Wrestling is a numbers game,” he said. “You’ve got to have the numbers because a lot of kids will quit. That’s true in any sport.

But, if you don’t get them to come out and at least try it, you’ll never know if they were cut out for it.”

Once Wilder got kids interested in coming out for the team, he told them that it doesn’t matter if you know anything about wrestling or not.

“That was actually an advantage for us, I think, that they didn’t really know much about the sport of wrestling because that enabled us to teach them from the ground up,” Wilder said.

“I told everyone that came out for wrestling, and still do, that it doesn’t 22 | itgnext.com

matter how strong you are, or if you are an athlete. It’s all about technique.

I’m a big believer that technique trumps everything else. Proper technique can compensate for lack of ability, strength, height, or anything else.

You can be as strong as an ox and stink at wrestling, and you can be the best athlete and stink at wrestling. So, getting the kids out that were interested in learning, and wanted to get better was the first step in changing the culture.”

He also said that he doesn’t believe in captains.

“I don’t think captains are necessary or relevant. I believe in a culture where the expectations are the same for everyone.”

Wilder also doesn’t expect his wrestlers to wrestle year-round. But,

he does expect them to be active in some sport.

“Unless a young wrestler is trying to get caught up in his wrestling abilities and technique, then I don’t necessarily believe that he or she needs to automatically join a club wrestling team. I see that a lot in this sport, and, for some, it may be necessary, but, for some kids who are locked in to the technique and understand the sport, I really don’t think it’s necessary.”

It’s hard to argue against coach Jess Wilder and his culture. The results speak for themselves in the Camden County wrestling program.

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Jeff Davis Baseball Wins Back-To-Back State Titles Written by: Zach Edmondson | Photography submitted by: Paul Glass

On May 22, the Jeff Davis baseball team won the 2021 GHSA Class 2A state championship after sweeping Lovett in Game One and Game Two. The state playoffs were canceled in 2020, but Jeff Davis won the state championship in 2019, which makes them backto-back state champions.

In 2019, it was a battle of the Yellowjackets.

The Rockmart Yellowjackets beat the Jeff Davis Yellowjackets 4-1 in Game One. Rockmart pitcher Ty Floyd was being touted as “the best they had ever seen” in school history, according to Jeff Davis head coach Paul Glass. Still, Jeff Davis won 4-2 in Game Two, and, to seal their second baseball state championship in program history, Jeff Davis shut out Rockmart 2-0 in Game 3.

The team only graduated one senior from the 2019 state championship team. The 2019 team featured seven sophomores and one freshman, several of which contributed greatly in the 2021 state championship series.

Before Jeff Davis would reach the state title in 2021, they would endure a disappointing 2020 season that was cut short due to COVID-19. “Players didn’t get reps because the season was cut short,” coach Glass said. There were a lot of unanswered questions regarding the team’s ability going into the 2021 season. “There were a lot of new faces and a lack of experience,” coach Glass said. “We had a lot of questions to an24 | itgnext.com

swer, but we knew, if we could answer some questions from 2020, that we could compete.”

Hamp Hayes was a sophomore in 2019. He was responsible for one of the two RBI’s that led Jeff Davis to their shutout state title victory in Game Three in 2019. In the 2021 state title game series, in Game Two, Hayes recorded an RBI that resulted in a score

by Matthew Glass, who was the sole freshman in 2019. Senior Cade Walters recorded a triple RBI in the bottom of the third inning in Game Two of the 2021 state title game series, and the team scored five runs in that inning before winning the game 8-3. Walters was a sophomore on the 2019 team.

Jeff Davis’ strengths in 2021 were the team’s pitching and defense.

Cole Baucom and Matthew White were sophomores in 2019 and served as relief pitchers.

In 2021, Baucom and White stepped into the roles of the team’s main pitchers. Freshmen Alex Mason and Duke stone were now the ones coming in to relieve Baucom and White. Jeff Davis defeated Callaway before they played Lovett for the state title. Stone was the pitcher who won the game for the Yellowjackets in Game Three against Callaway. In the state title game against Lovett, it was Mason who struck out their last batter and sealed the win for the Yellowjackets. Cam Williams was a main pitcher during the

regular season, but the coaches decided to rest him in the playoffs because he developed a sore arm.

Besides the Yellowjackets’ formidable pitching rotation, the defense was led by Hamp Hayes at first base, Ethan Hulett at second base, Conner Rea at third base and Matthew Glass at catcher.

The Yellowjackets’ weakness was batting.

The team hit less than six homeruns throughout the year. For comparison, shortstop Britt Metts, who graduated in 2020, hit 11 homeruns by himself as a senior.

“We didn’t have any really big hitters,” coach Glass said. “Because of this, we had to manufacture runs with bunts and things like that. Some people would call that boring baseball, but you got to do what you got to do.”

Boring baseball or not, it’s safe to say that it worked for the Yellowjackets and the proof is in the second consecutive state title they claimed on May 22.

Going forward, coach Glass says the team is back in “answering-question mode again.” The Yellowjackets graduated seven seniors in the Class of 2021 and pretty much lost their entire infield.

The people of Hazlehurst are hoping the team can get those questions answered, continue their success on the field and bring another state title home in the near future.

Claudia Erwin Parkview

ITG Next | 25

Valwood Volleyball Captures State Championship Written by: Phil Jones Submitted by: Kennedy Kimbro

The Valwood Valiants have enjoyed stellar success among the school’s different sports teams throughout the history of the school, winning multiple region and state championships.

The Valiants’ first-ever state championship came in 1974, when the boys soccer team won it all. They defeated an out-of-state school, McClay High School from Tallahassee, in a game that was considered the state championship contest for the 1974 school year.

Since then, the school has claimed 19 state championships, including the 2020 Valwood Volleyball team. That squad, coached

by Val Callahan, claimed that sports’ first state title in the history of the school this past season with a record of 20-5. Their only losses were to GHSA Class 6A program Lee County (twice); a loss to Tift County, who they defeated in their other matchup as part of a twogame split; a loss against eventual GISA 2A state champion Oak Mountain Academy; and finally, their only other loss was to Dominion Christian in Marietta. However, Valwood would get revenge on the Knights when it mattered most in the 2020 state championship.

Although Valwood had a volleyball program when the school first opened, it fizzled out at some point and remained dormant for years. That all changed in 2013 when Callahan was asked if she would be interested in resurrecting the Valwood volleyball program. She played high school volleyball in Texas, and she was recruited by Valdosta State University. After her playing days ended, Callahan then moved over to the coaching side, taking over the Valwood Volleyball program.

In her first year as coach in 2013, Callahan led the team to a 7-7 record and a fourth-place finish in the region. Over the next three years, Valwood would continue to improve, advancing to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs in each season. Then, in 2017, the team would get even closer with a third-place finish in the state playoffs before finally breaking through to the state championship match the next season in 2018. There, they lost to The Heritage School in Newnan. Despite losing in the finals, Callahan says that they had finally broke through a barrier that was as much mental as it was physical.

“We finally proved to ourselves that we could beat the Atlanta area teams that had been our biggest nemesis from making it to our goal of a state championship,” Callahan said.

Just when it seemed that the team was ready to go for it all in 2019, they suffered an earlier-than-expected exit in the playoffs, unable to advance past the Elite Eight. Then, as the next season began, Callahan says that a defining moment for her Valwood team came during the “Endless Summer” tournament when they played

a tough Dominion Christian team known for having one of the best volleyball programs in the state.

“Even though we lost to them, it showed us what we were up against if we had any expectations of winning a championship,” Callahan said. “We knew that was the level of competition we were going to have to beat if we wanted to reach our ultimate goal of winning a championship.”

As fate would have it, Valwood would get another shot at Dominion Christian.

After that early season tournament loss to the Knights, Valwood’s season didn’t get any easier. The gauntlet of opponents included several larger public school programs including Tift County, Lowndes, Valdosta and Lee County. Still, Valwood would rack up win after win.

Finally, Valwood had achieved their goal of reaching a state championship, and it came against a familiar foe: Dominion Christian. In a rematch against the team that had handed them their first loss in that early season tournament, Valwood would get a chance at redemption, defeating the Knights 3-1. Callahan says it was a true team effort.

“We don’t have tryouts,” she said. “Every girl that wants to play makes the team.”

The roster consisted of 17 players, including three seniors, seven juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.

A team leader this past season was senior Kennedy Kimbro, who led the team in aces with 83 and assists with 571. Kimbro was also selected as All-Region and All-State.

Junior Bailee Musgrove led the Valiants in kills with 180, while junior Marleigh Carson led the team with 164 digs.

Freshman Caylee Collins led the team in blocks with 30.

All-Region selections from Valwood’s state championship team included Kimbro, Musgrove, Collins, junior Ellie Griner, Marleigh Carson, senior Makayla Yates and Honorable Mention junior Aiyana Matchett. Kimbro, Yates, Musgrove and Griner also made All-State.

Charlotte Griner and Kimbro were both four-year starters.

Kimbro will attend Columbia College, where she’ll continue her volleyball career.

Valwood finished the championship season with a 20-5 overall record under the direction of not just one Callahan, but two. Chad Callahan served as the assistant coach to his wife, head coach Val Callahan.

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Ending with Gold Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photography by: Brandon Pham

Zach Brown ended his high school career on a high note. He took home the GHSA state title for the discus throw in track and field.

The start of his love for track and field, specifically for the discus throw and shot put, began when he was in seventh grade. He took a year off to pursue other sports and academic interests, but he soon found his way back into track and field.

“I watched a lot of YouTube videos of the greats, so I tried to mock

their every move and get as many throws in as possible,” Brown said.

For men, the discus weighs two kilograms, which equals out to about 4.5 pounds. Then, for shot put, the ball weighs 7.26 kilograms which is 16 pounds. Controlling such a heavy weight with one arm can be quite difficult to do. Brown says one of his weaknesses is rushing. “I tend to mess up when I rush, there’s a lot of small things that have to be on point when throwing, so if I rush a

throw and miss a step, it won’t turn out good.”

However, he mentions that his strength is literally gaining strength.

From the beginning, Brown’s grandmother has been an addition to his strength and ability to succeed.

“She saw me start all of my sports, but she isn’t here to see me shine in person right now, but I know if she was here, she would be super proud,” Brown said.

Each year he has improved, so, each season, he is better than he was the season before. Then, to add to his strength, is the support from his community. It can be overwhelming since it comes from all types of people around him, including family, staff and his fellow students.

With an entire community behind him, Brown went on to win the gold at the GHSA track and field discus throw event. This isn’t his first time winning.

“The first time, it felt unreal, the feeling was unmatched by anything,” Brown said. As for this second time, he again had the community behind him to push him towards another win.

“I didn’t quite perform how I wanted to, so it feels like I left with unfinished business,” Brown said.

Brown won with a 149-2 lead over his opponents. Though it wasn’t what he expected, it was “still a bless-

ing and still an accomplishment,” according to Brown.

High school has come to an end for Brown, but the memories will stick with him, along with the winning records. As for his future, Brown plans to stay close to his community, as they have given him so much strength for so long.

“I’d like to thank everyone who supported me throughout my high school career. It really kept me going all four years, and I’ll never forget the people who supported me,” he said.

It is easy to tell that Zach Brown is very humble and grateful for his success, which is just as, if not more important than the actual accomplishments.

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Saying Goodbye with A Ring Written by: Kaitlyne Piper | Photography by: Brandon Pham

A chance to pull off an undefeated season was killed at the very end, but the team still came out on top with a state championship win

by Shoshoni Williams.

The team had a 38-1 season. Many of the kids who wrestle play football as well. This loss occurred at the 4A state championship after a football game against Marist. Although the loss was an upset, losses can serve to make players and teams stronger.

“Very proud of our season; we finished the season with a 31-6 dual record,” coach Randy Moss said. “We made it to the 4A State duals semifinals before losing to a very tough Flowery Branch team 37-35.”

“If you don’t believe that you are better, you will lose every time."

— Randy Moss

According to Moss, they prepare the same way each week. The team endures a grueling hour and a half practice, gym workouts, tons of fitness testing, and they end their training sessions with mat work for about an hour. In the wrestling program at Perry High school, they try to teach the basics and drill them into the kids’ minds, so that it becomes second nature. Also, they try to instill confidence into their kids, so that they believe that they are better than any other wrestler. Confidence in a sport can translate to a kid’s confidence in the real world, like with academics.

“If you don’t believe that you are better, you will lose every time,” coach Moss said.

These long practices can be tiring, however, all that hard work pays off. As a team, they placed fourth in their 2020 traditional tournament. They ended the year with three state finalists and two state champions. Their grueling preparation and practices are making an impact.

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Williams took home the 4A title at 195 pounds. Throughout his fight to the finals, he went through without a pin against him. During the first period of his last dual, he was trailing 1-4 until he quickly changed pace and pulled up with a 4-6. Though he was still trailing behind, he took control. Williams used his skills, learned from coach Moss, to escape a takedown and a near fall within a matter of seconds. He kept up his strength to keep his lead for the rest of the match. His coach says that he has put his heart into his sport, and that is what led him to his win.

“He truly loves the sport,” coach Moss said.

Many would not even know that Williams’ weakness comes from not being on the mat at an early age. Spectators would never even know this because of how well he has performed in his career, especially now that he has just won a state title. Williams is said to handle stress tremendously well. Throughout the season, he was a highly-touted wrestler. Even during the championship, he was favored to win. That is a lot of weight on one’s shoulders.

Williams stuck with what he knew when on the mat. He would make moves that he knew he was comfortable with in order to succeed.

His style is resorting to upper body moves and scoring on defense. The biggest strength he has comes from his thought process, and he is a very committed wrestler and teammate.

“Even though wrestling is considered an individual sport, our kids really enjoy the team atmosphere better,” coach Moss said.

Williams’ high school wrestling career is coming to an end, and coach Moss’ time with the program is over now that his team has won a state championship. As for Williams, he has committed to Lander University in Greenwood, S.C. Coach Moss isn’t leaving the high school, but he will be focusing on other sports. He is leaving the wrestling program, but not without a sincere farewell: “After 27 years of coaching wrestling, I am honored to go out with this team and this group of seniors. I will miss it, but looking forward to staying involved in other capacities to help promote our program.”

An amazing program has been left in place at Perry. As for Williams and Coach Moss, their new programs can only get better with their knowledge of teamwork, commitment, confidence and strong mentality.

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Bears Dominate with Record-Setting Season En Route to a Championship Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Brandon Pham

Houston County is no stranger to winning state championships. After all, they have captured the title in three of the last seven years, winning it all in 2014, 2016, and now the 2020 Bears are class 6A state champions.

Head coach Matt Hopkins has been a big part of each of those titles, first, as an assistant to head coach Jason Brett’s staff during the 2014 and 2016 titles. But it was Hopkins who oversaw this most recent Houston County baseball state championship, a 2-0 series win over Lassiter High, played at Atlanta’s Truist Park, home of the Braves. The sweep in the biggest series of the year was fitting, considering that Houston County ended the season on a 20-1 run. The only blemish during that incredible streak came during the final four, a 6-0 loss to Allatoona. Ironically, a loss by that same score earlier during the regular season was what woke the Bears from hibernation and set them on the path to the title. Houston County was right at the halfway point of the season, having played 20 games into the schedule. The Bears were in Valdosta for a key region matchup with the Wildcats. Hopkins recalls the

day with a vivid memory.

“It was March 26, and we were in Valdosta to play the Wildcats in a region game. We lost that game 6-0,” recalls Hopkins.

“We were down, hanging our heads, and I thought our guys were pressing…they just needed a break.” So, instead of running his players through a practice right away, the head coach decided to try something different. “I thought it might just do the guys some good to simply get away from baseball for a day, so that’s what we did.” Hopkins gathered the team and took them to Rigby’s Entertainment Complex, an amusement center complete with arcade games, puttputt, bowling and other fun stuff. “I just wanted the guys to let off some steam,” Hopkins said.

It worked. After the fun excursion that allowed the team to take their minds off of baseball for a day, they came back refreshed and ready to go. Once the Bears resumed play that following Tuesday, they played like a team on a mission. “That’s when it all clicked for us,” Hopkins said. Houston County would defeat West Laurens by a score of 15-0 in a game that was called after four in-

nings due to the mercy rule. In that game, Bears pitcher and FSU commit Brodie Chestnutt pitched a no-hitter. Hopkins says that win put his team back on track, and they never looked back, winning 20 of their final 21 games, including dominating playoff series wins against Richmond Hill, East Paulding, Allatoona and the finale against Lassiter High. During

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those playoffs, they outscored their opponents 82-13, with Hopkins using a three-man pitching rotation. The trio of Brodie Chestnutt, Coleman Willis and Andrew Dunford combined to go 101. Willis allowed just one run in five of those playoff starts.

Hopkins says that he thought the blueprint for this year’s state championship actually started during the 2019 season, and into last year’s COVID-19-abbreviated season. “We won the region championship for just the second time in school history that year (2019), and finished 2412 and advanced to the Elite 8,” Hopkins said.

That was his first year as the head coach of Bears baseball after taking over for Brett. Last season saw the Bears finish 6-6 before play was halted, but Hopkins said he felt like his team was poised to have a big season. Houston County was bringing back 11 seniors from the 2020 season with a lot of playing experience. That group included players that looked like they were ready for the football field rather than the baseball diamond. They were led by seniors Chestnutt, a six-foot-five first baseman/pitcher. Willis is six-foot-seven, and Dunford is a six-foot-seven junior. The Bears have a couple of outfielders who also stand over six feet tall, and were, no pun intended, big contributors this year. They are junior Gage Harrelson and senior Treyson Hughes. Both players are six-foot-three. The Bears dominated the All-Region 1-6A selections, with Chestnutt, Willis, Harrelson, Hughes, and Dunford being named to the First Team All-Region team. Joining them 36 | itgnext.com

were second baseman Christian Davis, shortstop Trent Ringer, third baseman Drew Burress.

Named Second Team All-Region were catcher Garrrett Hortman, outfielder EJ Lewis, outfielder Chris Le and Dunford as a pitcher. Willis and Harrelson were named Co-Players of the Year, with Chestnutt selected as the Region Pitcher of the Year.

The Bears will return starters Harrelson, Hortman, Burress and Dunford next season. Hopkins will have to replace several departing seniors, several of whom are headed to play in college.

They are Willis (UGA), Chestnutt (FSU), Hughes (West Virginia), Lewis (Barton College), and Le (St. Andrews University).

Christian Davis and Trent Ringer will also graduate.

Role player Eli Sikes also graduates. Hopkins and his assistants Chris Harrelson, Jared Allen, Randy Jones, Steve Pickett, Nate Moorehouse and Ethan Broome will all be back to try and rally the Bears to a repeat championship season in 2022.

Congratulations to the Houston County Bears, the GHSA Class 6A state baseball champions.

South Georgia Sports Academy • Focus #1 – player development at a young age • Hire the best coaches available who have the greatest knowledge • Compete against the best competition we can find • Winning is important but not the major factor in development • Challenge kids to become the best they can • Failure is our best coach • Provide quality travel ball opportunities for players here in South Ga without having to play for a team in metro Atlanta or Florida

• Type of player we’re looking for: those who are committed to improving their game, are coachable, want to play against the best competition available, and are interested in becoming the best player that they can be • We will employ coaches with the same beliefs that we have • End goal – High school and college opportunities

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We are so excited to actually be sending kids to in-person camps this summer.

We have groups from Berrien County, Tift County, Irwin County, Cook and Lanier County to name a few that will be going off to camp. FCA’s 2021 Camp Theme is PURSUE. Much like we pursue our goals in sports, God does the same with us. He pursues us. He loves us and accepts us as we are. Success in no longer defined by our skills. With Him, we can leave the pressure of performance behind. With Him, we’re already a winner. His sacrifice for us gives us significance.

We have a new purpose when we play. We can pursue the mission He has paved for us: a relationship with Him. This is taken from FCA.org’s website explaining this year’s theme. What a wonderful experience these athletes will have at camp!

In April, we had our ninth Annual Golf Tournament, which was held at Spring Hill Country Club in Tifton, Ga. We had a great turnout and finished up just before the rain came. It was perfect timing. The Silent Auction was very successful, as was the meal afterward. This is currently Tifton’s main fundraiser for FCA. We do hope to schedule a banquet for later in the year. Once a date and speaker are confirmed, we will make an announcement.

Other events going on with FCA are our Annual Spring Fundraising Banquet in Valdosta on June 5 with Benjamin Watson. We also have banquets lined up for Berrien County on June 25 and Cook County on June 26. Sid Bream will be speaking at both of these events.

If you are interested in volunteering with FCA or making a donation, please call our office at 229-245-1717 or email donnajones@fca.org.

“Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11.

Southeast Georgia Fellowship of Christian Athletes

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PARKVIEW BASEBALL 3 PEAT Written by: Jacob Johnson | Photography submitted by Chan Brown

Parkview High School baseball has been a perennial powerhouse in Georgia for over a decade, and much of their success comes from the program that head coach Chan Brown has created at the school.

Parkview baseball has won nine state championships in school history. Brown has led eight of those teams, and he credits much of the success to the culture that his assistant coaches and players have bought into every year, including his team this year, after winning another state title.

Brown said he knew it would not be easy this year after losing six players from last season that went on to play Division-I baseball. However, he knew his current players could do something great and continue their tradition of winning.

“The kids had to believe in the process that we do at Parkview Baseball,” said coach Brown.

“Once the players and the coaching staff got 40 | itgnext.com

on the same page, the sky was the limit for this team.”

Getting players to completely buy in to what a coach is telling them is not always an easy task, but it is something that Brown has been able to accomplish a lot throughout his time at Parkview; furthermore, that has put him in a position to not only win several championships, but also multiple coach of the year awards.

Brown credits his personal awards to the very program that drives his team success.

“Winning coach of the year is not about me,” coach Brown said.

“Winning coach of the year means my coaching staff did a great job . . . it means the players did a great job.”

This season was different for every team after last season was canceled due to concerns revolving around COVID-19, meaning these players were unable to play the game they have loved for so long.

Brown knew it would

not be easy to win another title with all the regulations and rules that were put in place for player and coach safety, but the principles this program was founded on and continues to strive for, gives this team a chance to always be successful.

For Parkview this season, they started out slow, going 11-10 and making any playoff hopes look bleak at most, but the coaches and players rallied together and got back on track.

“We had to work very hard to get this team right and to get this team believing they could win a state championship,” said coach Brown. “Once this group got that winning feeling they never looked back.”

The Panthers ended the season on an 18 game winning streak, and of course, winning the state championship, but it was how they got there that truly showed how dominant this team was.

In the final nine games during regular

season, the Panthers held opposing teams to under three runs seven times, with their only close game coming from Chattanooga, Tennessee's Baylor High School, but they still could not get within three scores of the Panthers.

Much of the team's success this season can be attributed to the dominant performance

from the pitching staff throughout the season, especially during the playoffs.

Panther’s pitcher Mason Brown pitched just over 75 innings during the season, striking out 85 batters, and posting an amazing .208OBA. The Panther’s dominance during the regular season continued during the playoffs. During the

final two rounds, when the level of competition got tougher, so did Parkview, only allowing opposing teams hitters to average above the .200 mark one time.

Throughout the playoffs the Panthers did not lose a single game, and most of their games were decided by more than five runs. It was not until the championship game that a team in the playoffs came within two scores of beating them.

For any coach or team that wins multiple championships, the feeling never gets old, but for coach Brown this is especially true, as he continues to break new records. This year's team was the first 7A school to win three consecutive state titles.

Along with several state and national championships, Parkview has created a culture that consistently produces Division I talent, and coach Brown says that culture comes from the program they have created.

“I think the tradition of the program keeps the kids focused,” said coach Brown. “The yearround program we do at Parkview helps these kids continue to be successful.”

What coach Brown and his staff are doing is working and continues to put his team in a position to win championships.

Looking at next season, Parkview is faced with several things working against them, and every high school program across the nation.

It is something Coach Brown refers to as “everyone wins a trophy mentality,” and he believes that this hurts kids in the long run. Coach Brown aims to break this

mentality, teaching them to be good men in life and showing his players that in order to achieve something great, it may not always be fun.

Being diagnosed with thyroid cancer before last season, coach Brown knows how hard life can be; however, using his own teachings and principles, he came to work ready to give his all.

His determination and fight is an inspiration to not only his players, but to anyone who wishes to be successful in life.

At the end of the day, coach Brown describes his program as one that does not just produce good baseball players, but great men, who will be able to do great things in life.

“We want life long relationships built through our program,” said Brown. “We want everyone that comes through Parkview Baseball to know we will always be family.”

These are the building blocks of his program and the results speak for themselves. No other baseball program in Georgia has been able to accomplish what Parkview has done over the time coach Brown has been the head coach.

This season, look for the Panthers to continue their winning ways and produce more Division I caliber players, but more importantly, men who will do great things off the field as well.

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IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photography courtesy of Austin Jernigan

“It was a feeling like no other,” Pierce County senior linebacker Austin Jernigan said, when describing what it was like to become a GHSA Class 3A state champion in football.

“The nerves and the anxiousness of going to the biggest game of a lifetime was unreal,” he said.

Pierce County just won their first-ever state football title. The game was scoreless until the fourth quarter when both teams scored touchdowns. Oconee County’s quarterback threw a touchdown pass, and Pierce County scored a touchdown from 10 yards out. With a 7-7 tie, came overtime.

Tensions were high for both teams after going into overtime. Finally, the Pierce County Bears won their game against Oconee County 13-7. While in overtime, a Pierce County running back took his first carry of the drive fifteen yards for the game-winning score. Then, the defense went to work by keeping Oconee off the scoreboard.

Pierce County ended their season with 13 wins and only one loss.

“WINNING STATE WAS A FEELING I CAN’T EVEN REALLY DESCRIBE WITH WORDS,” JERNIGAN SAID. “THE OVERWHELMING JOY AND HAPPINESS FROM THAT DAY WAS UNREAL. THAT FEELING OF ALL THE WORK PUT IN PAYING OFF LIKE THAT WAS SOMETHING I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.”

STATS ON JERNIGAN Tackles: 129 Solo Tackles: 63 Interceptions: 3 Touchdowns: 3 Sacks: 6.5 Tackle for loss: 20

Jernigan wasn’t the only senior who got to experience the championship win; about 19 others got to feel the “unreal” joy. It was just as much as a shock to them as it was to the county. Considering that Pierce County high School had never won a state championship, it’s understandable why so many were shocked at the game’s results.

“We came out and played great defense until the end and the offense scored when needed and got it done,” Jernigan said.

Jernigan, being a linebacker, was part of that defense who held on to the end for the win. He mentions that his knowledge for the game makes up for his lack of speed. His football IQ has put him in the position to be a state championship winner.

Pierce County was able to have a very successful season, despite the inconveniences that arose from COVID-19. Nevertheless, Jernigan says it only made him want to play more. There is not just one specific person that motivated him to play; instead, it is his family, team, coaches and his community. His head coach, Ryan Herring, should be commended, as he led the team to region champion-status and a state title win. As for his family, team and community, Jernigan says that the way they believed in their small town was something that motivated him as a player.

“I just love to play the game and give it everything I possibly can,” Jernigan said.

The senior is off to bigger and better things, but he won’t forget what he accomplished at Pierce County High School or the kind of football player that his team made him.

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JaDarian Rhym Valdosta

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Newnan's Recovery Starting With Football Written by: Jon Nelson

The navigation we have in our phones is something we all rely on these days, I’m fairly sure.

It gives us a lot of options and a lot of different available timetables to get to our destinations. And it also gives us glimpses of where we are that we would not have thought to check otherwise.

I went to Newnan last month to check in on a spring game with Troup- a fairly normal occurrence this time of year as we close out practice, head toward dead weeks, and get ready for 2021.

There’s a new exit that gives you a third option for coming into downtown that’s tied to hospital ac-

cess one way and a two-lane road with traffic attached to the other. The latter was the one I needed to get to Drake Stadium.

With traffic backed up, my phone-navigation wizard gave me the chance to go right, go parallel, and come around from an angle I hadn’t seen before.

It certainly opened a window to a town that was still recovering from the tornado that plowed through downtown a while back. Old homesand a LOT of old homeshad blue tarps on them.

The universal sign for damage, rebirth, and renewal was all over this stretch of antebellum construction combined with a town updating

itself with new apartments and condos. Single building apartments made of brick looked like they were peeling back pull tabs for soup cans- and, then, you get to the school.

10 of the 13 buildings at Newnan High, currently, are unusable.

They’re going under a review for determining the extent of the damage and Drake took a direct hit itself. The light stanchions were all gone, the AC units on top of the press box were blown off the roof, the fieldhouse was wiped out, and the Cougars community has rallied ever since.

When Newnan Head Coach Chip Walker was looking for help, numerous other Georgia

coaches around the state reached out on their own to donate what they could. When they were looking for a Spring Game opponent, Troup’s Tanner Glisson even offered to host. Both he and Walker knew what it would mean, though, for Newnan to have this first step toward the future.

It would have to be in the afternoon because of the lack of lights.

No problem. Tell Troup where and when and they’ll be there and they were.

So were the fans of both schools with the surrounding neighborhood still staring at trees bending at funky angles and homes and families still trying to figure out their next steps.

Donations and assistance are still coming into Newnan from a lot of different directions and they couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for the support, but there’s still a long way to go- even if a football game on a mid-week afternoon gives you a piece of normal.

We’ll be keeping an eye on what’s going on, for sure!

Play it safe, everyone.

We’ll see you soon!

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Carson Tyler Diving into Indiana Written by: Phil Jones Photography by: Micki K Photography

As a youngster growing up in Moultrie, Georgia, Carson Tyler was a typical five-year-old with a lot of pent-up energy, and he was looking for a way to let it all out.

“I was always a really hyper kid, and I loved doing flips anywhere I could,” Tyler, a Colquitt County senior, said.

That love for flipping would eventually lead Tylerto diving, where he could flip without worrying about hitting the ground. That was surely a relief to his parents, Laura and Charlton Tyler.

He would eventually be led to diving through a more conventional sport: tennis.

“I was taking tennis lessons when I was five years old,” he said. “We were having a tennis camp one summer, and the courts were located next to Moss Farms (Diving). I enjoyed watching them dive, and I would walk over there when I finished up my tennis lessons. My dad and I would walk over and watch them. They were always very nice to me.”

It wasn’t long before he went from watching to joining the Moss Farms Diving Tigers program. When he turned

6 years old, he began taking lessons, and he found the perfect outlet for his love of acrobatics.

Tyler would spend the next few years learning the basics of diving, practicing on a daily basis, until one day when he knew he was ready to take the next step.

“I really gained a whole new passion for diving when I discovered that I could compete at the highest level,” he said.

So, at the age of 10, Tyler qualified for his first national meet, but didn’t actually attend and compete at the national level until 2014. He points to his first year of competing in the 14-15-year-old age group at the National Championships as his “breakthrough” moment.

“That was a big deal,” he said. “I had just moved into that group, and I was competing with older kids, so it was much harder. I knew when I placed in the top three that was a really good sign of what I was capable of.”

He was right. The USA Diving Organization placed him on the USA Diving Team, and he has never looked back. He advanced to the Junior

Nationals each year, winning medals four times.

He was also selected as one of only 24 members to represent the U.S. at the Pan American games in Chile in 2019. That was his first international meet.

In addition to participating with the USA Diving Organization through Moss Farms Diving, Tyler also swims for the Colquitt County High School team.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a stoppage of their 2020 season, Tyler and his teammates went right back to work in the 2021 season, and there were no signs that

“I really gained a whole new passion for diving when I discovered that I could compete at the highest level.”

— Carson Tyler ITG Next | 47

the one-year layoff hurt the Moultrie diver in any way. He won the GHSA 7A State Championship in 2019 before the 2020 season was cancelled.

Then, this past season, Tyler not only won the state’s highest classification, but he broke the state record by 120 points.

His accomplishments as a Moss Farms, Colquitt County, and USA Diving team member drew the attention of top college swim and dive programs all over the country, but it was the offer from Indiana University that the Colquitt County senior decided to accept.

“They have one of the country’s top diving programs of any university in the country,” Tyler said.

While the offer to attend one of the top collegiate diving programs in the world is certainly a blessing, the hopes and dreams of any athlete who participates in any Olympic-style sport is that they will one day have an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics.

When I first spoke to Tyler for this story, soon after he had won the state championship, he had mentioned to me then that he was indeed hoping for a shot at qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Tyler got his shot in early June when he traveled to Indianapolis to participate in the Olympic Trials. He is the youngest Moss Farms Diver to ever qualify for the United States Olympic Team Trials and just the fifth overall.

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Tyler had an outstanding performance at the trials. He was the lone diver out of 95 other divers to qualify in all three events, which were the 3-meter springboard, 3-meter synchronized diving, and the 3-meter platform.

He advanced to the finals in the synchronized and 3-mater platform events, but a 10th-place finish in the platform event unfortunately means that he will not be going to Tokyo to compete for the Team USA in the Olympics.

Still, his coach says we haven’t heard the last of Tyler.

“The future is bright for Carson,” Fox said. “I can see him making another run for the 2024 games in Paris.”

Tyler will participate in one more event, the Junior Nationals in Indiana, before sticking around to begin his college career at Indiana University. He’ll be a part of the Hoosiers swim squad under the direction of head coach Drew Johansen.

“They (Indiana University) have one of the country’s top diving programs of any university in the country.”

— Carson Tyler

Starting A Trend Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photography Submitted by Anson Hundley

Sticking with what they know led the Carver Lady Tigers basketball team to their second GHSA state championship title.

The girls won 70-54 against the Cairo Syrupmaids. Their road to this championship only added to the well-deserved win.

“We did not do anything new,” head coach Anson Hundley said. “I feel like what we had been doing has worked this long, so why change it now?”

The Lady Tigers finished their season with a record of 15 wins to only two losses. Then, the team went undefeated in region play. If it couldn’t get any better, they made it to states and the rest is history just repeating itself.

In their previous season, the Lady Tigers worked hard to have an undefeated season that led them to their 56-44 win over the Spalding Jaguars. Spalding beat the Lady Tigers in the 2018 season by seven points in the state finals. It is apparent that this only pushed the Lady Tigers to work harder.

Circling even further back, the Lady Tigers have had seasons where they were super close to winning the state title, but lost in overtime. They were just waiting for a few more elements to add to their program to make them state champions.

The Lady Tigers have won two state championships in their last three seasons.

The hard work and dedication being put into their program is showing off. The Lady Tigers hit the weight room and would practice on the court for multiple hours a day.

Their dedication is something truly inspiring.

There were some unexpected setbacks, such as issues pertaining to

COVID-19. Coach Hundley mentioned that some players were affected—some had to quit and others had to quarantine a few times. Part of the team’s recent seasons were cut short due to COVID-19 and so many teams opting out of playing.

Back to the big game.

“Our theme for the season was ‘come together,’” coach Hundley said. This is exactly what they did. A decent amount of the team is young, meaning it was a lot of work to grow into a team that could mesh well together. Their hard work just proves that the sky is the limit. “It’s all up to them and how hard they work.”

Another big factor in winning a game is game speeches. Coach Hundley mentioned that he stayed focused on their season theme and that a few people doubted them. He went into more detail about how a lot of people did not think that they could come together as a unit and win the state championship. Boy, did they prove them wrong.

“It was just icing on the cake,” coach Hundley said about how happy he was to prove people wrong. Many people seem to forget that COVID-19 played a big part on so many lives; these girls were athletes whose season was threatened, along with their health. Then, to have so many not believe in them could have destroyed their love for the game. Thankfully, it did not.

Some of the high scorers of the final game were three of Carver’s seniors. Three girls that got to experience two amazing wins and get rings to show off their success. It is amazing to see that COVID-19 has not ruined their chances at a basket-

ball future, especially in their senior year.

Coach Hundley has remained humble with his team’s win. “It’s an amazing feeling to win a second state championship,” he said. “There are a lot of coaches who have never had a chance to play in this game, so it is a blessing to just make it to the championship and one of the best feelings in the world to win it.”

After the post-game speech, hugs with family members and happy smiles, many of the players were seen taking in the moment with their championship trophy.

It is a bittersweet memento to enjoy before they get their rings. There are a ton of expectations for the Carver basketball program as their boys’ team brought home a state championship trophy as well. There must be something in the water at Carver High School.

Name

Points

Kionna Gaines

27

Enyshuan Jones

10

D’miya Beacham

13

ITG Next | 49

A Win for the Community Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photography submitted by Robin Goad

Newnan School of Gymnastics recently won the their second GHSA Gymnastics State Championship title, their first being in 2008.

Newnan’s coach, Robin Goad, began coaching in 1983 when she was just a teenager. She started her journey being taught gymnastics then took a break once she got into weightlifting.

Coach Goad is a 2000 Olympian in the sport of weightlifting. Having this background knowledge of both sports has only helped the team become successful.

Being a gymnast is not easy, but with the help of coach Goad, the girls have a head start against other teams.

Sometimes the girls get packed schedules and are having to compete back-to-back. They train 22 hours a week all year, with only one week off in the summer. Driving for excellence is what makes 50 | itgnext.com

these girls who they are. The girls compete in club gymnastics as well as high school competitions, which lets them have a sense of both worlds.

Each of the gymnasts of the Newnan team has different individual strengths that they bring to the table.

Coach Goad said her juniors, Mikayla Burton and daughter Rubylyn Goad, led the team through their season.

Goad is known to her team as a work horse. She is the lead scorer on the team, and when she is near you, you’ll have to “catch” her.

At the GHSA Gymnastics State Championship, Goad took home the win as an All-Around State Champion. This means she scored higher than anyone else in all four events.

As for Mikayla Burton, her team recognizes her as the motivational cheerleader.

She is the second lead scorer on the team, but that didn’t stop her from taking home

the state title win for her routine on the balance beam.

Goad and Burton helped their team take home the state title with a combined score of 77.181 points. The girls get their motivation from each other as they have trained together since they were only 18 months old.

Since they were in ninth grade, their dream was to win at state, especially since their previous season did not turn out as they hoped.

“Their freshman season, they were primed to win,” said coach Goad. “We finished the playoffs in the top spot, ranked number one. We had outscored all other teams for the 2019 season. Four days prior to the run at the title, we had an injury that dropped our team to only two gymnasts (minimum of three needed to compete). Their sophomore season was looking just the same . . . we were

ready to earn the title. COVID shut the season down.”

Having two seasons taken from them, the girls really fought back for what they wanted. The team’s biggest strength is clearly the bond between these girls; however, this win was not only special to the team but to their community as well.

Their school and community were hit with an EF4 tornado, so school was out

for two weeks as the community helped each other restore necessities. Due to the tornado, the students never returned to classes. Since continuing online. they kept their training alive and gave their community some hope with their win.

Timberly Peters Parkview

ITG Next | 51

Let’s Hear About Lee County Cheer Written by: Kaitlyne Piper Photos submitted by: Donna Jones

Getting fitted for their state championship rings is the Lee County High School cheer team who just won the GHSA Game Day Cheerleading state title. The team outscored all the other opponents, which were forty teams, in this most recent competition.

For those of you who do not know, the GHSA Game Day Cheerleading Championship is where teams compete against each other by showing off how they lead a crowd on game day.

Here is the difference: regular cheer plays its part in this competition as they use a lot of the same elements however there is less of a focus on stunts and dance. The cheer squad is supposed to focus on pumping up the crowd and cheering the team on.

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Competitive cheer is when the squad is competing against other squads. It can be a lot more exhausting mentally and physically, as they must then focus more on the faces they make and the skills they show, such as stunting, tumbling and dance moves.

Personally, I know for a fact that I cannot do multiple front flips or back flips in a row, or any for that matter.

The GHSA Game Day competition is separated into three different categories: Cheer, Band Chant and Fight Song.

“We worked on each of the three categories separately and then put them all together to be prepared for finals,” cheer director Donna Jones said. “Cheer requires good motions and loud voices. Band dance requires great synchronization and teamwork. Fight song requires movement, motions and the good use of incorporations such as signs and flags.”

However, the competition this year did

have a small curveball for Lee County, as it was different than the year before. Like in prior years, the teams were judged based off of the three aforementioned categories. That was only the preliminaries.

After those teams made it through, the final category was Sideline cheer.

Sideline Cheer is more like regular, game day cheer where the cheer teams engage

with the fans in order to keep them pumped up during the games and teams put together routines for timeouts and halftime shows.

“The team must quickly determine, based on an announcement, whether to do a defense or offense cheer,” Jones said. “That is really difficult when you are nervous

and not sure how the announcement will be made.”

The team may have made it look easy, but they trained for several months in order to make everything perfect. Cheer is more brutal than most realize.

I’m sure that most of us have never fallen from a height of a couple of feet because we were dependent on someone to hold us up, or be-

cause we overextended into a flip.

The Trojans stuck to what they knew for the competition by using their own band music for the Fight Song category because they also wanted to represent for their high school. Then, rules came into play as well. Each segment of the competition was only supposed to be about one minute long, and the final segment was to be no longer than three minutes. Also, there is a limitation on the amount of tumbling teams can perform. Tumbling is definitely a skill teams can show off a lot in just a short amount of time while having those limitations. Also, it can be challenging to switch to different types of cheer so quickly.

Bonding was a big part in showing off how well the team works together, all twenty-four of them would get together throughout the season for team bonding. They would take part in simple activities like eating lunch together to get to know each other off the mat. This type of work the team has added has only decreased their weaknesses and made them a stronger team.

“Teams that gel together seem to achieve

at a higher level than those that don’t. I love to see our teamwork for each other because they respect and care for their teammates,” said Jones when talking about her team.

But all of their hard work definitely paid off for the Lady Trojans cheer team as they won a second consecutive title making them the biggest competition to beat. There were more teams this year than before which the team has mentioned made them a lot more nervous and anxious because they knew teams would get better and come back stronger.

However, they are also excited to see more teams because that means the sport is growing.

“Most of the girls on the team were on our varsity competition team! Two weeks before this game day competition we competed at competitive cheerleading state. We had just gone through a long and very demanding season,” said Senior Emma Charles Hancock. There were also six other seniors who got to experience a consecutive state title win, these two wins will continue to be a great memory for the seniors to add to their cheer memories.

And not only have they been working hard on cheers but academically sixteen of them have a 3.9 GPA or higher. Personally, I think that knowledge translates into physical training by increasing the thought process of skills. So, with cheer a higher education can increase the ability on perfecting certain stunts.

“It is a great feeling to win a State Championship,” said Jones and she mentions and laughs about how she has “really enjoyed coaching Game Day Cheer, it is making our cheerleaders better at sideline cheering and has helped us learn how to engage a crowd at football games. Who knew there was a right and wrong way to use signs and flags?”

So, what should we expect for the next GHSA Game Day Cheer championship? I would say tons of new teams, new judging segments, and to see what the Lee County Trojans cheer team will bring. They are the top team to beat.

SHOP itgnext.com ITG Next | 53

Southland Academy Girls Basketball Captures First State Title in Over 30 Years Written by: Phil Jones | Photography by: Brandon Pham

35 years is a long time to wait for a state championship, but, according to Southland Academy girls head basketball coach Ty Kinslow, this team was going to have the best shot to go all the way.

“We finished 17-7 last season, and knowing that we weren’t losing anyone from that team, we should be pretty good,” Kinslow, who also serves as the Headmaster of Southland Academy, said.

He was right, but 2020 didn’t exactly look like it was going to be a championship season to begin with. The Lady Raiders dropped their first game of the season, losing to Westfield in overtime. They then suffered two losses to Glenwood Academy from Phoenix City, Ala. “Those were good teams, but we just weren’t sure if we had the team that could win a state championship,” Kinslow admits.

Those concerns would soon fade away like a baseline jumper, as Southland would pick up big wins over John Milledge, Westwood and Brookwood. Then, a COVID-19 scare would force the school and the team into a quarantine situation for 14 days. Kinslow remembers wondering if his team would lose any momentum that they had regained just before the scare. He would soon find out.

“When we finally returned, we traveled to Thomasville to play Brookwood at their place, and we beat them,” Kinslow said.

The Lady Raiders won 43-27, and any thoughts of losing momentum would disappear.

“We really got our confidence back after that game and never really lost it,” Kinslow said.

In fact, after that 6-3 start to the season, the Lady Raiders would not lose again. They ended the season with a 14-game winning streak. That would include winning the region with a perfect 6-0 record in GISA 3A Region 3. When the playoffs started, Kinslow said that confidence really started to grow even stronger, especially when they reached the final four.

“We won a couple of playoff games, then met John Milledge Academy in the final four,” Kinslow said. “We knew they were going to be tough, and they were. But, we won a hard-fought nine-point game.”

That would lead the Lady Raiders to the state championship game, which came against a familiar opponent. It was the same team that Southland had started the season against—a team they lost to. Westfield School was the only thing standing in the way of the Lady Raiders’ first state championship in 35 years. Would the Lady Hornets end the Lady Raiders’ season and state championship run? It was a seven-point margin that decided that game to open the season, and it would once again be a seven point margin that decided this rematch and final game of the season—except for one big difference. This would be a seven-point win for Southland Academy, giving them the GISA Class 3A state championship victory in girls basketball. The Lady Raiders won 29-22.

Kinslow attributes this win, that has eluded Southland for so long, to three things: “We won with trust, talent and great defense,” he said.

Kinslow will step away from his duties as the head coach and hand the reins over to his longtime assistant coach, Eric Israel.

Southland finished the season with a 20-3 overall record.

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“We won with trust, talent and great defense.”

— Ty Kinslow

ITG Next | 55

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The Father-Son Combo Written by: Kaitlyne Piper | Photography Courtesy of Amber Cloy Photography

At Richmond Hill High school, there are father and son, Bill and Tate Evans. Their wrestling connection is just part of their relationship. The Evans duo worked hard together through a tough season, and the payoff was Tate becoming a state champion.

“It was a tough tournament,” coach Evans said.

In the first round, the team faced Buford, who were the previous years champions.

Coach Evans mentions

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that they were tough, and his team didn’t score points in places that he thought they would. Next, they faced Valdosta High School, where there were another few tough matches, but they came out on top. After Valdosta, was Brunswick. Coach Evans says they were a thorn in their side during most of their season.

“Kudos to the teams we wrestled,” coach Evans said.

Coach Evans has not coached one son,

but two. His oldest, Will Evans, wrestles at Newberry College, which is a Division II college. Tate has signed there, as well, to join his brother. “I am very thankful to have such hardworking and ‘good’ kids,” coach Evans said, when speaking about how great it has been to coach them for over eight years.

From Tate’s point of view, he couldn’t ask for a more supportive father or coach. Coach Evans does admit that, at

times, he has been known to “sort of” push his son harder than others, but his aim is to push the entire team. He truly just wants them all to be good examples, leaders and to do everything as right as they can. The entire team, in a way, has become Coach Evan’s “kids.”

There is no option to skip out on drills and expect greatness. His coaching style prepares them for the real world where they must work hard to earn their spot.

“I try not to put undue pressure or stress on my wrestlers, including my own sons,” coach Evans said.

He understands that his team wants to perform well for him as much for themselves. He says it was such a relief for his son to win the state championship. Many people were expecting his son to win, and that can create a lot of pressure for a person. One mistake could cost a wrestler the entire match and change the course of the entire tournament.

Tate used his ability to maintain composure to pull off his win. Another strength he had in his final dual was looking past his own pain.

Tate faced his opponent with two broken fingers and a broken nose that he received during his dual.

In wrestling, the rules state that there is a cumulated five minutes of “blood time” allowed. So, considering Tate’s nose hit Zyan Hall’s knee mid dual, he ended up using three minutes of that “blood time.”

His father says that they plugged his nose and wrapped his head to prevent any more timeouts due to the blood. If Tate had reached that five-minute mark, the match would have been declared a forfeit, but Tate persevered.

Through practices and matches, Tate learned from his mistakes. We all make mistakes, but how we learn from them is what matters.

“I think it took a little bit for the actual joy of the win to actually sink in,” coach Evans said. “I was proud because of the heart Tate showed during the tournament. I would be as proud if he didn't win. He wrestled tough and kept fighting; that is all I ever want.”

Keep in mind that coach Evans has set records at Richmond Hill by molding multiple kids into state champions. He is a forced to be reckoned with, and is teaching kids to believe in themselves as much as he believes in them. Although Coach Evans sons have moved on, he still has kids to coach, and they will be in good shape next season.

“If we take care of the present, the future will be in good shape.”

Westminster School Captures 10 State Titles in 2020-21 Written by: Phil Jones | Submitted by School

Westminister School, like many high schools in Georgia and across the rest of the country, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the restrictions and guidelines, Westminster saw 10 of its athletic programs win a state championship.

Those teams winning a state title in 2021 were the girls and boys teams of cross country, swimming, and tennis. The remaining teams winning state titles were the Wildcats volleyball squad, the girls soccer team, boys track, and boys golf.

The Wildcats are a GHSA program whose teams compete in class 3A, and in addition to being selected as the top overall athletic program by ITG Next-Georgia, the Westminster School also received the Regions Bank Directors Cup, awarded each year by the Georgia Athletic Directors Association.

The association uses a points system assigned to 26 athletic programs to reward those who have outperformed their competitors, and Westminster received more points than any other school among all classifications. The head coaches that led their teams to state titles were:

Boys Cross Country: Joe Tribbble Girls Cross Country: Amy Eubanks Volleyball: Cat Monroe Boys swimming and diving: Sharon Loughran Girls swimming and diving: Sharon Loughran Girls tennis: Liesel Good Boys tennis: Ralp Geeza Boys track and field: Gary Jones Boys golf: Andy Dunn Girls soccer: Clark Meyer The Wildcats Athletic Director is Tim Downs, who has overseen the Westminster School Wildcats athletic programs since arriving in 2015 from Emery University, where he also served as Athletic Director for the Division-III school.

Downs said this past year was especially tough and competing for state titles wasn’t necessarily the goal in the beginning while the school was faced with the pandemic obstacles.

“We went into this year uncertain if we could provide any athletic experience for our students and to be able to do so was great and really important,” said Downs. “To be able to do so with the success that we had spoke to the real value of athletics in an educational setting and the resilience and discipline and a lot of hard work.”

Downs said he was grateful for the recognition given to his school and the accomplishments of the school’s championship teams.

“I’m incredibly thankful to ITG Next-Georgia for this honor and celebration of our students,” Downs said.

In addition to the 10 state championships, the Wildcats had success with several of its other athletic teams: playoff appearances in football, wrestling, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls soccer, softball, gymnastics, girls golf, and girls track and field.

The Wildcats teams participate in GHSA region 5-AAA.

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ITG Next | 61

A Travel Baseball Podcast

itgnext.com/travel-baseball-podcast-deck

62 | itgnext.com

ITG NEXT GEORGIA 2021 ATHLETIC AWARDS

ITG Next | 63

WAYNE LOCKHART

Lowndes High School

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Award

Presented by

JD KAISER

Statesboro High School

FORWARD PROGRESS

Award

Presented by

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GARRETT SQUIRE

Frederica Academy

MALE SCHOLAR

Athlete of the year Presented by

JORDYN DORSEY

Cross Creek High School

FEMALE SCHOLAR

Athlete of the year

CASON FLETCHER

Valdosta Middle School

MALE YOUTH ATHLETE

of the Year

Presented by

LUCY LONGSHORE

Pine Grove Middle School

FEMALE YOUTH ATHLETE

of the Year

Presented by

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TRE'VON BASS

Crisp County High School

ADAPTIVE ATHLETE of the year

Presented by

HILDA HANKERSON

Westlake High School

COACH

of the year

Presented by

ITG Next | 67

GABE BENYARD

Irwin County High School

HALEY FOSTER

Norcross High School

MALE ATHLETE FEMALE ATHLETE of the year

Photography courtesy of maxpreps.com

of the year

Photography courtesy of Haley Foster via Twitter

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL

ATHLETIC PROGRAM

of the year

Presented by

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2021 ATHLETIC AWARDS

Kendall Stephens

South Forsyth Competition Cheerleading

Reignah Mulkin

Kamari Miller

Makena Gates

Marietta Boys Cross Country

Creekview Girls Cross Country

Mill Creek Flag Football

Prince Ave Christan Football

Brock Vadagriff

Ngozi Iloh

Lexie Delbrey

Jabari Smith

Raven Johnson

Bainbridge Softball

Sandy Creek Boys Basketball

McIntosh Volleyball

Westlake Girls Basketball

ITG Next | 69

2021 ATHLETIC AWARDS

Carson Tyler

Elizabeth Kaye

Dylan Fairchild

Samantha Scarbrough

Gi Gi Johnson

Henry Bethel

David Ford

Loralie Cowart

Colquitt County Boys Diving

Harris County Girls Wrestling

Brady House

Winder Barrow Baseball

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Pace Academy Girls Diving

Westminster Girls Swim

Rivers Academy Boys Golf

South Forsyth Boys Wrestling

Dalton Boys Swim

Carrollton Girls Golf

2021 ATHLETIC AWARDS

Rubylyn Goad Newnan Gymnastics

James Gurr

Walton Boys Lacrosse

Maddie Dora

Juan Sanchez

Elizabeth Ivey Crain

Chase Fralick

Conley Raidt

Isaiah Bond

Hannah Miniutti

Pickens County Boys Soccer

Rivers Academy Girls Tennis

Pinecrest Academy Girls Soccer

Buford Boys Track & Field

Milton Girls Lacrosse

McIntosh Boys Tennis

Blessed Trinity Girls Track & Field

ITG Next | 71

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72 | itgnext.com

Damaris Gaines Parkview

ITG Next | 73

Eagles Tennis Teams Soaring High Written by: Kaitlyne Piper | Photography Submitted by: Tim Downes

The 2021 season brought two state title wins to the Marist High School tennis program, adding to the several wins the program has. The boys team has 18 state title wins while the girls team has 25 wins. Having dedicated coaches plays a major role in the teams’ success this season.

The girls tennis coach is Jose Gregory who has been coaching at Marist for five years, but he does have previous experience of coaching at both the boys and girls teams at Palmetto High School in Miami.

Gregory has played tennis himself since the age of 13. When he was in high school, Gregory held the position of second singles on his team. Needless to say, he knows how to keep Marist winning as he was used to it.

The boys have coach Tom Marshall, a 25-year tenure as an athletic director. Marshall started playing sports at a young age, and played three sports during his high school career.

He has helped the Marist athletics become nationally ranked, considering his students have had great title wins at state championships and awards in sportsmanship.

In 2015, Marshall was inducted into the Georgia Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame. Not only did Marist know what a great athletic director they had, but so did the state of Georgia.

Since both teams have many players and so little tennis courts, the teams had a limited amount of time available to practice. Thankfully, some of the teammates are tournament players who have other chances to practice their game.

Even then, the teams compete against each other to better themselves. Both teams have a drive to win, and this makes them extremely disciplined during practices.

“When we are preparing for the regional and state tournaments our girls practice with the boys team, in addition to against each other,” said Gregory.

The players get along and love to push each other, and it’s easier when the teams can morph together as one Marist tennis team. Coming together is important this year since the boys lost four seniors and girls lost five.

The future season will be interesting for these teams as they rework their pairings for the doubles event, and Gregory has no worries about the motivation on the girls team.

“Our main motivation is the desire to repeat,” said Gregory. “It is usually harder to repeat than win the first time,” said Gregory.

Gregory says the feeling of winning state is amazing.

The tennis reputation at Marist is incredible. Their foundations were built on a trend of excellence which has only shown off in its results over the years.

Marshall has decided to retire as coach and athletic director but not without a farewell.

“Serving young people through athletics is a mission that God called me to a long time ago,” Marshall said. “I feel unbelievably fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve at Marist School, and I know Derek will be equally blessed by the coaches, administration, and parents who join together to form Marist’s scholar-athletes spiritually, mentally, and physically.”

However, Marshall is not giving up helping students as he is going on to serve as interscholastic commissioner for the Georgia Independent School Association.

Gregory, on the other hand, is staying on as coach.

“We are a team that likes to have fun while playing tennis and not just try to win,” Gregory said. “When young people enjoy their extra-curricular activities, and don't feel additional pressure from coaches, they are able to perform without being paralyzed by expectations.

Although we are confident in our skills, we never underestimate the competition. Lastly, as a Catholic school, we care about good sportsmanship just as much, if not even more, than winning.”

Marist has experienced great tennis coaches since its opening in 1963. Marist has competed against people all over the country which has only molded the teams to be the best, and their records have been making history books.

Marist holds the rank of 3rd for winning 12 consecutive titles.

The Eagles can only go up from here. Their foundation is solid, their commitment to have fun is unified within the teams, they push each other, and their community is always there to support them.

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SCHOLARSH IP

.................. ................. ................. . . ., .5. .0. 0. . . . . . . . . . . . .

FOUR $2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

S C H O L AR S H I P S A V A. I.L.AB . . L. E. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ELIGIBILITY REQUIR . M. E. N. TS. .: . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................ ................. ................ ................ ................. ................. ................. presented by Wells Fargo

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- MUST BE A SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL FROM AN ACCREDITED HS ON FLORIDA’S FIRST COAST

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- MAINTAIN A 3.0+ GPA (UNWEIGHTED)

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- PARTICIPATE IN A JV OR VARSITY SPORT (OR IT’S EQUIVALENT (DANCE/GYMNASTICS/TAEKWONDO)

- PARTICIPATE IN EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES THROUGH CHURCH, SCHOOL OR THE COMMUNITY

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