MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING SPORTS

Baseball

The Indians entered 2023 with a mix of returning, experienced players and fresh faces. Through a tough and condensed schedule, Tallulah Falls (4-4-1) had a season marked with growth and maturity. That showed with the boys going 2-0-1 to end on a high note.

Wins came over Towns, twice over Rabun Gap, and a win over Lumpkin County to polish off the season following a rare tie.

Highlights of the season included a no-hitter thrown by seventh grader Jack Greene, eighth grader Drew Barron’s consistent leadership on the mound and at the plate, and Asa Popham, Garrett Dorsey, William NeSmith, and Reilly Cox having fantastic seasons offensively. Barron was 2-2 on the mound with a 2.33 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Greene was 1-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA in 8 innings with 14 strikeouts.

Dorsey hit a team-high .500 with a team-best 11 RBI. Barron hit .474, adding 8 RBI. Popham was a .360 hitter with 2 homeruns, 10 RBI, and 10 runs to go with 9 stolen bases. Cox (.350, 1 HR, 8 RBI) and NeSmith (.320, 1 HR, 6 RBI) were critical offensively as well. NeSmith was the table-setter as the leadoff batter, setting team highs with 16 runs and 13 stolen bases.

Several others such as Greene (.320, 4 RBI), Brantley Addison (.333, 4 RBI), Ryder Cantrell (.273, 2 RBI), and Ryan Anderson (.200, 4 RBI, 8 IP, 9 K), and Woods Irvin (9 IP, 8 K, .350 OBP) were key starters.

Barron, NeSmith, Anderson, and Cantrell move on to the upper school, but much of the lineup will return as the Indians seek to take the next step in 2024.

The 2023 season for the MS Indians was a complete 180 from the year prior. After going 2-4 last trip around the sun, coach Chris Kafsky had hoped his young team would take the next step. Indeed it did - as TFS motored through the schedule to a 6-2 record.

The Indians opened the season with an 8-0 shutout of Franklin, and it jump started a four match win streak. That included wins over Stephens, White, and Hart with a combined score of 29-5 in that win streak.

The first of back-to-back losses came against Rabun in a 3-2 final and then 3-2 against White. The boys took their lumps and learned from them, and rebounded with back-to-back 8-0 wins over Stephens and Towns to close out the season with a bang.

The defense was tremendous, as the final goal count was 49 and just 11 against. Meanwhile, the offense did its part, as Kale Borchers led the team with 21 goals. Isaac Farris was close behind with 14, while Tyson Hall had 7 for the Indians.

Finish without blemish. That’s what Tallulah Falls did in 2023. The MS girls soccer team, guided by head coach Laura Higbie, had an unforgettable season that culminated in a gritty win over its rivals to secure perfection.

TFS left no doubt it was the superior team every time it left the pitch. After outscoring opponents 22-3 in the first four wins, the Lady Indians won the next four by a 20-0 combined score.

TFS closed the season with a 1-0 battle over rival Rabun Gap, putting the finishing touches on a sensational campaign. The Lady Indians went 11-0 and posted 53 goals and allowed only 6. The entire defense and back line played exceptionally well, and Savana Owensby unselfishly took on the role of goalkeeper early on and was unwilling to let anything by her.

Offensively, the girls were paced by LB Kafsky’s historic 30-goal season. Amari Ernst (9 G), Ryleigh Wilson and Adelaide Tatum (5 G each), and Betsey Orr (4 G) were key players as well.

93% of the scoring from this team moves on to the upper school, but the example those girls left for the younger players give the blueprint for success. Orr, Mylah McGugan, Nora Mitchell, and others will be counted on to fill the gaps next season and build on this winning foundation.

TRACK & FIELD

Fair or not, the level of success for MS track typically is decided based on how well the teams hold to program standards. Tallulah Falls aims high year after year. 2023 was no different, and with another championship for the boys and a runner-up finish for the girls, the bar continues to remain elevated.

Throughout the season, the boys achieved six school records to force mass edits in the record book. Those include Wyatt Fountain’s 25.40 200 meter time, Teagan Penland’s 5:10.38 1600 time, Brian Neely’s 37’7 triple jump, and the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x800 relay teams all putting up program highs.

Cody Loonubon, Neely, William NeSmith, and Fountain combined for the 4x100 and 4x200 records of 49.23 and 1:48.92, respectively. Dylan Johnson, Hawk Oliver, Caleb Kelly, and Gavin Simmons ran a 12:59.15 to put up a record in the 4x800.

At the Tri-State Championship meet, Neely won the long jump and triple jump, Fountain took the top spot in the 100 and 200 (record time), Ryan Anderson won the 400, and Penland won the 800 and was second in the 1600. The 4x100 (record time), 4x200 (record time), and 4x400 Relay teams all won for the boys as well.

The Lady Indians had a much smaller roster, yet still had consistent presence at the top in each meet. The girls closed out the season with a Tri-State Runner-Up finish. Ca’Rin Swinton won three events — 100, 200, 100 MH — and was second in the high jump. LB Kafsky placed first in the high jump and triple jump, and was second in the 300 MH. Meanwhile, the girls 4x400 relay group also took the top spot.

The boys won their 11th title in 12 years, going back to 2011. It marks their second straight season winning Tri-State, while the Lady Indians have won it 10 times in 12 years, having won the previous three before this Runner-Up finish.

Golf

New year, same results for the Lady Indians MS golfers. A year ago, the girls were without a loss in and won the Tri-State Championship. Top golfer Bella Hulsey returned in 2023 for another round.

TFS brought in new head coach Jadie Hatcher. The girls once again went without a loss, and Hulsey ended the season at the Area Championship with a low medalist finish alongside teammate Maeve Hatcher. Hulsey won a one-hole playoff to secure the individual title, and the Lady Indians won by 12 strokes at Apple Mountain.

In total, the girls and boys combined for six low medalist finishes and every golfer produced new personal-bests.

For the girls, Hulsey and Hatcher were typically at the top of the pack, and Emma Whisnant, Sadie Henslee, Handley James, and Catherine Harris all had solid seasons as well.

The boys came in fourth at the Area Championship, and Owen Earp consistently was the top scorer for the Indians. Josh Newell saved his best for last, and Maddox English, Micah Smith, Keller VanOrman, and Tate Colston were all contributors to the team success.

Every roster player is either a sixth- or seventh-grader, meaning next season could be even more successful as each golfer takes a natural step of progression in their game.

Bass Fishing

The Tallulah Falls School bass fishing team had a stellar showing in 2022-23 with the middle school (junior division) combo of DJ Broome and Shepard Crumley consistently finishing near the top on the way to the Georgia Bass Nation State Championships in June.

What started with a 3rd-place finish for the duo in the opening tournament on West Point Lake in November was the beginning of a special season for the 8th-graders. Solid showings at Lake Lanier in December and Lake Seminole in February were followed by a 2nd-place finish at Lake Hartwell in March and a 3rd-place finish in April at Clarks Hill.

That gave Broome and Crumley a 2nd-place spot in the Angler of the Year standings and qualified them for the state tournament. In early June, the duo finished 17th overall. Broome and Crumley qualified for Junior Nationals, to be held in July.