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Thursday, May 26, 2016
OFC U14 wins Atlanta Fire United tournament championship
Michael Hans with family and coaches Contributed photo
The Oconee FC U14 boys captured the championship of the Atlanta Fire United Select Cup 2016 earlier this month. In the last two years, this team has advanced from Classic V to Classic III ranking, were finalists for the Georgia Soccer D3 State Championship in 2015, were champions of the Oconee Turkey Shootout in 2015 and were champions of the Atlanta Peach Classic in 2015. Pictured are (back row) Matthew Loftin, Dylan Kapczynski, Christian Torres, Will Burdick, Harry Bailey, Zach Morin, Nando Bodie, Julien Ward, Karson Davis, Chris Nemetz, Alex Moore, coach Pat Mercandante, (front row) Victor Hernandez, Will Kuperberg, Andrew Thomas, Ricardo Ruiz and Jack Brown.
Pirates win AAA championship
Contributed photo
The Pirates, sponsored by Adcock’s Paint & Body, won the AAA division championship in Oconee County Little League. Pictured are (back row) assistant coach Bob Parrish, manager Tiffani Adcock, (middle row) Braedon Hassan, Frank Hailey, Carter Fowler, Cam McCullers, Krish Patel, Daniel Smallwood, assistant coach Gary Dykes, (front row) Jacob Odum, Branson Dykes, Ryan Beall, Samuel Amabile, Bo Boykin and Brooks Parrish.
Dodgers win AA championship
Contributed photo
The Dodgers, sponsored by Albright’s Flooring, won the AA division championship in Oconee County Little League. Pictured are (back row) coach Andrew Derums, coach Aaron Fuller, coach Jody Reed, coach Drew Pilgrim, coach Joey Albright, (middle row) Ben Albright, Cody Elder, Claxton Pilgrim, Gaines Holland, John Hunter Derums, (front row) Chase Lindsey, Hayden Reed, Avery Jones, Carson Misenhamer and Grayson Fuller.
Blue Jays win Rookie Instructional championship
Contributed photo
The Blue Jays, sponsored by Allstate, won the Rookie Instructional division championship in Oconee County Little League. Pictured are (back row) coach Seth Rhine, coach Hal Jackson, coach Brad Kearney, coach Scott Beaver, (middle row) Wes Kearney, Joseph Rhine, William Resutek, Braydon Lord, Brayden Jackson, Joshua Hart, Conner Richardson, (front row) Colton Webb, Benjamin Sayers, Evan Beaver, Jayden Huntsinger, Bennett Shadburn and Fletcher Howe.
Nationals win Rookie A championship
Contributed photo
The Nationals, sponsored by Athens Digestive Healthcare Associates, won the Rookie A division championship in Oconee County Little League. Pictured are (back row) coach Jason McCormick, coach David Pollack, coach Brent Rollins, (middle row) Hagan McCormick, Keyton Epps, Brodie Wiepking, Hampton Rowland, Caden Cordell, Anson Young, Nicholas Pollack, Camron Rollins, (front row) Landon Purcell, Brooks Wardlow, Burke McGowan and Miller Cooper.
Success at Oconee County leads to Hans signing with University of Georgia for track, cross country By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com
Oconee County graduate Michael Hans won’t have to travel far when he attends college in the fall. A standout member of the Warriors’ cross country and track teams, Hans signed a national letter of intent with the University of Georgia to join the Bulldogs’ cross country and track and field teams. “It’s like a dream come true. I think I am going to enjoy it next year. I am looking forward to it, staying close to home and being able to keep in touch with my high school coaches as I continue on to the next level. I can’t wait,” Hans said. “Ever since middle school, I have thought it would be awesome to go there one day. It just happened this year. It is a dream come true. It was always in the back of my mind. After all of the calls from college coaches, I was still always Georgia. “They approached me
at the state cross country meet. Once they showed interest in me, it made me really happy.” Hans grew up in Florida and moved to this area in fourth grade. He started running in middle school. “I tried all sorts of sports when I was a kid but nothing really fit me. In seventh grade I decided to try cross country. I really enjoyed it and decided to keep doing it,” Hans said. “I enjoyed it so much. This was something I wanted to do in high school and college. “Being offered to go on so many visits, towards the end I was turning people down because of Georgia. It’s been a very good learning experience.” Hans wrapped up his high school career at the Georgia Olympics earlier this month with a fifthplace finish in the 3200 with a time of 9:51 and a seventh-place finish in the 1600 with a time of 4:22. He finished fifth in the Class AAA state cross
country meet in November and third in the state cross country meet as a junior. “The biggest accomplishment to me was every single day not skipping practice and always pushing to the next level and wanting it,” Hans said. “I know I will be pushed to my full extent. I am ready to prepare for it and run fast there.” The cross country team finished as region champions and second in the state in Class AAA. “It is great we were able to do that. We couldn’t have done it if we didn’t join together as a team. Our team is so close here. Anything we put our minds to, we get done,” Hans said. “That is the key to success – putting in the miles in the offseason and always training hard and to never give up. “I couldn’t have done any of this without my parents and my coaches. They were always leading me in the right direction and they are just as big a part of this as I am. I want to thank them.”