The playoffs are underway for all our varsity teams except golf, which will tee their postseason up Monday. Without further ado, here are the recaps:

Girls' soccer: Coach Clayton Schmitt's squad had a great season but was the victim of a bad postseason draw. After taking second in region and shutting out Heritage-Ringgold 8-0 at home last week, they fell 5-2 at Lovett Thursday in the round of 16.

The scoring came on a penalty kick by Avery Bradley and a header off a corner from Elana McMasters. The Bears were down 2-1 at half and had some chances, though the Lions unfortunately capitalized down the stretch to end our season.

HI's success was anchored by many – with depth all over the field and a solid group of seniors that will be sorely missed. 

Boys' soccer: Coach Tyler Santee's squad is off to the Elite 8 after a windy but exciting 3-2 win at East Forsyth Friday night. Marcos Pacheco, Sairis Panah, and Miller King scored our goals; Panah and Taylor also had assists. Rooker Marshall and Thomas Miller were phenoms in the back and Zac Omorode-Ufuoma was a force up front. Next up is Starr's Mill on the road Tuesday. 

"It was a great game, with a ton of gusty winds causing all kinds of problems for both teams," Coach Santee said. "We went down early but responded quickly."

HI was down 2-1 at half, before scoring two unanswered in the final forty minutes. 
 
Baseball: Coach Jeff Rowland's squad got it done at home Thursday in sweeping Central of Carrollton 6-2 and 7-2 in the opening round of state. In the first game, Zach Jackson got the win, striking out 10, while he also drove in two with his bat. Davis Jabaley was 2-for-2 with one driven in; Emmett Campbell and Braxton Padgett also added an RBI each.

In the nightcap, Davis Harper picking up the win in a seven strikeout effort. Jackson was 2-for-2 and Padgett drove in two to add further damage to the visitors. 

Next up will be a Round of 16 matchup Wednesday on the road against rival Lovett.
 
Girls' lacrosse: It's off to the Elite 8 for our girls' lax team, as the long drive to Savannah did them no harm in its 20-8 victory over Savannah Christian Prep. The Bears won the battle of the draws 17-13 and also got huge scoring efforts from Fallon Kaufman and Caroline Felton, both had seven goals.
 
Lizzy Lindner added three, and Wesleigh Harvey, Evie Price, and Lucy Greene all tallied one each. 

Boys' lacrosse: Unfortunately, it was a case of Holy Heartbreak for our boys, as they suffered an 11-10 double overtime loss at the hands of Benedictine in Savannah. "Our seniors showed great grit and determination," Coach Patrick Ammons summarized.

Stat wise, Jordan Alston netted four goals and Walton Sullivan three, while Brooks Anderson and Jack Stivers anchored the strong defense. 
HI's team was anchored by the play and leadership of 16 solid upperclassmen.

Around the horn: Looking ahead for more postseason action, both the varsity girls' and boys' golf teams will have its Area events Monday, with the top three teams moving on to state. Brooke Benedict and Nicholas McKay have been the aces during regular season thus far.

In track, the Sectionals are Saturday, May 4^th, where five Bears will be competing. Connor White and Charlie Mutz (pole vault), Jacobi Murray and Jordynn Skinner (shot put), and Gracie Cavallo (3,200-meter run) will take part in hoping to qualify for the Class AAAA state meet, where they all could compete Thursday, May 16th in Albany. 

Both tennis teams had its seasons end in the Round of 16 earlier this spring in losses to Pace. Both captured second in region tournament play; the girls had a first round state win over Cedartown while the boys advanced to the Sweet 16 with a victory over NW Whitfield.