A Benchmark Morning: Sophomore Carson Hollier broke the school bench press record Tuesday morning while at spring football workouts, as he benched 350 pounds. May the successful lifting continue as our football squad looks to surpass last year's advancement to the second round of the playoffs. As for Carson, this is a serious achievement as we've had some big, healthy athletes grace our campus over the years.
Luck, unluck of the draw: Some player comments regarding Friday's upcoming boys' soccer state playoff clash between our Bears and Atlanta International School. "They are good – they have good players – but if we can get past them, then we have a good draw moving forward."
Baseball Banter: "The fluff is out of the way, now anybody can beat anybody," baseball Coach Jeff Rowland said regarding the final 16. Our Bears host Landmark Thursday in a best two-of-three in Round 2. They swept Savannah Country Day last Friday.
Game, set, match! That was the case yesterday on our boys' tennis season, but not before our Bears captured second in the region before moving on to the second round of state. Though they fell yesterday on the road against Wesleyan, the team continues to be one of the top programs in the state. Props to seniors Will Vinci, Grant Heering, Gavin Miles, Charlie Northcutt, and Jay McKown for their contributions.
Rain not to Ruin! Our girls' tennis team will battle Darlington and the weather today. When the courts dry, Coach Jeri Finlay's team's hopes are high with arguably one of the better teams in years. Rylee Swain, Maia O'Leary, and Ellison Losin have occupied the top three singles slots this year, while the doubles teams adding excellent depth down the line.
I-16! Sometimes title hopes must go all the way down I-16 to Savannah. "It's a rite of passage," one of our coaches said. "You have to make that trip sometime or another to earn your stripes." Our girls' soccer team will earn theirs Thursday – if they already haven't – when they take on St. Vincent in Round 2 of state. They advanced easily with a 10-0 home win last week. Speaking of our very own Coach Clayton Schmitt has more than 150 wins under his belt during his tenure here.
Lax facts! Today (Tuesday) our lax teams have a 4 and 6 p.m. doubleheader as our girls open their playoff run while the boys do the same in the nightcap. The turf field is a great thing with the weather; our Bears' chances also are strong as they look to move on. Some of the milestones include Jack Chaloupek's 100-th career point, Sophia O'Campo's 300
th save, Fallon Kaufman's 100
th career goal, and others hopefully to follow.
Track attack! Fourteen got through Area last week along with one relay, which includes double champion Colt McNamara in the shot put and discus, Zion Tillis in the triple jump, Bryce Smith in the high jump, and Brayden Bailey in the 100. And speaking of rain, Mother Nature might also play a hand as Coach Joseph Thomas's bunch head back to Trinity Christian Saturday for the all day meet, where the top eight in each event will move to the State Meet May 13
th in Athens.
Fore! Our defending state champ girls tee it up tomorrow (Wednesday) for their area, while the boys will do the same Thursday. Molly Spector and Brooke Benedict hope for more fairways and greens in an attempt to make it two in a row while, for the boys, Coach Jason Rutledge said it this way: "This is the deepest team I've ever had," he said. Lucas Skaggs, Sammy Herd, and Nick McKay are three of the MANY that have contributed thus far.
Rensburg to Rule Wrestling Roost! After an exhausting search, our very own Lucius van Rensburg has been named as our Interim Head Wrestling Coach. His background is impressive and then some – he got involved with the sport as a 6-year-old, won a medal at the World Championships, captured a Continental title, earned multiple national titles, and achieved All-American honors and finished as a national runner-up at the NAIA level. Congrats!
Finish lines: More to follow – stay tuned to this website for updates.
