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Back row from left to right: A.J. Sibcy, River Bryant, Kyle Daniel, Colin Hubbard and head coach Warren Standridge. Front row from left to right: Ian McGaughey, Anthony Whobrey, York Delloyd and Thomas Whitley. Latrice Williams/The Paper.

The Jackson County Comprehensive High School boys’ golf team finished fifth place overall in the AAA state championship. Late in the day, head coach Warren Standridge said he felt his team would finish sixth but the Panthers ended up in the top five when it was all said and done.

The state championship was held at Reunion Golf Course. While the golfers woke up to early morning clouds, the sun graced the course at toward noon. The temperatures were favorable and the golfers definitely appreciated the warm air.

In their state title quest, Jackson County broke the school record by shooting 154 on the front nine; the previous record was 155.

They may not have been successful in their attempt to win a state championship but they won something so much greater.

Five years ago, head coach Warren Standridge took over the coaching position for the Jackson County Comprehensive High School golf team. Not knowing what the future would hold, he set out on a mission to put the Panthers on the map.

Continue reading Panthers finish fifth at state

Getting just one athlete on the All-Region Team is an accomplishment, but having seven is certainly over the top. The Jackson County Comprehensive High School baseball team ran away with the post-season honors as four were named to the AAA All-Region First Team and three made the second team roster.

“Anytime your guys can get recognition, it’s a good thing for the program. We expected our seniors and Nick Corso to produce and have great year,” said head coach Tommy Fountain. “It’s clearly a good thing when you’ve got seven guys get post-season recognition with four of them being first-time varsity starters.”

“Nick Corso was our table setter. He [was] a slow starter at the plate early in the year but he battled through some early struggles and still helped us with some really clutch hits, including a few game-winners. Then, late in the year, he was tough to get out. When he’s on the bases, it really causes havoc for the defense,” Fountain said.

Freshman Coleman Barbee wanted to make a statement in his first year of high school ball and there was no shortage on his highlight reel. He may be one year removed from middle school but he made his presence felt on the mound to opposing teams all season long.

“I can’t say enough about the year Coleman Barbee had on the mound. Coming out of last summer, he was going to be our No. 3 or 4,” said Fountain. “He took advantage of the time he had in the winter to get ready and simply passed some other guys. We had to have somebody step up like Coleman did to get us to the point we reached. Of course, the fact that he is just a freshman makes it even better.”

Second and third baseman Jacob Banks, along with outfielder Ben Brissey and do-it-all athlete Chandler Malecki, garnered a spot on the second team. Malecki recently signed with Thomas University in Thomasville. It didn’t take long for recruiters to recognize his talent and the coaches who voted for this award saw it, too. Fountain also noted the job Banks and Brissey did in their first year on the varsity team.

“It is also an honor for Jacob Banks and Ben Brissey to make the second team. Both guys had to be productive to give us a chance to win. We knew they could be productive. The crazy thing is both of those guys still have a ton of room to get better,” said Fountain.

Chase Dunlap and Joel Ellis were also First-Team honorees.

Mckenzie Fagioli tries to dodge a defender from Milton during the Final Four game. Latrice Williams/The Paper.

Mill Creek earned the right to host the defending state champions last week in the Final Four, and crowned as the No. 1 seed throughout the tournament, the Lady Hawks played in an atmosphere that could rival other schools. They had the luxury of playing at home all year in front of fellow students, who showed up no matter how cold it was.

MCHS may have been at home but they were on a different playing field when it came to their battle against Milton High School. The Eagles have won seven out of the eight championships to ever be played in AAAAA lax. They are extremely disciplined, they know where each other is going to be on the field and they know how to put up a lot of points, just like Mill Creek.

Expectations were that both teams would put up large numbers but Milton’s defense proved too powerful. They won a lot of face-offs and didn’t give Mill Creek goalkeeper Jillian Wissel a break.

Losing face-offs and turnovers were costly for Mill Creek in the first half. Midway through the first half, MCHS was down 7-1 with no sign of finding a way out of its scoring slump. From there, Milton went on a 7-0 run and MCHS added one more score to the board before halftime.

Continue reading Mill Creek’s run ends in Final Four

Josh Harris and Jace McColskey of the Jefferson High School wrestling team pretty much have it all. They both will leave JHS with four state titles and now, they can officially say they are collegiate wrestlers.

Last Monday, both signed their letter of intent to compete at Life College. Life College is an National Athletic Intercollegiate Association school located in Marietta and just wrapped up its inaugural season. It was an easy choice for Harris who didn’t want to be far away from his roots.

Continue reading Harris and McColskey remain teammates at Life College

After finishing second at sectionals, players on the Mill Creek High School girls’ golf team knew they were in the mix for the state championship. However, a mixture of nervousness and unfamiliarity with the course could be to blame for their eighth-place finish.

Head coach Ben Hanes had his mind set on a number he thought the team could shoot but certain circumstances prevented the team from performing to its best ability.

Continue reading Lady Hawks place eighth at state