BASEBALL – COMMERCE TIGERS

A historic season for the Tigers under coach Steve Cotrell. As he put it, what made the ending so bitter was that this group really gelled together like none before. The Tigers were just an out away from advancing to the State Quarterfinals after falling in game three in extra innings in the Sweet 16. Commerce went 20-13, hitting the 20-win mark for the first time in at least a decade and were at one point ranked #10 in the state.

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BOYS SOCCER – HABERSHAM CENTRAL RAIDERS

The Raiders didn’t put up a win-loss record that would wow you (7-9-1), but went 6-4 in what might have been one of the tougher regions in the state. The ‘big moment’ came in a 3-2 win over state powerhouse and #2-ranked Gainesville (18-3), which helped get the Raiders to the state playoffs.

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GIRLS SOCCER – WHITE CO LADY WARRIORS

What a story the White County Lady Warriors were, under former standout player Megan Runkle. The girls won 10 games and advanced to the 4A State Quarterfinals. The Lady Warriors had a knack for the dramatic in the playoffs, taking down North Oconee 1-0 in a late goal to advance to the Sweet 16, where they won in PKs to advance to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, another round of PKs for a chance at the semifinals ended with Spalding ending White County’s season.

BOYS TENNIS – BANKS CO LEOPARDS

The Leopards had a fantastic 2018 season, going 13-7 and a trip to the Quarterfinals. The record suffered a bit early due to guys like Darius Bonds and Gabe Martin playing late into the basketball playoffs, and the team was playing short. Once they hit stride, the Leopards were tough to stop, taking a region runner-up finish and falling in the quarterfinals as the #8-ranked team in the state.

GIRLS TENNIS – BANKS CO LADY LEOPARDS

Banks’ girls team also was nearly unbeatable behind freshman phenom Chloe Smith. The Lady Leopards won a region championship and put up a 17-3 record, were ranked #3 in the state and advanced to its first ever quarterfinals.

BOYS GOLF – TOWNS CO INDIANS

You have to go with Towns County here, as no other team in our area fielded a complete team in the tournament aside from Towns and Commerce. The Indians didn’t disappoint, as Chase Williams came in 7th place in Class 1A Public, earning the boys a third place finish overall.

GIRLS GOLF – WHITE CO LADY WARRIORS

To be fair, you could easily go with Union County as well here, as they were the area champs and finished fourth in Class 3A. But how many teams can claim that they have two individual state champions on their team? White County now can after freshman Catie Craig bested the 4A field to win a state championship the year after her sister, junior Caroline Craig (UGA commit) did the same thing. The team finished third, just one stroke shy of second place. Look out for next year!

BOYS TRACK & FIELD – RABUN CO WILDCATS

Rabun County shocked the Class 2A field with a runner-up finish at state after finishing third in their own region. Thanks in large part to distance champion Guy Gober (State Champion in 1600 & 3200), the Wildcats tallied six top-five individual finishes at the state meet and were represented by nine individuals overall.

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD – COMMERCE & TALLULAH FALLS

Tie to Commerce and Tallulah Falls. Both featured state title winners, as Kate Massey won a title and a runner-up in distance events. For Tallulah Falls, it was Anna Davis who won a pair of hurdles championships. The Commerce girls were fifth as a team in class 1A public, while TFS was fifth in 1A private.