There are the Teams of the Year, and then there are those teams who are Hall of Fame worthy. Congrats to our 6 teams – Jefferson, Lumpkin, Commerce, and Rabun for football. Banks for softball, and Lumpkin for boys XC.

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FOOTBALL

2023 JEFFERSON DRAGONS

Coach: Travis Noland
Record: 13-1
Accomplishments: 5A Semifinals, Region 8-AAAAA Champions, #1 State Ranking

The Dragons were electric. All season long, Jefferson was the BLITZ #1 team in the Power Rankings, and never wavered. In total, Travis Noland’s team went 13-1 all the way to the Class 5A Semifinals, carrying a #1 state ranking and an offense and defense that were some of the best units in the state, ranking inside the top-10 all season in both. Sammy Brown (2,289 rush yds, 36 TD) led an offense that went for 532 points (38/game), and his 153 tackles led a defense that gave up just 11.93 per contest (167 overall). The 2023 Dragons were only the 5th team in school history to score more than 500 points, and only the 3rd to also allow less than 200 in the same season. The average margin of win going into the Semis was 28.92 points, and only one game aside from the loss was within 10 points. In a word, it was domination. Jefferson had a perfect regular season that resulted in a second straight Region 8-AAAAA title, and also rolled through the playoffs until the contest against Creekside. The Dragons took down ranked teams Hiram and Harris County during that run. Noland collected his 200th career win early in the year, and Brown took home BLITZ Player of the Year honors, was named an All-American, and won the prestigious Butkus Award given to the nation’s top linebacker.

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2023 LUMPKIN COUNTY INDIANS

Coach: Heath Webb
Record: 12-1
Accomplishments: 3A Quarterfinals, Region 7-AAA Champions, #5 State Ranking

It was a magical run in Gold City. Heath Webb’s persona and his ‘Hard Work Pays Off’ motto rubbed off on his program, and Lumpkin County reaped the benefits for a second straight year. This 2023 season though was something to behold. A perfect regular season of 10-0 came with the school’s first state ranking since 1967, and a first-ever Region Championship. The offense and defense were special, both ranking inside the top-10 in the state all season long. The offense, behind Mason Sullens (2,281 rush yds, 33 TD) and Cal Faulkner (1,706 pass yds, 19 TD, 1 INT; 929 rush yds, 17 TD) racked up 546 points (42/game), and the defense (19.7/game) was among the best in the state until the final couple of games inflated the numbers a bit. The Indians thrilled the fans several times, with a 4 OT win at home against White County in a 61-55 doozy, a 34-23 revenge win over rivals Dawson County to clinch the region title, and a 45-42 OT win over Oconee County in the second round of the playoffs to avenge the first round loss from the year before while also sending Lumpkin to its first-ever Quarterfinals game. The Indians played all 3 playoff games at the Burial Grounds, stomping Gordon Lee in the first round for what was the school’s first-ever playoff win. Despite a tough battle, they fell to Savannah Christian in the Quarterfinals, but the legend of this team will live on forever.

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2023 COMMERCE TIGERS

Coach: Mark Hollars
Record: 11-2
Accomplishments: 1A DI Quarterfinals, Region 8-A DI Champions, #2 State Ranking

The Tigers had an unbelievable run all the way to the State Quarterfinals, carrying a #2 ranking with them. Commerce put together its best season to that point under coach Mark Hollars, going 11-2 overall while leaning on their running back duo of Jaiden Daniels (1,965 yds, 23 TD) and Tysean Wiggins (1,493 yds, 14 TD). And don’t forget Jacari Huff (496 yds, 7 TD). That offense averaged 33.4 points per game (434 pts) as a top-10 unit in the state. Defensively, the Tigers were stingy at 15.6 on average. Commerce won back-to-back games to open up against out-of-state powerhouses Southside Christian (SC) and Murphy (NC) and hit one bump with a 10-point loss to Hebron Christian. After that, it was smooth sailing, as Commerce won out (9 straight until the Quarterfinals). That included wins at Elbert County in the Granite Bowl (by 28 points) and a gritty overtime win over Rabun County to secure the Region Championship. Commerce rolled through Jasper County and Dade County in the first two rounds of the playoffs, then lost an 8-point game to Bryan County in the Quarterfinals.

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2023 RABUN COUNTY WILDCATS (ADDING TO DYNASTY)

Coach: Michael Davis
Record: 9-4
Accomplishments: 1A DI Quarterfinals, #2 State Ranking

The Wildcats went 9-4 overall in 2023. That’s not what the program has dipped to in over a decade. However, Rabun County still had a #2 state ranking and rode to a ninth consecutive Quarterfinals with a fairly young roster, and endured several injuries along the way. The region dominance ended after nine straight region championships from 2014-2022 that included 50 straight region victories. Elbert County brought that to a close, then Commerce did as well. All 3 of those teams represented 8-A DI well in the playoffs, each making the Quarterfinals. Ty Truelove broke in as a sophomore in his first full season of action, throwing for 2,298 yards and 24 TD while rushing for 407 yards and 7 TD. 3-star Cincinnati commit Willie Goodwyn had 985 yards receiving with 14 TD and had 5 INT. Then there was RB Reid Giles, who broke out with 1,124 rushing yards and 15 TD. The Wildcats, even in a season that had more losses than usual, still proved to be one of the top teams in the state, holding a top-10 offense throughout with 422 pts (32.5/game). Big wins came against #10 Adairsville, #6 Fellowship Christian, and playoff wins at Social Circle and Whitefield Academy.

SOFTBALL

BANKS COUNTY LADY LEOPARDS

Coach: Rhett Carroll
Record: 24-7
Accomplishments: 2A 3rd Place (Final 4), Region 8-AA Champions, #3 State Ranking

Banks County went 24-7 with a well-balanced team. The Lady Leopards were the undisputed Region Champions, marking the 7th in a 10-year span. Rhett Carroll took them in his first season to 24 wins, the most since the 32-win State Championship year in 2019. After going 8-1 in region play and winning the region title, the Lady Leopards hosted their regional round while holding a #3 state ranking. In the Banks County Regional, the Lady Leopards opened with wins over Haralson County and Redan, the latter a 17-1 blowout. A 2-1 win against Haralson again clinched the regional and sent Banks County to Columbus. Once there, a 4-2 opening win over Toombs County was followed by an 8-0 victory against Vidalia. Banks then fell to both Appling County and Jeff Davis to finish 3rd in the state tournament. The lineup, anchored by Mary Faulkner (.494-3-25) notched 204 runs, averaging 6.6 per game, while Payton Gaylor (20 wins, 2.00 ERA, 176 K) led the pitching efforts as the Lady Leopards allowed just 3.3 per contest.

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BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

LUMPKIN COUNTY INDIANS

Coach: Logan Turner
Accomplishments: 3A State Runner-Up, Region 7-AAA Champions, #2 State Ranking

With a talented 1-2 punch the likes of Wyatt Windham and Ben Sherrill, it was no surprise to see Lumpkin County have so much success. Windham (Region RU; State 4th) and Sherrill (Region 3rd; State 7th) guided the Indians to a Region Championship in 7-AAA and a Runner-Up finish at the GHSA State Championships, finishing as the #2-ranked program. Logan Turner’s team dominated nearly every course they ran on in 2023.