Several of the fall sports teams had stellar seasons. Some stood above the rest. Here are the Fall Sports Teams of the Year for 2025.

FOOTBALL

JEFFERSON DRAGONS

Coach: Travis Noland
Record: 13-2
Accomplishments: 3A State Runner-Up, Region 8-AAA Champions, #1 State Ranking

On the heels of a State Runner-Up run to the Benz in 2024, the ’25 version of the Dragons looked different, especially offensively (yet still scored 600+ points). There was no bulldozer QB Gavin Markey. Max Brown was also done for the year after just four games. Star receiver Dalton Dye missed a lot of time. Still, Jefferson was more of the same – dominating its region with a powerful defense led by guys such as Darren Pinkard and Chance Payne, and Colton Grant did well managing at QB. CJ Hays came out of nowhere offensively, and several others made a name for themselves. The defense was the key, and Jefferson went 9-1 in the regular season, earning a fourth straight region title, before taking care of business easily in the first several playoff rounds as the 1-seed in 3A for a second straight year. In a legendary Quarterfinals win over Cairo, the Dragons overcame a 21-0 first quarter deficit by scoring 30 straight and owning the rest of the game. The ground-and-pound, gritty version of Jefferson was on full display in a home semifinals win over undefeated West Laurens. That pitted the Dragons back in the Benz for a second straight year, this time against Sandy Creek. It was another tough loss, but the fact remains that the Dragons are among the best in the state.

RABUN COUNTY WILDCATS

Coach: Rance Gillespie
Record: 10-3
Accomplishments: 1A DI State Quarterfinals, Region 8-A DI Runner-Up, #3 State Ranking

A new era began at the same time one ended. Rance Gillespie came home to Rabun County, and carried the Wildcats to an 8-2 regular season record, coming so close to a region title. A senior-heavy group with skill talents Reid Giles, Ty Truelove, and Lake Evans were consistently a top-5 ranked offense in the state. Once in the postseason, Rabun rolled through Dodge County and then Berrien, both at home. That got them back into the Quarterfinals where they had been annual guarantees to get there. A tough loss at Pepperell completed the run, but it was a special senior group that put Rabun back on the map.

TOWNS COUNTY INDIANS

Coach: Jason Roquemore
Record: 7-3
Accomplishments: Best Season In School History

Jason Roquemore set out to not only take the program to new levels in terms of excitement (which he absolutely has – just look at the number of kids on the team compared to barely having 15-20 some years ago). He also wanted this year to be the best in school history. With his talented group of seniors such as Dustin Barrett, Morgan Walker, Grayson Youngblood, and other non-seniors like RB standout Alex Baert and WRs Tucker Engert and Sam Sarafin, Towns County notched a program record seven wins, and did it with one of their best offenses and defenses in school history. Everything about this season was special for the Indians.

SOFTBALL

JEFFERSON LADY DRAGONS

Coach: Allan Bailey
Record: 25-4
Accomplishments: 3A State Sweet 16, Region 8-AAA Champions, #1 State Ranking

Ranked #1 for most of the season, the Lady Dragons (25-4) didn’t have the playoff run they deserved. Still, Jefferson had a powerhouse team led by Auburn commit Jenna Rapp, who shattered several school records yet again. Ally Baldwin, Sara Grace Cooper, Braelynn Vandiver, and others had great seasons as Allan Bailey’s team scored 263 runs (9.1/game) while giving up just 73 (2.5). They started the year out by winning nine in a row, then won 14 straight after their first loss. Three of their four losses came to region foes Monroe Area.

VOLLEYBALL

Coach: Matt Heyl
Record: 27-9
Accomplishments: 3A State Runner-Up, Region 4-AAA Champions, #2 State Ranking

The Lady Indians were back in the State Championship match after winning it all in GHSA in 2022. Now in GIAA, Tallulah Falls still played some very tough competition, and hit an all-time high in the state overall rankings as a top-45 team. The girls were ranked in the top-10 all season in their class, peaking at #2. TFS went 27-9 overall, and coach Matt Heyl grabbed his 200th career win in the process. After claiming the region title, they went on another signature playoff run, even beating the state’s #1-ranked team in the semifinals to reach the championship. Seniors Becca Heyl, Margalida Amengual Sanchez, juniors Sofia Livianos and Shelby Whisnant, and sophomores Corinne Swinton and Lily Smith had terrific seasons.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

TALLULAH FALLS LADY INDIANS

Coach: Jamie Jimison
Accomplishments: 3A State Runner-Up, Region 4-AAA Champions, #2 State Ranking

For the first time ever, the Tallulah Falls girls cross country team won a region title. They didn’t stop there, as they peaked at the perfect time with also coming in as the State Runner-Up and #2-ranked team. Junior Olivia Henderson twice broke the school record, and was the top runner in every meet for Tallulah. Avery Keim and Naomi Russo were in the top-3 nearly every time out.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

LUMPKIN COUNTY INDIANS

Coach: Logan Turner
Accomplishments: 3A State 3rd, Region 6-AAA Runner-Up, #3 State Ranking

Nothing new here – this program has continued to excel in cross country since Logan Turner has led it and had a Windham kid running for him. Wyatt is now off running at Georgia Tech, but brother Witt is just getting started, as he just finished his sophomore season. Witt was the Region Champion individually and second overall at sectionals. At state, the team placed third overall. Windham was the State Runner-Up, while Evan Good was almost always the second runner for the Indians.

CHEERLEADING

STEPHENS COUNTY LADY INDIANS

Coach: Cathy Thornton
Accomplishments: 2A State 5th Place

The Lady Indians cheer squad came in 5th-place at state in the 2A competition, with a total score of 87. That was just 2.5 points from 3rd place.

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