Sports Editor

1998. The year that Mark McGwire hit 70 homeruns.

The year the Atlanta Falcons went 14-2. The year that was like

every year before it, giving the public full seasons of high school

athletics in our own backyard. Whether the young athletes were

wrestling, playing soccer or playing a round of golf, the kids gave it all

they had. They were representing their peers, their schools and their

cities as best they could. Around here, 1998 was the year the

Panther entered varsity play, the Lady Chiefs cross country team

won the state championship and every school in the county was

competitive.

The 1998 wrestling season was another year of McIntosh

domination as they won the South Metro Invitational for the seventh year

in a row and the county championships yet again. State

Champions Alan Kan and Mike Munn graduated at the end of the 1998

school year, leaving McIntosh with some large shoes to fill. Fayette

County finished 16-9 in wrestling and were led by Coach Bailey's two

sons, Jared and Johnathan. Johnathan reached his 100th career win

early in the 1998-99 season. Sandy Creek was wrestling under

Dennis Bogumill and facing some tough competition in

Eagle's Landing and Woodward Academy, two of the toughest

programs in their region.

The 1998 basketball season brought us exciting play from

the Fayette County Tigers and the McIntosh Chiefs.

Unfortunately, the region that both schools play in is extremely tough and

they both found a foil in the Griffin Bears. Sandy Creek had

some older, mature teams last season and went to the playoffs,

falling short of their ultimate goal. Both the boys and girls teams

from Starr's Mill finished a successful junior varsity season and

then played in the varsity regional tournament at the end of the

season. The boys team lost to Salem in the first round, but the girls team

won their game.

Spring time brought us golf and tennis, two sports that this

area would die without, as well as track and the most popular sport

around here, Soccer. The track programs, which included dozens of

student athletes who had performed on other teams, were

obviously strong. As for soccer, 1998 belonged to the Fayette County

Tigers. The boys team defeated McIntosh in the regional

championship, 4-2. It was their second consecutive year winning the

region. The girls team finished the season ranked fourth in the

state and made the state semifinals. This part of the state should

always field some excellent soccer teams and when Starr's Mill takes

the field this Spring with their first varsity squad, you can expect

the competition level to be turned up a notch.

Summer brought recreation to Fayette County. The Lightning

and the Lazers soccer programs were tough as always, winning

tournaments and championships left and right. There were major

tournaments and events at the Peachtree City Tennis Center and there

are two more coming in 1999. People were active in 1998 and the

county never let the public run out of ideas or opportunities. Fall

soon followed but since it still looked and felt like summer, most

people did not even notice. Until football began.

The four county schools had a difficult season on the

gridiron. Fayette County finished the best out of the four teams, 6-4,

but missed the playoffs. The Tigers had winning performances

from Quarterback Gerald Johnson and Brandon Croft, who set the

new school record for receptions in a season. The Tigers were hurt

most by an injury to Wes Clark, a dominant back whose presence in

one more game, most likely would have meant one more victory

for Fayette County and a trip to the playoffs.

Starr's Mill was the second best story in the county this fall.

The Panthers entered their first varsity season and finished with a

4-6 record. That record is more impressive when you consider

that Starr's Mill does not have a senior class as of yet. The biggest

game for the Panthers was their last one, a televised game against

Forest Park. Starr's Mill won the game and a boatload of confidence

heading into next season.

Sandy Creek's season was disappointing but the team's

effort never was. The Patriots finished with a 2-8 record but over four

of their losses came in the final minute of the game. Running back

Eric Frazier missed most of the season due to an infection in his leg,

leaving the Patriots shorthanded on offensive weapons.

Chris Sizemore was the quarterback for most of the season but Dusty

Peppers led the team on an amazing charge against Jonesboro

before time ran out. The defense was the heart of the Sandy Creek team

and most of the Patriots will return for the 1999 season.

The McIntosh Chiefs record stayed the same at 2-8 but

there were sizable improvements on both offense and defense.

Dion Stokes was a constant threat on offense and special teams,

while the defense played consistently. The defense held LaGrange to

it's lowest rushing total during the season. McIntosh never

seemed to have both things working at the same time though and had

some unfortunate losses handed to them. The Chiefs return some key

players but they will be looking for someone to replace Dion and

several members of the defense.

The county also experienced a wave of cross country fever

this fall as Sandy Creek hosted the county championships and

the Sandy Creek Classic, the largest race in school history. The

big story in cross country was the McIntosh Chiefs girls team.

The top five runners on the team were made up of four freshmen and

a sophomore. They came in second place in their first meet of the

year and then proceeded to win every event afterwards, on their way

to the AAAA state championship. McIntosh missed a perfect

meet score of 15 points, by two points, twice. Sandy Creek and

Starr's Mill both ran well in AAA while Fayette County took second in

the county championship. The McIntosh boys team loses it's top

two runners in Geoff Melymuk and Kevin Panke but it will take a lot

to break up the dynasty that the Lady Chiefs are establishing.

The four county schools fielded some excellent softball teams

in 1998. Sandy Creek and Starr's Mill, each made the state

sectionals tournament in Conyers, while the McIntosh Chiefs made the

state semifinals. The Fayette County Tigers had a decent season on

the diamond and will return many of their players, while

McIntosh graduates several key members of their team. McIntosh and

Fayette County's volleyball teams made the playoffs, as did Sandy

Creek and Starr's Mill's teams. There were several tough matches

between the four schools and some new rivalries began,

especially between the Panthers and Chiefs.

1998, How sweet it was. What is in store for us in 1999? A

Falcon victory in the Super Bowl? Another Braves World Series win?

Maybe not. You can count on there being plenty of athletic

excitement around here though. In some cases, you can even

participate in some events around here. 1998 is synonymous with

good sportsmanship in my mind and I hope that 1999 proceeds the

same way.

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