Another season

of high school athletics is upon us and one wonders what the intriguing

stories will be this fall.

Will there

be another state champion cross country team? Will one of our football

teams make another serious run at a state title? Can one of our volleyball

teams push further in the state tournament? All of these questions will

soon be answered as the students return to the classrooms and to the playing

fields.

Football gets

off to a rousing start when East Coweta and Starr's Mill meet in the Corky

Kell Kickoff Classic at the Georgia Dome Aug. 25. The season starts off

for the rest of the area the following week with Fayette County hosting

McIntosh, Sandy Creek playing at Shaw, Landmark hosting Wesleyan and Our

Lady of Mercy hosting Walker in the kickoff to the school's inaugural

varsity season.

Volleyball

starts with a jamboree Aug. 11 at Starr's Mill High School. The Sandy

Creek Lady Patriots will try to return to the state tournament, while

the other teams try to start their season off right and hold off their

county rivals. The season officially begins the following week as Sandy

Creek hosts Newnan and Banneker Aug. 16. Fayette County is scheduled to

host a tournament Aug. 18 and 19 and will host Forest park and Jonesboro

Aug. 22.

The softball

in Fayette County is always among some of the best around and many of

the top players from the county schools play on traveling teams together.

Their friendships don't get in the way when the season begins, though,

as each county school is annually in the hunt for the region championship

and a bid to the state tournament. The season begins with a great regional

match-up with Fayette County at East Coweta Aug. 16 at 4:30. The Lady

Tigers are scheduled to host McIntosh in their home opener Aug. 22 at

6 p.m.

Cross country

is another strong sport for the schools and one team is looking to capture

one more state title before its top runners graduate. The McIntosh Lady

Chiefs cross country team won a state championship three years ago as

several girls bolstered the program in their freshman year. Now the girls

are seniors and, if they can stay healthy, should be the team to beat

in the state. Of course, Fayette County and Starr's Mill always field

tough teams for both boys and girls and Landmark Christian has had a number

of solid squads over the past few years as well.

The first big

meet is Sept. 9 at the Darlington/Berry invitational. Several weeks later

most of the county schools will participate in the Sandy Creek Invitational,

Sept. 23. The course at Sandy creek is the sight of the county meet Oct.

10 and the region meet Oct. 21 and the coaches want their teams to be

very comfortable with the course.

All in all

it promises to be an exciting season and a perfect way to go from summer

into autumn.

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