Another year

of sports has gone by. Local athletes showed determination, courage and

heart on the playing fields of their choice. Fayette County and the surrounding

area is very fortunate. Not only are there athletes with a tremendous

amount of ability and sportsmanship, but there are dedicated coaches and

assistants that make seasons a worthwhile experience for all involved.

Last year started

with Sandy Creek's boys and Starr's Mill's girls making the state basketball

tournament. Both teams fell short of the title, but made a statement in

getting there. The Patriots are on their way back this year, looking like

strong contenders for a region title and a top seed in the tourney. The

Sandy Creek Lady Patriot basketball team's coach, Mark DeCourcy, left

at the end of the year, paving the way for the school to hire Jim Waller,

formerly a coach at Fayette County High School and Woodward Academy.

Starr's Mill

also had a state champion wrestling team again last year. The team, which

had a number of seniors on the squad, pulled together for one more title

run. In swimming, Starr's Mill won the county championships and several

schools sent individual swimmers and relay teams to the state tournament.

In the spring,

attention in the county turns to soccer, but there was some outstanding

baseball and tennis played as well. McIntosh's boys and girls won the

region in tennis and went to the state tournament. The team should be

in the hunt again this spring. All the local high schools fielded good

baseball teams that could beat each other on any given night. The games

between the schools were very competitive and should be once again this

year. Several individuals from the local track teams went to the state

championships and placed. McIntosh's golf team also won the area title

and went to the state tournament.

Soccer was

the big story last spring. McIntosh, Fayette County and Starr's Mill once

again fielded teams that would contend for both region and state titles

and Sandy Creek's girls got into the mix in Region 4-AAAA, making the

state tournament as well. McIntosh's girls and Starr's Mill's boys won

the region championships, but no local team captured the state title last

year. The Lady Chiefs lost to Pope in overtime in the final.

The school

year ended and fan's attentions turned to the coming football season.

The local high schools did not disappoint. Fayette County made a remarkable

improvement over the previous season, winning five more games. Coach Clint

Burton won the 100th game of his career this season and decided to retire

from teaching at the end of the school year. Next year, the Tigers will

have a new head coach on the sidelines. Starr's Mill won their region

sub-division and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs this

year with a team that was less experienced but gelled at the right time.

McIntosh played

hard this year but ran into some tough competition in what is a very talented

region. The Chiefs have reason to be optimistic though, as they saw some

great performances from some players who will be around for the next few

years. Sandy Creek struggled a bit this year as well. They opened the

season with losses to three ranked opponents, including the previous year's

state champion. Towards the end of the season, the team lost Kedric Golston

to a season ending injury. The Patriots are well-coached and also saw

some impressive displays from some promising upcoming talent. Our Lady

of Mercy Catholic High School also began competing on a varsity level

this year. Their football team went 5-5.

In softball,

the Fayette County Lady Tigers won the region championship and placed

fifth in the state. The team was lead by impressive pitching, timely hitting

and great defense. Volleyball was also a big sport in and around the county.

Landmark Christian captured the Class A/AA state title and McIntosh and

Starr's Mill fielded impressive teams. McIntosh won the area championship

and set a new school record for wins with 32. In cross country, McIntosh's

boys and girls won the county championship, but the girls fell short of

capturing the region and state title. The McIntosh boys won the region

championship but fell short of the state championship as well.

As the Fayette

Citizen covered sports this year, we also focused on individual athletes,

recreational teams and fun events. Whitewater Middle School teacher Ken

Thorsen ran in an Ironman competition, while handcyclist Dwayne Sanders

raced around the nation and world. Six year old James Lloyd won a karate

title against a black belt for Oh Do Kwan Martial Arts and the PTC Lazers

U-14 girls soccer team won state and region titles before competing in

the final four of the nation. The PTC Flash cross country team sent athletes

to the nationals and Junior Olympics and the Fayette County wrestling

club placed second in the state. The Fayette Mudcats had a 50 win season

and finished undefeated in league play.

There were

also a number of world class events taking place in the county. The Peachtree

City Classic road race once again had runners from all over the country

competing and the Peachtree City Tennis Center hosted the USTA Women's

Challenger event and the Junior tennis championships again. The adidas

Challenge Cup saw some of the best soccer teams in the nation compete,

including McIntosh's and Starr's Mill's girls. Leo Mazzone gave a pitching

clinic to young pitchers and Terry Pendleton and Sid Bream were joined

League parade in Fayetteville.

Fayette County

is truly blessed with a winning spirit. 2002 should hold more great things

for our local teams and athletes.

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