Top 10 moments from the 2015-16 school year

1.      Westminster beating Blessed Trinity in the 3A football state championships (38-31)

After back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, the Titans were looking to capture their first-ever football state championship against Westminster.  The Titans thought they had done just that as they were up by 14 points with less than five minutes to go in the game.  Westminster trailed 24-9 entering the 4^th quarter, but made a tremendous late-game surge and tied the game up before the end of regulation and then carried that momentum into OT scoring first and capturing the school’s third football state championship.

2.      Walton Girls Lax Upsets Milton 9-8 (Milton’s first in state loss since 2009)

Milton high school has dominated the 6A division of girl’s lacrosse winning 10 of the last eleven state championships, but that changed this year. After having finished runner up to Milton the last two years the Walton girl’s lacrosse team finally claimed their first state title with a 9-8 win in the title game. Riley Ewing, Erin McBride and Hunter Corvin led the offense with two goals each, and the defense kept Milton from equalizing in the final two minutes to hand the perennial power their first in state loss since 2009.

3.      Jenna Staiti of West Forsyth scores 51 in AAAAAA playoff semifinal for West Forsyth

Jenna Staiti of West Forsyth was named the Gatorade Georgia girls basketball player of the year and is signed on to play for Maryland next season.  After her latest performance in the GHSA state playoffs, it’s no surprise as to why she was such a highly touted recruit.  Staiti averaged an impeccable 39 points a game in four playoff games, while putting up 51 points in West Forsyth’s semifinal loss to McEachern who eventually went on to win the state championship this season.

4.      BT baseball winning 49 straight games before losing to Tuerlings Catholic 6-5 on a walk off HR

            The Blessed Trinity baseball team was expected to be one of the best in the state, but nobody could predict the level of perfection with which they started the season. After a AAA championship run last season the Titans put together a 49 game win streak which was the longest in the state and second-longest in the nation at the time. Before the streak came to an end in Louisiana, the leading hitters on the team were CJ Abrams (.542) and Ryan Davis (.444). The Titans also had five pitchers with at least 20 strikeouts each.

5.              Top Pitching prospect, Garrett Gooden of St Pius, went 4-4 with 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in game 1, while pitching a 1 hit shutout with 11 Ks in Game 2 of the first round of the state playoffs against Pickens

St. Pius proved to be one of the best schools in the state this year but fell short in the state playoffs after a dominate first round against Pickens.  Top-prospect, Garrett Gooden seemed to do it all for the Lions as he lit it up on both sides of the baseball.  In game 1, Gooden went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs as the Lions went on to win 8-4.  Game 2 was a different story as Gooden took his talents to the mound and pitched an incredible one-hit shutout while accumulating 11 strikeouts against Dragons.

6.      Emma Grace Hurley of Fellowship Christian runs nation’s fastest 1,600m at 4:46 (5 seconds faster than previous record)

During the Coaches Invitational meet at Pope high school senior Emma Grace Hurley of Fellowship Christian ran the nation’s fastest time in the 1,600m race. After finishing second in the 1600m last year, Hurley won the event with a time of 4:46 which was five seconds faster than the previous national best. The senior is considered one of the best runners in the nation and will continue to compete at Furman University after graduation.

7.      Brantley Mauldin becomes 9^th player in Georgia history and only sophomore to throw for 500 yards in a 38-35 win over Villa Rica

Brantley Mauldin of Paulding County put on a show against Villa Rica throwing for more than 500 yards and three touchdowns and was named the GHSA player of the week for week six.  Mauldin became the ninth player in Georgia high school history to throw for 500 yards and became the first sophomore to ever accomplish the feat.

8.      East Hall’s Leo Toledo scores 71 goals this season (more than 3 per game) in AAA

No other soccer player in the state has scored at the prolific rate that East Hall’s Leo Toledo did this season. Coming into the AAA quarterfinal against Blessed Trinity Toledo had 71 goals, 6 of which came in the previous playoff game. Toledo averaged over 3 goals a game while leading East Hall to a (19-1) regular season record and a number 1 ranking. Toledo will continue his soccer career next fall at Mercer.

9.  Candace Hill (world’s fastest teenager) of Rockdale county HS turns pro at 16

Candace Hill of Rockdale county high school turned pro at the tender age of 16.  She became the youngest track athlete to qualify for the U.S trials in both the 100m and 200m.  Hill also became the first-ever American athlete to break 11 seconds in the 100m race as a prep.  On top of that, she was only the second female athlete of all time to sweep both sprint events (100m and 200m) at the IAAF World Youth Championships.

10.  Colquitt finishes 2^nd consecutive perfect season with 30-13 win over Roswell in AAAAAA championship