Tiftarea Academy
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May 2010
by Daniel Hardy, Kat Turner, Karli Whiddon, Rachel Lindsey and Chance Richter
Tiftarea baseball fans have high expectations for the Panthers this year. Coming off a state championship win in 2009, the reigning champs have set the bar extremely high.
The Panthers are led by coach Chris Howell. Howell, a graduate of Tiftarea Academy, has been coaching at the school for two years and has enjoyed great success. Howell is no stranger to the baseball field. Before returning to his Alma Mater to coach, he was drafted into the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Angels.
The 2010 team is comprised of four seniors, Chandler Hammond, Aaron Estes, Will Smith and Brandon Cunningham. “The seniors provide us with great leadership,” says Coach Howell. He also stated, “They work had every day and help influence our younger kids on the team.”
The Panthers hope to win region and capture another state title this season. Howell attributes the team’s success to hard work. The Panthers set their goals high and strive everyday to accomplish their goals. So far, the team’s overall record is 3-4 with a 1-1 record in region play.
According to Coach Howell, there are many outstanding players on the team, but a few stand out. Those few include pitcher and outfielder Will Smith, right fielder Chandler Hammond, pitcher and first baseman Aaron Estes, catcher Wes Carter and short stop Sumner McWhorter. The Panthers are fortunate to have a team full of excellent players who work together to achieve a common goal. Players to look out for are sophomore Case Pack (a pitcher and first baseman) and freshmen Mason Bryant (a utility player) and Eric Lee (a pitcher and second baseman).
The team’s toughest competition this season in Region 3-AA will be Windsor Academy, Southwest Georgia Academy and Sherwood Christian Academy. Howell attributes the success of the team to all of their hard work during the offseason. The guys spent time in the weight room, throwing in the bullpen and hitting in the cages several months before the season began.
The Panthers regular season will end on April 30 when they play Westfield, but playoffs begin May 7, and they plan to be among the leading contenders.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
by Kayla Acord, Kiley White, Sana Cheema, Shannon Day and Jessie Wilson
The Tiftarea soccer team had an amazing start this season. In the past, Soccer had not been considered one of the major athletic events at the school. Recently, however, all that has changed. The sport’s popularity has dramatically increased in the last few years. This season has been very successful because of all the hard work and dedication of the players and coaches. As a result, the team placed second in the Region 3-AA tournament.
The ladies began their season with a victory over Southland Academy with a score of 6-0. Since then, they have lost only two games and are still in the running for a state championship title.
The Panthers will lose three seniors at the end of the season, but they are very confident in the abilities of the upcoming players. The team is led by coach Cindy Harbort and assissted by coach Erick Byrd. They have transformed the team into a winning machine. Harbort attributes the team’s success to weeks of practicing in the freezing rain on a wet field long before the season began.
The team is made up of seniors Blair Savelli, Murf Sapp and Christy Brown, juniors Krystin Souter, Rebekah Joyner, Rebekah Davis, Heather Kelly, Wendy Mixon, Carmen Savelli and Brooke Mangham, sophomores Kiley White and Kayla Acord, freshmen Lakyn Souter and Caitlyn Morehead, and eighth graders Ali Rippy and Neeli Fortson.
The Tiftarea Academy soccer team hopes to continue their success and bring home the state championship title at the end of May.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
by Case Pack, Ashley Taylor, Tyler Williams, Stephanie White and Zach Brown
Spring is in the air. As the weather warms up, the courts get hot! The Tiftarea tennis team, coached by Neta Sparks, is showing they are prepared and pumped up to be a contender for the state title.
The team of 19 players has been practicing everyday at the ABAC tennis courts for several weeks now. They are proving they have what it takes to win. The boys team is comprised of only two seniors, John Sims and Oliver Merrit, juniors Govind Chhina and Garret Rippy, sophomores Brian Jordan and Tyler Williams, freshmen Eli Sumner, J.P. Short and Kyle Bernard and an eighth-grader Raj Patel. This year’s boys team is very strong. The boys doubles teams are John/Garret and Tyler/J. P..
This year, Tiftarea has a very young girls team that is led by eighth-grader Anmol Chhina. The team is made up of only two juniors, Courtney Albritton and Ami Patel, sophomores Maggie McNease, Stephanie White, Shelley Anderson, Neysa Hobbs, Anna Smith and Elizabeth Holland and freshman Allison Mann. The ladies doubles teams are Stephanie/Ami, Shelley/Elizabeth and Anna/Neysa.
The team has one more match before the Region 3-AA tournaments begin on April 13. The Panthers are in very good standing thus far in region play and should do well at the tournaments.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
by Lori White, Rachel Parker, Bryson Hood, Logan Moore and Sarah O’Neal
Chip Champion, Tiftarea’s track coach of nine years, has high hopes for this year’s track season. His main goal is to win region, so the Panthers will be in contention for a state championship. With outstanding players like Eli Sumner, Wes Carter, Chandler Hammond, Will Howell and Medford McDonald, his hopes could very well be realized.
Eli Sumner is the defending state champion for pole vault, and Wes Carter is the defending state champion for long jump. Tiftarea only has one senior, Chandler Hammond, who runs the hurdles. Champion credits his team’s success to “hard work and dedication of the athletes.”
Girls track coach John O’Brien also has high hopes for his team. He wants to win in region and place high in the state competition. In order to accomplish this goal, Courtney Albritton, Racheal Haynes, Rue Hobgood, Lori White and Sommer Jordan must be at the top of their game at both the region and state track meets.
Tiftarea’s biggest competition this year is Southwest Georgia Academy of Damascus. Inclement weather set the Panthers back at the beginning of the season, which prevented the teams from practicing and caused three track meets to be cancelled. It all comes down to May 1 at the state meet. Then and there the Panthers track teams will prove their worth.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
by Derick Rutland, Hunter McCullough, Kishan Patel, Brandon Griffin and Jonathan Boney
The Panthers golf team is off to a good start this season. They have played in five matches so far and have won two of them. They received second place in the other three. Players contributing to the wins are seniors Derick Rutland and Austin Anderson, freshmen Thomas Buckner, Conner Cross, Edwin Hall and Pierce Lovette and eighth-grader Caroline Griffin, who is the only female on the team. The team is composed of both new and former players this year.
According to head coach Mike Patrick, all of the players have improved tremendously since last season. He named Thomas Buckner and Austin Anderson as the two most outstanding players on the team. The team will lose only two seniors this year, so the remaining players will have an opportunity to hone their skills and become fierce competitors in their region in 2011.
The team’s toughest competition this year in GISA AA will be the reigning state champion team, Frederica Academy of St. Simon’s Island. Coach Patrick says, “They have their entire team back from last year, so they should be the team to beat.” He is confident, however, that his players can contend and will perform their best.
March 2010
Panthers On The Prowl
By Zach Brown, Case Pack, Hunter McCullough, Justin Brooks and Logan Moore
The 2010 Tiftarea Panthers basketball team may have started out slow, but they have certainly come back strong, winning four of five games until falling to Deerfield-Windsor. The team has grown and matured over the season. Coach Chip Champion is doing a fantastic job of coaching the team and is pleased with their performance this year.
The Panthers are small when compared to other teams. Since they lack size they need to have good shooters and be very quick. They rely on starters Colby Czerepenski, Wes Carter, Sumner McWhorter, Garrett Rippy and Clay Tapp, all of whom are juniors. Senior Chad Bowen and juniors Govind Chinna and Clayton Dukes give great support off the bench.
Tiftarea has several really good players coming up from the B-team and junior varsity. Sophomores Bryson Hood and Zach Brown, freshman J.P. Short and eighth-grader Rob Flick are the ones to watch out for.
The Panthers’ toughest competition this season has been Sherwood Academy of Albany. They excel at every position and have depth on the bench.
At press time, Tiftarea was preparing to play in the region tournament on February 12 at Darton College in Albany. The Panthers could wind up as the No. 2 seed if they win the rest of their region games, but with such great competitors, the Region 3-AA title is up for grabs.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
Making the Crowd Growl
by Kiley White, Ashley Taylor, and Shannon Day
The Tiftarea Academy 2009-10 varsity cheerleading squad has worked hard this season. Their goal each year is to work hard as a squad to promote school spirit and to motivate the players, coaches and fans.
The squad consists of 16 cheerleaders: seniors Amanda Willis, Christy Brown and Kate Ellis; juniors Brooke Mangham, Cayla Rae Couvillion, Mallory Purvis and Krystin Souter; sophomores Elizabeth Holland, Ashley Taylor, Shelley Anderson, Kiley White, Kayla Acord and Rue Hobgood, and freshmen Ansley Gatlin and Anna Bell Dent.
The cheerleaders are sponsored and coached by Becky Cooper and assisted by Lori Taylor. These two outstanding ladies have supported and guided the girls to achieve success in and out of school.
Last summer, the varsity cheerleaders held their own private UCA camp. They learned more than 20 new cheers, dances, jumps and stunt sequences. The annual Panthers Kiddie Camp Fundraiser was also held over the summer, and young girls in grades K-5 learned several cheers and dances. They worked on improving their jumps, tumbling and stunting skills. The “future cheerleaders” performed during halftime at the first home football game of the season. The cheerleaders also spent numerous hours painting run-through signs, hall signs, and preparing for pep rallies and half time entertainment.
In addition to cheering for the Panthers, most of the cheerleaders participate in other sports such as cross country, soccer, track, basketball, softball, dance, gymnastics and All-Star cheerleading. The cheerleaders value their education and excel in the classroom as well as on the sidelines. They are a pretty well-rounded group of girls.
Tiftarea’s cheerleaders raise money by selling tattoos on games days along with a flip-flop and doughnut sales throughout the year. The girls have also adopted a charity which helps to raise money for free mammograms for women in need. Funds from this project were donated entirely to Tift Regional Medical Center.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
“Two, Four, Six, Eight…Lady Panthers Dominate!”
by Sana Cheema, Kishan Patel, Karli Whiddon, Lori White and Stephanie White
After making it to the Final Four last year in Milledgeville, the Tiftarea Lady Panthers are anxious to get back to the state playoffs again. With a 22-1 record, they are undefeated in the region and will be the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs.
Dominating their home turf, the Lady Panthers were undefeated in Chula. Their only loss was to an out-of-region school, Trinity Academy.
Lady Panthers head coach John O’Brien has been coaching for 17 years. His past two seasons at Tiftarea have been very successful; he took his team to the state playoffs last year and hopes to be back again in 2010.
The Lady Panthers began preparing for this season at the end of November by running and working out. The Lady Panthers believe practicing and scrimmaging with the boys’ basketball team throughout the week has contributed to their success. This past summer the team went to GSCU Women’s Basketball Camp in Milledgeville.
O’Brien said, “The seniors [Sam Koran, Miesha Wright and Blair Savelli] have really impacted the team by showing leadership and maturity. They are great role models for the younger players.”
The Lady Panthers are also led by junior All-State guard Courtney Albritton, and two other juniors, Shamonica Fowler, who is new to the team, and Heather Kelly, as well as sophomore Karli Whiddon. Other members of the Lady Panthers team are sophomores Rue Hobgood and Rebecca Turner, and freshmen Caitlyn Moorehead, Katy Johnson, Ashley Perry and Brooke Keen.
The fans have had a major impact on the performance of the Lady Panthers. They’ve been very supportive and they expect the Lady Panthers to play to their full potential. The fans stand behind the players and they are ready to see the Lady Panthers return to the state playoff game in Milledgeville.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
By Derick Rutland, Tyler Williams, Sarah O’Neal, Rachel Parker, Brandon Griffin and Jonathan Boney
Coaches Robbie Garren and Brian McGahee have only one thing on their minds this season: dominate in their region and achieve the top three honors at state. This is the first year that Tiftarea has been able to compete as a team at state. Having only nine of the 14 weight classes, they’ve won eight matches and lost only six. Being such a young team and having only two seniors hasn’t stopped the Panther Wrestlers from making a influence on Coach McGahee, either. “They have taught me so many things about coaching and about life. They have developed into fine young men,” he said. McGahee believes the reason the team has been so successful is because they work hard every day as a team and try their best to encourage one another on a daily basis. Both McGahee and Garren are extremely proud of their wrestlers.
The team is led by seniors Derick Rutland and Austin Anderson. Juniors Don Leebern, Henry Cox and Brian Griffin and sophomores Daniel Hardy and Brandon Griffin, along with freshman Christian Kozma, make up the rest of the team. Four outstanding wrestlers, Derick Rutland, Daniel Hardy, Brian Griffin and Tyler Williams, have all had record breaking scores for Tiftarea. Rutland, with 15 pins and an 18-1 record has made a huge contribution to the team’s record. Brian Griffin has had 16 pins and holds a perfect 17-0 record. He is definitely someone to watch out for next year.
Tiftarea’s biggest competition this season has been George Walton Academy of Lyons. Tiftarea and George Walton faced off at the GISA state wrestling finals in Perry to determine the winners of the state individual titles. The Panther wrestlers emerged victorious. Weighing 112 pounds, Junior Brian Griffin dominated his weight class and won every match by pin. He had an undefeated season along with his first state title. At 171 pounds, senior Derick Rutland finished his final year of high school wrestling with only one loss and his very own GISA All-Class championship. Senior Austin Anderson weighs in at 130 pounds and captured the silver medal in a close match, a 5-3 decision in the finals. Sophomore Tyler Williams, who is 103 pounds, finished his season with only two losses and brought home the bronze. Sophomore Daniel Hardy, who weighs 145 pounds, completed his season by finishing fourth place in one of the most competitive classes in the tournament.
As a team, the Tiftarea Academy wrestlers finished their season in sixth place behind George Walton, First Presbyterian, Westfield, Trinity Christian and Mount de Sales. The first five finishers were all AAA schools. This makes Tiftarea Academy the No. 1 class AA school in Georgia.
Tiftarea will be a force to be reckoned with next year as well. Christian Kozma, Daniel Hardy, Tyler Williams, Brandon Griffin, Don Leebern, Henry Cox and Brian Griffin will all return next year for another shot at the state title. There are also a handful of talented young men coming up who have yet to compete at the high school level. Austin Willis, John Adams and Daniel Dean are just a few wrestlers who are definitely worth keeping up with. John Adams was nearly undefeated with a 10-1 record, winning the A/AA tournament for the junior varsity team.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
December 2009
by Sarah O’Neal, Karli Whiddon, Lori White and Kat Turner
The 2009 Lady Panthers finished their season with a 19-6 record and won their eighth region title in a row. They stared working out for their upcoming season at the beginning of July. Despite having no seniors and made up of mostly juniors and sophomores, the Lady Panthers dominated in their Region.
The 2009 Lady Panthers are similar to last year’s team because of their hard work and dedication. The Lady Panther’s head coach, Neta Sparks, has been coaching for 28 years. She says, “The girls are a blend of individual players but they all contribute for the benefit of the team. No one is more important than another.”
The Lady Panthers believe that half of the battle of preparing for games is to prepare mentally as well as physically. Though they did not reach their goal of capturing a state championship, the Lady Panthers remain victorious in the region and are looking forward to next year. Many eighth-graders will be joining a solid team of upperclassmen for the 2010 season.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
by Jonathan Boney, Zach Brown, Bryson Hood, Hunter McCullough, Logan Moore, Kishan Patel, Kiley White and Tyler Williams
The 2009 Tiftarea Academy cross country team is undefeated in AA. At the beginning of the season, head coach Jon Koran had his varsity cross country team run 1.5 miles every day. They gradually ran more and more each week. By the first meet, they were ready. Tiftarea dominated every meet they ran.
The 2009 cross country team has improved a lot since last year. Tiftarea’s toughest competition this year was Stratford Academy. The goal of this year’s team was a state championship.
The team captured the region title with a near-perfect score of 16. The Panthers then went to the state championship meet and won with a score of 39. Will Howell won second place with a time of 18:16. Medford McDonald placed sixth with a time of 18:57, and Logan Moore placed ninth with a time of 19:26. Tiftarea had three runners in the top ten which allowed them to clinch the state title.
The boys’ top seven runners are Will Howell, Logan Moore, Medford McDonald, Matt Myers, Justin Vickers, Luke Myers and Brian Jordan. The girls’ varsity cross country team is made up of Sam Koran, Neeli Fortson, Kiley White, Shelley Anderson, Kayla Acord, Rainee Baker and Anna Smith.
“Coach Jon Koran, who has been coaching cross country for 13 years, has been an amazing coach,” said his team.
Photography submitted by Tiftarea Academy
