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SOFTBALL
LADY
2024 Dawson County Softball
Head coach: Justin Rickett, fourth season
2023 record: 20-13 (13-5 in Region 7-3A), State Playoff Super Regionals
Last year saw the Lady Tigers softball team find its footing in Region 7, putting together a strong season en route to a region runner-up finish and a trip to the state playoffs.
A strong core of hitters and largely intact defense return to the team and will be crucial in guiding Dawson County through the new Region 6-3A.
One of the primary team leaders this year is junior Bryce Greenwood, the starting catcher whose multitool abilities earned her an All-State selection last year. She led the offense in multiple categories in 2023, including batting average, hits and runs batted in.
But equally important is her ability to communicate with the defense,
OFFENSE
something that will be even more critical this season with new pitchers taking the mound.
Two other key offensive forces will be senior Ace Cochran and junior Avery Heidt, both of whom were First Team All-Region picks last year.
Cochran, a quick player with a strong bat, has a consistent swing that resulted in 46 hits her junior season. Her speed contributes to effective baserunning skills and a reliable presence in the outfield.
Heidt is an important power hitter who got better as the 2023 season progressed. Her ability to regularly get the ball to the outfield helped the team put up some high-scoring innings and games.
Junior Sadie Dotson returns as a key left-side bat and is another power hitter who can belt doubles and home runs.
The defensive unit includes a solid infield lineup, all of whom return from last year. Senior Micah Burruss, a source of fun and enthusiasm for the team, is a reliable presence at first base with a strong bat at the plate.
The middle infield duo of Aubree Smith and Lily Hamilton are speedy, quick-thinking players who shined under pressure, while third baseman Hannah Walden also did well in her first year as a starter.
All of these defensive players will back up the pitching staff, which is the main area of development for the team this season.
The team relied heavily on senior Layne Bailey in 2023 and will be seeking some new players to step up to the mound and deliver. The Lady Tigers have several options to choose from, including Madison Dudney, who made 10 appearances last season.
TEAM SCHEDULE
7/31 vs. Forsyth Central (Scrimmage)
8/3 at Lambert/North Cobb Christian (at Lambert)
8/6 at Gilmer
8/8 at Union County
8/10 vs. South Forysth (Home Doubleheader)
8/13 vs. Chestatee
8/15 at White County
8/17 vs. Bremen/TBD (at UNG)
8/19 at Pickens
8/20 vs. Lumpkin County
8/24 at Greater Atlanta Christian (DH)
8/27 vs. North Hall
8/29 at Chestatee
9/4 vs. White County
9/5 vs. Pickens
9/7 vs. Gilmer
9/9 at Lumpkin County
9/11 vs. Cambridge
9/12 vs. GAC
9/16 at North Hall
9/17 vs. Chestatee
9/19 at White County
9/23 at Pickens
9/24 vs. Lumpkin County
9/26 vs. Rabun County (Senior Night)
10/3 vs. North Hall
10/10 at Rabun County
2024 Dawson
County Football
Head Coach:
Sid Maxwell, 10th season
2023 record: 2-8, no playoffs
Key returners:
Preston Bannister, Luke Smith, Cody McBrayer, Owen Wooten, Jacob Felkai, Gunnar Weaver
IMPROVING TIGERS FOOTBALL TEAM READY TO TACKLE A NEW-LOOK REGION
By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Focused forward
The 2023 season was a tough experience for the Tigers, who saw an eight-year state playoff streak end.
But now, with new leaders on the roster and some new opponents on the schedule, Dawson County is ready for a fresh start.
The team has already shown a more focused approach toward a team-first mentality, going as far as not having anyone on the roster choose jersey No. 1.
Senior quarterback Preston Bannister will be called on to lead the offense, earning the starting spot last season and leading the Tigers to region wins against Pickens and West Hall.
His balanced approach to the position and calm demeanor in the pocket also helped his team stay competitive in close losses to Wesleyan, Gilmer and Lumpkin.
This year, he’ll have some interesting
options at wide receiver, including former running back Luke Smith, whose speed will be crucial to the team’s success.
Dylan Edwards, Zac Weston and Chatham Burnett will also be contributing out wide.
Meanwhile, the backfield will consist of a stable of backs, led by sophomore Cody McBrayer. He had some significant varsity experience as a freshman and impressed with his tenacity. Freshman Nate Grizzle may be the next young Tiger to get some valuable time on the field.
The offensive line will be led by senior Colton Land but is otherwise young, with sophomores Landon Jones, Trey Reser, Chance Conowal, Eli Drum, and several others in the mix.
Defensively, junior linebacker Owen Wooten has emerged as a vocal leader and will lead a unit that will be finding its identity in the early stages of the season.
Wooten will play alongside Brody
Eason, Jadyn Mattie, and Hunter Stroup.
The defensive line will have several options, with former quarterback Davis Glass set to utilize his physicality on the other side of the ball. Watch for Joshua Baggett, Jadon Carnes, and others to step up to help the line.
As for cornerbacks and the secondary, multi-skilled players Jacob Felkai and Gunnar Weaver will be needed for ample cover against opposing receivers. Their versatility may also see them contribute offensively, with both exhibiting plenty of strength and speed.
Adjusting to changes
The latest region and class realignments affected Dawson County’s football schedule in many ways.
The initial rulings, which eliminated Class 7A, allowed many former 4A programs to return to 3A.
North Hall and Chestatee were then added to the new Region 6, which consisted of Dawson and many others from the former Region 7. West Hall
TEAM SCHEDULE
8/2 at North Forsyth (Scrimmage)
8/9 vs. Cass (Scrimmage)
8/23 vs. East Forsyth (Senior Night)
8/30 vs. East Jackson
9/6 at Banks County
9/13 BYE
9/20 vs. Pickens (Homecoming)
9/27 at Greater Atlanta
Christian
10/4 vs. Johnson
10/11 vs. White County
10/18 at Chestatee
10/25 vs. Lumpkin County
11/1 at North Hall
switched over to Region 8.
Later on in the process, after the DCN article about these changes, Gilmer left Dawson’s region while Johnson was added. Now, Region 6 includes Chestatee, Dawson, Greater Atlanta Christian, Johnson, Lumpkin, North Hall, Pickens, and White County.
The new rules surrounding private school programs, which do not allow them to compete in public school postseason, means that this year’s game against GAC does not count toward playoff seeding.
Breaking down notable opponents
East Forsyth – Dawson County opens the season by hosting their lakeside neighbors, who are coming off their first state playoff appearance in just the third year of the school’s existence. First-year head coach Dustin Canon looks to take a young Broncos squad far.
Banks County – Another program with a new head coach, the Leopards recently hired Todd Winter, a coach
who had over a decade of success coaching private schools. He led both Pinecrest Academy and Holy Innocents’ to region titles.
White County – The Tigers look to avenge a tough loss to the Warriors last year, but quarterback Tripp Nix will prove to be a challenge for Dawson’s defense once again.
Chestatee – Former Dawson County wrestling coach Stuart Cunningham enters his second season coaching the War Eagles. He and coach Sid Maxwell have nearly 70 years of combined coaching experience.
Lumpkin – The Indians had their best season in program history in 2023 and return this year with quarterback Cal Faulkner. Dawson fought hard in last year’s 34-23 defeat but are looking to flip the script this year.
North Hall – A resurgent Trojans team looked sharp in 2023 under head coach Sean Pender, but that large senior class is now gone. Senior Luke Jenkins is set to be a big part of Pender’s plans this season.
COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL’S
~Tim & Lindsay White
CROSS COUNTRY
2024 DCHS Cross Country
Head Coach: Jonathan Tinsley, fourth season
2023 results: Ladies – Region 7-3A runner-up, fifth place at state championship; Boys – Region 7 third place, sixth place at state championship.
DCHS CROSS COUNTRY APPROACHING NEW POSTSEASON ERA WITH SAME HIGH STANDARDS
By Rio White Riowhite@dawsonnews.com
New leaders, same goals
Head coach Jonathan Tinsley knows that he needs a hard-working group of leaders to help motivate his team each year.
This year, the relative youth of the Lady Tigers squad will be led by Hayden Hand and Addison Smith, who have both made big strides so far in their careers.
Smith has already carved out her place as a leader by initiating morning runs and keeping everyone to a high training standard. She was the team’s most improved runner last season, placing 13th at the region championship and besting that time by 12 seconds at the state meet.
Hand was the team’s leading runner last year and is continuing her quest to run among the best in Class 3A, a tough task this year with the return of North Hall. She finished sixth at the state meet.
Others set to make an impact on the team are Harper Dussouy, Brianna Escoto, Maria Gloeckner, and Caroline Hughes. Gloeckner was last year’s junior varsity Region 7 champion.
The boys will be led by four seniors who are ready to lead the Tigers through a tough region. Up and coming runners such as Luke Collins, Mason Rosenberg, and Carlos Serrano Duarte are looking to help the team return to the state championship race. Collins was last year’s JV Region 7 champion.
“We’ve had a great turnout this summer,” Tinsley said. “We lost some seniors on both the boys and girls teams
but we have a good core coming back. I’m really excited about the leadership on both sides. We’re going to rely a lot on those kids who were JV kids last year and are going to have to step up.”
Rolling with the punches
The recent class and region realignments in Georgia high school sports brought forth a significant change to cross country.
Instead of the typical region championship, where the top four teams in each region move on to the state championship in their respective class, teams will now be traveling to a state sectional meet to qualify for the final state championship race.
The sectional race will operate much like the track and field state sectional, where each class will be split into two
sections, roughly representing the northern and southern halves of the state.
For cross country, this change will reduce the number of teams that move on to the state title race. Instead of the top four teams from each of the eight regions in each class (32 teams), each section will have the top 12 teams move on, creating a 24-team field in each class.
On the surface, this makes for a
TEAM SCHEDULE:
All races on Saturday unless otherwise noted
8/17 - Cherokee County Classic (Cherokee HS 2-mile) 7:15 a.m.
11/2 - Class 3A Sectional (Helen, Unicoi State Park) 3:45 p.m.
11/9 - Class 3A State Meet (Carrollton HS) Times TBD
CROSS COUNTRY
more challenging situation for most programs, but Dawson County’s unique place in the new Region 6 in Class 3A may work to the Tigers’ advantage.
This is particularly the case for the DCHS boys team, who last year was part of a talented Region 7 that included four schools finishing in the top 10 at the state championship.
With the addition of North Hall and Chestatee to Dawson’s region this year, the Tigers would have been in a tough
battle for fourth place if the schedule still included a region title race.
But the quality of the region means that Dawson has an excellent chance to qualify in the top 12 at the state sectionals, even with all the other regions competing.
The good news for the DCHS runners is that they will be in familiar territory at the sectionals at Unicoi State Park in Helen, where the former Region 7 championship was held.
2024 Dawson County Volleyball
Head coach:
Audrey Goode, second season
2023 record:
24-20 (9-3 in Region 7-3A) First Round of state playoffs
LADY TIGERS VOLLEYBALL SET FOR ANOTHER SEASON OF GROWTH AND POTENTIAL
By Rio White Riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Steady gains with a young squad
This year’s Lady Tigers volleyball team is once again looking at a tough schedule with a young roster. But as last season’s team showed, perseverance is key.
Lone senior Reese Herring and junior Hope Selzer are set to be two important parts to a group that will likely see a steady rise to success like the 2023 team.
Much like before, head coach Audrey Goode scheduled a challenging non-region slate this fall to prepare the Lady Tigers for the reality of a tough Region 6-3A
That approach paid off last year, when the team followed up a 3-11 start by winning 11 of their next 12 matches.
The key difference this season is in
two areas — the roster and schedule.
With so many young players on the 2024 squad, Herring and Selzer will be leading the charge as leaders and helping the group develop the right mindset over time.
Both players were All-Region selections in 2023, with Herring as a reliable setter and Selzer as the defensive wall at libero.
With the two main outside hitters having graduated, sophomore Aspen Rooke will step up and expand her time on the court. She got significant minutes during her freshman year and had several impressive moments.
Complementing her skills will be junior Addison Priest, who also made good use of her playing time last year. Her consistent serving and strong hitting will be assets to the team all season.
Sterling England will return as a
middle blocker, Elizabeth Chameli will come back to help the defense, and the Humbaugh sisters — Savannah and Shelby — will also be looking to make an impact.
As for the schedule, the Lady Tigers won’t have to play perennial powerhouse Wesleyan anymore, but they will have to go up against a skilled Chestatee team that is joining their region.
While the Lady War Eagles are coming off a 32-win season, Dawson County will be ready to prepare and compete just as they did against Wesleyan, who they beat twice last year.
But before the region slate begins, Dawson will make several road trips for the non-region part of the schedule. Though this will add to the degree of difficulty of their matchups, it still serves as good preparation for later in the season.
TEAM SCHEDULE
(Host of road tri-match listed first)
8/6 at Oconee County and North Oconee
8/8 at Commerce and Johnson
8/13 at Gilmer and Dalton
8/15 at Etowah and West Forsyth
8/20 at North Hall and Cedar Shoals
8/22 vs. Union County and West Hall
8/24 vs. TBA
8/26 vs. Chestatee and White County
8/29 at East Forsyth and Northview
9/5 at Union County and Commerce
9/10 at White County and Pickens
9/12 at Banks County and Elbert County
9/17 vs. Pickens and Lumpkin County
9/19 vs. Gilmer
9/24 at Lumpkin County and Chestatee
9/26 at Johnson
10/1 vs. North Hall and Lambert
10/3 at Gainesville
DCHS COMPETITION CHEER LOOKS TO MAKE THE MOST OF COACH FLEMING’S 30TH SEASON
By Rio White Riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Carrying the torch
The Lady Tigers competition cheer team is a program steeped in a tradition of success, with 22 region titles and a state championship to their name.
This season, the team has another skilled group of seniors, led by Audrey Collum, Samantha Moss, Macie Rahn, and Ainsleigh Ramey.
With head coach Kim Fleming heading into her 30th season as head coach, the team is looking to mark that occasion with another stellar season on the mat.
What makes this year unique is that the group will be adding a degree of difficulty to their routine. Each person is crucial to the routine, which is set to bring some new challenges.
“We added a new skill in our elite section, which I don’t think Dawson has ever done,” Rahn said. “That’s going to be different, but I think our routine composition is going to be really good this year.”
At the forefront of the team’s approach will be making sure the many talented younger cheerleaders feel included in a sport that requires precise communication.
“Competition cheer is such a team sport — everyone matters on the floor,” Collum said. “Making sure everyone feels included and everyone works together well helps the team effort be on point.”
This year, the annual Tiger Cheer Classic hosted by Dawson County is scheduled for later in the season and will serve as the final competition for the Lady Tigers before the postseason.
2024 Dawson County Competition Cheer
Head Coach: Kim Fleming, 30th season
Last season’s results: 22nd region title, eighth place at Class 3A state championship
