The Oconee Leader

For hundreds of photos and updates about Oconee events and people, go to theoconeeleader. com

This Week: Calendar Daily Prayer Chapel: 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. through the week, St. Philothea Greek Orthodox Church, 3761 Mars Hill Road, Watkinsville.

Our church is open for personal prayer and meditation and to light a candle every morning from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.

Stop in for personal prayer and/or at 7 a.m. for the short prayer service. (770) 725-5035, saint.philothea@gmail. com, www.stphilothea. org.

Power of the Purse Luncheon & Silent Auction: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Athens Country Club, 2700 Jefferson Road, Athens.

Join us for the 12th Annual Power of the Purse Luncheon featuring purses, accessories and holiday goodies.

Open your purse and buy something fun while making a difference in the lives of children.

Proceeds Benefit WEE READ to help children learn and love reading.

The goal of Women’s Leadership Circle is to encourage all women who have assumed prominent leadership roles in business, education, sports, religion, medicine and other fields to also assume leadership roles in the area of charitable giving.

We are continuing to focus on Early Childhood Literacy for 2016, which will greatly benefit our community. With the slogan “The Power of the Purse” our Circle has continued to make this focus a success. In order to make this year’s Power of the Purse luncheon a success, we are asking for any donations of new, mid- to high-end purses and/or new jewelry pieces and/ or seasonal decor for the silent auction portion of the event. Donations can be dropped off at the UWNEGA office at 1 Huntington Road.

Suite 805, Athens. You can also call our office at (706) 543-5254 to schedule a time for us to come by and pick up any donations from your location. Women in this area are encouraged to get involved in charitable giving by either donating items for this event or by becoming a member of The Women’s Leadership Circle with a donation of $1,000 a year. Please join us in our 12th year of service to Northeast Georgia. (All donations are tax deductible.)

(706) 543-5254, marketing@unitedwaynega.org, https://www.eventbrite. com/e/12th-annualpower-of-the-purselunch-silent-auction-tickets-25717381380 TOPS weight loss: 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Government Annex Building, Highway 15, Watkinsville. Meetings are held each Thursday.

TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a nonprofit support group for weight loss. Members can Please see EVENTS

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Contact us:

Email editor@theoconeeleader. com

Twitter @TheOconeeLeader

Issue 39

Volume 11

From the Oconee to the Apalachee

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Athens Academy at 50

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Athens Academy students on a field trip during the 1968-69 school year.

Back and ahead

Coffee-table book

Eventful 2 years

Chapters of history Wayne Ford

From Athens Academy

TheOconeeLeader.com

TheOconeeLeader.com

Athens Academy, which was chartered on Sept. 23, 1966, is planning a number of events in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

The school doors opened on Sept. 5, 1967, with 147 students and 12 faculty members on the site of a dairy farm on the corner of Hawthorne Avenue and the old Jefferson Road.

The school is planning events for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.

Among the upcoming events are a Birthday Bash in February, a Salute to the Founders in April and a cake-cutting party in September 2017. A commemorative book, “Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence with Honor,” will also be published.

The school was an idea that spawned in the early 1960s by six prominent Athenians.

Businessman John J. Wilkins III, attorney John E. “Buck” Griffin, physician Harvey Cabaniss, banker Tommy Tillman, accountant Harold Beasley and homemaker Mary T. Erwin would become the founding trustees of Athens Academy.

Wilkins served as the chairman

Athens Academy’s original board of trustees included, front from left: John J. Wilkins III (chairman), John E. “Buck” Griffin, Mary Erwin, Harold Beasley; middle row: Dr. Jack Payne, Merle Prunty, Mary Cooley, Thomas Tillman; back row, Dr. Harvey Cabaniss, Cecil Johnson, Elmer Schacht, Donald Terry and Ronald Griffeth, who was the first headmaster. The house and grounds below on Jefferson Road served as the first campus for Athens Academy. The house was donated by Cabaniss.

Athens Academy will release a hardcover, coffee-table type book next year covering its 50 years of history dating to when the school began with 147 students to today’s enrollment of almost 1,000.

“The book goes through the whole 50 years,” said Margaret Smith, who is working with The Storyline Group, an Atlanta publisher of family and business histories.

“They have already scanned over 900 images,” said Smith, who is a longtime member of the Board of Trustees and works at the school as its archivist.

While the book may contain from 200 to 300 of the images, many others will be used in slide presentations and other events that will take place as the private school celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.

Those working on the celebration hope to release the book coinciding with the first day the school opened on Sept. 5, 1967.

The book traces the school history to the time period when the founders began talking about the concept for a school that became Please see BOOK

Please see ACADEMY

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Page 2

Teacher of the Year nod pays off Lee Shearer

TheOconeeLeader.com

North Oconee High School government and U.S. history teacher Paige Cole is this year’s Oconee County Teacher of the Year.

Community members and school offi-

cials recognized Cole and the teachers of the year from each of the school district’s other nine schools at a Thursday night banquet in the Oconee County Civic Center.

Besides honor, the award also earned her prizes and cash.

She and all the other school-level Teach-

ers of the Year get a $1,000 bonus from the school district.

In addition, Cole will get another $2,100 from donors including Athens First Bank and Trust, Peach State Federal Credit Please see TEACHER

Page 2

Cole

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Page 2

Teacher

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Randy Reid (right side, back row) with his Learning About Home class during a trip to Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens in August. Front row: Parker Jones, Lucy Devaney, Ali Garrett, Mabel Tie, Emery Nealy, Kate Goggin, Macjenzie Ferguson; back row: Alex Boyette, Rolf Reynolds, Jack McLanahan, Bo Allen, Riley Rupert, Bo Griffith, Clay Capra, Jacob Hudson and Reid.

For the record: Teacher honored Staff Reports

TheOconeeLeader.com

Athens Academy Humanities Department Chairman Randy Reid was recently announced as the winner of the 2016 Award for Excellence in the Educational Use of Historical Records.

The award, given by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council, recognizes Reid’s work with his course on “Learning About Home: Original Historical Research on Athens-Clarke County.”

The GHRAC “established the Archives Awards Program in 2003 to recognized outstanding efforts in

archives and records programs in Georgia,” according to a news release.

Reid will be honored at an awards ceremony at the Georgia Archives in Morrow on Oct. 26.

The Learning About Home class represents a joint effort of the Athens Academy Humanities Department, The University of Georgia History Department and the Willson Center at UGA. Reid also works with students in a similar course at Putnam County High School.

Currently in his 29th year on the Athens Academy faculty, Reid also serves as a college counselor in the

guidance department and coordinates programs for the 11th grade.

The course provides students with an opportunity to understand local history.

They investigate the local past and document it through digitized historical newspapers, art and both digitized and historical documents at the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

The collaboration between a public university, a public charter school and an independent high school offers the possibility of developing an approach to historical education that can be expanded to other schools, officials said.

Scholarship program commends seniors

Morris

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Oconee County High School recently announced that four seniors — Nathan Morris, Robert Jackson, Aidan Brook and Davis Hardell — have been named Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Program. Their 2015 PSAT scores placed them among the top 50,000 of approximately 1.6 million students who took the test. Nathan is the son of Barry and Donna Elder; Davis the son of Robert and Anne Hardell; Aidan the son of George and Fong Brook and Robert is the son of David and Wendy Jackson.

Book Athens Academy.

“They were looking

Continued from page 1 for a better education for their children. It was never intended to do with integration or segregation. They basically had a lot of boarding school education in their background and they wanted their children to have this experience here, but it was not available,” said Smith, who is the niece of one of the founders, Harvey Cabaniss, the only living member of the original board.

The 1960s were a tumultuous time that affected the quality of education, she said. And

these people didn’t want to send their children away to school.

The school’s charter was granted in 1966 and signed

by Superior Court Judge James Barrow.

The school was initially established in a house owned and donated by Cabaniss at Jefferson Road and Hawthorne Avenue.

Besides the house, there were four outbuildings and a barn.

In later years, after the school was relocated to the 152-acre campus in Oconee County, the house was sold to Lee Epting of

Athens.

Epting moved the two-story brick house to a location off Westlake Drive near Fortson Drive, Smith said.

“It’s really a beautiful house,” she said.

The book will be a keepsake for the many graduates and former staff and teachers of the school.

“It will be a cross section which we hope will give a feel for what we are all about,” Smith said.

The book will be offered at preorders for $40 before April 1 and for $50 after that date.

Contact us

Thank you for reading The Oconee Leader. If we can be of any assistance, or if you have information you would like to share with the Oconee community, please send information to Wayne Ford at editor@ theoconeeleader or call 706-208-2221.

If you would like to advertise with The Oconee Leader, contact Alicia Goss at (706) 255-6745 or Laura Jackson at (404) 408-9446.

Our website is www.theoconeeleader.com

Mailing address: The Oconee Leader, P.O. Box 912, Athens, Ga., 30603-0912

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Continued from page 1

Union, BankSouth, Oconee State Bank and First American Bank and Trust of Athens. She also gets a laptop computer from Walmart and the use of a vehicle on a vacation trip from Heyward Allen Toyota, said Brook Whitmire, the chief human resources officer for the Oconee County School District.

“Every student in America’s public schools deserves the opportunity to be taught by someone as intelligent, talented, hardworking and passionate as Paige Cole,” said North Oconee High School principal Philip Brown in a news release. “The impact she makes on our students is immeasurable.”

Teachers, not administrators, pick the school and district Teachers of the Year, Whitmire explained.

The teachers at each school vote to pick the Teacher of the Year at their schools. From those 10, a committee of former Teachers of the Year picks the district winner after a process that includes classroom visits with each school’s Teacher of the Year.

Cole has been at North Oconee since 2012 and now teaches U.S. history and Advance Placement government there.

Events

She has also taught in Barrow County, at Athens Technical College and at Athens Montessori School during her 15-year career.

Cole was an undergraduate history major and has a master’s degree in social studies education and a Ph.D. in language and literacy.

Besides Cole, the schoollevel teachers of the year honored Thursday were Paulette Moon, Oconee County Primary; Valerie Greer, Colham Ferry Elementary; David Lawrence, High Shoals Elementary; Anna Warren, Malcom Bridge Elementary; Susie Searcy, Oconee County Elementary; Tiffany Hancock, Rocky Branch Elementary; Sara Johnson, Malcom Bridge Middle; Andrea Fairbanks, Oconee County Middle; and Jake Forrester, Oconee County High.

Continued from page 1

share challenges, successes, or goals, hear a brief program and discuss plans for the week.

(800) 932-8677 or www. tops.org.

Library Card Scavenger Hunt: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Bogart Library, 200 South Burson Avenue, Bogart. It’s Library Card Sign-Up Month. Celebrate your library card with a family fun library scavenger hunt at the Bogart Library. Drop by during library hours, pick up a form and win a free prize for participating.

Learn more about your library, too, Oconee Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oconee County Courthouse, 23 N. Main Street, Watkinsville. The market is open rain-or-shine on Saturdays through the last Saturday in November.

Located in front of the courthouse in downtown Watkinsville.

Alanon: 7 to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Watkinsville 1st Methodist Church, 1331 New High Shoals Road, Watkinsville. 12step recovery for people affected by someone’s alcohol use. Meets daily in the area in various locations. http://www.gaal-anon.org/.

Watercolor Painting, Values and Color, OCAF class: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, 34 School Street, Watkinsville.

Academy

“Every student in America’s public schools deserves the opportunity to be taught by someone as intelligent, talented, hardworking and passionate as Paige Cole.”

Explore or expand your knowledge of watercolor applications with Kie Johnson in six five-hour classes in watercolor painting at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. Register at www. ocaf.com or call (706) 769-4565. $250 OCAF member, $260 nonmember.

Scream Free Parenting Class: 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Grace Fellowship Church of God, 1120 Malcom Bridge Rd, Bogart. Grace Fellowship Church will offer a Scream Free Parenting Class from on Wednesdays beginning Aug.10 until Oct. 26 at 6:30-8 p.m. at Grace Fellowship, 1120 Malcom Bridge Road. The cost is $15 for required workbook and childcare is FREE. Are you a screamer? Or do you employ the “Silent Treatment”? Are you looking for ways to better connect with your children?

Join us for a 12 week study (DVD, discussion, exercises) designed to equip you for your most important job…PARENTING! Led by Scream Free Parenting Certified Leader, Wendy FletcherClements. To register (required), visit http:// graceathens.com/connect/details/scream-freeparenting/ or for more info. call the church at (706) 769-4001. $15., 706-769-4001, graceathens.com/connect/ details/scream-freeparenting/.

Continued from page 1

of the board from the school’s inception until his death in 2008.

Athens Academy was one of the first schools in the region to seek diversity during a time of social unrest, according to a statement from the school.

“One of the first mission statements reads, “The school seeks students from

diverse social, economic, religious, and racial backgrounds who can benefit from a rigorous academic program led by a highly qualified and enthusiastic faculty.”

Now 50 years later, the school has more than 950 students and more than 100 faculty and staff on a 152-acre campus located in Oconee County.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

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Page 3

Meet Oconee County schools’ Teachers of the Year

Malcom Bridge Middle School Teacher of the Year is Sara Johnson.

Oconee County High School Teacher of the Year is Randy Landry.

High Shoals Elementary School Teacher of the Year is David Lawrence.

Colham Ferry Elementary School Teacher of the Year is Valerie Greer.

Oconee County Elementary School Teacher of the Year is Susie Searcy.

Oconee County Middle School Teacher of the Year is Andrea Fairbanks.

Rocky Branch Elementary School Teacher of the Year is Tiffany Hancock.

Oconee County Primary School Teacher of the Year is Paulette Moon.

Malcom Bridge Elementary School Teacher of the Year is Anna Warren.

For hundreds of photos and updates about Oconee events and people, go to theoconeeleader.com

This Week: Oconee

WARRIORS l TITANS l SPARTANS l WOLVERINES l LIONS

September 29, 2016

Sweep for Oconee County in Conyers Volleyball

Senior Night Page 6

NOHS

John, Pachuta win races, boys and girls teams finish first Contributed photos

Oconee County’s cross country teams had a successful day in last Saturday’s Aubrae Gunderson Invitational in Conyers. Running the small-team meet, Oconee County finished first in the boys’ and girls’ meet and had Wesley John win the boys’ run with a time of 16:23 and Nicole Pachuta win the girls’ run with a time of 19:59.

Caroline McArthur finished fourth (21:16), Norine Moore finished eighth (21:50), Cailey Dunford finished 16th (22:57) and Megan Crozier finished 22nd (23:20) out of 94 runners. The Lady Warriors had 42 points and beat Druid Hills and North Hall, who both had 68 points. The Warriors had 40 points and finished ahead of North Hall, who had 68 points. There were 18 teams and 149 runners in the meet.

Along with John’s win, the Warriors had four runners in the top 10. Harrison Morris finished third (15:56), Jake Hadden finished sixth (17:17), Colin O’Neal finished 10th (17:47) and Garrison Taylor finished 20th (18:39). Pictured above are (left to right) Colin O’Neal, Harrison Morris, Wesley John, Megan Crozier, Cailey Dunford, Caroline McArthur, Nicole Pachuta, Norine Moore, Maggie Clutter, Tanner Schroer, Kelton McConnell, Jake Hadden, Tucker Shroer and Sam Hunt. Pictured on the left are race winners Wesley John and Nicole Pachuta.

Volleyball

Big wins Page 6 theoconeeleader.com

Online

Mattison gets first win, NOHS gets team wins at Jefferson XC event From Staff Reports TheOconeeLeader.com

Photo gallery, story

Oconee football theoconeeleader.com

Online

Photo gallery

Georgia Tech vs.

Clemson football theoconeeleader.com

Paced by a girls’ varsity squad that placed six runners in the top 10, North Oconee captured two first-place trophies last Tuesday in Jefferson at the 13th annual Main Street News Meet.

With a mere 22 points, the Lady Titans outdistanced Hart County (50) and Chestatee (76) in the 12-team field.

Kate Mattison raced to her first overall individual title, leading the field of 111 in a time of 20:25. Mackenzie Morse claimed 3rd in 20:34, with Gabby Huff-Streiter 5th in 21:32. Seniors Melanie Bowden (6th in 21:41) and Hollis Brown (7th in 22:09) wrapped up top-five team spots.

Courtney Jones (10th in 23:09) and Siya Kannan (14th in 23:35) chipped in with top-seven team scores. Sophie Brown (17th in 23:47), Anna Cobb (21st in 24:49), and Grace Pan (24th in 24:58) also contributed to the varsity victory.

In the varsity boys race, the Titans were fueled by four top-ten finishes, taking the team title with 38 points as Jefferson was second (42) and Chestatee third (76).

Senior Anthony Potts was 2nd overall in 17:13. Brady Kalessa ran 3rd in 17:15, followed by Alex Thomas (6th in 17:45). Jacob Ash (9th in 18:04) and David Mustard (18th in 18:49) were top-five team finishers. Acton Vogt (40th in 19:57) and Wanya Newton (73rd in 21:21) were top-seven scorers. Collin Pannell (78th in 21:54), Thomas Dowis (95th in 22:35), and Cole Lannon (107th in 23:18) also represented the varsity.

The JV girls also finished first, with Amy Gayer (3rd in 25:09) leading the way. Anna Marie Garmon (5th in 25:24), Komal Parikh (6th in 25:44), Christa Lynn Moore (9th in 27:13), and Korey Dickerson (10th in 27:54) were team top-fivers. Caroline Kulp (14th in 28:43) and Christina Vogt (15 in 29:02) rounded out the team scoring.

The JV boys managed a fourth place finish. Michael Shirley (12th in 21:50), Colin McCormick (13th in 22:01), Conar Jensen (23rd in 22:40), Nate Poulter (27th in 22:52), and Mitch Hanson (30th in 23:01) handed in top-five team finishes. Tanner Griffis (34th in 23:05) and Samuel Ash (41st in 23:48) rounded out the top seven.

The Titans will pay a visit to Athens Academy on today (Sept. 29).

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

North Oconee’s Kate Mattison won for the first time in her high school career in last Tuesday’s meet at Jefferson.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

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Page 5

Lady Warriors beat PACS, St. Pius, Madison County in successful week Oconee County’s softball team went undefeated last week to improve to 13-10 overall and finish the region with a 5-5 record. After beating Prince Avenue Christian 11-0 last Monday to start the week, the Lady Warriors beat region foe St. Pius 6-0 and got a walk-off hit from Maura Grace Dickens to beat Madison County 8-7 in eight innings last Thursday. The Lady Warriors finished fourth in the region standings and will play North Oconee in an elimination series with a berth in the state tournament on the line. The best-of-three series opens with two games on Friday.

Game one starts at 5 p.m. For photos and the full story on Oconee County’s win against PACS, see theoconeeleader.com. Pictured is the team waiting at home plate following a home run by Chloe Fambrough in the win at PACS.

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Lady Wolverines beat Commerce, enter week in second place in region Prince Avenue Christian picked up a region win against Commerce 14-6 last Tuesday to improve to 6-2 in the region. The Lady Wolverines entered this week with a 6-2 region record, sitting in second place behind Athens Christian (8-1) and ahead of Providence Christian (6-3) and George Walton (6-3). The Lady Wolverines played Providence Christian earlier this week and host George Walton today (September 29). They host Athens Christian on October 4 and Hebron Christian on October 6 to finish the regular season. Pictured are members of the Lil’ Wolves Club with Hays Simmons (14), Sam Smith (13) and Mackenzie Kurt (21) prior to the start of last week’s game against Oconee. For more photos, see theoconeeleader.com.

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Spartans remain undefeated, rout Towns County 38-7

Wolverines come from behind to beat GWA 39-21, still undefeated

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

Athens Academy was back on the field last week with a region game against Towns County, and the Spartans came away with a 38-14 victory to move to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the region. After Drew Byus gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead with a 23-yard field goal, Jalen Huff had an interception return for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Matt Moseley threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Henry Trapnell for a 17-0 lead. Payton Bowles added a touchdown to take a 24-0 lead. Drew Swan’s 43-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown gave the Spartans a 31-7 lead in the third quarter. Moseley threw his second touchdown pass, this one a 24-yard pass to Owen Roberts, gave the Spartans a 38-7 lead. The Spartans play at Riverside Military on Friday night and at Hebron Christian on October 7. They return to Slaughter Field on October 14 against Providence Christian.

Prince Avenue Christian trailed going into the fourth quarter but when the final 12 minutes were finished in last Friday’s game against George Walton, the Wolverines ended the night with their fifth win of the season. The Wolverines beat George Walton 39-21 and improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the region. George Walton led 14-0 in the second quarter when Sam Wessinger (pictured above) returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. The Wolverines tied the game when Noah Campbell recovered a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown with 5:27 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs took a 21-14 lead with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.

Thomas Huff scored on a 15-yard run to cut the lead to 21-20 with 10:55 left in the game. After a Bulldog fumble inside the 5-yard line, Grant Roland hit Christian Parrish for a 99-yard touchdown and a 26-21 lead with 7:18 left in the game. Huff added a 27-yard touchdown run with 3:32 left to take a 32-21 lead. Parrish added an interception returned for a touchdown with 2:57 left to seal the win. The Wolverines host Commerce on Friday night.

North Oconee falls to Winder-Barrow

Oconee loses 32-31 in OT to Eastside

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

MATTHEW CALDWELL/Oconee Leader

North Oconee dropped to 0-5 with a 38-0 loss to Winder-Barrow last Friday night. It was the fourth road game for North Oconee this season. The Titans don’t play this week. They return to the field October 7 with the Region 8-AAAA opener against Highway 53 rival Oconee County. In two previous regular-season games against the Warriors, the Titans are 2-0 with wins in 2012 and 2013. In five region games this season, the Titans will have three of them at home. They host Jefferson on October 14, play at Madison County on October 21, host St. Pius on October 28 and wrap up the regular season November 4 at Stephens County.

Oconee County lost its first game of the season last Friday night at Warrior Stadium, falling to Eastside 32-31 in overtime. Corderius Paschal had a 31-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter to make the score 7-7. Champ Bell had a 38-yard touchdown catch to cut Eastside’s lead to 21-14 late in the second quarter. Bell had a 17-yard run to tie the game early in the third quarter. Hunter Reynolds kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Warriors a 24-21 lead with 2:46 left in the fourth, but Eastside kicked a 27-yard field goal with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game. The Warriors got the ball first to open overtime and scored on a 5-yard run by Jared Hood to lead 31-24. Eastside scored to cut the lead to 31-30 and then had a successful two-point conversion to get the win. Oconee finished the nonregion portion of the schedule 4-1. The Warriors play at North Oconee on October 7. For photos of the game and the full story, see theoconeeleader.com. Pictured is Champ Bell breaking up a pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

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Page 6

Thursday, September 29, 2016

North Oconee volleyball tops Athens Academy, Jefferson, Madison County

By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com

Rachel Blanton, Ansley McClain, Emily Boswell

Oconee County closes Senior Night with win against Stephens County

By Matthew Caldwell TheOconeeLeader.com

It was a special ending to Senior Night on Tuesday night for Oconee County’s volleyball team.

With the match tied in the third set and the Lady Warriors leading 24-15, each senior contributed on the final point to give Oconee a 2-1 win.

“It felt so good. Emily (Boswell) passed it Ansley (McClain) set it and I killed it,” said senior Rachel Blanton.

“It is a very bittersweet. I love this team more than anything but my favorite part was our very last play, our senior passer passed it, I set it and our senior hitter hit it. We got to be in the last play. It was awesome,” McClain said. “It was probably one of my favorite moments of my high school career because we are connected.”

“We were all talking and I knew I could count on Ansley and Rachel to finish the play,” Boswell said. “It gave me chills to pass and have Ansley set and have Rachel kill. It was a good moment.”

Prior to their match against Stephens County, the Lady Warriors recognized each senior, who got to walk with family through a tunnel made by the younger players while their accomplishments were read to the fans in the gym.

“It was sad,” Blanton said. “I will miss it a lot.”

“I was surprised I didn’t cry,” McClain said. “I feel like that is coming later but it was surreal to see all of the support we have had. This is a great program and I am sad to leave it.”

“It was a little nerve-wreaking walking in front of everyone and then my emotions kind of hit and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh this is the last time I will play here.’

It was a good moment,” Boswell said. “I have had Ansley and Rachel by my side for almost six years. I was glad to walk out with them. It is super weird (high school is almost done). It seems like it flew by.

I started high school with both of my siblings and now they are both in college. It’s going fast.”

The Lady Warriors won the first set 2514 but they trailed in the second set 24-19.

“We talked about how it was the seniors’ last night so we had to play for us,” Blanton said. “Abby (Howell) did a good job getting her serves in and serving aggressively. We had to fight with everything we had and couldn’t let up at all.”

The Lady Warriors battled back and tied the set at 24-24 but Stephens County won the final two points to take the set and send the match to a third set.

“I told them that we kind of a little inconsistent. We weren’t as aggressive as we were against St. Pius. We needed to refocus and start moving a little bit faster, anticipating that ball a little bit more.

With better communication, we will create more energy on the floor. That was our focus going into game three,” said head coach Jacob Yates. “It was almost destined to go three so we could have that on the final play of the final home game. They took that as a great dedication to what they have brought to the season. They are big players for us. To see that all put into one play defined how much they mean to us on this team.”

Last Thursday the Lady Warriors beat George Walton and Winder-Barrow 2-0 in a pair of non-region matches to improve to 15-18 overall. They entered this week with a 3-3 record in the region and played at North Oconee against NOHS and St. Pius earlier this week.

Last Thursday the North Oconee Lady Titans hosted Athens Academy in a rematch of Aug. 23 3-0 loss to the Lady Spartans.

After winning the first two sets 26-24 and 25-13 to take a 2-0 lead in the best three-of-five match, the Lady Spartans won the next two sets 25-20 and 2521 to tie the match.

The Lady Titans were the first to 15 in the third set to take the win 15-12 and win the match 3-2 in the nonregion match.

The Lady Titans improved to 27-6 overall with the win.

The Lady Titans hosted two region opponents Tuesday night. After a slow start in the first set against Jefferson, the Lady Titans rebounded to earn a pair of 2-0 wins against Jefferson and Madison County.

“The first set, we kind of got mad at each other when we made stupid errors. It was something we could have prevented. We lost our focus. We made a lot of unforced errors. We decided we weren’t going to lose,” said senior Emma Boughner.

Jefferson led the Lady Titans throughout the first set. North Oconee didn’t take its first lead until it was 24-23, but the Lady Titans closed the set out with a 25-23 win.

North Oconee won 10 of the first 11 points in the second set and won 25-8 to take the match.

“The second game was won by Julia Bailey’s serve. She kept them off balance at the beginning of the game. We were up and it was all because of Julia’s serving. They couldn’t pass

the ball to their setter,” said coach Sidney Feldman. “It was area and we started off slow, real slow obviously.

We got behind against Jefferson. We were sucking wind for three quarters of the first game. I didn’t panic and they didn’t panic. They laugh. They enjoy being with each other.

They do what you are supposed to do in volleyball – no highs, no lows, just stay steady.

“Jefferson came out 10 times better than the last time we played them. We played poorly but they weren’t playing volleyball.

Tonight they played good volleyball. They ran a defensive system we couldn’t deal with. They ran one blocker so they had a lot of diggers. Every time we spiked the ball, they were able to dig it. It was a tough first game but we knew a lot was on the line.”

Boughner had 10 kills and a .435 hitting percentage against Jefferson.

“That is phenomenal because you expect the middle to hit .300. Mary Pearson had six kills and no errors for a .400 hitting percentage. Sami Gascho had 23 assists,” Boughner said. “That is phenomenal because you expect the middle to hit .300. Mary Pearson had six kills and no errors for a .400 hitting percentage. Sami Gascho had 23 assists. We had five solo blocks. Emma had five solo blocks, which is really big. It is devastating to get blocked. It’s like in basketball when someone blocks your shot. You can’t deal with it for a while and you don’t want to shoot again.

You are looking around for another player. That is what happens on the court.”

Boughner had nine kills and seven digs against Madison County. Leslie Aldrich had seven kills.

Gascho had 18 assists, six aces and five digs. Madison Correll had four digs.

The Lady Titans entered this week with a 6-0 record in the region. St. Pius was also 6-0. North Oconee hosted Atlanta private school St. Pius and Oconee County earlier this week.

“We can beat (St. Pius),” Boughner said. “We came close to beating Blessed Trinity in the past tournament. If we play like everyone is on their game, I think we can do it.”

“We are doing well. We just have to do better if we want to move ahead in the state,” Feldman said. “On Saturday, we met Blessed Trinity and we fought off 11 match points and they beat us in the third game 20-18.

Am I happy? Oh yeah, because Blessed Trinity was supposed to destroy us.

We are playing with the big boys now where in the beginning of the year, we were struggling with the average team. We have moved up. We are in good shape where we are now but we still have to meet St. Pius, Marist, Westminster. We have four of the top 10 teams in the state in our area. I tell people we are the best of the public schools. I’d like to do well enough so these kids feel good about themselves. When we lost 2018, they were ahead 14-9.

There were only smiled in the hallway. They were so thrilled they could play that well. It was three against one. The top teams we are playing have three girls like Emma Boughner and we are playing with one.”

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