The sports department here at Access North Georgia has ranked what we believe are the top 10 stories of the year. We ranked the stories on based on their relevance to northeast Georgia first and to the sports fan at large second. In other words, locale took precedence.
And it was a very interesting year in local/regional sports -- though there were plenty of big national stories too...
1. Damon Evans DUI and the fallout in Athens
Georgia fans shook their heads, Tech fans reveled in numerous jokes and plenty of people here locally were left wondering how and why one of northeast Georgia's brightest shining stars could let his career as the University of Georgia athletic director end in such infamy.
Evans was arrested for driving under the influence on June 30, 2010 in Atlanta. Eight days later, Evans resigned his position with Georgia, ending an impressive rise to one of the most powerful positions in the state. An energetic and charismatic personality helped Evans soar through the ranks in Athens to replace Vince Dooley as the Bulldog's AD in 2004. And the Gainesville High graduate was recognized as one of the most influential people in sports when he came into the position.
Evans was replaced by former UGA assistant athletic director Greg McGarity, who had been the top assistant at Florida.
It was an unfortunate and dispiriting story for thousands of people here in northeast Georgia, but it was undoubtedly one of the biggest stories of the year, sports or otherwise.
2. Buford is the new Title Town
Green Bay, Wisc., coined the term "TitleTown" for itself after dominating the early days of the NFL. When it comes to the state of Georgia, however, Buford may best be able to lay claim to that moniker. For the second year in a row, Buford High School produced three state championships (football, girls basketball and softball) in 2010. The Wolves have gone from football power (eight state titles and seven in the past 10 years) to all-around power, winning two straight girls basketball crowns and four straight softball championships. The Wolves continued their dominion of Class AA in 2010, and their incredible success as an athletic program puts them top of the list of several impressive prep stories from 2010.
3. More and more titles: Gainesville soccer, White County softball, Jefferson Wrestling win team crowns; area individuals dominate track and cross country events
The Red Elephants have battled for a number of seasons to reclaim the state championship they first won in 1998. Teams in 2002 and '05 both came close, but 2010 finally proved the right formula for a second crown. A talented team from top to bottom that also showed plenty of grit and fight, Gainesville also produced a few of those lucky moments that every title winner must navigate. The spectacular and nail-biting season ended in cliffhanger fashion, with the Red Elephants winning a penalty kick shootout in the championship game at Woodward Academy.
Coming into the season, the White County High School softball team knew it had a chance to do something special -- but they shocked just about everyone by winning a Class AAA title (their first) with relative ease. Relying on a bruising offensive line-up, the Lady Warriors battered opposing pitching, averaging just over 10 runs per game. White County put up 12 runs in the championship game, edging Allatoona by one run in Columbus. White County also got clutch pitching in key moments from players like Callie McDonald and Stephanie Satterfield.
In February, Jefferson wrestling tied a state record with seven individual champions en route to its 10th traditional title. Meanwhile, Flowery Branch (Nick Lankford, 103 pounds), White County (Caleb Morris, 125) and Commerce (Nick Arostegui, 152) each produced individual state winners.
This past spring, the Georgia Olympics in Jefferson were dominated by three northeast Georgia competitors. North Hall's Ty McCormack won the 1,600 (4:19.67) and 3,200 meter (9:08.66) runs; Gainesville's Paul Malquist (16-8) set a state record in pole vault. And Jefferson's Tyler Porter won the Class AA title in the pole vault and even held the new state record for a couple of hours, clearing 16-7.25. He was joined at the top of the medal podium by teammate Josh Kles, who won the Class AA shot put and discus (158-2). The victories helped propel the Dragons to the overall Class AA crown.
Meanwhile, Flowery Branch's Erika Rucker claimed the 400 meters at the girls state meet in Albany (55.53), blowing away the field and setting the stage for what should be more medals to come.
Meanwhile, this fall, North Hall's Cody Barger finished first amongst the field in the Class AAA cross country finale in Carrollton, crossing the finish line in 15:35. It was a fitting end to a dominating senior campaign.
It was yet another impressive year for area competitors at the high school level.
4. White County football excels despite midseason shake-up
It's rare for a sports team to lose its head coach midseason, even rarer for the teams that do so to excel, but that's just what White County football managed in 2010. Warriors head man Gregg Segraves resigned his position in early October after being placed on leave by the school system. Instead of stumbling or wallowing, White County responded to the adversity by going 6-2 the rest of the way, finishing second in Region 8-AAA and winning its first state playoff game. Interim head coach and defensive coordinator Tommy Flowers inherited a talented and seasoned Warriors team and made a seamless, and very impressive, transition.
5. Falcons incredible regular-season run
Coming in to 2010, the Falcons had just recorded their first-ever back-to-back winning seasons -- more a condemnation of the franchise's past than a optimistic look ahead. Yet Atlanta has built on last season's 9-7 mark with possibly its most impressive season ever, going 12-2 through the 2010 portion of the regular season. En route, the Falcons have become the buzz of the state, earning more and more attention from a group of football fans usually more concerned with the collegiate gridiron. Owner Arthur Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith make an impressive triumvirate at the top of Atlanta's organizational ladder and are giving Falcons fans real hope for the first time in some years
/ photo: Josh Martindale
/ photo: Josh Martindale
/ photo: Josh Martindale
http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/12/234772