High School Sports
If you are a citizen of Gwinnett County then it is easy for you to recognize so many of the great attributes of the County—great people, good government, beautiful houses, manicured parks… and tons of shopping! However, if you live in the state of Georgia
and you are outside of Gwinnett County, then you perhaps know of Gwinnett County for one thing—HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS! In fact, people throughout the entire country are learning to pay attention to Gwinnett County due to the reputation that we have established with our stellar sports programs at the high school level.
Now for those of us who are old enough to remember, way back in the 1980’s there was a similar phenomena that took place in a small town down in South Georgia called Valdosta. In fact, Valdosta was nicknamed “Winnersville, USA” due to the success of both the Valdosta High School Wildcats and the Lowndes (County) High School Vikings (or “Plowboys” as they are affectionately known). Both schools had teams in just about every sport that seemed to always be vying for some state or national championship of some sort if not a region championship at the very least. Well, I just happen to be one of those aforementioned “Plowboys” from LHS who graduated in 1984. However, I have been living in Gwinnett County now for the past twelve years and noticed a significant shift in the balance of power between North and South Georgia. It is with mixed emotion that I admit to you that the Mecca of high school sports has moved to the north and now resides in Gwinnett County! And yes, I know that my alma mater won the state championship in football back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 (beating Brookwood and Parkview respectively); but clearly if you look at the high school sports scene since the mid 1990’s you can see the dominance that has emerged from Gwinnett County in multiple sports.
So here is our salute to high school sports in Gwinnett County! This is our salute to the dedicated players, coaches, managers, trainers, administrators, parents and loyal fans throughout the county who make high school sports what they are today—which just happens to be the best in the nation! We have taken a look over the last decade to pay honor to the schools in Gwinnett County who are the best in each particular sport. This is based on winning percentage, number of championships garnered, number of athletes who went on to play “at the next level”, quality of coaching, etc. amongst other things. With all that being said, I am sure that our readers may have some differing viewpoints when it comes to making their own picks. That is part of what makes you a hard-nosed, get-after-it, loyal sports fan for your particular school and a great “Gwinnettian”. So feel free to make your picks as you take a look at ours:
Baseball
The Skinny:
Whether it’s the long seasons, the speed of the game, or the fact that football is king in the south, baseball is almost like the “neglected child” of high school sports. In Gwinnett County, the success of the football teams has perhaps contributed to the lack of success of the baseball teams as it pertains to state competition. However, there are several baseball teams out there who continue to put us on the map when it comes to the great State of Georgia.
Top School:
Parkview Panthers—Over the last decade the Parkview High School Panthers have won three state titles including back- to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. The school continues to turn out top notch talent like perhaps it’s most famous alumnus, Jeff Francouer of the Atlanta Braves. The Panthers are a mainstay in the state playoff picture and always in contention for the 5-A State Baseball Championship each year.
Runner-Up:
Shiloh Generals—The Generals saw much better times a few years ago when they were the region champions back-to-back in 1998 and 1999 and also advanced to the state playoffs. However, the wins have really been hard to come by since then. Shiloh finished a disappointing 11-14 in 2006, and Head Coach Matt Champitto will need to work hard to turn things around for the Generals this season.
Honorable Mention:
My team to watch for 2007 will be the North Gwinnett Bulldogs. Head Coach Frank Vashaw looks to make a run at the title this year with a good group of seasoned talent including catcher, Mitch Rider, who is considered one of the top hitters in the county.
Softball
The Skinny:
Girls’ fast-pitch softball is extremely competitive around the state, and Gwinnett County is perhaps a little behind some of the other counties in the metro area—Cobb and Oconee in particular. However, high school coaches are partnering with youth league coaches to help remedy that by starting a middle school league to help better prepare girls for making the leap to high school competition.
Grayson Rams—The back-to-back state champs from 2002 and 2003 in division 3-A have fallen on hard times over the past few years watching Oconee County bring home the title the past three seasons in a row. Look for Head Coach Troy Pirkle to make a big push to bring the title back to Grayson in 2008!
Runner-Up:
Collins Hill Eagles—Collins Hill was the last Gwinnett County School to win a state title in softball back in 2005. Head Coach Amy Cook will look to a very deep pitching staff to try to return to the state playoffs next year.
Honorable Mention:
Congratulations to the South Gwinnett Lady Comets (1997), the Duluth Lady Wildcats (1999), and the Central Gwinnett Lady Black Knights (2001) who were all able to earn state titles. My picks for the teams to watch are the Mill Creek Lady Hawks led by senior pitcher Katy Hackett and the Parkview Lady Panthers led by Courtney Folsom.
Boy's Basketball
The Skinny:
Gwinnett County is rich in talent for boys’ basketball fueled by many two-sport stars that play both basketball and football. Many players in the area are often forced to choose whether it will be football or basketball when they make it to the next level. That type of talent makes for some excellent and exciting games to watch which will even rival games that we see from the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and even the Atlanta Hawks! There is no doubt about it that the college and pro scouts are at just about every game played that involves a Gwinnett County school.
Top School:
Norcross Blue Devils—The Blue Devils completed their goal of winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 led by Senior Forward Gani Lawal. Coach Eddie Martin will look to make it three in a row next year as Norcross returns a seasoned group of players for the 2008 title run. Norcross was a nationally ranked team in 2007, and you can look for them to do great things in 2008 as well.
Runner-Up:
Berkmar Patriots—The Patriots began the new century in a big way winning back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. However, soon after it appeared that Berkmar would be THE basketball school of Gwinnett County, Head Coach David Boyd moved on… and so did Berkmar’s winning ways on the hardwood. The Patriots have shown some signs of returning to their glory days in basketball with future stars like sophomore guard, J.J. Harbin.
Honorable Mention:
The South Gwinnett Comets won the 2004 state title led by senior “Mr. Everything”, Louis Williams. The Meadowcreek Mustangs coached by Billy Davis are a fixture in the state tournament every year, but have just not been able to bring home the gold… yet!
Girls Basketball
The Skinny:
Now I’m not exactly sure what young ladies like to do in their spare time down in south Georgia, but the ladies in north Georgia apparently like to play basketball… and they like to play it well. Over the last decade, all of the state championship teams in division 5-A have been teams from schools above the “Gnat Line”. Very few state championship teams in all of the other divisions over the same time period have been from south Georgia, and Gwinnett County schools are the leaders of the pack when it comes to girls basketball in the state of Georgia.
Top School:
Collins Hill Eagles—when you have the number one player in the entire country (Maya Moore) on your team, it makes it pretty easy to be the state champion for three consecutive years (2005—2007) in the states’ largest athletic classification. When you add to that two more back-to-back state championships (2001- 2002) before she even arrived on the scene, then you have a dynasty! Collins Hills Lady Eagles’ five state championships in the past seven years is nothing less than absolutely incredible!!! You go, girls!!!
Runner-Up:
Wesleyan Wolves—The Wesleyan Lady Wolves are to 2-A girls basketball what Collins Hill is to 5-A. At press time, the Lady Wolves were preparing to play for their fourth consecutive state championship. This is simply an unbelievable feat for this day and age of athletics on any level! Head Coach Jan Azar has done a phenomenal job of build a winning tradition at the once little known school in Norcross.
Honorable Mention:
Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS) will be facing Wesleyan in this year’s final for the 2-A title. GACS has also won back-to-back state championships in 2001—2002. Collins Hills victory in the finals this year was over a very gutsy and well-coached South Gwinnett Lady Comets team. The Central Gwinnett Lady Black Knights brought home the state 4-A title in 2001 and the Parkview Lady Panthers brought home the state 5-A title in 2003.
Football
The Skinny:
The city of Macon, GA defines the imaginary borderline (or Mason-Dixon line if you will) for football in Georgia. During the 70’, 80’s and even early 90’s, the south dominated the northern schools in football in nearly every classification. However, somewhere around 1996 when the Brookwood Broncos won the state title the balance of power began to shift. Today, it’s perhaps as it should be with equal power on both ends of the state and a virtual toss-up each year for state champs in all divisions.
Top School:
Parkview Panthers—Whether you love the Big Orange or you hate ‘em, you must respect the fact that they have been the team of the decade in Gwinnett County. “Hats off” to head coach Cecil Flowe and all of the members of the Panther Nation who make Parkview football a perennial powerhouse in division 5-A! From a quality youth program to preparing student-athletes to play on the next level, the four-time state champs (including back-to-back-to-back titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002) have obviously found the formula for success.
Runner-Up:
Buford Wolves—With their own set of back-to-back-to-back state titles in 2001-2003, the Buford Wolves have shown that they are a force to be dealt with in division 2-A. Running backs like Buford alumnus and Notre Dame star Darius Walker (who will be heading to the National Football League in next months draft) have led the “ground and pound” attack for the pride and joy of the City of Buford. The last few years have seen the Wolves sputter against competition such as the caliber of the current three time and back-to-back-to-back state champs from Charlton County, but insiders tell me that the wolves are reloading for a big run over the next few years.
Honorable Mention:
The Brookwood Broncos are my pick as the team to watch in division 5-A over the next 3-4 years. They have the best group of talent that I have ever seen on the 9th Grade level, and if Head Coach Mark Crews is able to keep them together, healthy and continually progressing as they should… LOOK OUT! The Meadowcreek Mustangs have not won a single game in the last three seasons, but Head Coach Reggie Perry still somehow finds a way to send a herd of Mustangs to college every year. The Peachtree Ridge Lions made history in 2006 by winning the state championship in division 5-A after only being in existence for four years. Led by defensive tackle and AJC defensive player of the year Cameron Heyward, the Lions’ season ended in a tie in the state championship game against the Roswell Hornets. For all of you haters out there who would belittle the Lions accomplishment due to a silly rule in the GHSA Constitution and By-laws, just remember this: Better to be a CO-champion than a NO-champion!
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