The Oglethorpe County High School cafeteria was filled with applause and recognition as the fall sports teams gathered to honor their athletes at the annual awards banquet.
Awards were presented for both individual and team accomplishments as friends and family looked on to celebrate their successes.
Teams included were softball, volleyball, football, cross country and cheer.
This season marks the Patriots’ first in Region 8-A Division I after making the jump from Region 5-A Division I. The new region brought heightened competition for the OCHS teams.
Football
The Oglethorpe County High School football team finished the season with a 0-10 record, their first winless season since 2016. This was the fourth year under head coach Mike Holland.
When recognizing the senior class, Holland noted the special connection they built over the past four years, as his first season coaching was when the seniors were freshman.
“These young men, I see the hard work that they put in. They have done everything I have asked them to do. I just wish we could have sent them out with a better win loss record,” Holland said.
Despite the defensive struggles the team had, senior Darius Heard passed for 246 yards and rushed for 654 yards this season, which gave him the honor of Offensive Player of the Year.
However, not all awards were based on performance.
Holland instilled five pillars in his team: commitment, toughness, discipline, effort and pride.
“Our five pillar awards are our character awards. These awards are special to me because while we talk about winning being important, these things are what it takes to win,” Holland said. “If you have a whole group that is able to show these characteristics then you have a real shot.”
While each specific pillar award was presented to an individual athlete, the overall Five Pillar Award was given to Reid Coley.
Cheer
While most fall sports have ended, the Oglethorpe County Game Day squad is preparing to take the mat one last time in Columbus, Ga.
The OCHS cheerleading program started their first Game Day Competition Squad this year and will compete at the 2024 Game Day Cheerleading Championship taking place Dec. 4-5.
With freshman and sophomores taking up the majority of the roster, head coach Morgan Williams believes they have a lot of room to grow.
“We have zero seniors and only three juniors between all three squads, so a very young team,” Williams said. “And I just know in a couple of years, hopefully, we'll be bringing home state titles, if not this year.”
Between the Varsity, JV and Game Day squads, four awards were given out.
Alexa Lopez-Quijada took home Most Improved, while Qi’Dasha Fleming was awarded the Spirit Award and Makensie Brown was named All-American.
Sara Myers garnered major applause and joyous laughter when she was awarded the Patriot Award.
Cross Country
Senior Sydnie Henderson finished in ninth at the GHSA Class A Division I state cross country meet to lead the girl’s cross country team to a 14th place finish.
The OCHS boys cross country team finished 11th at the state meet. Junior Cory Tillman finished 27th, while freshman John Adams finished 29th.
Both Henderson and Tillman received the Most Valuable Runner award for their respective teams.
Volleyball
The Oglethorpe County volleyball team reached the Elite Eight in the state tournament for the first time this season.
The Patriots finished the season with an overall record of 21-8 and went 9-1 in region matchups.
Elizabeth Cook was named Most Valuable Player. Cook was second on the team in kills and kills per set.
Leanna Newton led both of those categories with 254 kills this season and averaged 3.2 kills per set. Newton was recognized for her optimism with the Positive Patriot Award.
Softball
The Oglethorpe County High School Softball team ended their season with a 13-13 record. The Patriots debuted in the new and more competitive Region 8-A Division I with a 4-8 region record.
Coach Brianna Dickens recognized three standout athletes at the annual sports banquet for their hard work, positivity and coachability throughout the season.
Georgia Turner was named Most Improved, with starting pitcher Reese Campbell taking home the Patriot Award and Emily Wisham recognized as Hardest Worker.