Oglethorpe County High School’s spring sports teams began practice on Monday and will take the field later this month.
Soccer, track and field, baseball and golf will open with a heavy focus on preparation and early-season development.
Boys soccer opens its campaign under first-year head coach Brandon Thixton, who said his program’s early success will be measured by habits rather than results. He replaces Josh Austin, who coaches football and wrestling.
“Success for us is growth in character,” Thixton said. “We want our players becoming better men each day by showing discipline, accountability and respect on and off the field. If we do that consistently, we should see some good results.”
Thixton also noted that a short turnaround into competition has been a challenge.
“This is my first season here, so we’re building culture while preparing for competition at the same time,” he said. “This group is willing to work hard, and that gives us a chance to be ready.”
The girls soccer team, under first-year head coach Madison Nimmons, said success will come through daily progress and consistency.
Nimmons is a former Oglethorpe County player who also played at both Georgia Military College and Emmanuel University. She replaces Erich Forschler.
“Success means growth,” she said. “We want to see our players improve, work hard and build confidence. It’s about effort, attitude and becoming a stronger, more connected team.”
She acknowledged that the team’s chemistry has been encouraging from the start.
“This team is hardworking, coachable and eager to learn,” she said. “They support each other, communicate well and are coming together as one group.”
On the track, the girls program is preparing for another season built on experience at the state level. Michael Holland, who will coach alongside Brianna Dickens, said improvement remains the standard, especially with younger athletes stepping into larger roles.
“Success for me is always improvement and living up to a team’s potential,” he said. “I just want the girls to push themselves as far as they can. We are going to have to replace a really good senior class, so some of our sophomore girls are really going to have to step it up.”
Holland said the team will likely rely on specific event groups to maintain competitiveness.
“Our middle-distance runners and horizontal jumpers should be our strong suit,” he said. “Our hurdlers should be a lot of fun to watch as well.”
The boys track team enters the spring under head coach Maurice Freeman, who said success will be measured through performance standards.
“I measure success with personal records,” he said. “I want them to be close to what they’re capable of in practice and competition. We’re always chopping at it throughout the season.”
Freeman said jumps and relays are again expected to score points, with distance runners continuing to develop.
Oglethorpe County will again host the Gary Mathews Invitational on March 20, marking the second consecutive year the school has held a home track meet after nearly a decade without one.
“Our jumps are always where we really score a lot of points,” he said. “I think fans should be looking forward to our relays and seeing some of our distance guys show up at the top of the state rankings.”