Sports

Head coach Jessica Ward checks the time as the first runner, freshman Dylan Minthorn, returns from his run at practice on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. The team rotates practice routes during the season to gain experience on different surfaces and with differing millage. (Audrey Pfitzner/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Darius Heard was one of Oglethorpe County’s top players in the opener. He rushed for 111 yards and three TDs on 19 carries and completed all four of his passing attempts for 40 yards. (Sarah Coyne/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Photos of the members of the Oglethorpe County High School Sports Hall of Fame committee are displayed along a wall in the entry hall at OCHS. Eight more former athletes and coaches will be inducted this fall. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

O’Maury Huggs runs for a first down in the spring game against East Jackson. Huggs will be part of a tandem of running backs that will include Jordan Johnson and Payton Prince for OCHS this fall. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County Sydnie Henderson rounds a bend on her way to winning the girls region title with a time of 20:07 at Social Circle last fall. She returns for her senior season to lead a deep girls team. (Cassidy Hettesheimer/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County’s Reese Campbell pitches during a game last year, when what was a young softball team finished 2-20-1. She’s considered the Patriots’ ace this season. (Landen Todd/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Freshman Leanna Newton tips a pass over the net to score a point in a scrimmage against Rabun County Tuesday. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

OCHS receiver Darius Heard breaks away for yardage in a victory over Riverside Military last fall. Heard, who will be a senior this fall, and fellow starting receiver Jordan Johnson both return for the Patriots. (Liz Rymarev/The Oglethorpe Echo)