Boys golf player of the year
Nicolas Cassidy, Johns Creek
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds
Class: Sophomore
College choice: Has made a verbal commitment to play at Georgia
Why Georgia: It's close to home, and the quality of education there is big for me and my parents. The quality of the golf team is great. My golf coach (David Potts) went there, as well.
Best high school moment: Winning state when I was a freshman because no one expected it, and we were the only ones who believed we were good enough to do it. The year before, they finished dead last at state, and we had three freshmen come in and surprise everybody.
Why golf: My dad taught me in the backyard when I was 4, and I have been in love with it ever since. It's a solitary sport, so I get to keep to myself, but also make a lot of friends out on the course. I felt natural doing it.
What you'd like to be doing in 10 years: I hope to be playing golf professionally. That would be the ultimate goal.
Favorite high school course: I like U.S. history. I like learning about our country's past and what we can do better in the future.
People who helped along the way: My parents (Sean and Kathy Cassidy), my grandparents (John and Paulina Cassidy, Art and Mary Hoffman), my golf coach (David Potts, PGA teaching professional at Country Club of the South) and my high school golf coach (Luke Warren).
Toughest high school opponent: Creekview. They had lost talent and they were like us last year, they were kind of unknown. We ended up beating them by three shots at state.
Favorite movie: "Tin Cup." I like the fighter story about Roy McAvoy, how he got to the U.S. Open.
Favorite song: "Toes" by Zac Brown Band. I'm a big Zac Brown fan. I like country music.
Worst high school moment: The first day of my freshman year. I was new to public school. I had been in private school until then. The thing that I did have going for me was I had all my golf friends there. But I was definitely a little uncertain about where to go and what to do.
If you could be any other athlete on earth: Rory McIlroy. He is one of the greatest golfers in the world, but he's still one of the best people.
Money or happiness: Happiness. Money can never satisfy people completely, only temporarily. I think happiness can satisfy me for a long time.
Best word to describe yourself: Fighter. I've always been fighting against the popular norm because golf's not that popular among kids, especially at a school of 2,000 kids. Not just fighting for recognition, but fighting for the school.
View of the world at this moment: Pretty corrupt, and hopefully change is coming. We heard on the way back from state about the Manchester incident. I remember asking my mom, "What draws these people to do that?" It doesn't make sense.
What you would put in a time capsule: I'd put my state championship ring from my freshman year. That was very memorable.
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