Standout performances by these athletes led to individual and team success during the 2014-2015 school year:
Baseball
Daz Cameron, Eagle's Landing Christian: The senior center fielder batted .455 with eight home runs and 10 doubles in 77 at-bats for a team that finished 20-5. Cameron's on-base percentage was .569, and he stole 17 bases. Cameron has signed to play baseball at Florida State University. He is a projected first-round pick in the June Major League Draft.
Basketball (boys)
Jaylen Brown, Wheeler: The 6-foot-8 senior forward averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds in leading Wheeler to the Class AAAAAA championship and several top-10 national rankings. A McDonald's All-American, Brown is rated the consensus No. 2 senior prospect in the nation. Brown has signed to play basketball at the University of California at Berkley.
Basketball (girls)
Te'a Cooper, McEachern, and Asia Durr, St. Pius: The senior guards, who were named state co-players of the year, were among the five finalists for the Naismith National Player of the Year award. Cooper averaged 27.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists in leading McEachern to its third state championship in four seasons. Durr averaged 33.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals for St. Pius, which lost in the Class AAAA quarterfinals after winning AAA titles in 2013 and 2014. Cooper has signed with the University of Tennessee, and Durr will play for the University of Louisville.
Cheerleading
Lydia Marsh, Peachtree Ridge: Lions coach Rob Spencer called the sophomore the best main base in the state and one of the best female athletes at the 3,200-student school. Marsh helped the Lions overcome a slow start to the season and led them to the Class AAAAAA championship, their seventh title in 10 years. Marsh has two brothers who cheer for the University of Kentucky.
Cross country (boys)
Reilly Friedman, Galloway: The senior had the fastest time of the day at the state meet, running the course in 15:52.43 to win his third consecutive Class A private-school individual championship. Friedman also won the 3,200-meter run and finished second in the 1,600 at the state track meet this spring. He has signed to run at the University of Colorado.
Cross country (girls)
Morgan Ilse, Marist: The senior had the fastest time of the day (18:24.90) at the state meet to win her third consecutive Class AAAA individual championship and led the War Eagles to their seventh straight team title. She also set a state record in the 3,200 meters and won the 1,600 at the state track meet this spring. Ilse has signed to run track and cross country at North Carolina.
Football
A.J. Gray, Washington County: The senior quarterback and safety rushed for 2,358 yards and 39 touchdowns and passed for 1,810 yards and 21 touchdowns for a team that went 14-1 and reached the Class AAA final. Gray intercepted 10 passes and was named a Parade All-American as a defensive back. Gray has signed to play football at Georgia Tech.
Golf (boys)
Charles Huntzinger, Peachtree Ridge: The senior capped off an exceptional career by winning his second consecutive Class AAAAAA individual championship. Huntzinger shot a 65 at Sunset Country Club in Moultrie and helped the Lions to a second-place finish in the team standings. Huntzinger has signed to play at Penn State University.
Golf (girls)
Bailey Tardy, Norcross: The senior completed another stellar season by shooting a 71 to finish second in the Class AAAAAA championship. A national-level player, Tardy was medalist at the 2013 U.S. Junior Girls Championship and qualified for the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. She has signed to play at the University of Georgia.
Gymnastics
Kelly Aycock, Locust Grove: The senior scored a 37.700 to win the all-around title at the all-classification state meet. She finished second on the balance beam (9.500), third in the floor exercises (9.375) and fourth on the vault (9.450) and uneven bars (9.375). Aycock, who competes for the Gym Tech Elite program in McDonough, had not made her college choice at press time.
Lacrosse (boys)
Nathan Solomon, Centennial: Solomon completed his career as the third-leading scorer in high school lacrosse history with 623 points (326 goals, 297 assists). The Syracuse commit had 96 goals and 75 assists this season, leading Centennial to the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals. He is a three-time All-American and the first player from Georgia selected to participate in the Under Armour North-South All American game.
Lacrosse (girls)
Erin McBride, Walton: The junior scored 61 goals from her midfield/attack position and tallied 43 draw controls to lead Walton to the Class AAAAAA finals for the second consecutive year. McBride, who committed to Notre Dame before her sophomore season, was named a first-team All American by US Lacrosse last season and is a two-time first-team All-State selection.
Riflery
Rosemary Kramer, Upson-Lee: The senior won the individual all-classification championship at the state meet with an overall score of 396.4, the third-best total since the air rifle competition was first held in 1992. She was a three-time all-state selection and won an individual national title at the NJROTC Championship in February. Kramer has signed to be on the rifle team at Georgia Southern.
Soccer (boys)
Kobe Perez, Dalton: The senior attacking midfielder emerged as the premier playmaker on Dalton's third consecutive state championship squad. He scored 23 goals and had 10 assists for the Catamounts, who stretched their unbeaten streak to 65 games by going 20-0 and defeating Allatoona 4-0 in the Class AAAAA final. Perez has signed to play at Mercer University.
Soccer (girls)
Jennifer Westendorf, Grayson: The junior forward scored 40 goals and had 16 assists in leading the Rams (20-3) to the Class AAAAAA championship. She recorded two goals and an assist in a 5-0 victory against Lambert in the state final. Westendorf, ranked as the nation's No. 5 prospect in her class by TopDrawerSoccer.com, will graduate in December and enroll at Notre Dame next spring.
Softball
Kelly Barnhill, Pope: The senior pitcher was 29-5 with a 0.56 ERA and a state-record 534 strikeouts (16.54 per game) in leading Pope to the Class AAAAAA title. Barnhill pitched the 22nd no-hitter of her career in the state final, a 4-0 victory over Hillgrove. One of only six high school players on USA Softball's junior national team, Barnhill has signed to play softball at the University of Florida.
Swimming (boys)
Knox Auerbach, Northview: The senior was the only double-event winner in the Class AAAAAA boys swim meet. He won the 100-yard freestyle (44.41 seconds) and the 200 free (1:37) and was part of Northview's winning 200 and 400 free relay teams. Ranked the No. 35 senior prospect nationally by CollegeSwimming.com, Auerbach has signed to swim at the University of Alabama.
Swimming (girls)
Lauren Case, Woodstock: The junior won the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.96) and the 100 butterfly (53.13) in the Class AAAAAA meet. A month later, Case won the 100 fly at the NCSA Junior Nationals and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Case is ranked the No. 6 junior prospect nationally by CollegeSwimming.com and a member of USA Swimming's junior national team.
Tennis (boys)
McClain Kessler, Calhoun: The senior played No. 1 singles and led the Yellow Jackets to a second-place finish in Class AAA, the best in school history. Kessler has signed to play at Florida, where his grandfather once played. He is the No. 8-ranked player in the nation, according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Tennis (girls)
Suzanne Zenoni, Walton: The senior played No. 1 singles for a Raiders team that won its third consecutive Class AAAAAA championship and 13th title in 15 years in the highest classification. She is rated as the No. 28 senior in the Southeast by TennisRecruiting.net. Zenoni has signed to play tennis at Elon University.
Track and field (boys)
Ryan Clark, Banneker: The senior sprinter set all-classification records at this year's state meet in the 100 (10.29 seconds) and 200 meters (20.79) and as a member of the Trojans' 1,600-meter relay team (3:12.03). Clark, who also runs the 400, owns the state's fastest time in that event this season as well (47.53). He has signed to compete in track and field at the University of Florida.
Track and field (girls)
Candace Hill, Rockdale County: The sophomore sprinter continued her march to become perhaps the most dominant track and field athlete in Georgia high school history. At this year's state meet, she broke the all-classification state records in the 100 (11.34) and 200 meters (23.05), and her time in the 200 is the fastest for a high school runner in the nation this season.
Volleyball
Amber MacDonald, Blessed Trinity: The 5-foot-4 senior libero/defensive specialist made 2,355 digs in her career, 787 as a senior, and led Blessed Trinity to two Class AAA championships (2014, 2012) and one runner-up finish (2013). MacDonald is a first-team USA Today and Under Armour All-American. She has signed to play volleyball at the University of Wisconsin.
Wrestling
Kenneth Brinson, Marist: The senior 220-pounder went 47-0 with 33 pins and won his third consecutive Class AAAA championship. Brinson was the NJHSA senior national runner-up at 220. His career record was 194-3. Brinson is also an all-state football defensive end and three-time national track and field champion in the hammer throw. Brinson has signed to play football at Army.
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