Lambert, Starr's Mill, Commerce win first Directors Cups

Lambert has become the first Georgia high school outside of Cobb or Gwinnett County to win the Regions Directors Cup in the highest classification, using three state championships and two runner-up finishes to capture the top spot in Class AAAAAA in the all-sports competition for the 2014-15 school year.

Lambert, a 6-year-old school in Forsyth County, won state championships in girls swimming and boys and girls golf and was runner-up in girls soccer and cheerleading to finish with 1,125.5 points and earn its first Directors Cup. The Longhorns ended the two-year reign of Walton, which has won the most Directors Cups in the highest class with seven. Walton finished in third place, 10 points behind runner-up Brookwood.

“It’s kind of a benchmark for your program and your whole school,” Lambert athletics director Drew Ferrer said. “I think for our county, our community, our school, our student-athletes and our coaches, it’s a huge deal. It shows how hard we’ve worked to be competitive in so many areas. It’s just very exciting for us.”

Two other schools – Starr’s Mill in Class AAAAA and Commerce in Class A – also won their first Directors Cups.

Starr’s Mill won state championships in cheerleading and girls soccer and was runner-up in girls cross country and boys and girls tennis. The Panthers had 11 teams finish in the top eight and ended the year with 1,188.5 points, outdistancing second-place Allatoona.

Commerce became just the second public school to win the Directors Cup in Class A. The Tigers won state championships in wrestling and cheerleading and were runners-up in boys golf and girls cross country to finish with 980 points. Second-place Athens Academy was the top private school in Class A with 911 points.

Private schools continued to dominate in the other three classifications.

Class AAAA Marist won six state championships and had four runner-up finishes to earn its 16th consecutive Directors Cup. The War Eagles accumulated a state-best 1,395.5 points, enough to outlast rival St. Pius with 1,281. St. Pius won five of the past seven Directors Cups in AAA before moving up in class this year. Marist has won the award every year since it was first presented in 2000.

Class AAA Westminster won five state championships and earned its sixth consecutive Directors Cup and 15th in 16 years. The Wildcats held off Region 4-AAA rival Blessed Trinity by 50 points in what was the closest race in any classification.

In Class AA, Lovett won state championships in boys golf, girls cross country and girls track and had four runner-up finishes to win the competition for the first time since 2006 and the third time overall. The top four teams in the Class AA standings compete in Lovett’s Region 6-AA.

REGIONS DIRECTORS CUP

Final Standings

(Top 15 in each classification)

Class AAAAAA

1. Lambert – 1,125.5

2. Brookwood – 1,022.5

3. Walton – 1,012.5

4. Harrison – 996.5

5. Mill Creek – 898.5

6. Etowah – 864.5

7. Kennesaw Mountain – 861.5

8. Parkview – 848

9. North Gwinnett – 835

10. Peachtree Ridge – 789

11. Hillgrove – 773

12. Collins Hill – 740.5

13. Tift County – 736

14. Archer – 724

15. Milton – 709

Class AAAAA

1. Starr’s Mill – 1,188.5

2. Allatoona – 1,021

3. Cambridge – 1,005

4. McIntosh – 904

5. Greenbrier – 881.5

6. Union Grove – 872.5

7. Columbus – 806.5

8. Dunwoody – 752.5

9. Kell – 692

10. Creekview – 645

11. Gainesville – 641

12. Lakeside-Evans – 632.5

13. Northside-Columbus – 621

14. Northgate – 600

15. Alexander – 567

Class AAAA

1. Marist – 1,395.5

2. St. Pius – 1,281

3. Woodward Academy – 1,174

4. Buford – 1,163

5. Carrollton – 978

6. North Oconee – 958.5

7. Whitewater – 841.5

8. Veterans – 714

9. North Hall – 699

10. West Laurens – 655

11. Cartersville – 616.5

12. Heritage-Catoosa – 616.5

13. Wayne County – 587

14. Northwest Whitfield – 524

15. Perry – 500.3

Class AAA