BASEBALL
Lambert’s baseball program is only five years old, but it appears ready to make a run at a state title this year. The Longhorns (8-0) are the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAAAA.
They’re balanced — hitting .383 with a 1.37 ERA — and they’re young. Sophomore right fielder/pitcher Seth Beer is 17-for-22 (.773) with four doubles and two home runs. He’s 1-0 as a pitcher, with eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Junior third baseman/pitcher J.D. Dutka is 12-for-29 (.414) with six extra-base hits. He’s 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA. Junior left fielder Jeremy Johnson is 8-for-18 (.444).
Lambert opens region play in 6-AAAAAA on Monday at North Forsyth.
Eagle’s Landing Christian center fielder Daz Cameron was named the top junior baseball player in the country this week by MaxPreps. Wesleyan shortstop/outfielder Jahmai Jones ranked fifth. … Despite a 3-5 start, Johns Creek is a team to watch in Region 6-AAAAAA. Junior third baseman/outfielder Tyler Dupree is 12-for-23 (.522). Senior pitchers Gabe Moore (1.68 ERA, 18 strikeouts in 15 innings) and Charlie Hecht (1.02 ERA, 13 strikeouts in 13 innings) have been dominant. Johns Creek has played four Top 10 teams and has a victory against preseason No. 1 Milton. … Alcovy senior left-hander Dalton Reagin has allowed no runs and only two hits in his past 12 innings while striking out 14. He lost one decision because of four unearned runs and won the other with a complete-game one-hitter against Rockdale County.
SOCCER
Boys: Brookwood, AAAAAA's top-ranked team, is 10-0 with impressive victories against No. 3 Centennial, No. 7 Peachtree Ridge and two strong Alabama teams. Brookwood midfielders Brahan Gamarra (nine goals, eight assists) and Alfredo Rivera (four goals, four assists) lead the offense. Coach Daniel Klinect points to defender Junior Ametepe as one of the primary reasons the Broncos have posted seven shutouts in 10 games. … Despite graduating 11 players off last season's squad, defending AAAAA champion McIntosh was 8-0, heading into Saturday's game at Greenbrier. Senior goalie Spencer Wrobleski is approaching 30 shutouts for his career and is closing in on the school record, according to coach Bunky Colvin. Senior forward Carson Brooks was honored as national player of the week by StudentSports.com in late February, after scoring six goals in the Chiefs' first two games. Brooks, who committed to Mercer, is the son of former college and professional star Adrian Brooks. … Seven players scored goals in Dalton's 7-0 victory against McMinn County of Tennessee on Thursday. The Catamounts, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA, already have victories against region powers Southeast Whitfield and Northwest Whitfield.
Girls: First Presbyterian scored an own goal with two seconds left in the first overtime and held on for a 2-1 victory over Veterans to claim its sixth consecutive Viking Cup championship last weekend. Amy Morgan scored the Vikings' first goal and finished the three-game tournament with five. Sara Lucas' goal for Veterans is the only one allowed this season by First Presbyterian, which has outscored its opponents 36-1 through a 6-0 start. First Presbyterian, ranked No. 1 in Class A by Eurosport, has not lost a home match since 2008. … Harrison got two goals each from Lizzy Sieracki, Carly Rich and Treva Aycock in a surprisingly easy 6-0 victory against Allatoona on Thursday. It was the third consecutive shutout and fifth this season for Harrison, which is led in goal by senior Allison Leone (signed with Western Kentucky) and junior Kelsey Daugherty (committed to UAB).
LACROSSE
Boys: Westminster, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA-A, is 6-2 (2-0 in Region 2) after two impressive victories in Chapel Hill at the King of Spring Tournament, where they defeated McCallie 6-3 and Charlotte Catholic 10-5. The Wildcats are led by midfielder Cole Haverty's 14 goals. Haverty also has three assists. Attacker Blake Davis has 11 goals and two assists; attacker Trip Wray has 13 goals and three assists, and midfielder Read Ziegler has seven goals and three assists. Defenseman Charlie Trense and goalie William Hudson lead what arguably is the best defense in the state, with Trense being an owner of a 73-percent face-off percentage, including 21 ground balls. Hudson has a 71-percent save average, allowing just 4.1 goals per game.
Girls: The Westminster girls are also ranked No. 1 in AAAAA-A. Against Creekview, Maggie Borders had four goals and Caroline Midis, Julia Grady and Chandler McCamey notched hat tricks during a 20-1 victory. The Lady Wildcats are 4-0, with all victories coming against Region 2 opponents, whom they've outscored by a combined 83-8. … The Milton Lady Eagles (3-0) are the top-ranked team in AAAAAA. In a 19-4 victory against Roswell, they led 14-0 at halftime. Twelve players scored in the game, led by senior attacker Brooke Winsness' three goals.
TRACK AND FIELD
First Presbyterian Day freshman Carson Dingler became the first girl to clear 12 feet in the pole vault this season at her school’s Viking Invitational last week in Macon, while Prince Avenue Christian senior Anna Machovec became the first girl to surpass 130 feet in the discus with a toss of 132 feet, 5 inches at last week’s Jerry Arnold Challenge at Mill Creek. … The claim to “fastest man in Georgia” thus far belongs to a freshman — Jeffrey Uzzell of Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy ran 10.70 at last week’s Henry County Challenge in McDonough.
GOLF
Boys: Gainesville won the Hall County Championship at Royal Lakes. Spencer Ralston was medalist for the second consecutive year. He shot a 3-under 69, a score that included a 60-foot eagle putt. Ralston, a sophomore, committed to Georgia. Nathan Williams shot 70, and Jackson Bishop, who signed with Western Carolina, shot 75. … Colquitt County won the Trojan Invitational at the Grand Island Club in Albany by two shots over Northside-Columbus. Colquitt County's Tyler Key and Eli Stripling each shot 74. Valdosta's Tyler Dallas was medalist with a 72.
Girls: Bailey Tardy, a junior at Norcross, finished second in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Girls Championship in Fort Worth. Roswell's Rinko Mitsunaga, the only other participant from Georgia, tied for fourth. … Madeline Harr held off teammates Meg Callahan and Morgan Reece to help Gainesville win the Hall County Championship. The three teammates tied at 84, and Harr made a birdie on the first playoff hole. … Taylor Marie Griner of Colquitt County shot 77 and was medallist at the Maple Ridge Junior Girls Classic in Columbus.
TENNIS
Boys: Brookwood (13-0) defeated four strong teams, two of them defending state champions, to win the Blue Angel Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. Brandon Mills, Will George, Zach Jennings, David Brown, Will McWhirt and Ryan Pridgeon played singles for Brookwood in the tournament. Anthony Porcelli and Ryan Pridgeon (No. 1), Brooks Berry and Daniel Drake (No. 2) and Matt Bullock and Jacob Mallow (No. 3) were the doubles teams.
Girls: The defending Class AA champion Westminster girls have another strong team. Wildcats coach Scoot Dimon has 14 players that he said probably could earn a spot on most high school tennis teams. Senior Julie Fowler has played No. 1 singles since her freshman year. Carol Elizabeth Kerman is playing No. 2 singles, even though she's only a freshman. Simrun Mithwani has been reliable at No. 3 singles. The Wildcats have seven or eight girls who have rotated in and out the starting doubles lineup. … Buford swept East Hall and improved to 7-0. Maria Jose-Ferreyros, Annalee Stevens and Bayley McCammon won singles matches.
GYMNASTICS
There are 63 schools participating in gymnastics this year, including Ola, which started the sport for the first time last year. The Mustangs competed in the first meet of the 2014 season Saturday at Rockdale Gymnastics, and sophomore Sierra Mask and junior Haley Harp both qualified for the state meet in floor exercises. A gymnast must score an 8.5 in an event during the season to qualify for state. Mask and Harp each scored an 8.5. … Luella, which also competed in the meet, won in total points with 90.4. In order for a team to qualify for state, it must reach a total of 96. Ola finished with 84.25 total points. … Cambridge finished second at the Sequoyah meet March 1. The Bears finished first on floor and vault, second on the beam and third on the bars. Rileigh Smith scored a 9.1 on her floor routine and qualified for state.
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