Honor roll
Baseball
Hunter Anglin, Gainesville: Earned a complete-game, three-hit win with nine strikeouts against Troup in Game 2 of the first round of the state playoffs.
Jake Burnett, Buford: Threw a five-inning no-hitter against Fannin County in the first round of the Class AA state playoffs.
Luke Crumley, White County: Earned the win, throwing six innings and striking out eight, while going 2-for-3 with two home runs, three runs scored and three RBIs in Game 2 against Carrollton.
Andrew Smith, North Hall: Hit a grand slam against LaGrange on Saturday.
Brett Westmoreland, White County: Hit a grand slam against Carrollton on Friday.
David Sosebee, White County: Earned the win on the mound, throwing six innings and striking out eight, while going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored in Game 1 against Carrollton, and went 1-for-2, with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs in Game 2.
Track
Maia Booker, West Hall: Won the 100 and 200-meter dash in the Region 8-AAA championship Monday.
Jessie Dotson, White County: Won the 1,600-meter in the Region 8-AAA championship Monday.
Tarvin Dukes, Riverside Military: Placed second in the Class A state discus Thursday. Austin Eckenroth, Flowery Branch: Won the Class AAAA pole vault state title Thursday. Mason Hamrick, Jefferson: Won the Class AA pole vault state title Thursday.
LeNiesha Kearse, West Hall: Won the 100 and 300-meter hurdles in the Region 8-AAA championship Monday.
Kerry Mata, East Hall: Won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in the Class AA state championship Saturday.
C.J. Moore, Buford: Won the Class AA state title in the 100-meter dash.
Two state titles last week, one state title last semester, three region titles and an admittance to one of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Not a bad way to finish up your high school career.
Last week, Cody Barger took home a state title in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter races in the boys state track championships in Jefferson. Add that to Region 8-AAA titles in those same races earlier this year, and a cross country Region 8-AAA title and state championship last semester, and it’s no wonder that West Point can’t wait for the guy to arrive and start running for Army.
For his efforts, Barger is The Times Athlete of the Week.
“You really can’t ask for much more,” Barger said of his senior year. “The only thing that I wanted and didn’t get was a state record (in the 3,200-meter), but that’s not going to keep me up at night.”
Barger finished just .12 seconds behind the state record in the 3,200-meter, set in 1976, but that didn’t dampen his satisfaction in winning the title.
Now that high school sports have concluded for Barger, he’s focused on being competitive at West Point. While he doesn’t believe he will be as competitive in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter at the next level, he does believe he will succeed in the 5K and 10K.
“As far as relative times go, I’m probably the fastest recruit coming in next year,” Barger said. “I’m pretty confident in saying that I’m the fastest freshman in the two-mile and the three-mile, but there’s probably a faster miler.”
Of course, going to West Point comes with its own, individual responsibilities. In return for his education, Barger will serve five years of active service in the Army, and another three in reserve.
Barger doesn’t come from a military family, so his decision to attend West Point wasn’t automatic.
“A kid I ran against told me about West Point’s program after a race,” Barger said. “And it’s just where I wanted to go.”
As for academics, Barger isn’t sure what he’s going to study at West Point, but knows he has plenty of time to decide.
“I just want to get there and start training,” Barger said. “I’m going to run cross country in the fall, and indoor and outdoor track in the winter and spring, so I’ve got to start working as soon as I get there, if I want to be successful.
“And I plan to be successful.”