Spalding High head coach Mickey Moody gives the stop sign to Nathan Skinner (10) as he heads to third base Thursday against Sandy Creek at Jaguar Field. The Jags’ 19-4 win coupled with Locust Grove’s loss that day clinched the 2011 Region 4-AAA title for SHS. (Jeff Armstrong/Daily News)
Spalding’s Taylor Hendricks (5) keeps her eye on the ball while trying to keep a Jackson High defender at bay in a March 31 home soccer match. The Lady Jags clinched their fourth region title weeks later at Eagle’s Landing High. (Jeff Armstrong/Daily News)
The boys golf team’s back-to-back region crowns gives them their fifth such title, the most of any Spalding spring team since the school opened its doors in fall 2000. The baseball and girls soccer teams are now tied with SHS girls tennis with four region titles each.
The No. 6 state-ranked Lady Jags soccer team was the first team to grab a region title this spring, as it defeated Eagle’s Landing 1-0 on the road on April 12 in a tight match that was tied at zero at halftime. Olivia O’Brien’s second-half shot on goal richoted right to Li Anne Harris, who made an easy rebound shot for the game-winning goal for Spalding.
“It was nice to see the girls come together as a team and win the region,” said Lady Jags head soccer coach Wayne Gardner.
The Lady Jags, who’ve also won region soccer titles in 2005, 2006 and 2008, now get set to host a Class AAA state playoff match against Perry High April 28 at 6 p.m.
Next to join the clinch party was the Jags golf team, which shot a school-record 289 on April 18 at Canongate at Heron Bay Golf Club to win the 2011 Region 4-AAA title, beating out Eastside-Covington to win its second straight region championship.
Henry Mabbett Jr. shot a 68 to win the individual region title and Davin White was close behind him with a 69. Rounding out the Jags’ leading scorers were Carson Willis with a 75 and Jake Harpe with a 77 for the school record.
“It was an honor to be a part of a good team,” White said after the tournament.
The SHS boys golfers have won region titles in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The Jags will look to achieve a state title as they travel to the Chattahoochee Golf Club for the state AAA golf tournament on Monday, May 2.
The No. 1 state-ranked Jags baseball team had some help in clinching Region 4-AAA on April 21 with three more games left. The Jags whipped Sandy Creek 19-4 and the Stockbridge Tigers defeated Spalding’s closest challenger, the Locust Grove Wildcats, 8-6 on the same day. The Wildcats’ loss put them two games behind Spalding (15-0) in the region at 12-2, eliminating them.
“Hats off to Stockbridge for their win and hats off to Locust Grove for a very good year,” said Jags head coach Mickey Moody.
Hats off to Moody and his staff for keeping the Jags focused on winning the next game they play. Since a 13-4 loss on March 1 to a Mary Persons team they beat 8-0 in the season-opener, the baseball team has won a school-record 19 games in a row, allowing only 23 runs (with 9 shutouts) to their eight region foes and smashing seven grand slams this year en route to clinching the team’s fourth region title — joining titlists in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
The Jags’ next regular-season game is Monday at 6 p.m. at home against Locust Grove.
Other SHS spring teams to win region titles include girls tennis (2005, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08), boys tennis (2006), boys track (2007) and boys soccer (2006). The SHS girls track team has finished second in 2008 (by 2 points) and 2010 (by 7) and finished 6 points away from first in 2009.
This Spring’s SHS Region Champions
Sport Title Date
Baseball April 21, 2011
Boys Golf April 18, 2011
Girls Soccer April 12, 2011
Past Spring SHS Region Champions
Sport Title Date
Baseball 2009
Baseball 2006
Baseball 2004
G. Soccer 2008
G. Soccer 2006
G. Soccer 2005
B. Soccer 2006
B. Golf 2010
B. Golf 2008
B. Golf 2006
B. Golf 2005
B. Tennis 2006
G. Tennis 2008
G. Tennis 2007
G. Tennis 2006
G. Tennis 2005
B. Track 2007
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