By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Sports Editor

Once children return to school, athletics are never far behind. The softball season and the volleyball season begin first,followed by cross country and football.

The cross country programs at the county schools all seem to be rich in talent and dedication. McIntosh seems to field powerhouse teams year in and year out and Fayette County is always close enough with them to compete.

The season began last week for all of the county high school programs and the results were encouraging. Fayette County traveled to Newnan Waterworks Park to face East Coweta. The boys' squad was dominant, taking the first four positions and then finishing sevnth, eighth and ninth. The top three finishers were juniors Trey Alverson (16:44), Blake Riley (17:01), and Jon Riley (17:24).

Senior Andrew Husack came in fourth place with a time of 17:55. The seventh, eighth and ninth finishers were Adam Pekarske, Blake Alverson and Adam Lester. The Tigers won the meet 17-42.

The Fayette girls were equally dominant, capturing the top three positions and the fifth, sixth and seventh positions. Junior Jessica Tyre finished first with a time of 20:49, she was followed by seniors Dana Teat (22:56) and Clarinda Phillips (23:25). Junior Rachel Swafford, senior Jessica Kollmeyer and sophomore Taryn Kendall finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. The Tigers will head to the Darlington-Berry Cross Country Invitational this Saturday.

Sandy Creek also will head to the prestigous Darlington-Berry Invitational this weekend. They are looking forward to a great season as well. The girls return a core of experience with seven members of last year's Region 4-AAA runner up squad. They will be led by Rae Lynch, a 1998 all-state performer, along with Jessica Lovelace, Alexis McCoy, Kim Bockmuller,Jennifer Huddleston, Kristi Knowles and Anya Traille.

The boys' squad will return Lukas Fortunato, Pete Browning, Brandon Goldstein, Jesse Dukes, Brian Wetmiller, Kellen Owens and Giovanti Bonner. The team is working hard and welcomes newcomer Chris Wilson. Sandy Creek also will conduct the Fall Classic Sept. 25. The race will feature 40 teams from the area and a new, improved running course.

McIntosh is the squad to beat, though. The girls return last year's fabulous freshmen and shoot for a second consecutive state championship. The team is led by Dana Van Winkle, Elizabeth Gardner, Mary Katherine Crofton and Judy Thomasson. Some of the strong upper classmen have graduated from McIntosh, but Coach Charles Buckle will prepare his team for battle the same as always.

The boys may have an uphill struggle for the Chiefs this year, too. Seniors Geoff Melymuk and Kevin Panke, last year's number one and two runners for the boys' squad, both graduated. Those holes will need to be filled well if the Chiefs can secure another county championship this year. This weekend's meet at Berry College should be an excellent indicator for where the teams must improve.

As for Starr's Mill, they finally have a senior class and should return all of last year's starters to the squad. Both the boys' and girls' teams improved with each week during last season and hope that they can do the same this year.

Some strong runners for the boys are Les Page, Jay Touchstone and Jason Fitzgerald, while the girls are led by Jessica Helenius, Kelsi Matwick and Sara Samms. Starr's Mill had an impressive spring track season and should be in better shape than early on last year. As long as their times keep dropping, Starr's Mill could give a good show in the region and the state.

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