Video below –– Starr's Mill hosted the biggest matches of the young soccer season tonight as they faced off against McIntosh's varsity boys and girls. All four teams are ranked in the top 10 of Class AAAA.

Several baseball teams started their season on Wednesday afternoon.

McIntosh opened with a 12-7 win over North Atlanta. The Chiefs (1-0) got three RBI from Eric Weiss, two from Nick Markhardt and one from Brent Hardy. Brendan Harris scored three runs, Cameron Rich added two and Johnny Peaden had one hit. Andrew Austin was the winning pitcher, going three and two-third, striking out seven and allowing three hits. Rich went two and a third, struck out five and also gave up three hits. Mike Thomason pitched an inning, struck out two and didn’t give up a hit.

Tonight gives area soccer fans one of their favorite match-ups of the year, Starr’s Mill vs. McIntosh, and this year it counts. Both Starr’s Mill and McIntosh are in the same region, along with Fayette County, Whitewater and Woodward Academy, among others, region losses could mean starting the state playoffs on the road or sitting them out entirely.

Tommy Carney and Doug Taylor, Peachtree City residents who attend Woodward Academy, distinguished themselves by placing first and third, respectively, in the Class AAAA competition of the recent Georgia High School State Traditional Wresling Championships held at the Gwinnett Sports Arena.

The Starr’s Mill High School boys golf team started off their season with a win over Fayette County at Braelinn Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.

McIntosh’s boys and girls tennis teams defeated Whitewater’s teams 5-0.

Singles winners for the girls were Chelsea Utting, Stephanie Halpern and Lauren Knapp, while the doubles teams of Lyndsi Tufte and Kelsey Paone, and Courtney Rollings and Rachel Adlington also won their matches. The boys also had impressive play led by singles players William Truex, Matthew Thompson and Michael Lacour and the doubles teams of Alex Parton and Kent Dunson, and Kyle Koonce and Mike Wehde.

McIntosh’s Lady Chiefs lacrosse team lost to Woodward Academy 15-8 earlier this week. Juniors Taylor Lugash and Kelly Polo had three goals each and senior Britt LaPalm added two goals. LaPalm also had three assists, while Rachel Weissman, Kristen Lein and Cailyn Worley each added one assist. Goalkeeper Lauren Schindler had 20 saves in the loss.

Landmark Christian's Lady War Eagles, known to their fans as the "Brickhouse Belles," are proving they can play just as well outside of the Brickhouse.

Eight local high school basketball teams entered the state playoffs last week in their respective classifications and only three remain.

By Margaret Amalfitano
and Jessica Tinker
Special to The Citizen

In the first game of the high school baseball season, Sandy Creek defeated Whitewater 5-2.

Duncan Midkiff got the win for the Patriots, giving up six hits and striking out eight batters. The Patriots got two RBI from Brandon Swann and one from Arthur Owens. Craig Carroll also had two hits. Nathan Bowen earned the save.

The Fayette County Lady Tigers trailed Effingham County 12-0 in the first quarter but battled back to take a 19-17 lead at the half. They never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game, though the going was tough. The final score was 38-35. Tessah Holt led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Jasmine Facey and Anna Onyeuku each scored six.

Sandy Creek's Lady Patriots defeated the North Hall Lady Trojans 53-22 in the first round of the AAA state basketball playoffs on Friday night. Lynsey Paschal had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Eight local basketball teams have made the state tournaments in their respective classifications. There will be three games tonight and five tomorrow.

Eight local basketball teams have made the state tournaments in their respective classifications. There will three games on Friday and five on Saturday.

The dust has settled from last week’s region basketball tournaments and the area has produced three region championship teams, a region runner-up and eight teams total headed to the state tournaments this weekend.

The Fayette County varsity boys basketball team defeated McIntosh 66-45 on Friday and defeated Westlake 72-68 on Saturday to win the region 2-AAAA championship. Noel Johnson had 18 against the Chiefs and 25 against Westlake to be the team's leading scorer in those two games.

Anything can happen in a post-season tournament and nobody knows that better this week than the McIntosh Chiefs.

McIntosh’s boys had a 10-14 regular season record and they had lost to their first round opponent, Creekside, on Feb. 2 by 58 points. The slate was clean on Wednesday night though and the Chiefs hung tight with the Seminoles and walked away with an upset victory 54-47. Using high percentage shots, terrific defense and their home court advantage, McIntosh had a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and only trailed Creekside by three, 27-24, at the half. Seniors KC Erickson and Vaughn Page did a tremendous job of finding the basket and nearly every player contributed to the team’s biggest win in recent history.

Starr's Mill's Lady Panthers handed the McIntosh Lady Chiefs a 22-21 loss on Tuesday, ending the season for McIntosh and putting themselves into the state tournament. Starr's Mill was led in scoring by Alexis Shaffer, who scored 13 points. The Lady Panthers will take on Westlake on Friday at 7 p.m.

Fayette County High School hosted the area 2-AAAA wrestling championships last Friday and Saturday and local teams represented themselves well. Not only did Whitewater place first and Starr’s Mill place second, but eight wrestlers from three different area schools won individual titles.

Last Friday marked the end of the regular season of high school basketball and things were good for some teams and not so good for others.

The Sixth Annual Fayette County High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school. The Hall of Fame honors and recognizes individuals that have made a significant contribution to the school as well as to the city of Fayetteville and Fayette County, Ga.

Fayette County high School hosted the area 2-AAAA wrestling championships on Friday and Saturday and local teams represented themselves well. Not only did Whitewater place first and Starr's Mill place second but eight wrestlers from three different area schools won individual titles.

The slate is clean and what some refer to as "the second season" starts tonight.

McIntosh High School will host the boys and girls region 2-AAAA basketball tournaments this week and the basketball action kicks off today with two play in games.

After tonight’s games, the seedings of next week’s region tournaments will be crystal clear. Some teams are hoping to see the type of play they brought to the court on Tuesday night, while others are hoping to rebound tonight and next week with some better results.

The McIntosh Chiefs Wrestling Team celebrated the wrestling careers of Bryce Hughey and Landis Ford with a decisive win over Mundys Mill 52 to 24. Both Hughey and Ford finished their regular season careers with wins over their opponent by pin.

Peachtree City had two teams enter the High School Division in the annual Reindeer Games Roller Hockey Tournament held in December at Slapshots in Cumming, Georgia.

There was a full slate of games last Friday as high school basketball teams all over the state battled region opponents. Many of the local teams fared well, adding to their standings and often securing their seedings in next week’s region tournaments.

The area wrestling tournaments will take place this weekend and local wrestlers and teams are expected to make a big splash on their way to the state tournament the following weekend.