Augusta Prep runners win a homecoming
The weather was wonderful. The festivities were fun. The food was fabulous.
There was only one thing wrong with the Augusta Preparatory Day Schools Homecoming Weekend 2001 celebration last week - the visiting teams didn't cooperate.
In a critical Region 3 soccer match Saturday at Blanchard Field, Bulloch Academy beat the Cavaliers 1-0. Augusta Prep could have secured a spot in the state playoffs with a win over the Gators.
Meanwhile, inside Boardman Gymnasium, the Augusta Prep volleyball team lost to North Cobb Christian in quarterfinal action of the APDS Fall Classic, which began Friday and ended Saturday night.
Augusta Preparatory Day Schools soccer player Patrick Welch (right) tries to keep control of the ball in a match against Bulloch County during Augusta Prep Homecoming Weekend 2001.
Photo by Mike Howell
Pinewood Academy of Charleston, S.C., claimed the crown in the 11-team event with a victory over Charlotte Christian. August Prep received some consolation when Lady Cavalier Coles Hull was named to the all-tournament team.
''It was a fun weekend. There were a lot of things going on and people enjoyed watching the competition, but it wasn't as successful athletically as we would have liked,'' Augusta Prep Athletic Director Kevin Long said.
Augusta Prep's cross country teams were the exception. Cavalier senior David Bell ran the 5-kilometer race in 17:08 on Saturday to set a course record and pace Prep to victory. Ashwin Rajendra (17:43) and Alex Crean (18:01) helped Prep sweep the top three places, and the Cavaliers scored 19 points to easily outdistance Brentwood and Curtis Baptist.
In the girls race, the Lady Cavaliers settled for second place behind Augusta Christian, the defending Georgia Independent Schools Association Class AAA cross country champions.
While volleyball, soccer and cross country competitions highlighted the homecoming weekend, there were plenty of other activities to keep visitors busy.
''This year we had a lot more thing to do that weren't related to athletics,'' Long said. ''Lynn King, our director of special events, did a lot of the planning.''
There was a golf cart parade; clowns and moonwalk floats entertained the children; an on-site mobile by a local radio station provided music; and a barbecue banquet enticed the 270 attendees.
''This is really about the third year we've done homecoming for the fall season, and it's become a major event on campus. We really enjoy putting it on and having new twists every year,'' Long says. ''We didn't have a homecoming tradition, and people questioned whether we should do this or not. Now it is a tradition and people would question us if we didn't do it.''