County stars shine at collegiate level
Former Lakeside High School standout Brian Johnson has been a pleasant surprise for the coaching staff of the Georgia Tech football team.
After red-shirting last season, the 6-3, 240 pound fullback seems to have secured the starting job with the Yellow Jackets, thanks to his strong showing at spring practice.
During his prep career at Lakeside, Johnson made quite a name for himself - he was the first athlete in school history to start on the varsity football and basketball teams as a freshman.
This spring, new Tech coach Chan Gailey and his staff were quite impressed with the ex-Panther.
"He's a big, strong kid that has worked extremely hard to get better," running backs coach Patrick Nix said of Johnson.
Johnson and the Yellow Jackets kick off the 2002 season on Aug. 31 with a home game against Vanderbilt.
Quinn biding time in Stillwater
Former Greenbrier High School star Stephanie Quinn, who won a state title in golf while playing for the Wolfpack, is heading into her sophomore campaign at Oklahoma State.
While the lefty is an immensely talented player, Quinn will have to work hard in order to crack the Cowgirls' lineup.
Last season, Oklahoma State was extremely young, with only one senior on its 10-player roster. This year the Cowgirls return three seniors, one junior and five sophomores.
The squad does lose one of its premier players in Emma Zackrisson of Sweden. Zackrisson, an academic All-American, has graduated, but Coach Amy Weeks has nine players returning, including four that helped OSU finish 13th at the NCAA championships.
The Cowgirls will be lead by senior Christi Cano, who is one of 12 golfers named to the USA squad that will face Japan in the Collegiate Golf Championships, which will be held in July in Glenview, Ill.
Also, rising sophomore Annie Thurman is red-hot, having just won the U.S. Public Links title last weekend. Thurman trounced Hwanhee Lee 6 and 5 in Sunday's 36-hole final.
So, Quinn may not be a star at OSU next season, but her future still is very bright.
Anderson, Lewis solid for Bobcats
Columbia County has sent hundreds of kids to the college baseball ranks, and it seems the Peach Belt Conference has been the biggest benefactor - and it's not just Augusta State University and USC Aiken courting county players.
One of the premier teams in Division II baseball is Georgia College & State University. This season, the Bobcats featured two local products.
Former Greenbrier pitcher Will Anderson and former Harlem second baseman Randy Lewis helped GCSU to a 36-18 record this spring, as the squad finished ranked No. 14 nationally in Division II.
Anderson had a good senior season on the mound, going 5-3 with a 4.55 earned run average. He also recorded five saves and struck out 41 batters in 63 innings. The right-hander closed his college career with an impressive record of 14-4, while working mostly from the bullpen.
Lewis, a transfer from Piedmont College, started 17 games for the Bobcats and posted a .203 batting average in 32 appearances. Lewis, whose father is legendary Harlem head coach Jimmie Lewis, should be battling for a starting role in the infield next season at GCSU.