Sports briefs

Former Augusta Christian football player Will Brantley has found a new athletic pursuit, and he picked a winner. Brantley is a member of the Furman University men's rugby team, which recently captured the Division III national championship.

Approximately 100 teams vie for the Division III rugby title each year. The Paladins took the 2003 crown with a strong run through this year's tournament in Raleigh, N.C. Furman beat Stonehill College 12-3 in the finals.

AC basketball camp

Augusta Christian School will conduct a girls basketball camp this week at the AC gym. The camp for girls in fourth through eighth grade runs Monday through Thursday, with daily camp times from 1 to 5 p.m. The cost is $80. For more information call Augusta Christian coach Keith Walton at 863-2905, ext. 126.

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Football conditioning

The third annual Football Conditioning camp is July 21 to August 4 at Lakeside Middle School. The camp, which is for players ages 9-13, runs three days a week from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and the cost is $30. Proceeds are donated to the Lakeside Middle School booster club and other nonprofit organizations. For more information call Donnie Hutchins at 863-4978.

Patriots tryouts

The Columbia County Patriots Select Soccer tryouts for the 2003-04 season start Monday for older players. Tryouts for boys and girls in U13 through U17 age brackets are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and June 17; tryouts for U19 boys and girls are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and June 17. Tryouts begin at 6:30 p.m. on the soccer fields at Patriots Park. Tryouts are free, and all competitive players in the CSRA are welcome. For more information call Donny Rogers at 294-5033 or visit www.patriotssoccer.org.

Players needed

A Columbia County tournament baseball team is looking for players ages 10-12 to compete during the upcoming season. For more information call Brad Thompson at 541-9726.