Greenbrier gets attention around state
The Greenbrier athletic programs have built an impressive tradition in their eight-plus years of existence.
This was mostly because of the early success of the baseball team, which won three straight state titles from 1997 to '99.
Also, the football team earned state playoff berths for three consecutive seasons from 1996 to '98.
In recent years, the soccer programs also have started to become one of the top programs in the area.
However, this fall the Greenbrier softball and volleyball teams are garnering some major respect throughout Georgia.
In the latest Class-AAAA poll, Greenbrier's volleyball team is ranked No. 7 with a record of 11-2.
They are the only area team ranked in any of the five classifications.
That is impressive enough, but the softball team is off to an even more impressive start.
Garrett Black's squad is back in the top spot in AAAA. The Lady Wolfpack is 10-1 and should be the team to beat when the state playoffs start next month.
The Pack is riding the arm of one of the premier players in the state, pitcher Kristen Glover. If you have not seen Glover pitch, then you should make plans to do so as soon as possible.
Bratton gets solid start
Former Lakeside star Brian Bratton is entering his senior season at Furman University.
Bratton is a preseason All-American candidate in Division 1-AA. Also, Furman is ranked No. 7 in the nation and could be a serious national title contender.
The Paladins opened the season last week with a 52-7 victory over Presbyterian.
Bratton lead the team with four catches for 61 yards. He also had one carry for 11 yards. five touches for 72 yards, which is 14.4 yards per touch.
Furman was lead by Florida transfer Ingle Martin, who was 13 of 18 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
With Martin at the helm, Bratton could be in for a big senior season.
In addition to Bratton, two other area standouts helped lead their teams to opening victories.
Former Augusta Christian star Joel Whinghter only had 5 yards on four carries, but he saw plenty of acton in Troy State's 17-15 victory over perennial power Marshal.
Whinghter has a chance to be a pretty special player at Troy State before his career is over.
Another former Lakeside star, Brian Johnson, was part of a victory on Saturday. Johnson, who signed with Georgia Tech out of high school, transferred to North Carolina A&T, and he is battling for the Aggies starting fullback job.
Johnson had only one carry for 4 yards, but graded out well as a blocker as N.C. A&T held off North Carolina Central 16-15.
Throughout the college football season I will keep our readers updated with all of the former county players who are playing on the college level.