Panthers roar loudly in spring
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The Panthers girls soccer team went to the state playoffs with a 13-2-3 record but followed its state runner-up season by losing in penalty kicks in the first round.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
To no one's surprise, Lakeside High School ended the 2004-05 athletic season with a strong finish.
The Panthers have one of Class AAAA's top spring sports programs, and they showed it again this season.
The highlight was the performance of the golf team. Lakeside finished second in the state, one stroke behind champion Etowah.
Payne Kassinger won the individual crown by shooting a 2-under-par 69 at the Golf Club of Columbus.
Lakeside boys tennis also had a great season. The Panthers made it to the state semifinals at Stone Mountain's tennis complex before losing 3-2 to St. Pius X. The girls team lost in the first round to Woodward Academy.
Kyle Hill (center) and Dennis Miller practice with the Lakeside wrestling team.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Woodward also ended the season of the Lakeside girls soccer team. The Panthers (13-2-3) followed their state runner-up season by losing in penalty kicks in the first round of the playoffs.
The boys soccer team fought off injuries to make the playoffs but also lost in the first round. McIntosh - ranked No. 1 in the state at the time - scored a late goal to beat Lakeside.
Lakeside's baseball team lost five of its first seven games but recovered to finish second in the region. The Panthers swept Greenbrier and split with Evans and Harlem. Lakeside cruised through a first-round series against Woodward, but lost to Lee County in the second round.
Closing out the spring season, Ben Watts finished sixth in the triple jump at the state meet.
The highlight of the winter sports season was the state championship for wrestler Tim Mitchem. Mitchem won the crown in the 130-pound division.
The Lakeside High School 2005 golf team was runner-up in the Georgia High School Association 2005 state AAAA golf competition.
Special photo
The team won both the region dual and traditional titles and still is the dominant program in the county.
The boys swim team finished ninth in the state and had top 10 finishes from J.R. Barrett (seventh in 500-yard freestyle, eighth in 200 free), Kevin Skenes (fourth in 100 breatstroke), the 200 individual medley and the 400 free relay. The girls team finished 17th, and Courtney Ward finished ninth in diving.
The best finish of the fall sports teams went to the volleyball team. The Panthers upset Greenbrier for the Area 2-AAAA title and beat Habersham Central in the state playoffs before losing to Marist and North Springs.
Lakeside's Chris Drayton (21) broke up a pass intended for Greenbrier's Eugene Rogers during a Sept. 24 game in Evans.
Photo by Jim Blaylock