Panthers' junior varsity is the best in the county

Lost in the news of the Evans High School varsity football team's undefeated season was a similar accomplishment at a lower level.

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Lakeside's junior varsity reclaimed The Columbia County News-Times JV County Cup on Oct. 23, beating Evans 41-0 to end the Knights' two-year run. Coach Jody Hilley's team finished 7-0.

The win was the second for the Panthers over Evans in two weeks. Lakeside beat the Knights 8-0 during the regular season.

Among the highlights of the Panthers' season was a 26-20 win over Washington County on Sept. 18, when Lakeside had to come from behind in the second half.

"The offense really came alive in the second half there," Hilley said. "Our defense played great in the second half and pulled out a big win against a great program."

Hilley said the Panthers benefited from having a proficient passer playing at quarterback.

Sophomore Ben Wilson, who was the backup QB on varsity, led Lakeside. Mark Weidenaar often would play in the second half.

The combination worked well for the Panthers, who averaged more than 27 points a game.

Its defense allowed a little more than a touchdown a game.

"Our defense played great all year," Hilley said. "Defense kept us in ball games the majority of the time."

The success of the younger Panthers might bode well for Lakeside's varsity squad, which turned the corner this year with a 7-3 record.

Evans' varsity finished undefeated and played host to its first-round playoff game Friday. The Panthers have that to aim for in the years to come.

"Obviously, success breeds success," Hilley said. "You want your kids at the JV level to be successful just so they'll be confident when they move up."

Lakeside cross country finishes in top 10

Lakeside's cross country teams capped a solid season with top-10 finishes from both the boys and girls teams in the GHSA Class AAAA meet on Nov. 8.

Sophomore Anna Bowles led all area runners with a second-place finish, running a 19:26.65. Evans runner Elena Hubbard finished fourth in 19:34.03.

Panthers sophomore Katie Townsend ran a 20:20.13 to place 10th.

A young Lakeside girls team, made up of two freshmen, four sophomores and a junior, finished fifth.

The Evans girls finished 14th at the meet.

The Lakeside boys finished eighth. Junior Atom Young was third in the state with a time of 16:42.82.

Greenbrier senior Taylor Snyder finished 32nd in the Class AAAAA meet with a time of 17:04.02. The Wolfpack boys finished 12th in the state.

Augusta Prep girls capture state title

Augusta Prep's girls cross country team won the GISA Class AAA state championship on Oct. 28 in Macon.

Amanda Murphy finished second in 19:24. Collier McLeod was fifth in 20:56 and Maryclaire Regan was seventh in 21:12 to put three Prep runners in the top 10.

The Cavaliers beat out Stratford Academy by one point.

Augusta Prep senior Jim Hull finished third in the GISA Class AAA boys meet with a 17:23. The Cavaliers boys finished second in the state.