News from Georgia Athletic Directors Association

In Class 5A, Collins Hill and Peachtree Ridge are tied atop the the overall rankings with 385 points apiece. Grayson (358), Walton (355), North Gwinnett (331), Parkview (322) and Brookwood (318) are the remaining teams with 300 points or more (note that of those schools only one, Walton, doesn't hail from Gwinnett County). Interestingly, none of these schools advanced very far in the state's most popular sport, football; three schools - Peachtree Ridge, Grayson and North Gwinnett - advanced as far as the quarterfinals, and Walton actually missed the playoffs altogether. Collins Hill's points have come in the form of a third-place and second-place finish in boys and girls cross country, respectively, a quarterfinals appearance in softball, and a third-place finish in cheerleading. It will be interesting to see if any of the aforementioned programs can prevent Walton from winning its sixth Directors Cup.

Class 4A mainstay Marist is at it again, leading the pack by a wide margin early in the game. The War Eagles have racked up 443 points, with second-place Lakeside-Evans putting up 360 points thus far. The War Eagles have won the award every season since its inception in 1999, which means they are going for their 11th trophy. The cross country finals reflect the 4A standings overall as far as the top two teams are concerned; Marist swept the titles and Lakeside finished runner-up both times. Marist also won its second straight softball title, and finished runner-up in volleyball to Whitewater. It would seem to be another runaway title for the War Eagles athletics program unless its teams stumble in some of the winter and spring sports they excels in.

St. Pius X is an unsurprising leader thus far into the season, but holds just a slim margin - 413 to 400 - over Columbus. The Golden Lions won in girls cross country, always a strength at the school, but Columbus bested Pius in several areas in the fall. The Blue Devils beat Pius head to head in the state volleyball finals, eventually finishing runner-up to Woodward Academy, and took home the state softball crown in their hometown. Other athletics programs with at least 300 points include Flowery Branch (369), Creekview (340) and Woodward (325).

It's a tight race so far in Class 2A, with Athens-area public school North Oconee (361 points) leading three private schools in Westminster, Lovett and Blessed Trinity (343, 336 and 292 points, respectively), last year's champion. North Oconee has been solid, though not spectacular, in all sports, making the playoffs in each of the bracketed sports and using top-five finishes to get to the top of the standings. Westminster will be looking to get another Cup for the trophy case, which already holds nine yearly awards. Lovett has two Directors Cups.

Savannah Christian is in line for its first-ever Directors Cup win after a solid fall sports showing, including a runner-up finish in football. The Red Raiders are in the lead with 406 points, but two other private schools (Wesleyan with 367 and Eagle's Landing Christian Academy with 340) are nipping at their heels. Savannah Christian finished outside of the top 10 in both boys and girls cross country, but reached the semifinals in softball, which Eagle's Landing Christian won yet again. Wesleyan is looking for its fourth all-sports trophy, and third as a member of the state's lowest classification.

WHAT'S IN STORE ...

With the winter and spring seasons yet to be played, there will surely be a lot of movement in the standings between now and May when champions are crowned. However, past results can help us predict just where certain schools might be earning their points for the remainder of the season.

For Collins Hill, the top-ranked wrestling team in the state and a legit national power, the Eagles will get the chance to widen their lead atop Class 5A and pull away from Peachtree Ridge with another strong showing at the state duals next week. Collins Hill has won the event in their classification the past two years and in 2005, and has won four of the last seven traditional wrestling titles, including the last two. It seems likely that the Eagles will gain the 100 points awarded to the champion in each of those events.

Gwinnett programs have traditionally dominated the boys swimming finals in Class 5A, with Brookwood winning last year, and Marist and Westminster are the most dominant swimming programs in the state in Classes 4A-A. As for basketball, it looks as if the Milton boys and Redan girls (both ranked No. 1) will gain some points for North Fulton and DeKalb County, respectively. With only five winter sports to compete in (boys and girls hoops, wrestling, swimming and riflery), the spring is where Directors Cups are often won and lost.

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Cover photos of Marist and Savannah Christian are courtesy of Photographic Arts. Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.