Albany Herald

Photo by Danny Aller

Coach of the Year

Larry Cosby, Bainbridge

Cosby and his stable of experienced coaches, including former head coach Larry Clark, who now serves as a consultant, led the Bearcats to their first-ever GHSA Class AAAA state title in modern-day history after capturing the Region 1-AAAA championship 13 years in a row, but never winning state. It also bears noting that Bainbridge became the first school -- in any class -- to win state without winning a single individual event.

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ATHLETES:

Donquavious Hill

Senior, Monroe

Hill, along with Sir Paul Jones, was the heart and soul of Monroe's state runner-up team. He finished second at the Class AAA state meet in the 400, finished sixth in the 200 and ran the second leg for Monroe's state champion 4x400 relay team and state runner-up 4x100 relay team that lost in a photo finish. Hill won almost every big meet this year, including region titles in the 200 and 400.

Johnny Moore

Senior, Monroe

Moore had the best throw of his life in the Class AAA state meet, but his toss of 184 feet and 3 inches was one inch short, and he finished second in the discus at state. He was clearly the best discus thrower in Southwest Georgia, winning every meet, including the region title.

Tony Zenon

Senior,

Deerfield-Windsor

Zenon ended a remarkable career at Deerfield-Windsor by winning the 100-meter and 200-meter GISA Class AAA state titles and also anchored DWS' 4x100 state champion relay team. He finished third in the long jump and also ran on DWS' 4x400 relay team that finished second at state. Zenon was the high point man in the GISA state meet for the second consecutive year. He has accepted a football scholarship to Georgia Tech.

Denzel Gamble

Senior, Bainbridge

Gamble was a big reason Bainbridge won its first state team title. Gamble finished second in the Class AAAA 110 hurdles, and finished second in the triple jump to give Bainbridge 16 points at state. Gamble also won region titles in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Garrett Reynolds

Senior, Bainbridge

Reynolds finished third in the Class AAAA state 100 meter dash and was the lead runner for Bainbridge's 4x100 relay team that not only won the state title, but ran the fastest time in all of Georgia (41.31)

Stevenson Crowell

Junior, Bainbridge

Crowell finished fourth in the Class AAAA shot put with a launch of 50 feet, 8 1/4 inches. He also won several meets, including the 1-AAAA region title.

DeWayne Gurley,

Junior, Bainbridge

Gurley, just a junior, finished fifth in the Class AAAA discus (159-8) after winning the region title in the event.

Joseph Ausgood

Junior, Bainbridge

Ausgood was the best half-miler in Southwest Georgia, dominating the race in almost every meet this year, including winning the region title. He finished fifth in the Class AAAA meet.

Octavius Scott

Junior, Bainbridge

Scott was a big surprise and came on late in the season to help Bainbridge win the state title. He finished fifth in the Class AAAA 300 hurdles.

Delonte Martistee

Junior, Bainbridge

Martistee was one of the leading high jumpers and triple jumpers in SW Georgia this year, and finished sixth in the Class AAAA triple jump.

Thomas Smiley (Sr.), Brandon Handsford (Jr.) and Shawn

Samuel (Jr.),

Bainbridge

These three, along with Reynolds, made up the 4x100 relay team that not only won state but ran the fastest time in all of Georgia, 41.31.

Caleb Ebbets

Senior, Lee County

Ebbets broke the state record in the Class AAAA pole vault with a vault of 15 feet, 6 inches, but that wasn't his best. He cleared 16 feet, 1 inch in the Westover Relays, which was the seventh best vault in the nation this season. He has accepted a scholarship to Georgia.

Jacob Kennedy

Senior, Lee County

Kennedy was the best distance runner in SW Georgia. He won region titles in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, and then finished eighth in the Class AAAA state 1,600 meters and fourth in the 3,200 meters.

Dontrevious Ousley

Sophomore, Westover.

Ousley was second in the region behind Moore,

and finished fifth in the Class AAA state meet in the discus.

Domonique Brown

Junior, Pelham

Brown won the long jump and the triple jump in the Class A state meet, and was a big reason Pelham won the team title. His 20 points on the first day of the meet helped Pelham grab a lead it never relinquished.

Lester Moore

Senior, Pelham

Moore ran on Pelham's 4x100 relay team that finished third at state and he finished sixth in the high jump, but the moment no one at Pelham will forget was watching Moore pull off a huge upset in the 200-meter finals at state, where he bolted past two runners in the final stretch run to capture second place. That second-place finish gave Pelham eight more points and clinched the state title for the Hornets.

Desmond Smith

Senior, Pelham

Smith was another big reason the Hornets won the Class A state title. He opened the meet by finishing second in the shot put and fourth in the discus, scoring 13 points by himself to help give Pelham an early, dominant lead.

Alexander Atkins

Senior, Pelham

Atkins finished third in the Class A 100-meter dash and also ran on Pelham's 4x100 relay team that finished third in the state.

Kenneth Randall

Junior, Pelham

Randall finished second in the Class A state long jump, right behind his teammate, Brown.

Jimmy Robinson

Sophomore, Early County

Robinson is the next big thing at Early County. Only a sophomore, he finished second at the Class AA state meet in the 300 hurdles, and finished sixth in the 110 hurdles.