Albany Herald

Westover athletic director Harley Calhoun said he was "elated" when Westover won its sixth consecutive All Sports Trophy for Region 1-AAA.

ALBANY — Even in a bad year, Westover still is as good as it gets in Region 1-AAA.

The Patriots and Lady Patriots did it again, winning the Region 1-AAA All-Sports Trophy for having the best overall sports program in the region for the sixth consecutive year.

This year’s award may be the most memorable.

“We had a down year,’’ Westover athletic director Harley Calhoun said. “We had a lot of new athletes and a lot of fresh teams. We had a lot of young kids on teams this year and we’re really proud we could it.’’

Westover didn’t dominate in winning region titles but had the best overall performance.

“We didn’t win as many region titles as we usually do,’’ Calhoun said. “But we had a lot of second and thirds, and those second and thirds helped us pull it out.”

No one expected it.

“It was one of those years when we had to start over,’’ Calhoun said. “It was a rebuilding year and for us to win it this year was awesome. We were so young. There were sports that we normally do well in that we didn’t do that well. When we heard that we had won it, we were elated.’’

Calhoun said he looks for more in the future.

“Those young kids have a year under their belt, and we’re looking forward to the fall sports,’’ he said. “We’re looking to be better in softball. We’re looking to win another cross country title, and our football team is looking to win a region title. We should be in the lead after the fall sports and carry over from there. We’re coming out firing this fall.’’

Fueled by championships in six different sports, Crisp County High won the Georgia Athletics Directors Association Cup for having the top overall sports program based on postseason play in Region 1-AAA for the 2011-12 school year.

“I am extremely proud of this recognition as it showcases our overall sports program,” Crisp athletic director Lee Campbell said in reflecting upon the honor.

“It is the result of the tremendous dedication and hard work ethics of both our student athletes and their coaches. Considering the overall strength of

our region for the past several years, receiving this award is indeed a

major accomplishment.

Based upon the points totals awarded according to their order of finish in

the various sports, Crisp accumulated 515 points - 261 by its girls and 254

by its boys - while finishing well ahead of runner-up Westover with its

combined 465.5 points.

Cairo placed third with 373 points, Monroe came in fourth with 303 and Worth

County placed fifth with 240. Rounding out the order of finish were

Americus-Sumter with 145 points and Dougherty with 105.5.

The majority of points earned by the Cougars came from championships won in

girls and boys basketball, baseball, girls tennis, girls softball and

competition cheerleading.

Crisp also racked up second place finishes in boys tennis, girls golf and

wrestling and wound up in fourth place in girls and boys soccer. A 28-7 loss

to Worth County in the regular season football finale dropped the Cougars

from second to fifth in that sport.