Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, December 27,2023/Page 8B
(Eift Aiiuancg
2023
continued from page 4B
The 4x400m relay team
also came in 1st place.
VHS Track
Vidalia High School
Indian track and field
team came away with two
State Champions and a
7th place team finish at
the GHSA State Track
and Field Champion
ships, held at McEachern
High School.
Brandon Beasley
took the AA State Title
in the Triple Jump, and
Nahvie Berry ran his way
to Gold in the 110m
Hurdles.
McGregor To
Naval Academy
On Thursday, May
18, at Vidalia High
School Seth McGregor
made the decision to sign
not only to go to college,
but also to serve his
country. McGregor
signed to go to the United
States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, MD.
McGregor becomes
just the fifth Indian to at
tend a United States Mil
itary academy, and only
the second to attend the
Naval Academy. Mc
Gregor is a well-rounded
young man who main
tains a 4.0 GPA, while
also participating in track
and cross country where
he was a team captain on
the track team. He is also
a Region Champion in
the 1,600m and 3,200m
runs, and is part of the
school record holding
4x800m relay team.
McGregor said, “I am
truly excited. I am proud
to get this opportunity. I
have worked really hard
for this, and I’m going to
give it everything that I
have. I have to thank
Gray Meredith. He has
been instrumental in this
process. I also want to
thank coaches Godbee
and Humphrey, who have
really pushed me, all of
the teachers at the school
who have pushed me.
“It feels really special
to be one of the few that
have come from here to
attend a Service Acad
emy. It is premium space,
not many people get this
chance, and I’m very
proud to be one of them.
I look forward to forming
friendships at the Acad
emy.”
Greg James
During his 30-year
tenure as the head coach
of the Vidalia High
School Baseball team,
Coach Greg James won
two State Champion
ships and 489 games. On
Saturday, June 10, in Dal
ton, Coach James re
ceived the highest award
for a High School Coach
in Georgia, as he was in
ducted into the Georgia
Athletic Coaches Associ
ation (GACA) Hall of
Fame. “I’m very honored
and thrilled to be recog
nized and to receive the
honor of being in the
Coaches Hall of Fame.,”
said James.
James, who was
raised in Vidalia and
went through the Vidalia
City School system and
then returned to coach
and teach at Vidalia for
31 years, said that when
he received the call that
he had been voted into
the Hall of Fame, the first
thing he thought about
was his mentors, Coach
Chunk Reid, and Buck
Cravey, who are both
also in the Hall of Fame,
“I guess the first thing I
thought about was Coach
Reed and Coach Cravey,
you know, they’re both in
and, what an honor to go
into the Hall with those
two men. Those two men
I looked up to so much
and learned so much
from, as a student and
from coaching with
them.”
Ever humbled, Coach
James deflected any
credit for his accomplish
ments, saying that he was
“blessed to have great
players and coaches
along the way.”
James closed by say
ing that the award was
going to be shared by ev
eryone, “I just want ev
ery, every player and as
sistant coach, to know
that I’m representing
them. Because they were
there for everything, and
I appreciate being able to
represent Vidalia High
School and the baseball
program.”
Ty Dailey
Former Vidalia High
School Indian and cur
rent Mercer University
starting First Baseman,
Ty Dailey, was named to
the 2023 Collegiate Base
ball Freshmen All-Amer
ican team.
Dailey, who hit 18
home runs and had 56
RBI’s in his inaugural
year, had previously been
named to the Southern
Conference All-Fresh
man Team, and Southern
Conference All-Tourna
ment Team.
Summer All Stars
It was a battle of local
teams for the GRPA State
Championship in the
10U Softball Tourna
ment held at Partin Park
in Lyons. It came down
to Lyons and Vidalia in
the Championship Game
with Vidalia taking the
title.
In the title game Vi
dalia controlled the game
early, taking a quick 6-1
lead after two innings.
After the fourth inning
Vidalia held a 10-3 lead
over Lyons, but the game
was far from over. Over
the next two innings Ly
ons came storming back
as they closed the lead to
10-9 in the top of the
sixth inning, but VRD
managed to get the third
out to end the rally and
claim the State Champi
onship.
Vidalia’s 8U softball
team was in Colquitt
County to take part in
the GRPA State Tourna
ment. It was a tough run
for VRD as they came
out of the losers’ bracket
to take two games in the
finals to win the Champi
onship. VRD defeated
Effingham County to
win the title.
The Lyons and Vida
lia 8U baseball teams
were in Effingham
County to take part in
the GRPA State Tourna
ment. Both teams had a
good showing with Vida
lia coming away as the
State Runner up and Ly
ons taking third place.
VRD Swim
The Vidalia Rejec
tion Department swim
team was in Moultrie in
July to compete in the
GRPA State Swim Meet.
At the State Swim Meet
VRD brought home two
State Championships. Is
abella Morgan took home
the title in the 7-8-year-
old, 25-yard backstroke.
And the team of Easton
Moore, Carson McLen
don, Aubree Zorn, and
Ginny Meredith won in
the mixed 10U, 100-yard
relay.
Soap Box
In mid July nine local
racers from the South
east Georgia Soap Box
Derby (SEGA) took the
trip to Akron, OH, to
compete in the FirstEn
ergy All-American Soap
Box Derby World Cham
pionships. More than
320 boys and girls from
across the United States,
and from Canada and Ja
pan, participated in the
85th FirstEnergy All-
American Soap Box
Derby for the chance to
win $36,000 in college
scholarships.
It was another good
showing from the SEGA
squad as they came away
with two more World
Championships and sev
eral other high finishers.
Three local racers also
finished in the top 10 for
the season long Rally
Race circuit.
Aidyn Driggers took
the top spot in the All
Star Super Stock race as
she edged out second
place by a differential of
just .022 seconds. Aidyn
also finished in 4th place
in the AUI Rally Super
Stock Race.
Quinn Driggers was
the winner in the AUI
Rally Stock Race with a
differential of .066 sec
onds. She also took 4th
place in the Rally Stock
Race.
Local Super Stock
Champion, Kyleigh Wil
liamson, had an out
standing debut placing
5th in the All American
Local Super Stock Race.
McDonald Wins
National Title
RTCA’s Bradlan Mc
Donald competed in the
Scholastic Clay Target
Progam (SCTP) Nation
als and shot his way to
the top of the leader-
board to bring home the
National Championship.
He is the Senior Division
HOA National Cham
pion.
McDonald broke 199
of 200 targets in the
championship to win the
title in the 200 shot Skeet
Competition. McDonald
also broke 588 out of 600
targets over the tourna
ment. He was the high
scorer of over 3,000
shooters at the event
from all over the United
States. McDonald is part
of the Gator Creek Young
Guns shooting team.
RTCA Softball
The RTCA Lady
Crusaders are State
Champions. After a five
game run through the
GIAA State Playoffs, the
Crusaders defeated
Thomas Jefferson in Co
lumbus to claim the title.
RTCA beat Crisp
Academy, lost to Thomas
Jefferson to fall into the
losers’ bracket, but then
bounced back with a win
over David Emanuel
Academy, and beat
Thomas Jefferson twice
in the Championship to
take home the title.
In the Championship
RTCA beat TJ in the first
game 9-7 to force a sec
ond game. RTCA then
won 12-1 to claim the
State Championship.
VHS Softball
After dropping sev
eral games early in the
season, the Vidalia High
School Lady Indians
softball team went on a
tear, rolling off 12
straight wins to close out
the regular season. With
that they picked up two
over Toombs and fin
ished off the season
sweep of Appling County
as they claimed the Re
gion 3AA Champion
ship. That moved them
into the Super Regional.
After missing a trip
to Columbus last year,
the Vidalia Lady Indians
punched their ticket to
return to the Fountain
City as they defeated
Dodge County to claim
their GHSA Super Re
gional.
The Lady Indians of
Vidalia High School
made their run in the
GHSA State AA Tourna
ment in Columbus. VHS
fought their way to a
fourth place finish in the
state. VHS played four
games in Columbus be
fore falling. VHS was a
part of a well represented
Region 3AA that saw
Toombs County take
sixth place, VHS come in
fourth, and Appling
County as the State
Champions.
TCHS Softball
The Toombs County
High School Lady Bull
dogs softball team com
peted in the Super Re
gional at Cook County.
It was a great week for
TCHS as they clinched a
spot in the Elite 8 that
took place in Columbus.
In the Super Region
al, the Bulldogs took on
Northeast of Macon in
their first matchup and
rolled to a big win. Up
next was the #1 ranked
Cook County Hornets
with Toombs taking the
win. Cook and Toombs
battled one more time
for the Championship of
the Super Regional, and
Toombs again came out
on top of the Hornets to
take their spot in the
Elite 8.
The TCHS Lady
Dawgs softball team
wrapped up an impres
sive season, culminating
in a great showing at the
GHSA State Tournament
Please see 2023 page 9B
Inducted Into Hall of Fame - Coach Greg James with
his plaque after being inducted into the GACA Hall of
Fame,
Photo by Mike Branch
McGregor Earns Appointment With Naval Academy - (L to R, Front): Marca McGregor
(mother), Seth McGregor, Scott McGregor (father); (Back): VHS CTAE Instructor Gray
Meredith, Head Coach Mandy Godbee, Coach Lee Humphrey, and Coach Dermon
Simmons.
All American - Ty Dailey at bat for the Mercer Bears dur
ing his freshman season,
Photo by RTCA
RTCA Softball State Champions - (L to R, Front): Haylie Kight, Bree Wimberly, Arlie Gooden,
Kinsley Kennedy, Leighton Williams; (Back): Julia Yacovella, Coach Brian Fitzgerald, Mad-
die Joyner, Coach Mark McDaniel, Railee Thomas, Meredith Durden, Coach Jordan
Robbins, Emily Edwards, Coach Aries Haygood, and Coach Brian Durden,