Newspaper Page Text
The Upson Beacon Thursday, June 17, 2021 Page 3B
Female Athletics Shined Brightly at Upson-lee last Year
By Jacob Stewart
sports@upsonbeacon.com
Upson-Lee’s female
athletics had a historical
year in the 2020-2021
season. Many of the
teams traveled to places
that no other female team
at Upson-Lee has been
able to reach.
The success began
with another strong year
from the volleyball team
that has been a regional
threat for over half a dec
ade now. The team con
tinued its success with yet
another trip to the state
playoffs.
However, the softball
team was on an even
more impressive run. The
Lady Knights were red
hot all season as they
marched to a 19-12
record, including a 13-5
record in the region.
This run included
their first road win
against Pike County since
2002. The girls went on to
sweep Pike County in the
regular season. After the
Lady Knights defeated
Liberty County in the first
round of the state play
offs, the team advanced to
the Sweet 16 for the first
time in UL softball his
tory.
Of course, Coach
Raines’ Lady Knights
stole the show last year.
Not only was it the most
successful female team in
the school, but the team
was good enough to be
awarded Team of the Year
by The Upson Beacon. Its
perfect 18-0 record had
never been accomplished
before at Upson-Lee. The
Lady Knights rolled with
that momentum to win
Upson-Lee’s first
women's basketball re
gion championship.
The Lady Knights cap
tured the attention of
many as they entered the
state playoffs with the
highest seed. With each
win, they made history as
they blazed their way to
the Final Four with an un
defeated record.
The 2020-21 Lady
Knights basketball team
set the bar high for up
coming teams, but
players also showed the
upcoming female athletes
the impact that they can
have on the community.
Lady Knights tennis
was a huge success under
Coach Kristi Bosworth.
Players finished the regu
lar season with a 5-2 re
gion mark. Coach
Bosworth referenced
many times that the team
was the best she had ever
coached.
On the track, it was a
freshman girl who stole
the show. TyKendra Dan
iel won the region cham
pionship in the 400-
meter dash as she broke
the school record with a
1:00.9. Daniel has a
bright future ahead of her
on the track and has al
ready accomplished
things in her freshman
season that many athletes
before her tried for years
to accomplish.
Skye Perdue’s individ
ual region title capped a
great season for Lady
Knights golf. The young
team took many leaps in
the right direction as it
moved toward becoming
a perennial region threat.
Athletic Director
Wayne Puckett weighed
in on the successful year:
“I credit this success to
the coaches and the ath
letes. Our athletes are
buying in and believing in
what our coaches are
doing. It's a process but it
is a start in the right di
rection. We now must
build on the success that
they had this year. Hope
fully, this will encourage
more students to come
out and participate in our
programs.”
By Jacob Stewart
sports@upsonbeacon.com
The Thomaston-Upson
Chamber of Commerce
hosted the 11th annual
Poker Float last Saturday.
Many members of sur
rounding communities
played their chances at
winning the grand prize,
along with other door
prizes. Steve Elliot turned
in the winning hand of
poker and won a new
kayak.
The corporate sponsors
were as follows: H&R
Block, TenCate, Southern
Company, Georgia Power,
Interfor, Upson Regional
Medical Center, Richard
Bishoff, Upson EMC,
11th Annual Flint Biver Poker Float
Thomaston Family Medi
cine, Flint Riverkeeper,
ShepherdCare Hospice,
Flint River Outdoor
Center, The Peoples Bank
of Georgia, The Upson
Beacon, Central Georgia
Heating and Cooling, Cen
tury 21, West Central
Georgia Bank, State Farm,
GLL Marine.com, Thom
aston Hospice, United
Bank, Kinetic by Wind-
stream, Southern Rivers
Energy, AgSouth, Bill Rob
erts Electrical Inc., Ed
ward Jones, Wynn
Trice-Financial Advisor,
Pasley, Nuce, Mallory &
Davis, LLC & Thomaston
Pest Control, Pike Out
fitters, Adams, Barfield,
Baity, LLP, and Speedi
Lube.
Steve Elliot won First Place
URDAY' 5
TENC
Ken Brown won Second Place
Dianna Koke Won Third Place
John Spraggins Won the 50/50 Raffle
Sinter
L d Bishoff
v<$V
Chad Stinchcomb was the winner of the early bird prize