About Fayette County news. (Fayetteville, GA) 2009-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2023)
B2 Fayette County News Wednesday, February 22,2023 Special to FCN The Chiefs are playoff- bound. Hosting their re gion tournament, both McIntosh teams punched their tickets, with the boys winning their side and the girls earning the three seed. The McIntosh boys capped the tournament with a bang, winning a 65- 64 overtime thriller over the Northside Patriots. They led 29-26 at the half and 46-42 after three quarters, but the Patriots weren’t going away. North- side had them on the ropes late, until Brandon Cheri sent it to overtime tied 59- 59 with a clutch three- pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation. Overtime was tight, with the Chiefs waiting for their moment. Trailing 64- 63, they used patient ball movement, finding Lan- don Dolhancyk open for a jumper from just inside the free throw line with seven seconds left. The win marks the third region championship in team history and the first since the 2015-16 sea son. Cheri paced the Chiefs with 26 points, including eight three-pointers. Dol hancyk posted 19 points, and Uche Iloh added 14. The Chiefs enter the playoffs red hot, with a 20- 7 record and 13 wins in a row. They host Chamblee in round one of the state playoffs. The Lady Chiefs fin ished the tournament with a 30-3 run in the final seven minutes to beat Northgate 54-49 and claim the region’s three seed. They travel to play Arabia Mountain in round one. Black History Block Party Builds Community Chilly weather could not keep the community from coming together as Cleveland Elementary and Bennett’s Mill Middle teamed for a Black History Month block party on Feb. 4- Visitors were able to take a walk through his tory and view displays created by students to celebrate Black History Month. At Bennett’s Mill, stu dent finalists from school wide art and writing contests had their works displayed. Cleveland Ele mentary students de signed displays called “ABCs of Black History.” Each classroom re ceived a letter of the alpha bet, and they were tasked with creating educational displays around words starting with that letter that relate to black history. The celebration in cluded an outdoor market with more than 50 ven dors, including black- owned businesses, along with music, dancing, food, contests, and a chance to smash a pie in a teacher’s face. In addition to many volunteers, the party was made possible in part by a grant of $1,000 to each school from the Fayette County Education Foun dation to help the schools offset expenses. let us Share Your News! FCN Searching for Lifestyle Columnist Fayette County residents, civic clubs, and or ganizations: submit your local neivs,family re unions, anniversary, birthday, and military advancement announcements to Sydney Spencer at sspenser@fayette-neivs.net. It’s free! Please submit photos in .jpeg format in color. Fayette County Neivs is currently searching for a local recipe, gardening, or hobby enthusi ast to contribute a iveekly lifestyle column. Anyone interested in contributing can email sspencer@fayette-neivs.net with your name, contact information, and column ideas. -64 in OT for Region Tide MHS boys win region with OT thriller The McIntosh High Dance team Courtesy of Fayette County Schools Home of the Chiefettes! McIntosh Wins State Dance Championship The Chiefettes have grabbed the crown. The McIntosh High Dance team won the Class 5A/6A Georgia High School Asso ciation state dance cham pionship at the Macon Centreplex on Feb. 11. The victory marks the first official GHSA dance state championship for the Chiefettes, who also won the jazz category for their classifications. “Winning the state championship was the cul mination of so much hard work and dedication by the dancers throughout the season, who contin ually improved on their scores,” said coach Carmen Yarbrough. “The team culture was exqui site, and, when you have a winning culture, winning the state championship just meant so much more.” The champion Chie fettes include Heather Lee, Sunia Xiao, Elizabeth Stanton, Daisy Fidler, Sarah Wilson, Khami Wil liams, Sofi Schwartz, Shima Arai, Nina Sey mour, Lila Egseiker, and Mady Kuehn. They were coached by Carmen Yarbrough, Adri enne Scasny, and Sadie Nash. Yarbrough said he was proud of the girls’ progres sion and spoke to the goals the team set before the season began. “The team set a goal at summer camp that they wanted to win a state championship. We re flected on the last two years and knew that we needed to change how we do things,” Yarbrough said. As season picked up, the coaches and the team came together and made adjustments to provide the team with the jewels they needed to win the crown of champions. “We added an extra practice to our weekly schedule and incorporated ballet and strength train ing into our regimen. We worked smarter and not harder at each practice,” said Yarbrough. Yarbrough praised the team’s hard work through out the years and placed an emphasis on the team’s drive and determination to take on the challenge to earn the "biggest award of all.” “I feel like our program has been grinding for the past three years to lead up to this championship, and I'm just thrilled for my athletes that they were awarded the biggest award of all - the right to call themselves state cham pions!” Yarbrough said. The Starr's Mill High Dance team Courtesy of Fayette County Schools The Dancing Queens! Starr’s Mill Dance Dynasty Continues at State The Pantherettes still reign supreme. The Starr’s Mill High Dance team re cently won the Class 3A/4A GHSA State Dance Cham pionship at the Macon Centreplex, the squad’s third-straight GHSA title and sixth-straight state championship overall. The Pantherettes won both jazz and pom en route to the overall champion ship. The champion Panthe rettes include Wells Al- mand, Vivian Anderson, Tessa Brown, Naza Bueno, Kayla Foppe, Madison Hand, Carina Jimenez, Ella Long, Kristina Martin, Emma Newell, Elizabeth Peebles, Emily Purcer, Ad dison Ransom, KG Sills, and Camdyn Sweatt. They were coached at state by Shane Ratliff and Todd Saye. A team with a lot of young dancers got a taste of the culture it takes to win championships. “What made this special is the drive and dedication the girls gave to being the best in their sport,” Ratliff said. “The girls prepare better than any team in the state, and it shows in the performances.”
