The year 2021 was a year that included great sport moments in Stephens County. As I covered sports in the community, I have witnessed some spectacular monumental moments that I will never forget. 2021 had a handful of them. I made a list of the top five sport moments in 2021 for Stephens County but the list excluded a few monumental moments. So, I narrowed it down to five sport moments and three honorable mentions.
5. On April 20, 2021, the Stephens County Girls’ Soccer team won their first playoff game in over a decade. The Lady Indians accomplished that feat when they crushed Sandy Creek 8-0 at The Reservation. It was SCHS’ first playoff win since 2008 when they defeated Cass 2-1 in Toccoa in that 2008 season.
4. In 2021 the Stephens County Baseball team won three must win games in a row to reach the playoffs. This was an astonishing feat to win those three pressure games. During that season the Indians were struggling to win games. Their playoff hopes’ window was getting smaller and smaller. A lot of people did not think they were going to make it. Not going to lie I did not think they were going to make it but somehow, they found a way. SCHS played three region games against Monroe Area and the Indians defeated the Purple Hurricanes 7-5 on the road in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19, 2021, to keep their playoff hopes alive. They followed with a doubleheader sweep of the Purple Hurricanes the following Friday. Stephens won the opener 8-0 and followed with a 10-7 triumph in the nightcap.
3. On May 13, 2021, Stephens County Samara Walker had a state runner-up finish in shotput with a throw of 39 feet, .5 inches in the Class AAA track and field state championships. In that season Walker won her second region championship in shotput.
2. On April 28, 2021, the Stephens County Girls’ tennis team defeated Morgan County 3-2 in Madison to clinch the team’s first ever Final 4 berth in school history. This was something special I was fortunate to witness. I remember watching the team celebrate and how it was a surreal moment seeing what I just saw. I remember thinking to myself SCHS is Final 4 bound in a country club sport. The Lady Indians hosted the Final 4 match against Greater Atlanta Christian the following Friday. They came up short 3-1 but gave the Lady Spartans a run for their money in the competitive match. I was really impressed how SCHS competed with GAC. The reason being is that some of the GAC players came out the womb with a country club membership along with a private expensive tennis coach. With their advantages the kids from little ole Toccoa threaten GAC’s chances in the Final 4.
1. The No. 1 moment in sports in Stephens County goes to the SCHS girls’ basketball team. On February 19, 2021, the Lady Indians won their first region championship since 2010 when they defeated East Jackson 67-42 for the Region 8-AAA crown in Toccoa. One of the reasons why this was a special moment was because the seven seniors on that team played with each other for most of their lives and won a region championship with each other. That championship game was the most pact game I have seen at Currahee Arena. Old teachers and old coaches of those seniors along with a ginormous crowd of SCHS fans came out to support. It was the best high school sporting event environment that I got to experience.
One of the honorable mention moments came on May 20, 2021, from SCHS golfer Katie Grace Randall. Randall tied for an 11th place finish in the Class AAA state championships out of the top 50 golfers in the state. Randall’s two-round, 36-hole score of 170 put her amongst the top 15 in the state.
Another honorable mention came on Sept 10, 2021. The SCHS football team came up victorious in a 19-14 thriller in against Madison County in Danielsville. Trailing by a point with less than two minutes left, the Indians covered 88 yards in 38 seconds to score the game-winning touchdown and extend its winning streak to four games. The clutch drive ended with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Ben Stowe to Cam’ron Lacy and a 19-14 triumph over Madison County that put SCHS at 4-0 for the first time since 2012.
Another honorable mention happened on November 12, 2021. On that date for the first time since 2014 the Stephens County football team made it out of the first round of the playoffs. The No. 4 seed Indians accomplished that feat when they knock off No. 1 seed and Region 6-AAA champion Rockmart, 27-13 on the road in the first round.