Last week I wrote about football, so now I will write about local softball and volleyball programs beginning their respective seasons.
Football is obviously king; however, there are some great softball and volleyball programs in Lake Country.
For instance, Morgan County has two really outstanding programs in its Spike Dogs (volleyball) and Lady Dogs’ softball teams. MCHS softball head coach Doug Connelly has helped maintain the program in his tenure as an annual playoff contender with the help of assistant/ former co-head coach Jason McBay. Also, second-year Spike Dogs’ head coach Kathleen Goodwin has helped carry on a great tradition.
The Lake Oconee Academy Lady Titans’ volleyball and softball programs are now in full swing. Chris Ingle keeps the volleyball team competitive, while softball coach Keetah Singleton tries to turn her program into a perennial playoff challenger every year.
Over at Greene County High School, the Lady Tigers volleyball team is heading into its second season under head coach Sharda Massey. She is building that program from the ground up and has seen a great amount of success in terms of attendance.
Putnam County High School has both volleyball and softball. Per MaxPreps, Francisco Aguirre Arancibia is in his second year at the helm of the Lady Eagles’ volleyball program. Also, Brad Snowden is in his first season as the head of the PCHS softball team.
Gatewood’s softball program is young, but head coach Dena Stancil got her first win last week. She is trying to turn that program around and into a playoff contender.
All of these programs have great head coaches, who are a joy to talk to each week. I love learning about the different storylines and meeting the players who are on these teams. They all work hard and are trying to win, which is a mindset I agree with.
I first started covering these sports this time last year and I learned a lot. My knowledge of softball IQ is somewhat high because I played baseball all of my life. However, I really know nothing about volleyball, other than the ball is hit over the net.
Covering volleyball was more interesting because I got to learn the terminology and the different schemes and strategies involved with the sport. It was a great experience.
That gave me something to study when I was not working, and I enjoyed my time doing it. I love sports, and whenever I get to expand my knowledge, I will take that as a good thing.
I’ve known several athletes who have played both volleyball and football at the collegiate level at the University of Georgia, and they work just as hard as athletes in other sports.
It’s a time commitment and they devote every second of their days to their crafts. I highly respect that and just regret not knowing more about each of these sports last year. Now, I will do my best to cover each sport with a better understanding of them this fall.