White County High School made some noise last week at the Class AAA state track meet in Albany. The Lady Warriors, behind a state championship performance from Dasha Cannon, captured fifth place in the girl's team standings, while the Warriors finished 14th in the boy's competition.
“I think we've had some teams that place around that high before, but not recently,” WCHS head coach Jake Cantrell said about the Lady Warriors' Top 5 finish. “Any time you finish in the Top 5 is a successful year, and some years getting it the Top 10 is pretty. This year, we just put it all together at the right time. We had some outstanding individual performances for the girls and boys, and for a lot of these kids, it was the first time competing at the state meet. Just the magnitude of being at the state meet can be overwhelming, but I thought all of our kids handled it pretty well. They did a great job of controlling their emotions and competing.”
Cantrell gave credit to his assistant coaches – Heidi Dotson, Quint Moss, and Tom O'Bryant – for the team's success.
“Our coaching staff is one of the biggest reasons we have the success we do,” Cantrell said. “They are able to build relationships with these kids and pull these kind of performances out of them. I think we have one of the better staffs in the area. White County has some great kids, high caliber kids, and that makes coaching fun. They do exactly what we ask them to do.”
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For the first time in school history, White County is at the top of the mountain in high school golf.
The Lady Warriors pulled off the historic achievement earlier this week, winning the Class AAA team title at the state tournament at Apple Mountain Golf Club in Clarkesville.
The Lady Warriors dominated the tournament from start to finish, posting a two-round team total of 472 to win by 30 strokes over runner-up North Hall.
The Lady Warriors pulled off the achievement with a lineup made up entirely of seniors – Catie Craig, Erin Dorsey, Rylee Adams, and Eliza Jane Glover.
“I cannot put into words how proud I am of these young ladies,” WCHS head coach Darrell Dorsey said moments after the squad had wrapped up the state title. “The last two days they have really showed what they are made of, and I couldn't be prouder. All of the credit goes to the girls and our assistant coaches Sandi Craig and Esta Johnston. The girls have worked so hard, and Sandi and Esta have spent countless hours working with them.”
Subscriber exclusive: For more on girls state golf meet, click here.