The following are some of the major sporting events that happened in 2011.
- Scott Hendrix was named the Region 7-AAA Coach of the Year in football while three of his players (quarterback Zach Chubb, defensive end Marquis Thomas and fullback Nick Chubb) were named to the All-Region first team. The awards came after Cedartown had a solid football season. The Bulldogs had their first winning season since 2003 last year, and they made the state playoffs for the first time since 2007. Cedartown finished 8-3, with the eight wins being the most for the program since 2002. Cedartown had a win over their Polk County rivals Rockmart while also recording a Homecoming win over Gilmer and a Senior Night win over Cartersville. Cedartown finished second in Region 7-AAA, sub-region ‘B’ and won a region play-in game over Ringgold to make state.
- The highly controversial Tough Mudder event was held last March at Highland Park Resort located about six miles southwest of Cedartown. The event included a run of 12 miles, plus various obstacles to overcome, including a dive and swim through a muddy farm pond and an electrified wire barrier blocking the finish line. Thousands of people competed at the two-day event, with people from different states coming to participate.
- First Baptist Church of Cedartown had a successful youth basketball program last January and February. According to Minister of Activities Bob Holcomb, 210 children and youth competed in the league. Boys and girls, ages four to 17-years-old, formed 25 teams and played 15 games a week at the Family Life Center. Holcombed noted that the two-month season was the most successful season ever of basketball at the Family Life Center. “Words can’t express my appreciation for each child, each coach, and each parent who participated in our program,” Holcomb said.
- Leo Cordero went 46-12 on the 2010-11 wrestling season, including three wins at the Class AAA state tournament to finish fifth at state in the 145-pound weight division last February. Cordero placed third at the Area 7-AAA traditional tournament to advance to state. At state, Cordero gave Burke County’s Derrick Walker – who came into the match with a 50-1 record – only his second loss of the season. Cordero also defeated Veteran High School’s Willie Hembrick and Gilmer’s Trevor Martin.
- In May, the Cedartown Middle School Bulldogs soccer team won the FCAA League Championship. Cedartown beat Coosa in penalty kicks to win the league crown.
- The Cedartown Middle School wrestling team had a solid showing at the FCMAA Championships in January. David Stocks (80 pounds) and Dylan Davis (103) won first place at the event while Brandon Brame (85) placed second. Dylan Dixon (112) and Adrian Ervin (132) finished in third and Rodney Smith (125) came in fourth.
- Cedartown’s Kevin Bullard placed 10th at the ReMax World Long Drive Championships in Mesquite, Nev. Bullard was undefeated through 10 rounds before eventually placing 10th. During the season, Bullard won the American Power Golf Championship in Forsyth, Ga. while also placing in the top four in four other events.
- On March 24, sophomore Ryan Casey got to live out every baseball player’s dream. With his Cedartown team trailing LaFayette 6-4 in the last inning, Casey stepped to the plate with two runners on base. With one out, the designated hitter would see a pitch he liked and Casey would hit a walk-off three-run home run to left field to give his prep team a dramatic 7-6 region win.
- Soccer at Cedartown High School was a success for the boy’s in 2011. The Bulldogs went 14-4, finishing third in Region 7-AAA and made the Class AAA state playoffs. Cedartown lost in the first round to the No. 2 ranked team in the state, Woodward Academy, 3-0. It was the third straight season the Bulldogs hade made the state playoffs.
- After 14 very successful years as a coach, John Sheffield stepped down from the coaching ranks last June. Sheffield was most recently the boys varsity soccer coach but had also spent time as the girls varsity basketball coach, the boys varsity basketball coach, and the girls varsity soccer coach. He took all four teams he coached to the state playoffs in their respective sport.
- The Cedartown High School cheerleaders showed their toughness in 2011. Despite numerous cheerleaders being injured and the Lady Bulldogs often times competing with less members than opposing squads, Cedartown still finished the year strong. Cedartown placed fourth at the Region 7-AAA competiion and then finished fifth at the Class AAA State Sectionals to qualify for the championship round. In the championship round, Cedartown performed well and finished eighth in the state.
- Curtis Lee of the Cedartown MatDawgs completed the Tour of Georgia youth wrestling tournament last winter. The tournament is made up of six events held in six different regions of Georgia over a four-month span. Lee earned a medal at each event, placing in the top four of each stop.
- Six youth teams won championships in the summer of 2011. The winners were the Xtreme 12-and-under fast-pitch softball team (GRPA District 5 champs), Cedartown Core 6-and-under baseball team (Dizzy Dean District champs), Cedartown 17-and-under baseball team (GRPA District 5 winners), Cedartown Top Dawgs 10-and-under fast-pitch softball squad (GRPA District 5 winners), Cedartown Vipers 8-and-under baseball team (Dizzy Dean District 5 champs), and the Georgia Bandits, who had some players from Cedartown on the team. They won the 14-year-old Dizzy Dean District 2 baseball championship. The Georgia Bandits went on to win the 14-and-under Dizzy Dean state title while the Top Dawgs won the 10-and-under GRPA fast-pitch softball state championship.
- Demetrius Green, a Cedartown High graduate, had a season to remember playing football for Lenoir-Rhyne University in the fall of 2011. Green, a linebacker, was named the South Atlantic Conference defensive player of the year. Green had 77 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. He helped Lenoir-Rhyne win the South Atlantic Conference championship.
- Last March, the Northwest Georgia Bulldogs 12-and-under USSSA baseball team won the Super NIT Tournament. The Bulldogs won their division, which had 28 teams participating. Members of the team were Jack Haney, Avery Suarez, Casey Newsome, Jhett Lewis, Zonterious Scofield, Miles Minge, Dalton Prince, Drew Vance, Stan Ellis, Jacob Hunt, Walker Barrow, Lee Sisson, Henley Hays and Ben Harrell.
- Last July, Cedartown’s Krige Schabort won the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta with a time of 19:47. In April, he placed fourth at the Boston Marathon wheelchair race. Schabort completed the race in 1:24.22. At the end of June, Schabort won the 12th annual Cedartown Wheelchair Athlete 5K race. Schabort completed that race in 9:49.16. Schabort also won a race in Hawaii in October, setting a new world record for the Kona Ironman Championship in the process.
- Kendra McCullough won the Region 7-AAA girls long jump event by leaping 14 feet, 6.500 inches and qualified for the state tournament in the process. Zach Chubb and Devin Watkins qualified for the Class AAA track and field meet to represent Cedartown High School last spring. Chubb qualified in the 100 meter dash and the long jump, while Watkins qualified in the 220 hurdles.
- The Cedartown High School Bulldogs basketball team went 5-20 on the season. However, they recorded a 59-55 win over Ridgeland at the Region 7-AAA tournament last February to set up a showdown with Murray County, were the winning team would make the Class AAA state playoffs. Unfortunately for Cedartown, they would drop that game 70-51 to finish one win shy of making state.
- On April 7 against Pickens, Lance Banks became the hero for the Cedartown Bulldogs baseball team. With the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Banks came to the plate with one out and runners on first and second base. Banks, a left-handed hitter, would stroke a double to the oppostive field to drive in the game winning run and set off a joyful celebration.
- The Cedartown Middle School sixth grade baseball team capped a perfect season by winning the league championship last April. The Cedartown Middle School varsity team finished in fourth place.
- Last June it was announced that Shane Williams would be taking over the Cedartown Bulldogs baseball program after Chad Cooper stepped down. Williams became the fourth head coach in about 12 months for the baseball team. After Doyle Kelley retired in the summer of 2010, Chris McKelvey was named the new head coach. However, he stepped down before ever coaching a game. Cooper then was named the head coach for the 2011 season, before stepping down at season’s end.
- The Cedartown Recreation Department had two teams win the GRPA District 5 championship in football. The Cedartown 8-and-under team defeated Gordon County 19-0 to win their title while the Cedartown 12-and-under team beat Rockmart 26-16 for their championship.
- About 12 to 15 wrestlers were injured, albeit minor, when a school bus carrying Cedartown High School wrestlers and coaches was hit by a Sunrise wrecker in Rome last fall. The Wreck occured at the intersection of Calhoun Highway and the Rome Bypass and it resulted in a near shutdown of both roads.
- Organizers estimated some 500 archers competed in April at an International Bowhunting Organization event in Polk County – despite gusting winds that hampered shots. The event, held at the J.L. Lester Wildlife Management Area near Cedartown, was an IBO 3-D shoot hosted by the Seven Hills Archery club, based in Rome. This was the first year the event has been held in Polk County. “We have competitors here representing 36 states and four foreign counties, that we know of right now,” Seven Hills Archery President Tom Watson said, based on sign-ups. “This is an excellent facility and we plan to hold this here again next year.”
- The Cedartown Bulldogs youth travel league placed a team in the championship game in November. The Cedartown 5-and-6-year-old team traveled to Union Grove High School in McDonough and played against the Union Grove Wolverinces in the Georgia Extreme Youth Football League Championship game. Cedartown lost the game to finish in second place. Members of the team were Xavier Holiday, Amari Gibson, Hunter Freeman, Xavier Hargrove, Ajoni Logan, Reonte Porter, Harlem Diamond, Torrey Hutchins, Jr., Zyion McCrary, Demarion Martin, Jamyus Sullivan, Jakaylan Blackwood, Jordan Beasley, Dakota Dingler, and Christopher Sewell. The coaches were Jamie Diamond and Nicholas Diamond.
Editor’s note: This article is not a comprehensive list of all the sporting events in 2011, but merely a story on some of the events that occurred this past calendar year.
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