Softball - Marist
Prior to the start of the playoffs, the Marist girls'
softball team earned a decisive win over last year's
Class AAAAA runner-up Peachtree Ridge. At the time,
it went down as the War Eagles' 17th win, but head
coach Mike Trapani identified the game as the turning
point of the season. "To go over there in that
atmosphere and win, it really set the tone for the next
couple of weeks,"Trapani says. "I felt we were playing
well and could make a deep run into the playoffs."The
War Eagles went on to win 14 of the next 16 games
and captured the school's first state crown with a
sweep of Whitewater in the finals. Marist dropped a 3-
2 game to the Wildcats in sectionals to snap an eightgame
streak, but defeated Alexander, Evans and
Northgate to set up a rematch in the finals. "No mystery
we were going to be highly ranked,"Trapani says.
"We had nine starters returning." Marist finished the
season 31-8 and 12-0 in Region 6-AAAA. On the
mound, junior Lori Spingola, a UNC commit, finished
25-4 with a 0.26 ERA and an eye-popping 384 strikeouts.
"She's a dominant pitcher and averaged 2.5 K's
per inning," Trapani says. "She has great control and
only walked one girl every nine innings." Senior second
baseman Dana Middletown was the catalyst on
offense, scoring a team-high 25 runs. Senior catcher
Mary Trapani led the team with 24 RBIs and hit at a
.333 clip. Seniors Kelly Miller and Tesia Davis also
made solid contributions at the plate and in the field.
Wrestling - Milton
The Eagles had their best showing in recent years at the state meet last winter. Milton placed three
wrestlers and took 17th overall a year after finishing 44th. Junior Matt Schneider was 41-8 and took fourth
in the 135-pound weight class in 2007-08. In two years of competition, senior Mike Castanaro has recorded
31 wins wrestling in the 119-pound weight class. Schneider and Castanaro will be counted on to
replace Max Ade, who graduated after setting the school record for wins last year.
Girls' Cross Country - Lovett
With three Top 10 finishers, the Lions successfully defended their Class AA title in the fall and extended
their state title streak to four years. Junior Elizabeth Rucker placed first for Lovett and fifth overall, finishing
with a time of 20:11.93. Classmate Meredith Thornhill came in less than a second later, taking sixth
at 20:12.85. The Lions nabbed first with 49 points, seven better than second-place Westminster. Junior
Alexandra Horst was eighth for Lovett, which also got a 14th place finish from Maddie Martin.
Boys' Soccer - Cross Keys
Last season, the Indians were an offensive juggernaut, scoring more than 106 goals en route to a 16-
3 record before losing a tightly contested playoff game to Walker. Cross Keys return seven players from
last year's squad and has international flavor, with players hailing from 10 different countries. Senior
Mamadou Sanon was last year's leading scorer and the trio of seniors Abu Bangura and twins Brian and
Christian Valdez anchors a strong defense in front of junior goalie Fernando Godinez.
BREAK OUT TEAMS
GIRLS' BASKETBALL – TRION
Led by senior guard Brittany White, the Bulldogs were runners-up in Region 6A last year.
WRESTLING – WHITEWATER
The Wildcats return four placers, led by 160-pound champion senior Chase Penland.
GIRLS' SWIMMING – BROOKWOOD
The Broncos bring back four All-State swimmers from their 2007-08 squad.
BOYS' BASKETBALL – CHEROKEE
Senior center Shawn Kemp Jr. can dominate in the paint with his 6-foot-9 frame.