The Dawson County News recently hosted its inaugural Spring Sports Media Day, interviewing coaches and players from the five Dawson County High School teams that are competing this spring. 

Here are just some of the notable takeaways from our conversations with the baseball, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field teams. 

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The Dawson County News recently hosted its inaugural Spring Sports Media Day, interviewing coaches and players from the five Dawson County High School teams that are competing this spring. 

Here are just some of the notable takeaways from our conversations with the baseball, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field teams. 

3 things we heard:

Senior Colton Rucker ready to lead young baseball team under first-year head coach Logan Burt

“I’m not trying to be a star player…I’m just trying to leave my mark and lead the [players] in the right direction for the future of the program,” Rucker said. “I try to bond with everyone on the team. Having a brotherhood like we’ve formed this year is just awesome. It’s a lot easier to play with people you can communicate well with.”

Junior Walker Milholland looks to further push golf team toward success in his return to Dawson County from Gainesville

“Coming from Gainesville High School, I know what it takes to be a state champion over there…and I knew that coming back [to Dawson] and looking at the players we have that we can compete for a state championship,” Milholland said. “We have great team chemistry. It’s fun having a laid-back team.”

Boys soccer getting back on track through team bonding, improved communication

“One of the biggest things I enjoy about our team is that we’re not only friends on the field, but also off the field,” junior Asher Morris said. “I think that helps a lot with our character and development of the team.”

Three things we learned:

Kurtz siblings, fellow seniors laying down foundation for track and field’s future

With Dawson County’s track and field program expanding to the middle school grades, there is a lot of work for head coach Arron Haynes and middle school coach Samantha Sheriff to account for. 

The current group of seniors have stepped up in their respective roles to help give guidance to the otherwise young Tigers squad, taking the initiative to lead and teach when the coaches are busy elsewhere.

With the season soon underway, those seniors will be set to be a crucial part of a team looking to break school records and compete in the region.

“We have a lot of great leaders this year, they lead by example and push the young kids,” Haynes said.  “As a track coach, there are 16 events and there’s no way I can be with all of them. [The] seniors have kind of been our assistant coaches along the way and they’ve done a great job for us. They’ve got to get the next group ready.”

Tennis teams using competition to help maintain success and fill doubles gaps

Despite a slew of weather delays and a rotating cast of doubles pairings, head coaches Logan Allen and Laura Ledbetter have helped steer the Dawson County tennis teams to early season success.

With each team sitting at a 5-1 record, the wins have been fueled by a combination of singles experience and a deep well of less experienced but competitive players in doubles.

Two players with more experience who have helped stabilize the doubles pairings have been Avery Beaty and Connor Woody.

Those two will continue to serve as important leaders heading into the region schedule.

“The big thing about doubles is communication while playing,” Woody said. “Getting these new guys in while I’m trying to find the right fit…we’re just trying to communicate throughout matches and make sure that we’re all on the same page.”

Burt looking for a long-term culture, identity shift for Tigers baseball

While any new coach intends to create a cohesive identity for the team on the field, there is a unique opportunity for a young head coach in Logan Burt to create a connection that runs deep.

Well before the season started, Burt was working on building character and energy within a team that will face some challenges in the newly aligned Region 7-3A.

“It’s more than just the game, it's about teaching them the life lessons…how to deal with adversity and the challenges of life,” Burt said. “I want them to be good baseball players, but eventually they’ll be husbands and fathers one day, and I want them to excel in that as well.”