If you are an eighth grader in Dawson County the beginning of October marked the end of three seasons: football, volleyball and summer. All three ended in spectacular fashion.
Saturday, Sept. 29 was an almost perfect summer day. A slight breeze with a few clouds kept the heat down and served as a beautiful backdrop for the 2018 eighth grade volleyball tournament.
After finishing the regular season with a 7–3 record, the Dawson County Lady Tigers entered the tournament as the number two seed, earning a first-round bye. The team defeated Pickens County in the second round to advance to the championship round where they ran into a white-hot White County.
“We faced White County in the championship game that was coming in with a huge upset win over the first seed Lumpkin County team,” said Head Coach Tina Brown. “White was on fire and we were not!”
White County captured the title in two sets placing the Lady Tigers as second overall in 2018.
“I am really proud of these girls,” Brown said. “They had an awesome season and to finish second in the season and in our tournament is huge when you consider that this is only our second year to have a middle school team. I think these young ladies will be a huge addition to the high school program next year.”
And Thursday, Sept. 27 featured the final regular season game for the undefeated eighth grade football team. Having outscored their opponents by an astounding 226-20 in their first five games, the young men faced a strong Dragons unit from Pickens County.
Fighting hard through four quarters of football, the Dawson County Tigers preserved their perfect season with a final score of 34–25 to capture the first seed and home field advantage in this year’s tournament.
“This is my first year being a head coach at any level and I couldn't be luckier to have the group of boys I have,” said Head Coach Trevor Duba. “They are extremely talented.”
The eighth grade team will take on the White County Warriors in their first play-off game under coach Duba at Tiger Stadium on Thursday, Oct 4.