Veterans High School, the Area 1-AAAA champion, made short work of Richmond Academy in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAA state tournament. The Lady Warhawks swept the three games by scores of 25-7, 25-14 and 25-23. Junior Jalyn Slaughter paced the Veterans attack with 14 kills. Aspen Coggins and Kaylynn Cason had 14 and 11 assists, respectively. The Lady Warhawks were scheduled to host Chamblee in a second-round match on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Houston County High School also won a home match in the first round of the Class AAAAA tournament.

The Lady Bears topped Union Grove three games to one. Sierra Woodman drove home nine kills for Houston County. Setter Viviana Garcia was solid all-around. The senior had five kills, two aces and nine assists. The Lady Bears were scheduled to play at Lakeside-Dekalb in a second-round match on Tuesday.

Northside and Warner Robins high schools each lost Class AAAAA first-round matches on the road. The Lady Eagles fell at Northside-Columbus while Warner Robins was defeated by Harris County.

Westfield softball finals

For the third straight season, The Westfield School softball team finished as GISA Class AAA runners-up. And once again, the Lady Hornets were done in by Stratford, which swept Saturday’s best-of-three series by scores of 5-3 and 13-7.

The Lady Eagles rallied to win both games, scoring five times in the top of the seventh in game one. In game two, Stratford spotted the Lady Hornets six runs in the top of the first inning but rallied again.

Perry boys, Veterans girls win

An ailing Perry High School boys cross country team still managed to win the 2012 Houston County championships Oct. 17 at Huntington Middle School. Each of the Panthers’ five runners recorded top 10 individual finishes. Perry’s Jackson Reid and John Weaks placed third and fourth, respectively, and earned spots on the all-county team. They were joined by individual winner Nick Wilcox of Warner Robins, county runner-up Clay Woolfolk of Veterans and Northside’s Toney Martin, who finished fifth.

In the girls division, Veterans successfully defended its 2011 title, finishing 32 points clear of second place Northside. Josi Giovanzzo and Bethanie Bailey paced the Lady Warhawks by finishing third and fourth, respectively. They were joined on the all-county team by individual champion Megan Asadian of Houston County, Perry’s Abby Booth (second) and Peyton Raley of Northside (fifth).

GHSA softball

Houston County and Peach County were eliminated from the GHSA softball playoffs in the second round, but their post-season performances bode well for the future. The Lady Bears fell at top-ranked Union Grove, despite winning the first game in the best-of-three series. Houston County (22-15-1) featured 10 freshmen or sophomores, including its two top pitchers.

Peach County was swept out of the Class AAA tournament with a pair of losses at Central-Carroll in Carrollton. Sparked by 19 underclassmen, the Lady Trojans earned their first state tournament appearance since 2005. Peach County (17-16-1) also enjoyed its first winning season in fastpitch softball.

Robinson Army game

During an Oct. 4 ceremony before the entire student body in the school gymnasium, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl officially extended a player invitation to Peach County senior Demarcus Robinson. The all-state receiver is the first in a long line of quality Trojans football players to be chosen to participate in a national all-star game, according to Peach County head coach Chad Campbell.

“I’m honored to play in it,” Robinson said. “I’m happy to get a chance to show what I can do, and I’m happy to show it on national TV.”

The game is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2012, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. As his coach, Campbell also received an invitation to attend the game. “It’s truly an honor for the whole community,” Campbell told the assembly. “(Robinson) will represent Peach County well in January, I can promise you that.”