Sports Editor Wyatt Meyer examines every CCHS winter sport’s season outlook.
Boys Basketball
A Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball player scores a layup during the Gladiators’ 61-47 loss to Oconee County High School on Nov. 15, 2022. Assistant boys varsity basketball coach Jason Johnson joined the coaching staff this year and has worked with the team to implement a team-first mentality. “We developed this ‘we before me’ concept, that it’s all about the team,” Johnson said. “(It’s an) overall team concept, to let them know there’s no ‘I’ in team, there’s no one person bigger than the team that (they) can’t do it without.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: (14-15)
Offseason Preparation:
“We’ve been playing in some summer league games, and we’ve been playing real good in those games, so I feel like we’re gonna be set straight for the season.”
– CCHS boys varsity basketball player Marcus Gillespie, a sophomore
Outlook:
“We (have) got to make these guys step up and be leaders. That’s what the first half of our season is gonna be about, finding those leaders.”
– CCHS head boys varsity basketball coach Stefan Smith
Girls Basketball
A Clarke Central High School girls varsity basketball player attempts to hold the ball under pressure from an Oconee County High School girls varsity basketball player during the Warriors’ 33-23 win over the Gladiators on Nov. 15, 2022. Girls varsity basketball player Jada Davison, a senior, has seen three classes of Gladiators graduate and now looks to assume a leadership position on the team. “(Head girls varsity basketball) coach (Carla) Johnson always tells us to step up, because that’s our role to do as a senior,” Davison said. “I’m prepared for that role this season because I looked up to the seniors last year and saw what they did (to lead the team).” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: (7-18)
Offseason Preparation:
“We actually went down to Georgia Southwestern campus and did a summer camp, which post-COVID, we haven’t been able to do. So I was excited about getting some girls down to get them on the college campus, play some games, get to experience dorm life and then just have some team building.”
– CCHS head girls varsity basketball coach Carla Johnson
Outlook:
“In a way, we’re all on a clean slate, so we’re able to just really have that chemistry (with teammates) without it being something that was already there.”
– CCHS girls varsity basketball player Autumn Wallace, a senior
Boys Swimming
Clarke Central High School boys varsity swimmer Desmond Schmutte, a junior, practices in the Ramsey Student Center pool on Nov. 7, 2022. Several younger swimmers joined the team this year and swimmer Elliot Woodward, a senior, believes integrating those younger swimmers to the whole of the team will be important to the team’s success this year. “Our team is pretty split already, with most of our newer swimmers (doing CCHS) practices because they’re a bit shorter and more focused on technique while our strongest swimmers mostly (practice at a club) like I do,” Woodward said. “I think during meets and within the classroom we already know that you’re on the swim team, (we) have those conversations. Everyone’s gonna fall (into place).” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: N/A
Offseason Preparation:
“The school practices four days, we do Monday to Thursday. I believe it’s 7 (p.m.) to 8:30 (p.m.). I usually practice with a club, Athens Bulldogs Swim Club. And that is five days a week, six practices and that’s about two hours each practice.”
– CCHS varsity boys swimmer Elliott Woodward, a senior
Outlook:
“I think that (the younger members of the team) will improve a lot and be able to carry us forward a few years. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to perform at a level where we can get more recognition and have more people joining us.”
– CCHS varsity boys swimmer Elliott Woodward, a senior
Girls Swimming
A Clarke Central High School girls varsity swimmer practices in the Ramsey Student Center pool on Nov. 7, 2022. According to girls varsity swimmer Carolina Turner, a senior, some members of the team didn’t swim in the offseason and aren’t yet acclimated to swimming regularly again. “Everyone is still adjusting to the new season, especially those (who) didn’t swim over the summer,” Turner said. “It’s been difficult because we kind of started late and we don’t have many older (swimmers).” Photo by Aza Khan
Last season’s record: N/A
Offseason Preparation:
“Some people (who) are a little more serious than me about swimming do Athens Bulldog Swim Club or summer teams like (the Athens-Clarke County Dolphins) to prepare.”
– CCHS girls varsity swimmer Carolina Turner, a senior
Outlook:
“The team needs to take practices a little more seriously. I also think (that) we need to work on building endurance because the longer races were the most difficult swimmers in this past meet.”
– CCHS girls varsity swimmer Carolina Turner, a senior
Boys Wrestling
Clarke Central High School boys varsity wrestler Kevin Capcha poses in the Competition Gym during the ODYSSEY Media Group’s Winter Media Day on Nov. 6, 2022. According to Capcha, the wrestling team brought in new coaches who have helped foster a better team environment. “The culture and when people come into practice (has changed),” Capcha said. “(Some) days, people would miss out (because they didn’t) feel like practicing, but (now), they come in regardless of how they feel. That’s one thing about wrestling mentally – you have to be strong enough to do the things you don’t want to do.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: N/A
Offseason Preparation:
“I feel like I’m prepared well. In the offseason, I was training at an off-campus facility (called Roundtree Wrestling).”
– CCHS boys varsity wrestler Kevin Capcha, a sophomore
Outlook:
“This year, we have brought in people and coaches (who) really show that they want to be here and that they’re people (who create) a new environment (whereas in) other years it’s just been (showing) up (and doing) whatever.”
– CCHS boys varsity wrestler Kevin Capcha, a sophomore
Girls Wrestling
Clarke Central High School girls varsity wrestler Kimberly Hernandez poses in the Competition Gym during the ODYSSEY Media Group’s Winter Media Day on Nov. 6, 2022. Last year, Hernandez felt trepidation about wrestling with boys, but she feels prepared to wrestle with everyone this year. “When no one could really help me last year. I just have to deal with myself,” Hernandez said. “At first, I was a little scared and anxious, especially with the new girls, (but then) I realized some girls were scared to wrestle or scared to just really be around a lot of boys and all that. I’m not really that scared anymore, (so) I could help them overcome their fear.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: N/A
Offseason Preparation:
“It’s been hard for me to practice especially with my other sports like flag football because I still gotta manage to (balance them all).”
– CCHS girls varsity wrestler Kimberly Hernandez, a sophomore
Outlook:
“In order to do wrestling, you must have a really good mindset. You cannot be scared. You have to have a lot of confidence, have a lot of confidence in yourself, especially you really have to believe in yourself, and I’m getting a lot better at all those things, especially for wrestling.”
– CCHS girls varsity wrestler Kimberly Hernandez, a sophomore
Basketball Cheerleading
The Clarke Central High School girls junior varsity basketball cheerleading team cheers during the Gladiators’ games against Heritage High School on Jan. 6. CCHS girls junior varsity cheerleader Jayda Shelton, a sophomore, practiced along with the varsity cheerleaders in the summer in order to prepare for the season. “At first, (we would do) conditioning and then we would proceed on to learning the cheers and helping the new girls who don’t know the cheers do them. As the summer went on, we got more and more cheers, so we started to go over the cheers back-to-back to make sure we remember them for games,” Shelton said. Photo by Lucas Donnelly
Last season’s record: N/A
Offseason Preparation:
“At first, (we would do) conditioning and then we would proceed on to learning the cheers and helping the new girls who don’t know the cheers do them. As the summer went on, we got more and more cheers, so we started to go over the cheers back-to-back to make sure we remember them for games.”
– CCHS girls junior varsity cheerleader Jayda Shelton, a sophomore
Outlook:
“It’s all basically down to the people that you have around you. You can feed off of their energy and that allows you to have a fun time, especially if they’re enthusiastic, exciting people. When you have that in a team, it’s very easy to have fun.”
– CCHS girls junior varsity cheerleader Jayda Shelton, a sophomore
