Lambert has won the Class 7A Regions Bank Director’s Cup, presented by the Georgia Athletic Director’s Association, for the fourth year in a row, with the standings being finalized after the state baseball tournament ended on Thursday.
The Longhorns finished first in the boys standings, ahead of Milton, and second in the girls standings, behind Walton. Lambert came in first in the overall standings with 1,278 points, well ahead of the 1,147 of second-place Milton. South Forsyth was third, with 1,119.
“I can’t say that this is more special than any other year,” Longhorns athletic director Drew Ferrer said. “Because every year you win this, you just feel like this is a huge accomplishment and something (that) you shouldn’t take for granted.”
The Longhorns won state championships in boys lacrosse and boys soccer this year, down from the five titles that they claimed in 2016-17, but numerous other sports made deep playoff runs. Girls tennis, boys cross country, girls swimming & diving and girls tennis were runners-up, and the volleyball, softball and boys tennis teams made deep playoff runs. The girls golf team finished third, and the boys were fourth.
Ferrer said the Longhorns’ strong performance in the playoffs was aided largely by the competition they faced during the regular season, playing alongside South Forsyth and Milton in Region 5-7A.
“When you’re able to have a region like we have and do well (in it), it prepares you very well for the state playoffs,” Ferrer said.
South’s improvement from last year, when the War Eagles finished sixth, was spurred by strong performances in fall and spring sports. The girls cheer team won a state title, and South’s girls cross country team finished second in the state, with the boys taking third overall. The volleyball team, despite earning a No. 3 seed, reached the state quarterfinals.
In the spring, the boys tennis team won a state title and the boys soccer team finished runner-up to Lambert. South’s baseball team also won a playoff series, netting 53 points for the War Eagles.
West Forsyth had the third-best finish among county schools, coming in 15th overall. The Wolverines’ girls finished 12th, spurred by a repeat state title by the gymnastics team. North Forsyth finished 28th, and Forsyth Central was 37th, out of 48 programs. Pinecrest Academy finished 36th in Class 1A. The standings are tabulated by assigning point totals according to a teams’ postseason finishes. Full standings and methodology can be found at gadaonline.net.
