With the largest snow in recent history barely a week melted away, the spring sports schedule of Screven County High School will be in full bloom this Monday, Feb. 22.
As Effingham County visits the SCHS baseball field, Statesboro visits the SCHS tennis courts and the Lady Gamecock soccer team visits Liberty County, the schedule is off and running.
Look for the track teams to begin Thursday-week, March 4, when Tattnall County, Savannah Country Day and Jenkins County come to visit.
Undoubtedly, the busiest time of year for a fan of anything Red and White, unfortunately for that untiring fan, there is no day of complete overload this season. 
Last season there were Thursday afternoons that saw baseball, tennis, soccer and track all having home dates. Not so this year.
A glance at the schedules affixed in this edition will find only one date, March 23, with as many as three home sporting events on one day. 
On that day, baseball hosts Laney, tennis hosts Southeast Bulloch and soccer also hosts SEB. There are eight dates with two home sporting events. Another noteworthy point for the avid Rooster fans, next week and the following week, at least one sport will be at home Monday through Thursday. Down the road, only track does not have a home match-up during Spring Break.
Baseball is the only defending region champion this time around, with both tennis teams and girls track bringing back veterans of region runner-up campaigns. The boys track team was third in 3AA.
Baseball has numerous starters returning from a 20-8 campaign as they attempt to repeat, but in an effort to reclaim their 3AA title, the SCHS Lady Gamecock tennis team returns every starter from a 20-6 squad that advanced to the Class AA Final Four.
“We should be able to compete with anyone on our schedule,” said girls head coach Diane Freeman. “In the early going, the challenge is going to be getting everyone a chance to play as much as they need to. All are playing well and all deserve a chance to play.”
Both tennis teams will be participating in the Jekyll Jam Tournament as well as the Golden Isles Tournament later in the season. Both events are again stacked with quality teams, most from larger schools. Programs like LaGrange, Glynn Academy, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Berrien County, Wayne County and defending Region 3AA champion Bleckley County as well as others will participate in at least one of the tournaments.
Regular season foes that will provide outstanding competition include a home-and-home series with Class A Final Four participant Savannah Country Day. The Lady Hornets swept SCHS a year ago.
On the one hand, the Lady Gamecock tennis team returns everything, the Gamecocks return only one.
“After losing six senior starters from last year’s team,” said boys head coach Jason Walker, “we are definitely in a rebuilding year. But I do think this current team has just as much potential to win region championships and go to state as the teams of the past two years. We have a lot of untapped talent coming back.”
“Rebuilding or not, we have high expectations for this season,” Walker said. “These expectations include continuing to dominate our subregion, doing well at region and going to state.”
For the Lady Gamecocks returning starters include Missy Zeagler, Evan Sheppard and Kathryn Wells at singles along with Sydnee Weaver, Kelsey Forehand, Lauren Bazemore and Lauren Thomas, while Steven Smalley returns for the boys.
Any conversation about the 2010 Red and White track team will have to start with senior Cornelius Roberts.
Claiming the state title in both the long jump (23 feet 5 ¾ inches) and the triple jump (46 feet 8 ½ inches), Roberts was the Region 3AA and Class AA High Point Man. In addition to his state title events, Roberts owns the SCHS record for the high jump at 6-foot-8 and runs both relays. His jump of 6-foot-6 at the state meet was good enough for second. Because of the basketball season, Roberts has yet to practice with the track team.
“We have a lot of new boys on the team,” said long-time veteran boys head coach Rip Campbell, “and we are trying to evaluate these boys as soon as possible. I think we should be very competitive this year. Our relays should be better, along with our sprinting.”
After winning their first region title since 2001, Gamecock head baseball coach Billy Pollock returns senior starters Joel Collins, Daniel Griffin, Dalton Mills and Trey Anthony. Juniors returning are Johnathan Long, Chandler Johnson and Austin Peel.
“My worry is our experience on the hill,” Pollock said. “Daniel Griffin has a lot of varsity game experience, but to be successful we are going to have to have two players really step up on the mound. 
“Hitting-wise we return some good averages,” Pollock said. “The addition of the covered batting cages has been essential to getting more cuts per day in less time. The average number of swings each player took before the cages was around 50 per day. As of today, we are averaging 150 cuts per day. On another side, our overall team speed is down, but I think that our smartness on the bases can make up for that.”
Soccer numbers are down this year.
“We may have only 14 on the roster,” said soccer head coach Terry Markovcic, “but it might be the strongest top 14 I have had on any team in the past seven years. Fatigue could be a factor early so we have been working extra hard on conditioning with so few backups.”
A roster dominated by juniors will feature just two seniors -- Megan McGuire (team captain) and Ava True (co-captain).
Of the juniors, Rochelle Shuman and Morgan Boswell return as the team’s leading scorers. Already the career leader in goals with 30, Shuman also equaled the single-season record with 19 a year ago, including a single-game record of six in a Feb. 27, 2009, win over Metter. Boswell has scored eight in each of the past two seasons and stands fourth in career goals. Shuman also already holds the season and career record for assists.
“The girls have been working hard for the past month conditioning,” Markovcic said. “Attitudes have been great and we are all excited about the upcoming season.”
The big news of last week may well have been the resignation of 2008 Region 3AA Girls Track Coach of the Year John McAfee. At week’s end, it appeared that head girls basketball coach Roy Cooper was going to be the successor with Lindsey Williams as his assistant. Cooper could have been at practice no earlier than Wednesday with girls hoops in the region tournament. 
The roster furnished last week had seniors Chastity White, Kenya Nichols, Brittany Lawton and Whitney Lucas featured.