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Caldera Medical cyclist Kendall Ryan continued the family dynasty by winning the 2026 Athens Orthopedic Clinic Women’s Pro Twilight Criterum. Ryan, 33, is the older sister of three-time defending Twilight Athens winner Alexis Magner. “Alexis said no one else is allowed to win today, just me,” Ryan said. “So I have to hold on to the crown for her.” Ryan, who’s from Thousand Oaks, California, entered Twilight Athens fifth in the USA Crits SpeedWeek standings following a third-place finish at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama, on Sunday. Ryan was shuffled back to the middle of the pack, allowing her to regroup and make a late race charge with help from her teammates. CCSD spends a small home’s worth of money — $500,000 — on power costs each month, according to CCSD Sustainability Director Randy Priest. CCSD spent $24,655 on power in August 2025 at Clarke Middle alone, the final month before the school’s new solar arrays went into service. Located on Baxter Street, the four dual-axis solar arrays were installed following the school’s 2024 reconstruction. The system, which tracks the sun through automatic movements, officially entered service in September 2025, providing an estimated 10-15% of the school's power needs and turning the school into a real-time data experiment for the future of the school district. However, the arrays were not part of the school’s original plans; instead, they were advocated by a group of students from the school’s Science, Energy and Adventure Team (SEAT).

ATHENS, Georgia — With 21 schools to power and the average Georgia electricity bill rising by $43 each year, the Clarke County School District is using Clarke Middle School as a science lab to explore solar energy as a way to reduce costs. CCSD spends a small home’s worth of money — $500,000 — on power costs each month, according to CCSD Sustainability Director Randy Priest. CCSD spent $24,655 on power in August 2025 at Clarke Middle alone, the final month before the school’s new solar arrays went into service. Located on Baxter Street, the four dual-axis solar arrays were installed following the school’s 2024 reconstruction. The system, which tracks the sun through automatic movements, officially entered service in September 2025, providing an estimated 10-15% of the school's power needs and turning the school into a real-time data experiment for the future of the school district. However, the arrays were not part of the school’s original plans; instead, they were advocated by a group of students from the school’s Science, Energy and Adventure Team (SEAT).

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners sided with Silverleaf subdivision residents Tuesday, denying a special-use zoning request during its regular meeting at the Oconee County Administrative Building in Watkinsville, Georgia. Oconee Medical Properties Inc. sought to construct a combined warehouse and office space on the 5.014-acre parcel of land. Located off Jimmy Daniel Road near State Route 316 in northern Oconee County, the property is zoned for agriculture and borders the subdivision to the south and west. “I just did not think it was appropriate,” Commissioner Armey Harden said. Harden noted that residents performed their “due diligence” by moving into a community where the adjacent property was agricultural, not commercial. “Sometimes that happens where, you know, a really good team just gets the best of you early,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I can sit here and talk about all the things we didn't do really well; Texas A&M is good. They're good, and if they missed a couple of those (baskets) early and we made a couple of those layups and a couple of the open threes early; Instead of it being, 22-2 or something; It could have easily been 10 at that point, and maybe you don't have as big a hole to crawl out of.” Eventually, Georgia’s engine began to turn over, as forward Dylan James scored his first of 13 points with a field goal in the paint. The basket ended a near-6-minute scoring drought for the Bulldogs. James, a senior, then turned a defensive rebound into a layup 20 seconds later, kick-starting a 13-2 Georgia run.

What do old cars and Georgia basketball have in common? They both started slow on Saturday, Jan. 31. While a winter storm dumped snow across northeast Georgia and Stegeman Coliseum, the Bulldogs (16-6, 4-5 SEC) struggled to find their footing against the SEC-leading Texas A&M Aggies (17-4, 7-1), and found themselves in a 22-2 hole 4:22 minutes into the game, ultimately leading to a 92-77 defeat. “Sometimes that happens where, you know, a really good team just gets the best of you early,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I can sit here and talk about all the things we didn't do really well; Texas A&M is good. They're good, and if they missed a couple of those (baskets) early and we made a couple of those layups and a couple of the open threes early; Instead of it being, 22-2 or something; It could have easily been 10 at that point, and maybe you don't have as big a hole to crawl out of.” Eventually, Georgia’s engine began to turn over, as forward Dylan James scored his first of 13 points with a field goal in the paint. The basket ended a near-6-minute scoring drought for the Bulldogs. James, a senior, then turned a defensive rebound into a layup 20 seconds later, kick-starting a 13-2 Georgia run.

The 2024-25 Alcovy High School season left a bitter taste in the mouths of Tigers fans.  Led by Class of 2025 Graduate Nick Durham, the 17-9 Tigers finished with a 7-5 region record—their first region record over .500 since the 2011-12 season. Despite this, a quarterfinal loss in the Region 8-AAAAA tournament saw their exclusion from the state tournament.       A month later, it was announced that then-head coach Taylor Jackson would leave the program in a “non-mutual” decision.       Enter Darrell Johnson, a former assistant coach at Alcovy and head coach at Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro. Johnson officially stepped into coaching duties in June, taking over the youthful squad. He hopes to return Alcovy to the postseason for the first time since 2017-18.       “It's kind of nostalgic, you know, just full circle type things, but it feels good to be here,” Johnson said. “It's been like a resurgence, man. A lot of guys who want to prove themselves, you know, want to have an opportunity to set the table for Alcovy to be seen as more respected and looked at as a formidable opponent.”      Led by the captain trio of senior Jakori Pinelle, junior Antione Graves and sophomore Mekhi Hamlin, the team is inexperienced; most players have not had significant playing time in their careers.       “I wanted to, you know, change the face a little bit, get a couple of pieces who haven't really played in a while or haven't played together,” Johnson said. “What we've been doing is trying to build chemistry, gel, have an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of one another, because at the end of the day, we want to go win, you know. And we're going to have the best units that we can put out there to go win a game.”

The offense went tempo, catching the Broncos disorganized as Shaw scampered in for his first rushing touchdown of the night.

The Eastside Eagles opened region play with a surprising 32-28 road loss against an explosive Flowery Branch Falcons aerial attack.       “I mean, we just didn’t make plays,” Eastside head coach Jay Cawthon said. “All credit to them (Flowery Branch), they made the plays, and we didn’t.”       The Eagles started the game with an interception, courtesy of senior cornerback Jace Taylor, before powering their way to the two-yard line. Senior running back Myles Mims punched in his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, giving Eastside a brief 7-0 lead.        The Falcons quickly struck back with a 75-yard passing touchdown from senior quarterback Brett Strum  to senior wide receiver Tre Shields, evening the score at 7-7.       Back on offense, the Eagles relied on their physicality and rushing attack, driving down the field. The drive ended with Mims’ fifth rushing touchdown of the season, bringing the score to 14-7.      Strum and the Falcons beat the Eagles through the air again, as Strum found Shields again for a 50-yard gain, putting the Falcons deep in Eagles territory. With 3:17 left in the first quarter, Falcons’ tight end Eli Poole caught a wide-open 5-yard touchdown pass to equalize.       Looking to repeat their rushing success, the Eagles started their second drive on the ground, only to fumble on first down, giving the Falcons prime field position on the 25-yard line. The Eagles’ defense held strong, forcing a turnover on downs and handing the ball back to senior quarterback Payton Shaw  and the offense.        However, the Falcons matched the Eagles’ physicality, stopping the run and forcing a punt, only to stall on offense to end the first quarter.

After a 1-1 start to the season, the Covington Academy Bulldogs fell to the Victory Baptist Warriors 57-6 at Wolverine Field in Oxford, Georgia, on Thursday, Aug. 28. “We gotta reset,” Bulldogs first-year head coach Isaiah Ellis said. “We played our first three games against teams that account for seven out of the last 10 GAPS state championships. We still feel like we’re better than the last three teams we played, but it’s a matter of not giving up and changing the culture.” The Bulldogs came out hot, intercepting Warriors quarterback Lawrence Drake on the second play from scrimmage. However, the Bulldogs failed to capitalize on the turnover after a holding penalty, pushing them behind the sticks. An incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs near the 40 yard line. “Sometimes that happens where, you know, a really good team just gets the best of you early,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I can sit here and talk about all the things we didn't do really well; Texas A&M is good. They're good, and if they missed a couple of those (baskets) early and we made a couple of those layups and a couple of the open threes early; Instead of it being, 22-2 or something; It could have easily been 10 at that point, and maybe you don't have as big a hole to crawl out of.” Eventually, Georgia’s engine began to turn over, as forward Dylan James scored his first of 13 points with a field goal in the paint. The basket ended a near-6-minute scoring drought for the Bulldogs. James, a senior, then turned a defensive rebound into a layup 20 seconds later, kick-starting a 13-2 Georgia run.

From June 20-22, Akins Ford Arena was filled with dirt, engine noises and dust as monster trucks took to the track for the first Monster Jam event in Athens’ history. Six trucks, including El Toro Loco, fan favorite and longest-tenured monster truck Grave Digger, Ramdemption, Raminator, Terminal Velocity and Zombie, competed in three shows, treating Athenians to a high-horsepower, gravity-defying showdown. “These trucks are 1,500 horsepower, have about 12,000 pounds. The things we're doing with them are incredible. Back in the day, they jumped over trucks, rolled over cars and now we're dropping 30-40 feet in the air doing these backflips, nose wheelies. It's just really come a long way.” El Toro Loco driver Armando Castro said. “Sometimes that happens where, you know, a really good team just gets the best of you early,” Georgia head coach Mike White said. “I can sit here and talk about all the things we didn't do really well; Texas A&M is good. They're good, and if they missed a couple of those (baskets) early and we made a couple of those layups and a couple of the open threes early; Instead of it being, 22-2 or something; It could have easily been 10 at that point, and maybe you don't have as big a hole to crawl out of.” Eventually, Georgia’s engine began to turn over, as forward Dylan James scored his first of 13 points with a field goal in the paint. The basket ended a near-6-minute scoring drought for the Bulldogs. James, a senior, then turned a defensive rebound into a layup 20 seconds later, kick-starting a 13-2 Georgia run.

As the clock hits zero, fifth grader Rory Pruitt can’t believe it. In a gymnasium filled with friends and family, the Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary boys basketball team has done it. Going undefeated across the 12-game season, the Treefrogs are now the second boys’ team to win the Clarke County School District Elementary Basketball Championship. “It feels great. After going 1-5 last season, we made the playoffs and were undefeated,” Pruitt said. “I play with these guys in AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). It’s really cool to be able to play in school with them.” The Treefrogs dominated the entire game, out-matching the Howard B. Stroud Stars on all sides of the ball, winning 36-23. Coached by Johnnie Lay Burks community school organizer Omar Reid, the team is made up of fourth and fifth graders, including Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz’s son Noah. “He (Noah) has become even more committed to the team, and there’s a great coaching staff. Omar and the other coaches are wonderful. They have made this team more cohesive and more conscious of the whole court. A lot of the same guys were on the team a year ago, and they have advanced so much in just 12 short months,” Girtz said. Girtz was one of 1,000 fans in attendance, packing Clarke Central High School’s Terra Gladiatorum full. Alongside Cedar Shoals’ Turner-Neathery Gymnasium, a total of six playoff matches were held in the two high school arenas. Each game was free for Clarke County students, teachers and senior citizens. “I think the spirit of this great town that we love so much is that we care for each other. We take care of each other and we show up,” Girtz said.

On Mar. 5, the Cedar Shoals Lady Jags soccer team defeated the East Hall Vikings 9-1, clinching their second region win of the season. The Lady Jags were led by sophomore striker and first team all-region player, Zulma Valdivieso-Gutierrez, who scored five goals. Alongside Valdivieso-Gutierrez, sophomores Arianna Allen and Kimberly Linares, junior Finn McGreevy and senior captain Lilly McGreevy each scored a goal. The Lady Jags are 4-5 this season, with wins over Barrow Arts & Science Academy, East Jackson, Chestatee and the Vikings. Coming off of a 6-1 defeat at East Forsyth the previous Friday, the team focused on finding a grove against the Vikings. “We needed this win. There were a couple games that were really intense and it’s hard when you’re coming back from a strong season to get back into the groove,” Lilly McGreevy said. “It feels like we’ve got more pressure on us, but I felt like our last game we were in the groove and had chemistry.”

The Cedar Shoals boys basketball team has kept fans on the edge of their seats this season. With four out of their first eight games ending within five points, including a 64-59 overtime loss to Paideia, the Jags often find themselves in a nailbiter. This trend persisted during the Classic City Championship against the Clarke Central Gladiators. However, blocking out distractions, the Jags pulled out a 70-67 victory. “We came out and played like a team and got what we wanted to do done,” senior center Joshua Bittler said. “Basketball is a game of runs, we have our runs, they have theirs, but at the end of the day, it’s whoever pulls it out at the last minute.” Coming off of a 60-57 loss to Seckinger the previous day, the Jags opened up the scoring fast with field goals from senior guard Robert Mack, leading 19-12 at the end of the first quarter. “We executed very well. It all comes down to my teammates noticing that I was getting hot and getting me open,” Mack said. “There’s always a chip on my shoulder entering every game, but this game meant a little bit more to me.” Mack, who played for Central last year, accounted for 24 points alongside sophomore Devin Hubbard’s 15, and sophomore Daniel Hollis’ 9. “It’s not easy to be that guy that went from one school to another, and then you’ve got to play your old team,” Jaguars head coach L’Dreco Thomas said. “Some guys pressed and some guys tried to do too much in that game, but I thought he played well within the system. At the end of the day, I think he used that as an edge and he played a tremendous game.”