By Joe Joe Wright

joejoe.wright@cordeledispatch.com

The year 2016 was a doozy. Starting in January we had some good basketball in the area. Then the Cougars, Trojans and Wildcats baseball team went into the playoffs as they usually do. The Cougars scared the eventual state champions by winning a game from them up there. Literally most all of our schools had some very positive notes in the sports arena. Cougar wrestling went further than they ever have before. Soccer programs improved and should be better in 2017. Girls fast pitch softball had a banner year in these parts Crisp and Wilcox both made trips to Columbus and Fullington and Crisp Academy went into the playoffs as well. Crisp Academy Football made it to the final 4 as did Fullington Academy. The Dooly Bobcats also post season play. The Crisp County Cougars set new records like 13 wins, points scored and made it to the semi finals of state for only the third time in history. We said good-bye to some fine athletes and we will soon be saying good-bye to some more. The Georgia Bulldogs were at best a bitter disappointment. The Cougar Den reconstruction is underway as we speak and they also got a brand new soccer complex paid for by SPLOST money. Now if we can just get the SPLOST money that was allocated for our Recreation Department spent at our Rec. Department we will have facilities second to none in the state. Yes even through the bitter election cycle and all the triumphs and defeats of the year 2016, our area has been blessed and our athletes up lifted. Goodbye 2016 you have been a great year.