Best Event Story On Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Nathan Deen, Savannah Morning News (Savannah State-Hampton game)

 

Best Event Story On Deadline — High School Sports

1. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (Savannah Christian baseball state title)
2. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (John’s Ngumezi ejected in game)
3. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (TD pass on final play wins for Jenkins)

 

Best Sports News Story On Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Nathan Deen, Savannah Morning News (Reaction to end of Pirate athletics)

 

Best Sports News Story On Deadline — High School Sports

No entrees

 

Best Feature Or Series – Non-Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Ray Glier, USA Today (Former minor leaguer helps find missing kids)
2. Ray Glier, New York Times (College player stipends)
3. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (Benedictine graduate Ken Harrelson)

 

Best Feature Or Series – Non-Deadline –High School Sports

1. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (Cadet golfer outlook after battling for his life)
2. Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News (Ken Cooper remembered at Benedictine)

 

Best Column

1. Nathan Deen, Savannah Morning News (Bad timing for Savannah State football)

 

Best Columnist

1. Nathan Deen, Savannah Morning News

 

Outdoors Writing/Amateur Non-Scholastic Sports

1. Stan Awtrey, Golf Georgia (Charlie Harrison teams with Arnold Palmer)

 

Sweepstakes Award — Best overall story from all categories

Stan Awtrey, Golf Georgia (Charlie Harrison teams with Arnold Palmer)

 

Best Sports Section

1. Savannah Morning News

 

Best Sunday Sports Section

1. Savannah Morning News

 

Best Special Section

1. Savannah Morning News, high school football

 

Division II 

Best Event Story On Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner Herald (Auburn over Georgia football)
2. Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner Herald (Georgia football over Florida)
3. Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner Herald (UGA over Notre Dame)

Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Patriots defeat Falcons in Super Bowl)

 

Best Event Story On Deadline — High School Sports

1. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Archer football victory)

2. Tony Maluso, Dalton Daily Citizen-News (Northwest girls beat rivals on penalty kicks)
3. Tony Maluso, Dalton Daily Citizen-News (North Murray football overtime thriller)

 

Best Sports News Story On Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Falcons fans rise up in Houston)
2. Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner Herald (SEC graduate transfer policy)
3. John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal (Kennesaw State AD Williams leaving)

 

Best Sports News Story On Deadline — High School Sports

1. Victor Tun, Marietta Daily Journal (Girls lacrosse state title game postponed)
2. Carlton D. White,  Marietta Daily Journal (Osborne’s Jones disqualified from state tournament)
3. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Peachtree Ridge hires Stancil as head coach)

 

Best Feature Or Series – Non-Deadline – Pro/College Sports

1. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (College merger leaves Armstrong Atlantic athletes in limbo)
2. Marc Weiszer, Athens Banner Herald (Georgia fans reach out to paralyzed former player)
3. Nubyjas Wilborn, Marietta Daily Journal (Suntrust Park new launching pad)

 

Best Feature Or Series – Non-Deadline –High School Sports

1. David Friedlander, Gwinnett Daily Post (Parkview wrestler James Song)
2. Christine Troyke, Gwinnett Daily Post (Wesleyan senior class)
3. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Coaches with Brookwood Roots)

 

Best Column

1. John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal (Blankenship’s dad)
2. John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal (GHSA gets it right…and wrong)
3. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Sadly, scoring errors nothing new in state basketball)

 

Best Columnist

1. John Bednarowski, Marietta Daily Journal
2. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post
3. Loran Smith, Athens Banner Hereald

 

Outdoors Writing/Amateur Non-Scholastic Sports

1. Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (Former Brookwood swimmer living in Puerto Rico)
2. Christine Troyke, Gwinnett Daily Post (Norcross’ Rushin 40^th straight Peachtree race)
3. Christine Troyke, Gwinnett Daily Post (Nechanicky earns fencing scholarship)

 

Sweepstakes Award — Best overall story from all categories

Will Hammock, Gwinnett Daily Post (College merger leaves Armstrong Atlantic athletes in limbo)

 

Sports Sections Contest Results – Division II  

 

Best Sports Section

1. Gwinnett Daily Post
2. Marietta Daily Journal
3. Daily Citizen News

 

Best Sunday Sports Section

1. Gwinnett Daily Post
2. Marietta Daily Journal
3. Daily Citizen News

           

Best Special Section

1. Marietta Daily Journal (High School Football)
2. Gwinnett Daily Post (High School Football)
3. Daily Citizen News (High School Football)

 

Division III

Best Local Event Story

1. Ian Frazer, Forsyth County News (West Forsyth gymnastics make history)
2. Joe Parker, The Johns Creek Herald (Northview dedicates baseball park to former player with win)
3. Joe Parker, The Johns Creek Herald (Johns Creek wins appeal to the GHSA)

 

Best Local News Story

1. Brian Paglia, Forsyth County News (W. Forsyth’s Jenna Staiti transferring to Georgia)
2. Brian Paglia, Forsyth County News (S. Forsyth football forfeits win due to ineligible player)
3. Brian Paglia, Forsyth County News (Former Falcons WR Terance Mathis named coach)

 

Best Local Feature Story

1. Ian Frazer, Forsyth County News (Lambert youth football team embraces teammate)
2. Ian Frazer, Forsyth County News (Rise of Atlanta United into Forsyth County)
3. Everett Catts, Northside Neighbor (Buckhead man recalls trip to Rose Bowl)

Best Column

1. Brian Paglia, Forsyth County News (Pinecrest Academy lacrosse teams overcoming odds)
2. Joe Parker, The Milton Herald (Still a Thrashers fan)
3. Derrick Mahone, Douglas County Sentinel (Diversity of Douglas County high soccer)

 

Best Photo

1. Duane H. Winn, The Toccoa Record (Extra oomph: female tennis player)
2. Duane Winn, The Toccoa Record (“D” as in determination)
3. Joe Parker, The Milton Herald (Action photo of running back)

 

Sweepstakes Award

.   Ian Frazer, Forsyth County News (West Forsyth gymnastics make history with state title)

 

Best Sports Section

1. Forsyth County News

 

Best Special Section

1. Forsyth County News (High School Football)
2. Alpharetta-Roswell Herald (High School Football)
3. Douglas County Sentinel (High School Football)

 

JUDGES:

Henry Freeman, former sports editor, USA Today; Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate; Jim Halley, USA Today; Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette