Bryce Todd has always known what his favorite sport is. For as long as he can remember, baseball has been his sport of choice, and the LaGrange High senior is getting the chance to keep playing it after signing with Gordon College this week. “I want to make it to the top. I want to play forever,” Todd said. “I love playing baseball. It’s my favorite sport. I just look forward to it, playing on the next level.” Todd was a multi-year starter at LaGrange, and he was the team’s shortstop this season. Todd usually hit in the leadoff position, and with his speed, he made life difficult for opposing teams when he got on base. “When he gets on the bases, he creates a lot of havoc,” LaGrange coach Todd Herrington said. “And when something is in his zone, he’s got some pop in his bat, too. He’s an offensive threat. And of course he’s very solid defensively, and makes some very athletic plays in the field.” Todd has been looking at different colleges for awhile, and he’s glad to finally have everything taken care off, just in time for graduation on Saturday. “I’ve just been trying to find somewhere to play all year and working out with different colleges and stuff,” Todd said. “I knew I was going to sign somewhere late. I didn’t know where. Gordon’s a good fit. I like their campus, I like their school. I like their field, and they’re a good baseball team.” Herrington believes Todd has what it takes to succeed on the next level. “If he does the work like he’s done throughout his career, and he continues to improve and commits to their program, there’s no doubt in my mind he can go there and be successful,” Herrington said. “I can’t say how proud of him I am. I can’t wait to see what he does.” Todd is hoping playing at the two-year school will lead to bigger and better things. “I want to play there for two years and get better, stronger, faster, and just become a better all-around player and then transfer and play two more years,” Todd said. Todd helped the Grangers make it to the state quarterfinals as a junior, but the team finished fifth in the region and didn’t make it to the state playoffs this year. Todd is hopeful the 2014 Grangers can make it back to state. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the playoffs this year,” Todd said. “The last three years we have, and that was really fun. I hope the young guys learn from us. I hope they play as a team and make it to the playoffs.”

When the Troup Tigers were beaten by Redan on Tuesday in the state semifinals, it closed the book on a group of seniors who have left a lasting imprint on the program. The seven seniors helped the Tigers make back-to-back appearances in the final four, and they had a remarkable 14-4 playoff record the past two seasons, and all of those games were on the road. While replacing those seniors won’t be an easy task, the Tigers do have an impressive group of underclassmen who are ready to carry the weight next season. “We’re definitely losing a good senior class,” Troup coach Craig Garner said. “But we’ve got something to build on. We’ll be back.” All seven of the seniors started this season, and three of them accounted for most of the innings pitched. Garrett McClurg, Jarred Adams and Jacob Ozley pitched most of the innings in the playoffs, although freshman Winston Turner appeared in two games against Redan. Also departing the program is outfielder Dalton Hadley, catcher Cody Doughman, and infielders Justin Neighbors and Brandon Butts. Adams and Ozley were also starters when they weren’t pitching. The Tigers will have a lot of talented players coming back, including sophomore catcher Jonathan Foster, who led the team in home runs this season. Also back will be three players who started at various times as freshmen, including Turner, who was a second baseman and pitcher. Two of the starting outfielders, Miles Cameron and Bo Halcomb, were freshmen. “They’ll be good next year,” McClurg said. “They’re returning a lot of starters.” There will still be holes to fill, and Garner believes the state experience was a valuable one for all of the players, even the ones who didn’t get on the field. “These younger guys, being a part of this team, and seeing this, and having this experience, was big,” Garner said. “Plus, we’ve had these extra three weeks of practice, and getting the reps and everything. It’s going to pay dividends for our program as a whole.”

It’s the sport she loves. LaGrange High’s Steara Mitchell is most at home on a basketball court, which is why she’s thrilled to be able to keep playing the sport. Mitchell, a senior guard, signed a letter of intent to play at Chattahoochee Technical College earlier this week. Mitchell’s teammate, KaBrenna Smith, has also signed with Chattahoochee Tech, a two-year school in Marietta. “It’s been a dream since I was little to play (in college),” Mitchell said. “And now it’s finally here, and I get take a friend (Smith) I’ve been knowing since elementary school, since kindergarten. That’s even better.” Mitchell is coming off an exceptional senior season. Playing alongside fellow guard Brittany Tatum, who signed with Columbus State, Mitchell scored 15 points per game, and she has stretches where she carried the team offensively. “She can hit the 3-point shot,” LaGrange coach Jan Jones said. “She had the ability to get hot.” Mitchell was a part of the LaGrange basketball team for four seasons, and she played a key role on the team that made it to the final four when she was a freshman. Mitchell also helped LaGrange win a region championship as a sophomore, and this season’s team finished second in the region and won a game at state. Mitchell’s junior season was cut short when she was kicked off the team. Mitchell came back strong as a senior and enjoyed a strong season on and off the court. “She had some trouble her junior year, but she came back strong,” Jones said. “She did tell me, thank you for kicking me off. She said she learned a lot.” Mitchell said she grew up a lot before her senior season. “You just have to learn from your mistakes,” she said. Mitchell said the recruiting process has been a bit stressful, and she’s happy to have everything over and done with, just in time for graduation on Saturday. “It’s been crazy,” she said. “But in the end, it’s all worth it.”