Top 10 moments of the 2015-16 season

ALBANY – With the 2015-16 officially complete, it was a memorable one when it came to area sports.

There were the season which included the Deerfield-Windsor and Monroe girls track & field teams winning state titles and the Deerfield-Windsor baseball team winning its second title in a row.

The season also saw the Sherwood Christian girls soccer team completing the “three-peat” after beating Creekside Christian.

The sports year also featured many heartbreaking moments like the Westover boys losing to Grady on a buzzer-beater in the quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament and the Deerfield-Windsor football team’s gut-wrenching loss to Valwood in the Georgia Independent Schools Association state championship game.

Here is a look at 10 storylines to highlight the 2015-16 high school sports season across the Albany area”

10. Sherwood girls win state soccer title — The Lady Eagles captured their third straight title with a victory over Creekside Christian. It was the program’s second straight Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association title after winning one in the Georgia Independent Schools Association two years ago. And like the previous two, Sherwood Christian won the title in dominating fashion.

9. Dougherty football earns victory over Albany on late field goal — Dougherty found themselves tied at 14 with cross-town rival Albany with just under two minutes left. The Trojans used their two-minute drill to march down the field and set themselves up for a game-winning field goal. Faustino Francisco nailed a 27-yarder to give Dougherty the victory and a 3-1 start.

8. Baconton Charter, Worth County softball advance to state finals tournament — The Lady Blazers made it to the Class A public state tournament finals in Columbus and won their first game before losing two in a row and being knocked out. Worth County made it to the Class AAAA state finals, but the Lady Rams’ bats went cold when they arrived in Columbus. They were knocked out of the tournament after failing to score a run in two games.

7. Deerfield-Windsor baseball repeats as state champs — For the second year in a row, the Knights found themselves playing Valwood for a state title. Just like last year, Deerfield took the first two games from the Valiants to win the championship and continue their domination in GISA Class AAA.

6. Westwood girls fall in title game — Westwood made it to the GISA Class AAA title game with a perfect record before falling to Gatewood. The Lady Wildcats were tied at 36 before Gatwood went on an 8-0 run that sealed the game. It was also the final game for coach Jenni Smith, who stepped down to spend more time with her family.

5. Pelham football ends six-year playoff drought — The Hornets edged Berrien in what might have been one of the most thrilling games of the year. After a 45-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jimmie Fackler, first-year head coach Dondrial Pinkins went for two points instead of going for the tie. It worked as Pelham ended its playoff drought and beat Berrien 40-39.

4. Lee County basketball loses heartbreaker to Grayson — Grayson’s Austin Dukes grabbed his own rebound after a missed shot and converted the basket the second time around with 1.2 seconds left, breaking a 58-all tie and ending the Lee County boys’ basketball season in the second round of the GHSA Class AAAAAA state tournament in Leesburg with a 60-58 victory. The Trojans blew a nine-point halftime lead and lost in heart-breaking fashion.

3. Westover boys basketball season ends in heartbreak — After beating three higher seeds to win the Region 1-AAAA tournament, the Patriots beat Eastside and Woodward Academy to make it to the quarterfinals. The Patriots watched a seven-point lead slip away in the quarterfinals against Grady. Westover’s season ended when Grady made a buzzer-beater to take a 54-52 victory.

2. Deerfield-Windsor falls to Valwood in football championship — Early in the third quarter of the GISA Class AAA title game, the Knights took a 12-point lead over Valwood. The Valiants slowly chipped away until they were up 28-26 by the end of the third. Deerfield had two chances to take the lead on field goals in the fourth quarter, but both failed, the second as time expired.

1. Monroe/Deerfield-Windsor girls win state track & field titles — The Monroe girls held on to win the Class AAAA state track & field title last month at Hugh Mills Stadium, the team’s first since the 2012 season.

Meanwhile, the Deerfield-Windsor girls track & field team surged to its third straight GISA state championship with a dominating performance in April.