Pope High School recently capped off an incredible Fall Sports season by winning three 5A state championships in Volleyball and Cross Country. All three state champions were congratulated and celebrated at the December Board of Education meeting.

The 2024 Volleyball title was the Lady Greyhounds 6th championship all-time and second in the last three years. The Greyhounds won the 2022 6A title and took runner-up in 2023. Two senior players, Amanda Vlkovic and Ellis Crawford, were also recently named Cobb's Athlete of the Week. The state champs finished the 2024 season 36-5, closing out with a 16-game win streak.

"This state title was an incredible accomplishment for us," said Head Community Coach Erica Miller. "We didn't start the season as strongly as in years past. We played in so many close sets that we were not afraid of stress or pressure or having to compete fiercely to win. With this earned mindset and the earned confidence that comes from proving yourself repeatedly, we accomplished our dream!"

In Cross Country, the Lady Greyhounds long-distance runners ran a crushing Final 5A race in Carrollton, placing runners first, second, eighth, ninth, and thirteenth. Their overall score was 29 points. To put this in perspective, second-place McIntosh scored 152 points, giving Pope a huge margin of victory of 123 points! This team is full of talent, including overall individual state champion (and AOW winner) Josie Hutchinson. Josie outran the field to finish the 5K race at 19:15.40, nine seconds faster than her second-place teammate, Aislynn Dunn. The other three Pope finishers were Kate Rytlewski (8), Louise Delgado (9), and Ahna Hicks (13). To make things even more interesting, four of these girls are underclassmen, which means this team will be dominant for years to come.

"These ladies all have an incredible amount of talent," said Head Coach Cathi Monk. "Winning the state title was actually a relief. Having as much team talent as we did challenged the coaching staff to make sure we did all the little things to make sure the girls were successful. Pope has a culture of inspiring athletes to do extraordinary things, and I am glad this team was able to contribute to that."

Another highlight at Pope is their Flag Football team, which won last year's Division 3 state championship over District rival Allatoona. This year's team is picking up right where last year's left off by winning Area 6 to host the first round of the playoffs. Their overall record is 21-2, and the team is ranked #73 nationally and #7 in the state. Junior QB Abbey Bensman was recently named the Division 3 Area 6 Player of the Year, and senior receiver Addie Daughtry was named Area Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, senior defender Mac Wiley was selected as Area Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

The Greyhounds Flag team took full advantage of playing at home and downed Chattahoochee and Hughes in the first round on Thursday night (December 5). They now advance to play Peach County in the Quarterfinals on December 9. 

"It’s a special time around here right now," said Greyhound Athletic Director Josh Mathews. "All these teams have been impressive, exhibiting top-level focus and determination. As someone who sees a lot of athletic events each year, these teams have demonstrated high levels of excellence. Excellence is uncommon, but Pope has been displaying it on the court, the course, and the field this year."

That excellence is also being recognized at the collegiate level. Pope's Class of 2025 has already had 17 student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent to pursue their sport and education at the next level. This represents 3.6% of the senior class, nearly double the national average of 2%. These athletic and academic standouts represent ten sports and 14 schools from the Power Five, D1, D2, NAIA, and D3 levels. 

"This group shows why we have had such great performances over the last few years. With another signing day still to come in April, this will be one of Pope's largest classes of college signees. Watching these young women and men obtain this highly sought-after opportunity to play at the next level has been a true treat. I can't wait to see how they each further their educational and athletic careers in college and beyond," concluded AD Mathews proudly.