Even as the academic calendar winds down, and with spring sport championships set to wrap the 2022-23 high school athletics season, the preps news in this area hardly ever stops coming.

On the field, Savannah Christian’s baseball team is the only Savannah team still alive in the GHSA state playoffs. We’ll start with the Raiders.

SCPS BASEBALL IN QUARTERFINALS

After winning its seventh straight region championship, the Raiders have swept in the first two rounds of the GHSA Class 3A state playoffs. Another best-of-three series is scheduled for this weekend at SCPS.

The Raiders (27-5) host Oconee County (17-17) on Saturday, May 6 in a doubleheader beginning at noon. The “if” game is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m., but from the looks of the on-paper matchup, it’s unlikely that Savannah Christian will need that third game. Oconee County is 4-11 on the road this year while SCPS is 16-3 at home and riding a 15-game winning streak since last losing on March 29th.

Final Four series matchups begin on May 13 across the state.

MERKLINGER WINS ASHLEY DEARING AWARD

Calvary Day junior Jake Merklinger was announced as the winner of the 70th Ashley Dearing Award earlier this week. Given to the most versatile male athlete in Savannah annually, the award is voted on by local media members and athletic directors. To be eligible, athletes must play football, basketball and a spring sport.

Merklinger, a four-star quarterback committed to play at Tennessee (verbal on March 30), was also an all-region basketball player (9.6 points per game) and a lacrosse player on Calvary’s state playoff squad this spring. He led Mark Stroud’s Calvary football team to a Final Four game in 2021 before leading them back to the quarterfinals (and another region title) last season. He was named the 2022 Region 3-3A Player of the Year after throwing for 32 touchdowns and 1,987 yards (two interceptions).

Savannah Country Day's Michael Grandy and New Hampstead's Zion Griffin were tied for second in the voting for the Dearing Award. Merklinger is the sixth ever winner from Calvary Day, He is the first since Dom DeMasi in 2010 and 2011. Demarcus Dobbs won in 2006, Barry Kleinpeter in 1992 and Lee Lane in 1986.

WILLIAMS LEAVES WOODVILLE FOR WARE COUNTY

Last week, Lenny Williams announced he was resigning his position as head boys basketball coach for Woodville-Tompkins after leading the program on a stellar six-year run in his time as head man. Williams will be taking the head coaching job at Ware County High School in Waycross. The Gators were 7-15 last season playing in Class 5A.

Woodville reached the state playoffs in all six seasons under Williams. He won 126 games – more than 20 per season on average – and guided the Wolverines to the GHSA Class 2A Final Four in 2022. They won their fourth region title this year, and finished ranked in Kyle Sandy’s final top-10 poll for a sixth straight year.

SPRING FOOTBALL NOTES

Teams around the city are holding spring football camps this month. Many of the teams have already begun practices, and several have spring scrimmage games scheduled.

The two-time defending Class 4A state champion Benedictine Cadets are holding camp Monday-Friday over two weeks. Week 1 is May 15-19 and Week 2 is May 22-26.

Savannah Christian is hosting its red-white spring scrimmage game on Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m. at Pooler Stadium. Jenkins and Savannah Country Day will play on Friday, May 19 at Daffin Park’s Optimist Field with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Beach and Savannah High are playing on Friday, May 12 at Savannah High (7 p.m.).

DELOACH COMMITS TO UGA HOOPS

Savannah native Jalen DeLoach announced in late April through his Twitter profile that he was transferring from Virginia Commonwealth University to the University of Georgia where he will play basketball for Mike White’s Bulldogs. DeLoach had a solid sophomore season for VCU, averaging 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. He’ll be a junior with immediate eligibility for UGA in 2023-24.

This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2023.