SOFO Wet War Eagles wrap up their championship season

Photo used with permission from Madison Fiorentino

Swimmer ready stance. After achieving the times required to compete at the state meet, senior Emory Betzer prepares to swim her final race of the high school swim season.

Grace Drawdy and Sierra Wamsley
March 12, 2020

This past February, South Forsyth Wet War Eagles competed in a few significant meets throughout the end of the competition season: the Forsyth County meet and State meet. This is where all teams in the county, West Forsyth, Lambert, Denmark, Forsyth Central, North Forsyth and South Forsyth, come together and compete against each other for the championship title. During the county meet held on January 25, South Forsyth Boys placed 3rd overall, and South Forsyth Girls placed 2nd overall. From South Forsyth, there were top 5 finishes from:

COUNTY

Top 5

Boys 200 Medley Relay (Riley James, Sreenivas Yellayi, Jake Taulee, Barret Breeze)

Girls 200 Medley Relay ( Emery Betzer, Jordan Edwards, Lizzie Ryan, Katie Herman)

Jake Taulbee (200 Free, 500 Free)

Ben Isakayev (200 Free)

Charlotte Tully (200 Free, 100 Fly)

Emery Betzer (200 Free)

Bear Breeze (200 IM, 500 Free)

Max Betzer (500 Free)

Jordan Edwards (200 IM, 100 Fly)

Grace Drawdy (500 Free)

Sreenivas Yellayi (100 Free)

Boys 200 Free Relay (Gavin Cullinan, Devin Schmuckal, Owen Rhone, Riley James)

Girls 200 Free Relay (Katie Herman, Lizzie Ryan, Charlotte Tully, Emery Betzer)

Caroline Blair (100 Back)

Boys 400 Yard Free Relay (Sreenivas Yellai, Ben Isakbayev, Riley James, Jake Taulbee)

Girls 400 Free Relay (Katie Herman, Charlotte Tully, Emery Betzer, Jordan Edwards)

SOFO Wet War Eagles also competed in the GHSA 6-7A State Championship on February 6th, 7th, and 8th. South Forsyth girls placed 21st overall and South Forsyth boys placed 29th overall in the state. There were top 20 finishes from:

STATE
Top 20

Boys 200 Medley (Riley James, Sreenivas Yallayi, Jake Taulbee, Barret Breeze)

Girls 200 Medley (Emery Betzer, Jordan Edwards, Lizzie Ryan, Katie Herman)

Jake Taulbee (200 Free, 500 free)

Sreenivas Yellayi (200 Free)

Emery Betzer (200 Free, 500 free)

Charlotte Tully (200 Free)

Caroline Blair (200 IM, 100 back)

Katie Herman (50 free)

Mckinlee Taulbee (diving)

Jordan Edwards (100 fly, 100 breast)

Girls 200 free relay (Charlotte Tully, Lizzie Ryan, Sarah Davis, Katie Herman)

Sarah Davis (500 free)

Grace Drawdy (500 Free)

Boys 400 free relay (Jake Taulbee, Barrett Breeze, Ben Isakbayev, Sreenivas Yellayi)

Girls 400-yard free relay (Emery Betzer, Sarah Davis, Charlotte Tully, Jordan Edwards)

Overall, the team had a very successful season both in and out of the water. Freshman Julianna Valcheff explains her experience on the team and the overall team atmosphere throughout the season, saying, “I love how everyone supports everyone. Like at County, everyone cheered on every person that swam and it really ended the season well. When we were on the bus to the Cobb meet, everyone just started singing all the songs people were playing on the speaker and it really just made us feel like we were a team the whole season.”

The team bonded through good sportsmanship and a positive team atmosphere. The swim season is a time for meeting new people as well as strengthening bonds with current swimmers.

“I enjoyed this swim season because of all the awesome people I have met,” junior Madison Fiorentino states. “Everyone brings something different to the team and I think that our team spirit and energy make it the memorable experience it is.”

About the Writers

Grace Drawdy, Editor-in-Chief

Grace Drawdy is a senior and has been a part of The Bird Feed for four years. After taking on the role of the Associate Editor, she is excited to be the Editor- in- Chief. She hopes to finish out her final year with a bang, and lead the staff to reach new goals. You can find her making a splash at the Swim Atlanta Sugarloaf location where she is a year-round, competitive swimmer. Grace loves to live life loud. Her heart beats for kids fighting pediatric cancer, and she wants to heal them all. She loves spending time with her friends. In a rare moment of downtime, you can find Grace having a solo dance party or binging Netflix. You can contact her via twitter or email.

Sierra Wamsley, Editor-in-Chief

Sierra Wamsley is a senior at South Forsyth High School. She is beyond thrilled for her fourth year on The Bird Feed staff. You can often find Sierra splashing in the pool or writing a new story. She will be continuing on the South Forsyth Swim and Dive Team for the fourth year. She’ll always have a big smile on her face and a positive attitude. Sierra spends the majority of her free time engaged in music. She is usually jamming out to pop music with her brothers in the car. One item that has always been on her bucket list for the future is visiting Greenland. You can reach Sierra on Twitter at @wamsley_sierra or email her at [email protected].