MOULTRIE — Five Colquitt County High athletes who finished distinguished careers last spring are settling into college athletic careers.

• Lindsay Jacobs and Gracie Qurnell are playing tennis for coach Alan Kramer at Abraham Baldwin College.

Jacobs has been playing No. 3 and Qurnell No. 6 as the team has been busy primarily with challenge matches this fall, Kramer says.

Jacobs represented ABAC in doubles at the Thomasville Collegiate Invitation tennis tournament and both she and Qurnell competed in the Georgia College and State University Invitational last weekend.

The Fillies are through for the fall and will begin preparations on Monday for the spring schedule.

Kramer also said that ABAC will hold its Coaching For a Cure tennis clinic from 9 a.m.-noon on Nov. 4.

Those interested in taking part or getting more information can email him at akramer@abac.edu for call him at 229-391-4928.

• Whitney Hood made a quick impact on the new women’s soccer program at ABAC, scoring the team’s first goal.

“She has settled in as one of our best defenders,” coach Jim Ballenger said. “She has started every match.

“One quality that makes her a good defender for us is her speed. She also has the ability to slow the pace of play down by trapping and heading the ball out of the air, which can be difficult for some athletes.”

The Fillies coach said Hood’s contribution go beyond what she does in front of her own net.

“What I like most about Whitney is the type of person she is off the field,” he said. “She seems to make everyone around her happy. She is always smiling and laughing.

“She works hard in the classroom. She is a great team player and is very coachable.”

The Fillies are 10-5 and second in the sub-region behind Darton College.

ABAC will play host tothe first round of the playoffs next Tuesday and Ballenger said he expects Truett-McConnell to be the opponent.

“Our team is having a phenomenal first season,” Ballenger said.

• Sha Wetherington is making her presence felt as a freshman on the Darton College women’s soccer team.

Wetherington is starting as a defensive midfielder for the Lady Cavaliers, who are 14-1 and ranked No. 4 in the nation.

“When we signed her, I really felt she had the potential to be a very good player,” Darton coach Ken Veilands said. “The transition from high school to college can sometimes be difficult. Depending on what type person you are, you either accept the challenge or resist it.

“Sha has made a great transition and is playing better every game.”

• Kaitlyn Price continues to start at goalkeeper for the Converse College women’s soccer team.

She had six saves on Saturday when the All-Stars lost to Warren Wilson College 3-0 to fall to 2-14 for the season.

Of this and that:

• Of the nine Region 1-AAAAA football games played so far, six have been decided by four points or fewer.

Only Houston County, with a 31-14 win over Lowndes and a 25-14 victory over Colquitt County, has won a game by more than a touchdown.

Two games have gone into overtime with Coffee needing three extra periods to defeat Colquitt County 39-37 and Tift County needing two to beat Valdosta 10-7.

• Friday’s Winnersville Classic will be the 45th meeting between Valdosta and Lowndes and the Wildcats still hold a comfortable 33-11 advantage.

But the Vikings have won six of the last nine, including the last two by scores of 28-7 two years ago and 28-0 last year.

• Higher Ground, an international leader of instructional services, will conduct special baseball and softball hitting clinics on Nov. 17-19 in Sylvester.

Former San Diego Padres manager Greg Riddoch serving as the chief instructor.

Riddoch has worked with such major leaguers as Tony Gwynn, Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Benito Santiago and Wade Boggs.

Also on the staff at the clinics will be Tifton’s Bobby Simpson, the founder of Higher Ground, former head coach of the British National Women’s softball team, former assistant baseball coach at Florida State University and a scout and minor league instructor for the Kansas City Royals.

The clinics will be held at the Higher Ground Academy in the Family Wellness Center, an indoor facility in Sylvester.

For more information on the schedule and fees, contact Higher Ground at 229-386-9770 or email Bobby Simpson at bsimpson@friendlycity.net.

Higher Ground has conducted baseball and softball activities in 40 states and 19 countries.