The Tifton Gazette extends a round of applause to people and organizations in our area doing good things.

Joslyn Reyes

Tift County’s Joslyn Reyes signed a scholarship with the Georgia College and State University last week.

She’ll join the Lady Bobcats on the basketball court and potentially on the softball field.

“This is a special day for Joslyn,” said Tift head basketball coach Julie Conner.

Reyes will take a long list of achievements with her to Milledgeville. She was named All-Region second team twice during her four years on the varsity, peaking with a selection as Region 1’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17.

Reyes averaged nine points per game during her junior and senior seasons. In her last game as a Lady Devil, she possibly set a school record with six three-pointers in a single game against McEachern.

Reyes’ successes extended beyond the basketball court.

As a softball player, she was selected second team all-region during her sophomore and junior seasons and first team all-region as a senior. Reyes is considering walking on to play that sport at GCSU.

We congratulate her, as well as GCSU for picking up a solid addition to their basketball team.

J.J. McClain

Tift County’s J.J. McClain now has his future set.

McClain, starting center for the 2017-18 Tift County Blue Devils basketball team, signed a scholarship last week with Albany Tech. The signing took place in TCHS’ media center.

During his senior year at Tift County High, McClain averaged five points per game. He led the team in blocks (20) and rebounds (117). He was a member of the 2017 Class AAAAAAA state championship squad and won a region title each year he was on the varsity team.

At the signing ceremony, Albany Tech head coach Sylvester Patterson said the school was “fortunate to get J.J.”

We agree.

Marlee Marlowe

On a Saturday at the end of April, Marlee Marlowe held on to her crown in the GISA state Class AAA 100-meter hurdles finals at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany, closing out her senior year with another victory.

Marlowe won the state 100 hurdles title in 2017, her finals time of 16.04 seconds, a half-second faster than the nearest competitor.

In the preliminaries this year, Marlowe had the fastest time in her heat at 16.64 seconds. The other winner of a heat was Erin Moss of Valwood, whose time was 16.56 seconds. Moss had been Marlowe’s biggest nemesis all season, running just ahead of her at races at Deerfield-Windsor in March and again in April’s region championship.

Marlowe got the early lead, but the race was extremely close.

As they neared the finish line, Marlowe ducked her head to try for just a bit more of a lead. The two crossed the line. Moss then tripped and accidentally fell on top of Marlowe.

The winning time for Marlowe was 15.76 seconds. Moss finished at 15.77.

We congratulate her and wish on her luck on whatever she runs towards next (and advise anyone in her way to step to the side).

Operation Sock Drop organizers and sponsors

Operation Sock Drop raised more than $9,000 at the end of April.

The fundraiser, which was put on by 8-year-old Porter Johnson, was to benefit One Leg Up On Life, a nonprofit that provides prosthetic limbs to amputees in Haiti who cannot afford them.

The winner of the sock drop was Rita Griffin, who turned right around and donated all of the prize money back to the fundraiser.

We thank Johnson, as well as the sponsors and organizers of the event, for showing that everyone can help someone, no matter how young they are.

Graduates

While we’re all celebrating graduates from Tift County High School, Tiftarea Academy, UGA-Tifton, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Collge and Southern Regional Technical College this month, we want to take a minute to recognize another class of graduates.

The first five graduates of the Tift County DUI/Drug Court graduated last week.

Each graduation has made it through a four-phase, year-long program.

That program involves frequent court appearances, drug and alcohol testing and treatment.

At a high school graduation, students are often told it’s the first day of the rest of their lives.

For these five graduates, we hope it’s the first day of their new lives.