Ceasar Brown Named as New Director of Girls Basketball at FCS; Will Serve as Varsity Girls' Head Coach

Ceasar Brown has been named as director of girls' basketball at Fellowship Christian School, it was announced today (June 23, 2022).

A former college and professional basketball player, Brown will serve as the head varsity girls basketball coach. Additionally, in his role as director of girls' basketball, he will help develop and grow the basketball program in middle and high school.

"From the time I met Coach Brown, his knowledge, love, and passion for basketball have been apparent," FCS Athletic Director David Lowery said. "He excels at coaching and mentoring athletes. Even more impressive is Brown's faith, and how it guides him on and off the court. He understands the importance of the coach/player relationship and works to build his players up while challenging them to be the best they can be. We are blessed to have someone with Ceasar's background and experience heading up our girls' basketball program. Coach Brown has spent a tremendous amount of time coaching different levels and both genders in the sport of basketball. He works with great intentionality in all aspects of coaching. I have confidence that under coach Brown's leadership, our players are going to become better basketball players and young people."

Brown is excited about this new opportunity.

"I am humbled and honored to accept the girls' basketball head coaching position at Fellowship," he said. "I want to thank Coach Lowery, Dr. Teston, and the administration for entrusting me with the future of Fellowship girls' basketball. I am thrilled for the opportunity to support these young women as they pursue excellence in the classroom, on the basketball court, and in their future endeavors. This program will be led by the Lord, and I can't wait to begin doing my part to help develop our student-athletes into strong and courageous young women on the court and in the community as we represent Fellowship."

A graduate Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga., Brown attended college at the University of North Georgia (UNG). He played basketball all four years at UNG and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. During Brown's time at UNG, he played for a conference championship team and was named an All-Conference player his senior year

After graduating from UNG, Brown played professional basketball for two seasons in the Philippines. While playing in the Philippines, Brown won a national championship with the Manila Metrostars.

After his time in Manila, Brown returned to Atlanta, where he built his experience as a coach.

Brown recently served as one of the head boys basketball coaches for the middle school program at Fellowship. He capped off a 3-year program-building plan by leading the eighth-grade team to the 2022 Collegiate Prep Championship this past winter. During his career, Brown has also coached both boys and girls AAU basketball teams.

Brown has been married to his wife Kim for 21 years, and they have two rising freshmen at Fellowship, Tristen, and Felton. The family attends North Point Community Church.

FCS athletes interested in trying out for the 2022-23 team should email coach Brown.

High school girls are invited to attend an introduction to weight training session held at the Paladin Center by Tracy Morgan, a former college strength and current Fellowship varsity girls' lacrosse coach, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon-1 p.m. this summer. Brown plans on holding open gym times Tuesday, June 28, Wednesday, June 29, and Thursday, June 30, at FCS' Gym 1 from 4-5:30 p.m.

Klatt, Nokes Receive Lacrosse Honors; Waggoner Earns All-State Honorable Mention

Three members of the varsity girls lacrosse team from Fellowship Christian School have received post-season honors.

Senior Graylyn Waggoner has earned All-State honorable mention, and juniors Gabby Klatt and Ella Nokes have been named to the Area 5 Girls Lacrosse Select Team.

"For the first time ever, Area 5 honored players nominated by their coaches and voted on by coaches within our area," director of girls lacrosse Tracy Morgan said. "Gabby and Ella earned recognition not only because of their numbers on the stat sheets but as a result of their leadership on the field."

Eight Varsity Soccer Paladins Receive Post-Season Honors

A group of eight players from the Fellowship Christian School varsity boys soccer team have earned post-season recognition.

Sophomore forward Josh Milhollin and sophomore defender Nathan Chapman, junior forward Ethan Durham and junior defender Clay Shepler and senior midfielder Jacob Welty were all selected as First Team All-Region players.

Freshman defender Al Thompson, sophomore goalkeeper Pierce Loescher and junior midfielder Manny Sibaja were chosen for the All-Region Second Team.

This group helped the Paladins finish the season 9-5 and reach the Sweet 16 of the GHSA Class A Private Boys Soccer Championship. FCS earned the second seed from Region 6 into the state tournament.

"Led by an outstanding senior season by Jacob Welty, our team continued to improve as the season went forward," head coach Andy Trevers said. "We were so proud of the boys to battle in Region matches like they did, secure home field advantage going into the playoffs and for their resolve to dig deep and find big wins when needed. Making it to the Sweet 16 was a tremendous accomplishment, although we fell short at that stage to one of the best teams we have ever come up against."

At a recent team awards banquet, Trevers announced the following team awards:

• Josh Milhollin and Jacob Welty were both named Player of the Year. "The contribution of both of these players this season made it impossible to separate them for this award," Trevers said. "Welty had two goals and 12 assists on the season, however his contribution as a holding midfielder this season was second to none. Jacob's ability to command this area of the field made his contribution to the team's success vital. Milhollin [30 goals and five assists on the year] was fantastic and a thorn in the side to any team we played. Milhollin's ability on the ball and to find ways to turn defenders on their heads coupled with his finishing ability made him a marked player any time he stepped on the field."
• Nathan Chapman and Pierce Loescher also shared the Fortress Award. "Both players again were impossible to separate turning in tremendous seasons to be the foundation of a strong backline," Trevers said, noting that Chapman had three assists on the season. "But his defensive stature was a nightmare for most any team that came up against him. His strength, pace, courage and 1-on-1 defending was outstanding this season. Loescher had a breakout year in goal having many solid performances, most notably in the Sweet 16 round, where he made numerous great saves. Loescher's improvement from the beginning to the end of the season was highly noticeable and key to earning him the share of this award."
• Clay Shepler was selected for the Semper Nobilis award. "Clay was exemplary this season in every aspect on and off the field, his passion was infectious, and he inspired his team to great things. His never say die attitude and impeccable spiritual leadership and example were key in earning this award. On the field he brought the same attitude and played alongside his CB partner Chapman to turn in consistency on the field, seeing this young man literally run his legs off in our final game was a picture of the heart he has to give of himself." Shepler contributed five goals and five assists.

The team on the season scored 55 goals and contributed 33 assists.

Milhollin led the team with 30 goals, followed by Durham with 10 and Shepler, five. Welty, junior Kevin Ghobrial and junior Alex Donald each had two goals apiece and the following players had one apiece: Sibaja, junior Trey Weatherby and sophomore Gannon Moore.

Welty led the assist category with 12, followed by Milhollin and Shepler with five apiece, Durham and Chapman had three each, while Sibaja and Ghobrial pitched in with two apiece. Sophomore Levi McCann finished out the assist category with one.

(Photos submitted)

Post-Season Baseball Accolades: Powell Named Region 6A Pitcher of Year, Oliver Chosen as Region 6A Coach of Year; Nine Paladins Picked for All-Region Team

The Fellowship Christian School baseball team, which set a school record for wins in a season with 28, was well represented on the 6A All-Region Team.

For 6A, junior pitcher Daniel Powell was named Pitcher of the Year and head coach Shawn Oliver received Coach of the Year honors.

Powell went 9-0, posted a 0.99 earned run average and struck out 66 batters. Powell ranked first on the team in victories, second in strikeouts, and third in ERA. He started 10 games, which tied for the team lead, pitched in 12 contests overall and logged 56 1/3 innings to rank second on the team.

Oliver led the Paladins to a 28-5 record and its second consecutive trip to the GHSA Class A Private Baseball Championships Final 4. He owns a 123-48 record in six seasons as a Fellowship head coach.

A total of nine other Paladins were named to the All-Region team, including:

• First Team: juniors Will Austin (second base), Charlie Chandler (right field), Cooper Davidson (center fielder), Luke Hughes (left field), Evan Leccese (DH), and Jack Rickheim (shortstop) and senior Grant Hudson (pitcher).
• Second Team: Junior Will Phipps (catcher) and senior Wilson Long (pitcher and third base).

Austin batted .509 to lead the Paladins. He also topped the squad with 110 at-bats, 56 hits, 35 RBIs, and shared the lead with 29 stolen bases and five triples. He ranked third on the team with 35 runs scored and shared fourth with eight doubles.

Chandler batted .303 with 30 hits, 29 runs, 39 RBIs, 10 doubles, three home runs and one triple. He finished fourth on the team in hits and third in both doubles and home runs. Chandler also shared third on the team with 20 stolen bases.

Davidson finished with fourth on the team with a .429 batting average. He registered 45 hits, 49 runs, 29 RBIs, 11 doubles, five triples and four home runs. Davidson led the team in runs, shared first in triples, and finished second on the team with 105 at-bats. He was also second in hits and home runs and placed sixth in RBIs.

Hudson posted an 8-1 record to rank second on the Paladins in wins. He led the FCS squad with 89 strikeouts, 59 1/3 innings pitched and four complete games. Hudson shared the team lead with 10 starts, topped the squad with 14 appearances and ranked fifth with a 1.77 ERA.

Hughes batted .337 to rank seventh on the club. He finished with 28 hits, 29 runs, 16 RBIs, eight doubles and one triple. Hughes shared sixth on the club in hits.

Leccese hit .244 with 11 hits, three doubles, one triple, one home run and two RBIs.

Rickheim batted. .371 to rank fifth on the team. He recorded 36 hits, 41 runs, 14 doubles, one triple and two home runs. Rickheim finished fourth on the team with 26 RBIs and shared the lead with 29 stolen bases. He led the team in doubles, finished second in runs, third in hits, and shared fourth in homers.

Phipps hit .247, collected 23 hits, knocked in 24 runs, scored four runs, belted six doubles and hit two homers. He shared fourth on the team in home runs and was fifth in RBIs.

Long ranked 10^th on the team with a .308 batting average. He collected 28 hits, 30 RBIs, 24 runs, seven doubles, one triple and six home runs. Long topped the team in homers, was third in RBIs and was tied for sixth in hits.

On the mound, Long went 7-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 48 strikeouts in eight games, including six starts. He ranked second on the team in ERA and was third in both wins and strikeouts.

In addition, Austin, Davidson, Hudson, Powell and Rickheim were selected for the First Team All-State Baseball Class A Private Team by Georgia Dugout Magazine.