Michael Kimbrell transformed himself from a non-athlete to one of Bulloch Academy’s best four-sport lettermen.
    “I didn’t even play sports in my ninth-grade year,” said the 18-year old senior. “Now I feel that I’ve actually done something with myself.”
    The most recent accomplishment for Kimbrell was becoming the state runner-up in the 130-pound weight classification at the Georgia Independent School Association traditional wrestling tournament last weekend in Gainesville.
    Known as “Rodeo” around campus, Kimbrell began wrestling in his sophomore year but said he didn’t become serious about it until this season.
    “Coach Andy (Tomlin) was intense,” said Kimbrell, who was also an All-Region nose guard for the Gator football team. “We would run sprints, stairs and the cross country course BEFORE we actually started wrestling practice. He made it fun, but we got down to business.”
    In the championship match against an undefeated opponent last weekend, Kimbrell scored the first takedown and was ahead 2-0 on points in the first period when a minor mistake gave his opponent an opening.
    “I had never wrestled him before,” said Kimbrell, who plans to run track and play soccer in the spring. “I just made a mistake when executing a move. No matter what you’re doing, whether it’s wrestling or playing tiddly-winks, you don’t always know your margin for error. You’ve got to give it your best effort, but you also have to be cautious and smart.”
    Kimbrell has an incredible drive for success but he also credits others.
    “I don’t care if it’s public or private school,” he said, “if your coach doesn’t push you, you’re not going to do it by yourself. The good Lord has always been there to push me through when I thought I couldn’t do something.”


Mikell sparks Statesboro
    When Victoria Mikell recognizes her team needs a spark, it’s bad news for the opposition.
    When star Monnette Bennett made just two of her eight first-half shots on Wednesday, Mikell came out in the third quarter and pumped life into the Lady Blue Devils, helping them to a 48-33 win over Ware County and a spot in the Class AAAA tournament next week.
    “We just ran our offense (in the second half),” said Mikell, simply. “We really weren’t running out offense in the first half. We just took our time, ran our offense and found the open person.”
    Mikell finished with 13 points and three rebounds. She canned three from beyond the arc to turn momentum in a contest that was anybody’s game.
    Mikell averages 8.3 points a game while dishing out 2.1 assists. She also grabs 3.1 steals a game and is pulling down close to four boards each time out.
    Mikell and the Blue Devils will go for a region title this weekend, playing Brunswick on Friday at Glynn Academy. A win then will put SHS in the championship game Saturday night, also at GA.