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RUNNING REBEL
Everett has high hopes for final prep campaign
Kody Everett
Effingham County’s Kody Everett, a former baseball player, was the leading junior runner in Region 2-AAAAAA last season.
Trice Williams
Effingham Herald
Published: Jul 24, 2019, 1:29 PM

SPRINGFIELD — No matter what happens this season, Kody Everett won’t have any regrets. The rising senior for the Effingham County boys’ cross-country team has poured his heart and soul into the squad. 

Realizing that this is his last year in red and blue is a hard pill to swallow, but he’s given every bit of himself toward bettering the program and himself. 

“It’s sad,” Everett said. “I’m also happy because I have worked my tail off all summer long. Starting my freshman year not knowing anything about running to my senior year running 16s and 17s, it’s completely worth it.”

Before he was on his way to becoming the No.1 junior in Region 2-AAAAAA last year, Everett was on the baseball diamond. That was until his friends convinced him to give running a try. He then decided both sports required rigorous attention and only one would fit intp with his schedule. So, he traded in his cleats for a pair of running shoes and never looked back. 

“Baseball was my first love,” Everett said. “I started playing when I was nine or ten. Then I moved into cross country my freshman year. I fell in love with it and it gradually became bigger than that. It was a tough scenario because I’d go into cross country in the fall and then I would get ready for baseball in spring, and trying to balance back and forth between the two sports was hard. I had to make a choice. My dad die it in high school at Statesboro. Then I had some friends running, too, and they wanted me to come out because they knew I used to run a little bit here and there. I told them I would come out and practice, and see how it was. I fell in love with it after that.” 

But in the beginning, Everett didn’t see his full potential. His father took notice of the budding runner in him, but Everett needed a little more convincing. 

“My dad told me I had potential but, as a kid, I figured it was just a fantasy,” Everett said. “My sophomore year, I ran an 18 flat and I realized I could go big places with running.” 

The Rebels will open the season in the Saucony Classic on Aug. 24. 

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Everett said. “The first cross country race is always the most exciting. You don’t know how to feel, what to think or what to do. You either do really good or bad.”

Everett credits second-year head coach Pam Richards for his progress as she’s played a vital role in encouraging him and the rest of the team. Having her by his side has been a difference maker and Everett is pleased to have one more season with her. 

“It’s very uplifting,” he said. “She is always there for me and I am always there for her. I am there to help her with questions she doesn’t know because I have been here for four years.

“She backs me up and it’s very good for her to be out there.” 
Effingham County Softball Wins 6-5 vs Seckinger, Heads to Columbus
Senior Shelby Zeigler Clutch at the Plate and in the Field as Rebels Eye Oct. 29 Elite Eight
Effingham County Softball
Effingham County players and coaches celebrate a thrilling 6-5 win over Seckinger on Tuesday, punching their ticket to the Class 5A Elite Eight in Columbus. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Oct 21, 2025, 9:18 PM
Published: Oct 21, 2025, 9:10 PM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – Effingham County’s softball team is heading back to Columbus for the fourth consecutive year after a dramatic win over Seckinger.

Senior Shelby Zeigler broke a 5-5 tie with a two-out, sixth-inning single. She also ended the game defensively, catching a line drive at third base and tagging out Milan Torres for a game-ending double play.

“I knew something had to be done by somebody. I just had to do it,” Zeigler said. “We knew this game was going to go back and forth, but we thought we’d win because we had the better team. It was a great feeling, especially since it’s my last game on this field.”

Effingham County Softball
Senior Shelby Zeigler came through in the clutch, delivering a two-out, sixth-inning single to break a 5-5 tie and making a sensational game-ending play to send Effingham County to the Class 5A Elite Eight. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)

Momentum swings back and forth
The Rebels (27-7), ranked No. 3 in ScoreAtlanta’s Class 5A pre-playoff top 10, lost the first game of the series 10-6 after leading 3-1 in the seventh but bounced back with a 6-3 win in the second game.

In the decisive third game, Seckinger jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but ECHS responded with three runs. They added a run in the second and extended the lead to 5-2 in the fifth on Mady Reagan’s RBI single.

The Jaguars (19-11) rallied in the sixth inning, driving in two runs. Shortstop Cheyenne Hart’s relay throw cut down McKenzie Prince at the plate, preserving the lead.

“When (Prince) slid, her legs were off the ground and I tagged her on the shoulder before she touched the plate,” catcher Gracie LaFleur said. “She was definitely out. I was just hoping the umpire saw that.”

In the bottom of the sixth, LaFleur doubled, setting the stage for Zeigler’s clutch hit. Seckinger had one last chance in the seventh, but Zeigler made a game-ending play to seal the victory.

Looking ahead to Columbus
The Rebels will open the Elite Eight double-elimination tournament on Oct. 29.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Thompson said. “We replaced a whole infield. We needed innings from Ava (Wiley, pitcher) to complement Ansleigh (Giordano), and we got it. We had good players who did more than expected — and that’s the definition of Rebel pride.”