Smoke Signals

JV Soccer

Jared Grant, Guest Writer

The first practice for ECHS JV Boys soccer happened on Monday, February 2nd. A lot of new faces showed up, and some old ones did too. Potential players walked from their 4th block class down to the stadium, and then they made a walk to the grass fields above the stadium. As they made their way up the field, the coach pulled some boys aside to give them their training gear. The soccer team also got new training gear; they changed from the plain black and white and added some new colors. The players loved the jerseys. “They’re chill,” stated one player. 

Once they were up on the field, they started their warmups, led by some sophomores. They started jogging first, then moved into some exercises to get the blood pumping. After finishing their warmups, Coach Pearce called them into the middle of the field and went over the first drill, which was 1v1s. After that, Coach Pearce called them into the middle once more to go over some rules before he went on to the next drill. Coach Pearce evenly split the boys into 4 different spots: 2 lines behind one goal and 2 lines behind the other. They did several 2v2 and 3v2 situations. After the semi-scrimmage finished, Coach Pearce went over some key aspects on how he wants the boys to play. “I think we have a good season ahead of us!” one freshman proclaimed.

Do you want to watch Coach Pearce’s tactics and training in action? Show out next week on Wednesday, at McIntosh Highschool to see them face off against their boys’ JV team.

Basketball

Juliana Maxfield, Guest Writer

On January 23, ECHS’s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams had a heated game against Carrollton in Thrower Gym.

At the beginning of the game, my team and I lined up to cheer on the boys being called for the starting lineup. Fans from both schools packed the gym, making noise for their teams. I looked up from the sidelines to see the crowd filled with different shades of pink, showing breast cancer awareness. 

The game was intense; the loud ring from the referee’s whistle never stopped, and free throws were being thrown left and right. “Braylon, let’s go! Make that free throw, shoot two!” My cheer team and I say as I walk in front of the team to jump. Braylon dribbles the ball, shoots it, and makes it in the hoop. I jumped and hit a right hurdler before clapping and waving to the crowd. He shoots his last free throw, but misses. “That’s alright, that’s okay. Shake it off, shake it off,” I say while walking back to my spot in formation.

During the last quarter, it was neck and neck. Every time Carrollton made a shot, EC made a shot, and vice versa. Finally, during the last minute of the game, the Indians took the lead and won the game! The audience immediately roared in happiness. 

The boys’ team has made it to regional playoffs, which take place this Saturday at Legacy Arena. If you want to have fun and support your school, show up and show out!

Girls Wrestling

Rebecca Durham, Guest Writer

    The girls wrestling team has the chance to compete to see who is the best of the best at Area, Sectionals and State Traditional at two different high schools and the Clayton Co Coliseum within the next two to three weeks. 

    The girls’ wrestling program is a growing program from starting with four individuals last year and finishing the season with ten this year. Many of the players have had injuries and could not compete, including: Bleigha Palmer, Isabella Wadell, Julia Watkiss, and Emily Henderson. Although they are injured, a few of them still show their school spirit and ride along with the team to tournaments. In recent events, Area has just token place on February 3rd, and two have moved on to sectionals as placers and two that are alternates. Sectionals are on February 6th, and this tournament will decide if they move on to State.

   Many of the girls are disappointed the season is over and that the fun has ended, but many have other sports that are before, during, and after the season. Their fun isn’t over just yet; one of those includes Kaylee King, who is a ninth grader. When asked about how she does wrestling while juggling two other sports, she said, ¨”Wrestling is a super fun sport and the coaches are very lenient with multiple sport athletes. I recommend you come to wrestling; the bond between the team is really incredible, and the bus rides home are really fun. Everyone is always there for each other. ¨ ” Yet wrestling is not for everyone, so there is a position for managers that can watch and keep score for the wrestlers. There are many managers, but one that stands out is Daja Foster, who is in 10th grade. The statement she gave was, ¨”It feels like a family and it’s such a big support system; I’m never alone.¨” The season of wrestling has ended for many, but many are still fighting through. With that season ended, yet there are many summer activities they do they enjoy. Would you like to join next year? It’s never too late to join.

Boys Basketball

Colt White, Guest Writer

 Last Friday night was special at East Coweta High School as the boys’ varsity basketball team celebrated senior night with a huge region victory over Chapel Hill High School, 71-57! This win advanced the Indians to second place in the region, behind Westlake High School. The spotlight belonged to seniors Harper Rife, who scored 28 points, and Jaydon Johnson, who scored 17 points and posted 7 rebounds. The junior, David Askew, also contributed largely, scoring a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

    The game started out incredibly physical, making the basketball court look like a football field! Both teams went back and forth throughout the first quarter. However, the Indians made a statement from the start of the second quarter, knocking down crucial shots to jump ahead by around 15 points heading into halftime. Harper was a key part in this run with his four 3-point makes. Even when Chapel Hill tried to come back, it was too late. Through the next two quarters, the Indians stayed locked in. Jaydon Johnson and David Askew pushed through to end the game strong in their impressive performances. Thrower Gym was electric, which played a crucial role in the Indians’ success in securing the victory. Jack Shaner, a fan of East Coweta High School, said, “It was incredibly fun, the crowd was hype, and I’m glad the Indians won.” Boys varsity basketball shooting guard, Braylon Marshall, remarked, “Our pace and strong defensive effort led us to a victory.” 

    It was a night full of fun, honoring the class of 2026, with a loud student section! The students make East Coweta athletics exciting; however, attendance isn’t as high as it should be for a team of this caliber. The Indians do not have anymore regular season home games, but the Indians will likely make the playoffs. If the Indians host a playoff game in Thrower Gym, students, staff, and alumni, please come out and support them! Urge your friends to come out as well! Your commitment and showing up really dictate who wins the game.

Lacrosse

Ellie Dobrotka, Guest Writer

    The girls’ lacrosse team has been practicing every day after school at the football field ever since the season started. 

    However, most girls have been training for the games since the offseason. In the offseason, girls lift weights in the morning before school starts. Tryouts took place in the first week of January, after getting back from Christmas break. The girls on the team report that the practices have been very efficient. A sophomore, Callie Flury, the varsity team’s goalie, stated, “I would say practices are going really well! We’re getting a lot of improvement this season, and everyone’s looking good.” Another player, Alex Brown, a sophomore, said, “I think lacrosse practice is going great!” She currently plays as a junior varsity midi.

    Since then, the varsity team has been working hard at practice, getting ready for its upcoming game this Thursday. The junior varsity team has its next game on February 12th. The season takes place from February to April, so there are plenty of games for one to watch! With usually at least 1 game per week. Anyone interested in watching lacrosse would enjoy these games. They can be very physical and fast-paced. The girls would appreciate your support!

Soccer Tryouts

Luca Nozaki, Guest Writer

   Many students from ninth to twelfth grade, from January 20 to 22, were at the stadium and upper fields scrimmaging to determine everybody’s ability for soccer tryouts. 

   People can come away from similar situations with astronomically different views and experiences. On very windy and freezing days, there were 56 kids in total trying out for the boys’ soccer team. I could not help but notice the large number of juniors returning and new freshmen. Throughout the duration of the tryouts, we were playing 11 v 11 on half-field or small-sided games while waiting for our team’s turn. When the second day did not occur because of weather, some were distraught that there would be only one day to express their abilities, but some were happy. With coaches watching your every move and decision you made on the field, for some, a sense of doubt crept in. However, for more experienced players, the feeling after a mistake did not linger, and they lost no confidence. Everybody had their unique feelings about how the tryouts went. Some students, like Emmanuel, a tenth grader, said,” Well, it was one of the worst experiences of my life.” Others had a completely different perspective. Domas, a tenth grader, said, “I was confident in my own abilities as a player and teammate that I would make the team.” Both were called to be on the junior varsity team, but these quotes really show how people in the same situation can have polar opposite views and experiences.

  If you are interested in watching junior varsity boys play, the first game will be at Macintosh on February 11, starting at 6 pm. I believe soccer will enthrall most who come and watch, even those who may not know the rules.

Boys Wrestling

Wyatt Parris, Guest Writer

On January 10th, 2026, the East Coweta Indians were facing off against the Carrolton Trojans to become Region Champions for 6A boys wrestling. Even though EC hasn’t been region champions in 4 years, this is the year to do it. EC wrestlers have put in the time and effort to win this dual, and they deserve it. They prove why wrestling is so great.

     It comes down to the final match between Matthew Federico and Carrollton’s 138-pounder. Matthew told me, leading his win, “After I got the winning pin, helping our team be region champs for the first time in 4 years. Especially after getting lifted, just a crazy, crazy experience and I would love to do it again” (Matthew Federico, 10th, 138lbs). Matthew is a prime example of why wrestling is so great. He wasn’t the best at first, but then put his time into it and he became good enough to get the clutch win for EC. 

    Also, there are many perspectives too, such as Isaac Factor. He expressed, “Even though I didn’t wrestle in the final dual, being able to support my team and be there to bring up the energy made me realize why I’m wrestling, and why I am going to stick with it” (Isaac Factor, 10th, 150lbs). Isaac didn’t get to wrestle in the end, but he got to be there and support his team, and he loved it. So no matter if you are supporting the team or getting those clutch wins, being on the team through wins and hardship is a great experience for anyone. 

    If you think you like wrestling, come out on Saturday, February 6th, and come watch the boys compete at sectionals! You can watch some of the best guys in the state wrestle so they can make a run at the state tournament. Coming out and watching is all it takes; just one good match and you can see why wrestling is so great.

Winter Percussion

Ella Zeqiri, Guest Writer

Drums in a gym. The East Coweta Front Ensemble practiced last Thursday on 1/29/2026 in the band room and in the gym. 14 members help bring storytelling and musical joy to life. The reason for this practice was indoor percussion. Practice included practicing their show music for their upcoming show and improving said music. 

I arrived in the band room at 3:35 pm and saw members already putting up chairs and stands in order to start practice on time. I jump in to help as this will help the process go faster, after a swift 20 minutes. We finish and relax before moving all the instruments into place. 4:00 pm rolls around and we start on time. Our front ensemble consists of fourteen members: three marimbas, three vibraphones, one xylophone, two rack players, one drum set, one electric guitar, one bass guitar, and two synthesizers. We start with our usual music warm-ups with advice and comments by our technician, Gavin, along the way. We take an hour of warming up before finally moving onto show music. We worked on putting together our final piece of music from the 3 we have. On a break we had, I asked my leader why she loves indoor percussion so much and why she stuck with it for 4 years. Her response was this, “Seeing everyone come together to create one big story in the form of music inspires me to keep going and improving every day.” – Rebekah Epps, 12th grade, Front Ensemble Section Leader. We head into the gym and have a huge rehearsal with the battery and cymbals. Our battery has 3 snare drums, 1 tenor drum, and 5 bass drums, as well as 5 cymbal players. This is where we get the phrase “Drums in a gym”. The front ensemble helps bring out melodies, and the drum set and center marimba look and hear back for time from the center snare so the whole musical show can be together. After an amazing rehearsal, I asked my tech, Gavin, for his thoughts about practice and why he loves teaching and comes back to teach us every season. He responds with, “I don’t love teaching. I love guiding people who have the same passion as me to achieve greatness. This comes in two forms. The first being a good experience as a musician. The second being a good experience as a person. I’m not only teaching you music. I’m also teaching you what it’s like to be a young adult. I treat you that way, I teach that way. It makes the process more fun for the student and myself as well. Teaching isn’t my passion; music is, and setting you up for musical success is why I show up every day.” – Gavin Duvall, front ensemble technician. I guess that just shows how much Gavin wants the best for his ensemble.

Indoor percussion is and can be a great experience for anyone. As long as you have the effort to learn, indoor percussion is for everyone! We practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting at 4pm and ending at 7pm or 8pm depending on the day. Everyone is welcome to come and watch our practice and the battery to see how we operate and have fun. We start our tryouts in November after marching season is over and start our season in December. Indoor percussion only contains percussion instruments, as the name suggests. If you have questions, ask any indoor percussion member or even one of the band directors. We would love to have you!

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Track and Field

Jeremiah Griffin, Guest Writer

Monday through Friday, after school until 5:30, in the Garland Shoemake stadium, the ECHS track & field team began their practice in order to be ready and conditioned for upcoming time trials. Time trials are set to begin February 28th at McIntosh High School; the team must prepare to compete against the other schools that plan to be attending. During the practice, the runners were constantly moving and working, despite being tired. Throughout the week, the team alternated between strength, endurance, and speed workouts. After practice, members of the track team were asked to describe the hype and excitement revolving around the upcoming time trials, as well as what they are doing to prepare themselves. Conner Schwartz, a 200 meter sprinter for the team, answered, “Yeah, I’m kinda excited for it, but I’m nervous at the same time. I have not missed a day of training, and I’ve nearly taken 3 seconds off my time already.” Oliver Smith, a 100 meter sprinter, gave a new perspective: “I’m really hyped for it; though I am only really doing track for conditioning, it is still fun to attend and run.” Although the two perspectives are different, they still reflect that the team is excited and ready for the upcoming time trials. 

Attending their practice and talking with them truly showed the amount of perseverance the team had. They were able to fight adversity every day of the week, as well as show that they were beyond prepared for the upcoming time trials they have. To wrap it up, attending the ECHS track & fields team’s practice showed that they are very prepared and excited for the upcoming time trials.

Varsity Basketball

David Whitmire, Guest Writer

I attended the East Coweta Boys’ Varsity basketball game last Friday, and the atmosphere was electric.

It started off great; after announcing the seniors for Senior Night, it was straight to tip-off. East Coweta started off with some strong defense to set the tone and then continued to dominate the entire first quarter. Then, during the second quarter, some big plays happened; Chapel Hill simply did not have an answer for Harper Rife and David Askew, on the fast break Harper threw the lob for David off the backboard, and he punched it; the stadium immediately erupted, this was the moment I knew Chapel Hill was not winning this game. Kruz Nichols, a 10th-grade student attendee, even explained,” My favorite play was Harper’s off the backboard lob to David Askew.” Going into the second half, Chapel Hill would have to figure out how to make it work on offense because it seemed like their entire team was being held on the back of just a couple players. Brooks Saunders, another 10th-grade student attendee, even quoted, “Number 11 for Chapel Hill was a great player.” This is because number 11 seemed like their only breath of life in the battle. Thankfully, going through the second half, the pattern stayed the same: East Coweta dominated on both ends of the floor; playing hard defense, getting rebounds, and penetrating the paint. Chapel Hill played hard until the very end, but it simply was not enough. East Coweta took the victory, and the students were going home happy.

Soon, East Coweta will go to the playoffs, and they still need their students there to support them as they hopefully make a run for a title. After this battle, I truly believe this team has what it takes to go all the way and bring pride to East Coweta. If you want to support your Indians, come to the next game at Westlake where the Indians will fight for another victory.

Girls Lacrosse

Callie Flury, Guest Writer

The sound of lacrosse balls flying in the air from stick to stick and swooshing into the goal is what the air was filled with at East Coweta High School as the girls’ lacrosse tryouts came to an end. After two days of drills, conditioning, and shooting, players pushed through with endurance on the school’s football field and in the weight room, hoping to earn a spot on the roster. The tryouts brought together returning and new athletes, all working side by side as the coaches evaluated each player by skill, effort, and teamwork. On the field, players focused on shooting accuracy and passing, while others moved to the weight room to show off their strength and endurance. The energy stayed high throughout all the days as teammates encouraged each other, even though the pressure of final decisions was still present.

    Sophmore Ellie Dobroka, who plays attack, shared her excitement about tryouts and seeing the team come together. ” I’m most excited to get to see everyone that’s trying out! “Dobroka said. For many players, tryouts are not just about making the team, but also reconnecting with friends and meeting new teammates who could shape the season. Coach Bridgette Robertson emphasized how much work the players have already put in before the season officially begins. ” Our girls have been working hard in the off season and it shows, ” Robertson said. ” We have also added a lot of new athletes to our team this season. The coaching staff is looking forward to a great competitive season! “

    As tryouts wrapped up, the players left knowing they had given their best effort. With the final roster decided, the girls’ lacrosse program looks ready to take on the season with determination and a strong work ethic that was clear through tryouts. If you want to watch this amazing group of girls, go to the East Coweta Girls Lax Instagram page, where you can see their game schedule.

Wrestling

Wyatt Simpson, Guest Writer

  East Coweta High School Wrestling took on the Carrollton County High School Wrestling team on January 10th, 2026, at home in the Thrower Gym for the region title. It all came down to the final nail-biting match between Matthew Federico at 132lbs for East Coweta and Carltons 132lbs and after a tough battle with immense pressure Mathew Federico was able to secure a pin in the second round and winning East Coweta their first region title in that region.  

 10th-grade Hayes Huddleston, who is the 132lbs wrestler for East Coweta says ¨The duel was on the line. Everyone was focused even the teams that had competed previously. It would all come down to the final match between Matt (Mathew Federico) at 138lbs versus Carlton County’s 138 lbs wrestler. Matt needed to win the match at all costs because if he did not, East Coweta would have lost the region title and. Also, I have never been in an atmosphere quite like that; all around it was a super exciting night going back and fourth all night long. We were all nervous because we did not know how it was going to play out but from the first whistle, Matt showed pure dominance and was able to secure a pin in the second round and get us our title.”    10th-grade Ben Thrailkill, who is the 150lbs wrestler for East Coweta says ¨”It was an electric match after a couple hard fought matches and securing the win on those we had a moment of realization were going into the final match the decider and one that decides who gets the region title. Matt had to a big pin to win, it all rested on his shoulders. He got the win and I promise you I have never been in the gym when it was so loud. I mean, I’m pretty sure that the floor was actually shaking.¨”   If you are looking to come to a wrestling meet your in luck because East Coweta has the honor of hosting sectionals witch is the second biggest high school wrestling event in Georgia and it will be in the thrower Gym this weekend (Feb,7th, 2026) come out and support are Indians. #TomahawkIUp

Baseball

Jakob Gonzalez, Guest Writer

    The East Coweta Indians varsity baseball team will take the field this week in a scrimmage against the McIntosh Chiefs in order to prepare for the upcoming season. Coming off a great 2025 campaign where the Indians won the region championship and ended their season in the Sweet Sixteen, they are ambitious to make it further and possibly play for a state championship. With state championship ambitions, the Indians have been doing their part to prepare for the upcoming season. While they have taken the right steps in preparation, there are going to be some challenges that the team is going to face. Current adversity that the team is facing includes the fact that there will only be four players from last year’s starting lineup to make a return.

With the veteran leadership from returners Jax
 Bowles, Hunter Bedenbaugh, Lathan Gibby, and Jakob Gonzalez, the East Coweta coaching staff has faith in these players to be good role models and examples for the new and very inexperienced varsity roster. Many are excited for this new look of East Coweta baseball, but the coaching staff and many players are leaning on these new guys to step up into crucial and important roles on the team. For example, Jakob Gonzalez, returning
 starter, quoted, “while we are inexperienced, I’m looking forward to some of these newer guys on varsity to show us what they really got.” The players and coaches would appreciate your support this season, and if interested, one can find news about the team and upcoming games on East Coweta baseball’s social media account or on the East Coweta baseball website.

Football Dog Days

Nick Carroll, Guest Writer

I am Nicholas Carroll, and I am writing about Dog Days, which take place in April at East Coweta High School, to tell you about the hard work/determination to play football at EC.  

During Dog Days we have to get to EC at five thirty in the morning to be ready by six. When we walk on the field, it is dark but the light from the bright Friday night lights makes us feel like we are ready for game day. Dog Days is working us through intense training and conditioning. We all have to run, jump, do up-downs, and push ourselves to the limit to show what we have to play football. The fog and the steam coming off our heads make it humid outside and make us sweat more, so we really work ourselves to make sure we all have a chance to play on Friday nights. Noah Bellamy said, ” Dog Days are a lot better this year than last year when the loser had a hundred and fifty up-downs.” Then Carter Sharpe said, ” Since it was colder this year and the heat wasn’t as bad, we didn’t get as tired as fast.” 

The next Dog Days will be this April 2026. All the players and people who are trying out are ready for the hard work to be put in.

Wrestling

Kyron White, Guest Writer

Friday, January 30th, was the day for region wrestling in the state of Georgia. We will focus on the 6A region 2 meet, where the energy was nothing short of amazing. This was an important competition because it determined several things: region seeding, who goes to state, and who will receive accolades. The event took place at Carrollton High School, where five teams went toe to toe: East Coweta, Westlake, Carrolton, Chapel Hill, and Douglas County. We will focus on East Coweta High School, which put on an energetic performance.

    As soon as I stepped into the Carrolton gym, I could feel how high the stakes were. I saw the teams getting warmed up. Then, as I was watching the matches, I realized the amount of grit and determination these wrestlers truly posses. East Coweta’s Jayden Ramon was a star for the Indians, racking up many victories throughout his matches. Jayden even won the region in his weight class, which is an incredible feat. After the tournament, I spoke with two wrestlers from East Coweta: Matthew Federico and Colton Goodwin. Matthew told me, “I was proud of how the team performed.” Colton said, “It was very energetic and thrilling.” 

    I never knew how entertaining the sport of wrestling truly was until I stepped out of my comfort zone. I strongly urge you to do the same and cheer on our East Coweta Indians as they look to win a state title.

Track and Field

Liberty McCaskill

   The high school track season is coming up! Tryouts are over, and practice has begun. The ECHS students who made the team practice every day after school in order to prepare for the season, which is approaching quickly. Practice is at the East Coweta High School track in Garland Shoemake Stadium from 4:00 to 5:30pm. 

   Though it is early February and it is still pretty cold out, this does not stop the adamant athletes from working hard to prepare for the season. Some people, however, may argue, “It’s too cold for this!” (Liberty McCaskill, 10th). Luckily, the sun comes out every once in a while and makes for a productive and somewhat relaxing afternoon. Girls and boys line up on the rubbery track, and a common phrase sounds before the action begins: “On your mark, set, -CLAPP!”

    Though it may be too late for new additions to the team, if you are interested, you can attend the track meets and think about joining us next season. The first track meet is next Tuesday at McIntosh High School. Come out and support the track team as they begin their season! You can also follow the team’s page on social media to stay updated. 

Baseball

Tristan Gopie, Guest Writer

The East Coweta baseball team is suiting up for baseball practice today, and this is what you need to know. With a new season around the corner, the team needs to prepare for the upcoming season and stop messing around.

As soon as that 3:30 bell hits, all the baseball players throughout the school hurry over to the field to get changed and prepared for practice by any means possible. Once all the players have gotten physically ready for practice, everyone shall come together as a team and debrief over the plan for the day. To start practice, we were told to go hit in the cage by Coach Acree. Once the team got in the cage and started working through the drills, the coach got mad and yelled, “If you wanna do the drills and get better; do them right!” The whole team had become confused because everybody was supposedly doing the drills the right way, but as we looked around, we realized we were the ones doing the wrong drill, causing the team to get in trouble. Once we realized what we had done, we locked in as a group for the rest of the time, taking good swings one person at a time. Bing, Bing, Bing! A bat hitting a ball one after another for the next two hours until the sun came down, and it was time to pack up and head home. Although it was a short practice, and all we did was hit in the cages for a few hours Coach Summers still called up the team to say “Good work today guys although things were a little rocky in the beginning y’all
 boys locked in and fixed it, now y’all go home and get some rest because tomorrow things won’t be as easy.” Once we finished the talk, we realized as a team we need to lock in, but we still have two weeks before the season starts and that we just need to handle each practice one day at a time.