CSD Athletics: Bulldog News

Bulldog Families,

Thank you for taking the time to read through ALL of the momentous accomplishments we are celebrating is CSD Athletics! Our students and coaches consistently amaze us with their athleticism and sportsmanship in competition, as well as their dedication and integrity as leaders in the Decatur community. We are honored to celebrate the achievements of our young Bulldogs at BHMS and the success of our veteran Bulldogs who are using the experience they've had in CSD to create opportunities at the next level. There is nothing more touching than to see our Bulldogs recognizing each other in so many different ways. Thanks to all of you who help build a community that goes above and beyond to celebrate all of our Bulldogs!

As we always say, there is always a lot to celebrate in CSD Athletics. If you have any questions or need guidance relating to our programs, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Thanks for your support. Go Bulldogs!!

Director of Activities & Athletics: Rodney Thomas

(rthomas@csdecatur.net)

Assistant Activities & Athletics Director: David Harbin

(dharbin@csdecatur.net)

Bookkeeper & Administrative Assistant: Kelli Aaron

(kaaron@csdecatur.net)

We are so proud of all of our Bulldog student-athletes who have made the decision to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. So much hard work, perseverance, and dedication go into making this dream a reality. We are honored to be able to celebrate with all of the athletes listed below. Great job, Bulldogs!!

Olivia Broderick - Soccer - Georgia Gwinnett College

Maddie Cooper - Soccer - Oberlin College

Ella Forsman - Lacrosse - Clark University

Marquavious Hood - Football - Jacksonville State University

Musa Mahitula - Football - Minnesota West Community & Technical College

Jasmine Peters - Lacrosse - Clark University

Decatur High School’s very own Bryce Howson, a standout junior on the Bulldogs basketball team, has been nominated for Sports Illustrated Georgia Boys High School Basketball Player of the Week! This recognition highlights Bryce’s stellar performances on the court, his leadership, and his commitment to improvement.

We are proud to have Bryce represent Decatur High School and the City Schools of Decatur on this prestigious list of nominees. Now, we need your help to support him!

Cast your vote for Bryce Howson here: Vote for Bryce

Congratulations to our Athletic Director, Mr. Rodney Thomas, who received the Blue & Gold Award! Coach Felton surprised Mr. Thomas with this thoughtful recognition as a part of the Football Signing Day. Mr. Thomas has been a model of leadership, dedication, and integrity in our Athletic Department for our coaches and our student-athletes. Thank you to Coach Felton and our Football program for creating a special moment and recognizing these valuable attributes in our Athletic Director.

On Friday night, we had the privilege of recognizing Ben Jones for his incredible achievement in the Special Olympics of Georgia Basketball game. Competing for the third year in a row, Ben’s hard work and passion for the game earned him the title of Most Valuable Player!

To celebrate this accomplishment, Coach Welsh and our Bulldogs presented Ben with a signed game ball and a game jersey as a token of appreciation for his dedication and support of Decatur Basketball.

Congratulations, Ben! We are so proud to have you representing City Schools of Decatur.

Congratulations to our Lady Bulldogs of Beacon Hill! The BHMS Bulldogs' season came to an end in the Final Four of the Dekalb Middle School Basketball Tournament. Our Bulldogs played with the same effort, intensity, teamwork, and positivity that they have displayed all year and came up just short of victory. We are so proud of our student-athletes! Thank you to Coach Hood and Coach Smith for the experience you created this year. Shout out to our cheerleaders and Bulldog parents who supported the team all season long. There's a bright future ahead for Lady Dawg Basketball and we're looking forward to it!

Our Bulldogs boys' basketball team finished their season last week by making an exciting run in the Dekalb County Basketball League Playoffs. After a first round victory, the Boys' team lost a tough game in the Elite Eight against a talented Stephenson team. We are so proud of our players, coaches (Coach Philippi and Coach Hardwick), and parents. The teamwork displayed by our BHMS Bulldogs, coaches, and Bulldog parents has been tremendous.

Shout out to our cheerleaders, cheer coaches (Coach Kay and Coach Daisy), and parents for their positive spirit all season!! Great job, Bulldogs!

Congratulations to our Wrestling Bulldogs for an impressive showing at the Sectional Meet. The Bulldogs took 12 (3 female and 9 male) wrestlers to compete in Houston County against top-level competition in 5A for a chance to advance to GHSA State Meet in Macon. Four of our Bulldogs advanced, including Nasir Braxton (1st place), Ronin Simms (2nd place), Lucian Brock (3rd place), and Bennett Knapp (6th place)!! As a team, the Bulldogs finished in 5th place!

The first round of the GHSA State Meet will be Friday morning. Our Bulldogs will wrestler to compete in the finals on Saturday. Best of luck to these wrestlers, Coach Salvador, Coach Shell, and everyone traveling to Macon to support!!

On Friday and Saturday, our Bulldogs took 16 athletes to the GHSA State Swim Meet at Georgia Tech. Team goals for this meet were for our kids to have fun, to bring as many swimmers back from prelims to finals as possible, and to break a school record. After Friday night's preliminaries session, our kids were having an absolute blast, EVERYONE qualified to return for finals, and the Bulldogs broke FIVE school records!

• 50 Freestyle (Isaiah Lewis 20.81)
• 100 Freestyle (Isaiah Lewis 45.90)
• 500 Freestyle (William Sollie 4:47.83)
• 200 Freestyle Relay (Calla Lockwood, Sidney Cape, Ani Painter, Melanie Joyner 1:39.95)
• 400 Freestyle Relay (Isaiah Lewis, William Sollie, Will Sauer, Tobias Hylen 3:16.79)

Congratulations to Isaiah Lewis for getting 2nd place in the state in both 50 and 100 freestyle! Isaiah also managed to break his own 100 freestyle school record every time he swam it in this meet.

Out of 40 5A schools competing in this meet, our Girls' team got 8th overall and our Boys' team got 9th. What an amazing end to an incredible season!

This year's Bulldog Bash is on March 22 at Independent Distilling Company. There will be a live, online auction featuring everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, tickets for sporting events, self-care and lots more. Plus, Hapa Kitchen will be serving up delicious Hawaiian comfort cuisine.

Save $5 per ticket when you purchase before February 22 using code EarlyBird5.

Do you have a connection, a talent, a vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student athletes? If so, please fill out this form!

All proceeds go to support Decatur Athletics, including more than 1,100 student athletes, on 57 teams, representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS.

Boosters offers ticket packs that are good for any game* throughout the year at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School. Click HERE to choose your level, and Go Bulldogs!

(*Excludes away games and playoff games.)

If you’ve ever wondered who’s playing what position, there’s now a roster for that. Check out the rosters for all fall sports HERE.

Please scroll through the options to find the sport appropriate to your visit. Click the team name or photo to be redirected to detailed information about each team. We appreciate your patience as we finalize our Fall Sports!

Watch the game while also raising money for your team. Any DBB-supported sport can earn up to $100 per game by encouraging their athletes to manage concessions.

• $20 per volunteer per game
• Max: 5 volunteers per game
• DBB pays quarterly payouts to the Athletics Play Fund for each participating sport

Sign up HERE!

We appreciate all of our local families and companies who step up to support our Bulldogs every year!!

Learn more about how you can become a Bulldog Sponsor for the 2024-25 school year by clicking the button below.

Check out the new Bulldog spirit wear, which will be on sale during home football games at the Decatur Bulldog Booster table. New styles and items are being printed as you read this, so check back often to make sure your Bulldog apparel hasn't turned into vintage wear!

Stay in the know on all things Boosters by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

@Decatur Bulldog Boosters

@rwtd5k

@decaturbulldogbash

Thursday, Feb. 13 - V Boys' Basketball vs. Tri-Cities - 5:30 PM

**Region Tournament Semifinal @ Woodward

Thursday, Feb. 13 - JV/V Boys' Soccer vs. Cross Keys - 6/8:00 PM

Friday, Feb. 14 - BHMS Girls' Soccer vs. Sutton - 5:15 PM (Ebster)

Monday, Feb. 17 - V Baseball vs. Redan - 5:55 PM

Friday, Feb. 21 - V Baseball vs. John Paul II - 5:30 PM

This year, we are excited to highlight our student-athletes and the value they bring to their teams and our school community!

Our teachers go above and beyond to support our student-athletes' interests and their success in the classroom. We are looking forward to highlighting our teachers and the impact they have on our students every day!

We are blessed to have so many thoughtful and dedication coaches supporting our student-athletes. We will use this space to highlight different coaches each week!

Here's a feel good story from Women's College Basketball: When TCU women's basketball faced a roster shortage and was on the brink of canceling their season one year ago, walk-on Ella Hamlin, along with a few others, participated in an open tryout to fill out the roster, stepping up to help a team in a time of need. One year later, it is obvious Hamlin's selflessness and commitment left a profound impact on her teammates and coaches, who recognized her value beyond statistics. In a heartfelt gesture, she was awarded a full scholarship, a testament to the team's appreciation for her courage and willingness to step into an unfamiliar role. Her story celebrates the importance of recognizing and valuing those who take risks and make a difference behind the scenes. Here's to those who play valuable roles on their team in ways that don't always show up on the scoreboard or the stat book and to the teammates and coaches who celebrate them!

"Celebrating the Under-frogs"

The role of an athlete's parent is challenging for many reasons! Finding opportunities for your child to participate, encouraging them to take risks, celebrating their accomplishments, supporting them through various challenges... It adds up and can take a toll. This resource from the Positive Coaching Alliance emphasizes the importance of building a partnership with your child's coach and provides helpful strategies to do so. There are many valuable lessons our students can learn through sports, many of which are not fun or easy to learn, and having adults who are working together makes the challenging times beneficial!

Tips for a Positive Parent/Caregiver-Coach Partnership

This year, the Bulldogs are partnering again with the Positive Coaching Alliance to enhance the experience of our students, coaches, and Bulldog families. The PCA has a vast number of resources that can help us make the most of our experience.

This resource is an activity we shared last year that aims at helping students and their families determine what their goals are as student-athletes. This exercise can spark some important conversations about how families decide to navigate this experience. Making sure everyone is on the same page about what desired outcomes can help to create a positive experience!

"What are YOUR Youth Sport Goals? Parent/Caregiver 100 Point Exercise"