[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E268-E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN HONOR OF THE 2018-2019 AAAAA STATE CHAMPIONS: THE BAINBRIDGE 
                         BEARCATS FOOTBALL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 7, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
2018-2019 AAAAA Football Georgia State Champions, the Bainbridge High 
School Bearcats of Bainbridge, Georgia. The team will be celebrating 
this significant milestone with a celebration on Monday, March 18, 
2019, at Centennial Field in Bainbridge, Georgia.

[[Page E269]]

  On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, the Bearcats won the state 
championship game against the Warner Robins Demons (47-41) in triple 
overtime. This historic victory marked the second state football title 
in Bearcat history and the first since 1982. The team has played both 
their lowest-scoring and highest-scoring games of the season against 
the Demons, scoring zero points in October of 2018 and 47 points at the 
state championship game in December.
  Their victory in this year's AAAAA state championship embodied 
decades of frustration, hard work, and determination bursting forth 
into an unbelievable season of athletic excellence and teamwork. The 
Bainbridge Bearcats is the first team in Georgia since 1992 to go from 
a .500 winning percentage or below to state champions. The team 
traveled over 1,853 miles and went on to defeat five consecutive top 
ten opponents for the first time in school history, won four 
consecutive state playoff road wins for the first time in the school's 
history, and finished with a 10+ win season for only the 6th time in 
school history.
  The Bainbridge Bearcats finished their season with a seven-game 
winning streak, five of which were on the road. The team also set 
school records for interceptions returned for touchdowns, sacks, and 
blocked kicks and punts. Additionally, the team's seniors completed 
their high school career with an astonishing 36-16 record, the best for 
any senior class in school history.
  I cannot put into words the amount of pride that the citizens of 
Bainbridge, and indeed in the entire Second Congressional District, has 
in being able to call this outstanding team of athletes its own. They 
have accomplished an incredible feat, one that could not have been 
possible without the tireless leadership and encouragement from their 
head coach, Jeff Littleton and his staff, as well as their families, 
classmates, and members of the community who believed in their ability 
to bring home a state championship title.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, 
along with the more than 730,000 constituents of Georgia's Second 
Congressional District in recognizing these hardworking young men who 
have persevered, made sacrifices, and developed the character that will 
help them to succeed in other aspects of life, and in congratulating 
them on their historic achievement.

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