Cherokee County Students Win State Gold; Basketball Team Heads to USA Games

<p><em>Woodstock Community News| Woodstock, GA</em></p><p>Cherokee County School District students brought home gold medals across multiple sports at the recent Special Olympics 2026 State Indoor Winter Games in Cobb County. Following the victory, the district’s unified basketball team has qualified to compete on the national stage at the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota this June.</p><p>Teams representing the district earned top honors in unified basketball, traditional basketball, ramp bowling, and traditional bowling. The unified basketball team, which pairs Special Olympians with peer helper partners, secured their spot for the summer games with a roster including athletes Tylor Armstrong and Mikey Moreno (Sequoyah HS), Mairin Crossman (River Ridge HS), and Leah Weatherby (Cherokee HS). They played alongside partners Riley Buck, Wyatt Head, Cris Holderness, and Nate Weatherby.</p><p>Several Woodstock-area students contributed to the gold medal haul in bowling events. Winners included Imani Cherry of Woodstock Middle School and Hadley Stavropoulos of Little River Elementary School in ramp bowling, as well as Luke Spiker of Woodstock High School in traditional bowling. The teams were supported by coaching staff from Woodstock and Creekview High Schools, including Woodstock High staff members Kathleen Eder and Kelleye Greene.</p><p>According to the school district, the athletes, their coaches, and CCSD Adapted PE Coach Ben Farist will be formally recognized by the Superintendent and School Board at an upcoming meeting. Farist also serves as the Cherokee County Special Olympics coordinator.</p>