COVINGTON, Ga. — Across many of the Indian Creek Middle School athletic programs, athletics liaison Carovita Hill labeled the 2022-23 school year a “skill-building” year. 

Multiple teams were mainly sixth or seventh grade heavy. But looking forward to next year, Hill’s enthusiasm is through the roof. 

“It was still a good year for athletics. Next year will be even better,” Hill said. “Our seventh grade group is really our core group. We have a lot of true athletes in that group. I feel like next year we’ll be in a better position with most of the sports. 

“I am very optimistic that next year will be even better for us.”

Indian Creek’s softball team was the only squad to win a championship. The Lady Panthers finished the season undefeated and won the NewRock League title. 

Hill even believes the softball team will “be putting another banner on the wall next year.” 

Girls soccer and the wrestling team each made the playoffs. The Panthers’ track group featured a lot of sixth graders, too. 

The boys and girls basketball team each experienced a rebuilding year. Indian Creek’s boys team was coming off a 2021-22 NewRock League championship with a good portion of eighth graders. 

Football fell in the same category of rebuilding, too. 

When asked which players were destined to make significant noise on the high school scene, Hill couldn’t narrow it down to just a few. 

A plethora of names came to mind that made it tough for Hill to cover all the bases. 

However, there was one thing Hill pointed out clearly about each player’s potential that transcends the fields and courts. 

“I don’t base our seasons and success on wins and losses,” Hill said. “But we’re trying to turn the culture around as far as making academics and discipline our primary focus. In that aspect, it’s been great. 

“I always tell [the athletes], ‘You have to be a student first. If you can’t do it in the classroom, you’re not doing it out here with us.’”

In addition to the coaches and players, Hill highlighted another party that has been crucial to Indian Creek athletics — the parents. 

“We’ve had some very supportive parents this year that have stepped up and really helped us out,” Hill said. “They came up here and did lunches and stuff. I communicate a lot with our parents and I’m often thanking them for their support. Ultimately without them we couldn’t do this.”

The 2022-23 school year was Hill’s first year in her current role. She serves under the Panthers’ athletic director Michael Chapple. 

Upon reflection of her first go round, Hill shared what serving the student-athletes in this capacity means to her. 

“I love it. As stressful as it can be, I love it,” Hill said. “I like to look at myself as more like a logistics person. Just making sure we have buses, officials, budgets are good and being able to have access to that and communicate with a lot of people. I met a lot of new people that I wouldn’t have typically talked to if I wasn’t in this role.” 

With the summer at the halfway mark, the 2023-24 school year is quickly approaching. 

It won’t be long before Aug. 1 – which marks the first day of school — will be here and athletics will be back in full swing at Indian Creek Middle. 

Hill and the entire administration have plans to adopt a student athletic handbook. 

The premise of the handbook is to focus on having “Panther PRIDE” — P: Passion, R: Respect, I: Integrity, D: Discipline and E: Effort. 

Here’s another snippet from the handbook, too: 

“While some schools may recognize the pride in winning, it does not supersede the educational goals of our middle school athletics…The athletic program at Indian Creek Middle School is believed to be a valuable asset to the total education process; therefore, the program operates within the same objectives and goals of the overall educational program…Their athletic endeavors enrich and augment the education they receive inside the classroom.”

No matter what the future holds for Panthers’ athletics, Hill has no doubt the student-athletes will give it their all. And that is what’s most important to her. 

Nevertheless, Hill still has great anticipation for what lies ahead. 

“All of the kids are coachable. You can tell the ones that genuinely want it,” Hill said. “I like the way it’s going and I wouldn’t change anything about it.”