By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

CENTRE – Cherokee County High School coach Josh Decker said he “feels real good” when he hears Nate Black’s name called during lineup introductions, then sees him jog out to center field during Warrior baseball games.

Lady Warrior volleyball coach Tiffany Rieger and soccer coach Paul Sewell feel the same way knowing Ava Haygood is in their respective lineups.

There’s plenty of “feel good” reasons to go around for both athletes.

Black finished last baseball season batting .318 with seven home runs, three doubles, 13 walks, 23 runs, and 20 RBIs, all numbers which helped lead the Warriors reach the Class 4A state playoffs.

In volleyball as an outside hitter, Haygood had 459 kills, 314 digs, 71 aces, 30 blocks, and 31 assists to help the Lady Warriors earn their first state title. As a soccer forward, Haygood scored 40 goals – including the 100^th of her career – in guiding the Lady Warriors to the second round of the state playoffs. She’s also the all-time goal scorer for Cherokee County in both the boys’ and girls’ soccer ranks.

Both Black and Haygood hope to give their respective North All-Star sports coaches that same feel-good feeling next week in Montgomery.

Black was selected for Monday’s North-South baseball series. Game one is scheduled for 4 p.m. at DABOS Park.

Haygood will pull double duty playing for the North girls soccer squad on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex, then suit up for the North volleyball All-Stars on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.

“It’s definitely a great feeling to be able to go down there and play,” Black said. “I’m definitely more than excited. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be there. I’ve been working all summer for it, to prep for it. I don’t want to go there and look like a fool. I’m trying to get myself right for it.”

Haygood is the second athlete from Cherokee County in the past three years to be selected for two AHSAA All-Star sports. Former Spring Garden basketball and volleyball standout Ace Austin was selected for those sports back in 2024, but only participated in basketball.

“It’s an honor to be chosen for one, but two is crazy,” Haygood said. “I just hope this (All-Star week) helps me get better at both sports for my senior year. I hope to build some strong connections with the girls on the teams.”

Rieger said Haygood has “done a good job of making a name for herself.” She’s proud of Haygood for “representing our whole program.”

“You can’t argue with her stats,” Rieger said. “She really came on at the beginning of the area tournament last season. She was the MVP. As we progressed through regionals and the state tournament, she was hands down one of the kill leaders every single match. She was voted to the all-tournament team at state. You have all of those accolades and it’s proof. It’s like ‘Hey, you can’t overlook this kid and what she’s accomplished.’

“I just hope she treasures the memories,” Rieger said. “I still remember mine (All-Star volleyball selection in 1999). It was a lot of fun and I hope she has a great experience like I did. It’s fun when everybody is on your level. There aren’t kids out there who don’t deserve to be out there. It forces you to raise your game and push yourself to see what you’re capable of.”

Ironically, Haygood found out she had been selected to the North-South All-Star Volleyball match from Rieger while she was at soccer practice.

“We had conditioning and Coach Rieger text me and said ‘Call me.’ I was like really scared. I thought something had happened, but I called her back and she was like ‘Ava you got selected for the North-South All-Star game.’ I was like ‘What?’ I had just gotten through running a mile.”

Sewell said Haygood’s versatility and vision are two of her greatest strengths in soccer. That’s certainly benefitted the Lady Warriors the past couple of seasons, allowing them to “open things up” on the field, he said.

“She’s right-handed and technically should be right footed, but she’s played so much with her left that she’s actually stronger on her left foot. It’s difficult to defend against,” Sewell said.

“Her vision is very impressive. She just sees the field. If she’s on the left side of the field, she can send the ball on the opposite side of the field on a dime. We should use that more because she sees it so well. Her footwork is great. Her speed is great. She sees the field, sees the pass before anyone else can see it.”

For Decker and the Warrior baseball team, Black’s attributes are equivalent to what Haygood offers in volleyball and soccer.

Decker said Black is “as complete a five-tool player as I’ve seen at the high school level.” He said he’s constantly working to improve his game, even on his own time.

“Any time we’ve got the facility open, any time we have anything that’s voluntary, he’s the first one to text me,” Decker said. “He stays up here, and when he’s up here, it’s not just to come and hang out. He’s here with a purpose, and that’s to get better at his craft and what he’s wanting to do.”

Decker also said Black understands his strengths, but he doesn’t solely rely on them.

“He’s always trying to figure out ways he can tweak some things to get better at,” Decker said. “As far as the outfield goes, I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a player who has the ability to shut the run game down like he does – not only with his arm, but the amount of ground he covers and being as big as he is.”

“The grind doesn’t stop,” Black said. “There’s always something I can get better at. There’s another award I can get. There’s someone else I can be better than. That’s what I work for, getting better every single day, getting that extra step to where I need to be.”

Black will be taking another big step toward where he wants to be come Monday in Montgomery.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for him,” Decker said. “There’s been some great talent come through here, and for him to be blessed with this honor is a testament to the season he had this past year, the work that he’s put in and continues to put in. It’s not something everybody gets to do. It’s a great honor. We’re super proud of him. We’re glad he’s able to go down there and get to experience it.”

Sand Rock will also have three athletes competing during the AHSAA’s All-Star Sports Week in Montgomery: Kaitlin Stiefel (cross country), Maddie Clanton (girls basketball), and Emma Sipsy (softball).

Stiefel and Clanton both compete on Tuesday. The North-South girls all-star cross country event begins at Gateway Park at 8 a.m. Clanton and the North-South girls basketball all-stars are scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. at the Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.

The action picks back up on Wednesday, when Sipsy and the North softball all-stars battle the South in a doubleheader at Lagoon Park beginning at 4 p.m.

Tickets to each all-star event are $5.