Forest Acres City Council honors Class 3A Champion Falcons
Photos and Story
By Mike Maddock
Mike@TheColumbiaStar.com

A.C. Flora Falcons, 2007 Class 3A Baseball State Champions: Jay Talbot #1, Sean Sullivan #2, Robert Gibbes #3, Kyle Strasburger #5, Kevin O'Quinn #6, Jay Wilson #7, Adger Rice #8, Connor Lewis #10, Leland Shealy #11, Evan Brown #12, Pat Sullivan #14, Will Freeman #15, James Newman #16, Joseph O'Steen #17, Mo Holler #18, Brett Thomas #25, William Strauss #26, Logan Munson #27, Bennett Hipp #28, Alex Mitchell #31, Head Coach Andy Hallett, Assist. Coach Chris Braciszewski, Assist. Coach Casey Waites, Assist. Coach Rich Kelly, Assist. Coach Franklin Jones, Assist. Coach John Sullivan, and Manager Taylor Wells.

The A.C. Flora Falcon 2007 state 3A champion baseball and boys' golf teams were honored at the Tuesday, May 15 meeting of the Forest Acres City Council. A proclamation was memorialized into the official record, and Mayor Frank Brunson declared May 15 as A.C. Flora High School Championship Day. Coaches were also given key chains with the city emblem and Forest Acres license plates.

A.C. Flora head golf coach Harry Huntley joked about the license plates, "Do these give me immunity?" Brunson differed that question to his chief of police who promptly answered, "No."

A.C. Flora Falcons, 2007 Class 3A Boys Golf State Champions: Head Coach Harry Huntley, Assist. Coach Mike Powell, Sims Thompkins, J.B. Murphy, Thomas Bradshaw, Brewer Bradshaw, Reicherd Best, Vincent Jones, Devin Funderburk, Allen King, Ryan Monohan, Rick Bungie (Crayton), Stayton Pruitt (Crayton), and Austin Boyd (Crayton).

The A.C. Flora golf team has won three of the last five state championships (2003, 2004, & 2007) and finished second in 2006. They edged Blythewood this year by four strokes. Individually, lone senior Sims Thompkins finished second, two strokes behind Blythewood's Hunter Watkins. J.B. Murphy came in third, Thomas Bradshaw fifth, and Clemson commitment Brewer Bradshaw finished ninth.

The A.C. Flora baseball team routed Hilton Head (11- 3, 17- 4) in a two game sweep to win its second state championship this decade. The other came in 2001.

The Falcons were led by pitchers Logan Munson (10- 0, 1.63 ERA), Brett Thomas (7- 1, 1.70 ERA), and Will Freeman (7- 1, 1.73 ERA). The team's overall ERA was an outstanding 2.12. Jay Wilson led the Falcons with a 0.433 batting average and 34 RBI. Brett Thomas had seven home runs, and Sean Sullivan had 19 stolen bases in 2007. The Falcons hit 0.358 as a team and averaged over eight runs per game while allowing opponents just over three runs per game.