From rowdy fall football games to the last kicks on the soccer field, Starr’s Mill sports teams dominated their opponents throughout the 2014-2015 school year, and the hard work of the coaches and players has paid off.

The Mill won the coveted Director’s Cup for Georgia Class AAAAA, which goes to the school with the most successful athletic department overall. The scoring is based on the school’s eight best sports, and more points are awarded the farther each team advances into playoffs.

The award covers both boys’ and girls’ sports, and while the Mill has won the boys’ and girls’ sides separately and held the title of runner-up several times, this is the first time the school won the overall trophy. “We have had several near misses, but this is our first win,” said Chad Phillips, the athletic coordinator and head football coach.

Nearly all the teams, except basketball, qualified for playoffs, Phillips said. The Lady Panthers’ soccer team claimed the state title with its win against Northgate in mid-May, and both boys’ and girls’ tennis finished as state runner-up. Boys’ lacrosse earned its first home playoff game, something unprecedented in school history. The football team also advanced to the first round of the state playoffs in November.  The swim team continued its record as the county champions for the 15th year in a row, and the team placed in the top 10 in the state meet.

“Winning the Director’s Cup confirms all the effort all of our coaches, teachers, administrators, booster clubs, community,  and other volunteers put in to helping us have one of the premier high schools in the state,” Phillips said. “All of that effort pays off with the success we’ve had this year. I think, in the end, this affirms the fact that excellence does matter here, and this school is full of terrific, disciplined, hard-working, goal-oriented young people.”