The calendar has almost turned to June. High school graduations are upon us, and another athletic year has come to a close.

And what an athletic year it was.

Cherokee County’s athletic teams once again proved to be among the state’s best, and several of them raised the bar for next season.

In late October, the Sand Rock volleyball team captured its sixth Class 2A Elite Eight appearance in seven seasons. The Lady Wildcats finished with a 52-5 record.

Meanwhile, the Cherokee County Warrior football team was racking up the wins. After a 5-5 season in 2007, the 2008 Warriors finished the year at 14-1 and were Class 4A state runner-up to UMS-Wright. The Warriors earned their trip to Birmingham following a thrilling 39-36 victory at No. 1 Deshler, a game in which they rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half.

It was also another solid year for the Spring Garden Lady Panther basketball team. They earned their sixth consecutive Cherokee County championship with a 46-30 win over Sand Rock in the new Gadsden State-Cherokee Arena in January.

Spring Garden went on to its eighth straight Class 1A Northeast Regional berth in Jacksonville. The Lady Panthers (30-3) fell a game short of another Final Four berth with a 39-33 loss to Gaston.

In boys basketball, the Sand Rock Wildcats also helped christen the new Gadsden State-Cherokee Arena with a 67-61 win over Cherokee County to earn their first Cherokee County basketball championship since 2000.

But the best was yet to come.

In February, Sand Rock went on to claim its first Class 2A Northeast Regional berth since 1994 with a 75-63 win over North Sand Mountain in sub-regional play.

The Wildcats proved they weren’t just satisfied with being there. They went on to beat Ohatchee 56-42 to earn a match-up with Fyffe in the regional final.

Brannon Burt’s buzzer-beating layup propelled the Wildcats to a thrilling 64-62 victory and on to the Final Four.

Sand Rock’s season came to an end against Barbour County. The Wildcats finished the season at 23-11.

In baseball, Sand Rock claimed the 2009 Cherokee County Tournament with a 9-4 win over Cherokee County in the championship game in March. It was Sand Rock’s first county baseball title since 2003.

Sand Rock went on to post a 15-8 record and claim another berth in the Class 2A state playoffs.

In softball, Cherokee County claimed its third straight county title with a 7-0 win over Spring Garden. Both teams went on to the postseason from there.

After winning the Class 4A, Area 12 championship with a 2-1 win over Alexandria, the Lady Warriors secured a berth in the North Central Softball Regional in Vestavia Hills. Ironically, the Lady Warriors’ season came to an end against Alexandria in a 1-0 loss. Cherokee County finished the year with a 33-9-1 record.

Spring Garden won the Class 1A, Area 12 championship against Collinsville to advance to the North Central Regionals. The Lady Panthers swept their way through to the state tournament, where they finished fourth in Class 1A after falling to Pleasant Home 2-0 in nine innings. Spring Garden finished the season at 25-8.

It was also another banner year for the Cherokee County girls tennis team and the Cedar Bluff track and field teams. The Lady Warriors earned another Class 4A state tournament berth in April. Cedar Bluff etched its name as one of the elite programs in state track and field history in early May by earning their third consecutive Class 1A state championships.

What does the 2009-10 high school sports season have in store? We’ll have to wait and see, but it has a lot to live up to after what transpired in 2008-09.

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The Class 1A, Area 12 softball coaches have selected their All-Area softball team.

Area champion Spring Garden garnered the most selections out of the six-team area with six players. Sophomore pitcher Bree Blevins was selected as the Area MVP.

Blevins is joined by teammates Tara Mullinax, Heather Smart, Lindsey Lambert, Jordan Sides and Brianna Messer.

Area runner-up Collinsville had five selections. Those were Alisha Bowen, Breanna Bowen, Heather Henderson, Taylor Nelson and Ericka Osborn.

Asbury had four selections in Megan Murphy, Courtney Dehart, Leslie Rains and Faith Smith. Gaylesville is represented by Kaitlin Hammett, Amber Moseley and Kim Couch. Cedar Bluff had a pair of players in Brooke Rogers and Hayley Riddlespur. Gaston also had a pair of selections in Jessica Wilburn and Kris Lawson.

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The Tornado soccer club in Gadsden will hold tryouts for female players ages 8-17 on June 1, June 4 and June 7.

Tryouts will be held at the soccer field behind Gadsden City High School in Gadsden. Players are encouraged to attend all tryout sessions (minimum of two sessions).

Tryouts for girls ages 8-11 on June 1 and June 4 are scheduled for 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The June 7 session is from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Tryouts for girls ages 12-17 on June 1 and June 4 are slated for 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. The June 7 session is from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, additional dates will be added.

Watch the team’s website, www.tornadosoccerclub.net, for additional details.