This Saturday will be a very special sports day at Bainbridge High School.

Fans who attend Saturday night’s basketball games between the Bainbridge High School Lady Cats and Bearcats and Cairo School Syrupmaids and Syrupmakers will get an opportunity to witness an historic event between games.

Coach Larry Cosby’s 2010 Region 1AAAA and State Class AAAA champion Bearcats track team will be honored around 7:30 p.m. just before the boys game. The girls game begins at 6 p.m.

The Bearcats, who won the state championship Saturday, May 15 in Jefferson, Ga., are the first state track champions in school history.

They were led by the 4-by-100-meter relay team of Shawn Samuels, Brandon Handsford, Thomas Smiley and Denzel Reynolds, whose first place time of 41.31 seconds was the best of the year in the state of Georgia throughout all classifications.

Reynolds was third in the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.80 seconds.

Also contributing greatly to the state championship were Denzel Gamble, with a second place 14.41 110-meter hurdles time and a second place 47 feet, 4.5 inch triple jump.

Other point contributors to the state championship included Steve Crowell with a fourth place host shot put heave of 50 feet, 8 inches, Joseph Ausgood with a fifth place 1:57.27 800-meter run time, Octavious Scott with a fifth place 39.66 300-meter hurdles time, Delonte Martistee with a fifth place 45 feet, 8 inches triple jump and Dewayne Gurley with a fifth place 159 feet, 8 inches discus throw.

Earlier, the team was honored by the Decatur County Board of Education, and received a special proclamation from Mayor Edward Reynolds and the Bainbridge City Council honoring the state championship.

In November, they received their state championship rings in a special ceremony at the school cafeteria.

The rings contain a big B in the center which is surrounded by the year 2010 and the letters GHSA, standing for Georgia High School Association, and AAAA on the side.

Coach Cosby termed the state championship a tribute to Coach Larry Clark, who won multiple region track championships as Bearcats coach and was recently named one of four people to be inducted into the first class of the Decatur County Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Kirbo Center.

“I couldn’t be happier for our athletes and for Coach Larry Clark, who has been involved in the BHS track program for 33 years,” Coach Cosby said.

“He has been such a great role model to me and to so many other athletes who were on his teams,” Cosby said. “Coach Clark has helped so many young athletes and other young people through the years. I am honored to be the one he chose to replace him.”

Come on out to the Bainbridge High School Gymnasium Saturday night. You will see two outstanding basketball games and the honoring of a state champion track team.