--- title: HR 731. Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team; winning the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr731 cite_as: HR 731, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr731 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr731.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr731/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71689 date: 2025-03-25 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr730.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr732.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr731.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 731 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-25 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Danny Mathis text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR731/2025 upstream_id: 2014675 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - high school sports - cross country - Bleckley County - legislative commendation --- # HR 731. Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team; winning the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship; commend ## Text 25 LC 129 0411 House Resolution 731 By: Representative Mathis of the 133rd A RESOLUTION Congratulating the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team for winning the1 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team has established and3 maintained a proud tradition of excellence with equal emphases on character and academics;4 and5 WHEREAS, this superlative team has completed another triumphant season of cross country6 competition; and7 WHEREAS, superior teamwork and extraordinary resilience made this team a spectacular8 one to observe throughout the season, and as a fitting finale to its remarkable 2024 campaign,9 the team captured its 3rd consecutive state cross country championship and its seventh title10 in the last nine years; and11 WHEREAS, the phenomenal performance of the team is a clear indication of the outstanding12 athletic ability, dedication, hard work, and the unity of purpo se and spirit of each member13 of the team and the astute direction of Head Coach Shelly Cranford; and14 H. R. 731 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0411 WHEREAS, this championship team included four All-State runners : Ella Gibbs, 3-time15 individual state champion; Lily Farrell, state runner-up; Ellen Arnold, sixth place overall;16 Anna Lynch, seventh place overall; and17 WHEREAS, as this magnificent team earned its well-deserved reputation for excellence by18 performing with courage and precision over months of training a nd competition, it is19 abundantly proper to call them champions.20 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that21 the members of this body congratulate the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country22 team for winning the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Count ry Championship and23 extend best wishes for continued success.24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized25 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the26 Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team.27 H. R. 731 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A House resolution honors the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team for winning the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship, its third straight title. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives congratulates the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team for capturing the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship. The text recounts that this was the team's third consecutive state title and its seventh in nine years, crediting the team's dedication and the leadership of Head Coach Shelly Cranford. It names four All-State runners recognized on the team: Ella Gibbs, a three-time individual state champion; Lily Farrell, the state runner-up; Ellen Arnold, who finished sixth overall; and Anna Lynch, who finished seventh overall. The resolution formally congratulates the team and wishes it continued success, and directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to the team. ### What it does - Formally congratulates the Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team for winning the 2024 Class 1A/Division 1 State Cross Country Championship. - Recognizes the team's third consecutive state championship and seventh title in nine years. - Names four All-State team members and their individual finishes in the championship. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the team. ### Who it affects The Bleckley County High School girls' cross country team, its head coach Shelly Cranford, and the four named All-State runners are directly recognized. The resolution also involves the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who must distribute a copy to the team. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding effect but provides official state recognition of the team's athletic achievement, giving the students, coach, and school a formal record of commendation from the Georgia House of Representatives. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the team's 2024 season, its third consecutive state championship, and its seventh title in nine years. - The resolution names four All-State runners: Ella Gibbs, Lily Farrell, Ellen Arnold, and Anna Lynch, along with their individual finishes. - The resolving clause formally congratulates the team and extends best wishes for continued success. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make a copy available for distribution to the team. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-25) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-25) - Sponsors: Danny Mathis - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71689 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr731.md?full=1