The fall sports season is in the books and it was a memorable season in all sports for the Cross County Conference. For the first time, here are the highlights of what we think were the best of the best in the fall of 2009.

Best Athlete: Julie Accurso, Miami East High School
There were some outstanding athletes in the CCC, but Julie Accurso's resume is impressive. The senior cross country runner breezed through the league meet with a time of 19:36, a full 1:14 ahead of the runner-up. Accurso also earned a trip to the state meet and came away with seventh place.

Best Team: Bethel Boys Cross Country, Tri-County North Volleyball and Ansonia Football
It's impossible to pick just one as the Bethel boys cross country team, the Tri-County North Volleyball team and the Ansonia football team was equally impressive in 2009. First, the Bethel boys - they dominated the CCC by placing five runners in the top 15 at the league meet, including the top two runners (Brandon Graves and Adam Loewer). The Tri-County North Lady Panthers put together a stellar 21-2 record, including a perfect 12-0 record in the league. Last - but definitely not least - The Ansonia Tigers earned recognition with an impressive 10-0 regular season, a CCC Championship, a #1 seed in Region 24 and a state ranking.

Best Game: Ansonia at Miami East (Football)
It doesn't get any better than playing for the conference championship in the final week of the season - and it doesn't happen very often. Ansonia traveled to Miami East, both unbeaten in league play and looking for a birth in the state playoffs. With the stakes as high as ever, the game lived up to the billing. Ansonia scored two straight touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 12-0 lead. But Miami East responded with a touchdown run by Dalton Saylor to close the gap to 12-7 after one quarter of play. The defenses took over from there as the only remaining points came on a 26-yard field goal by Brandon Liette to seal a 15-7 Ansonia victory.

Best Individual Performance: Garrett Clark, Covington High School
There were some outstanding individual performances in 2009, but Garrett Clark's 6-touchdown effort against Twin Valley South was one for the ages. Consider, in the 62 years of Covington football only one other player scored 6 touchdowns in a game, John Flory in 1965 against Graham. Clark scored four rushing touchdown, a touchdown receiving and one more with an interception return. In all, Clark had 365 all-purpose yards, 237 of those coming on the ground. It led to a 56-20 victory over the Panthers.

All-Sports: Bethel High School
The Bees of Bethel had an impressive fall sports season, claiming four league titles. The Bethel boys soccer team finished unbeaten in the CCC at 7-0 and 12-1-3 overall, while the girls soccer team went 6-0 in the league and 12-2 overall. The boys cross country team took the league championship with five runners earning all-conference honors, while the boys golf team claimed a CCC title behind medalist Ralph Lauzze.

LEAGUE TITLES BY SCHOOL:
4 - Bethel (Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Boys Cross Country, Boys Golf)
2 - Covington (Girls Golf, Girls Cross Country)
1 - Tri-County North (Volleyball)
1 - Ansonia (Football)

TOP PERFORMERS BY SPORT:
Volleyball - Abbey Schlater, Tri-County North
Football - Garrett Clark, Covington
Boys Soccer - Jon Sutton, Bethel
Girls Soccer - Taylor Hart, Bethel
Boys Cross Country - Brandon Graves, Bethel
Girls Cross Country - Julie Accurso, Miami East
Boys Golf - Ralph Lauzze, Bethel
Girls Golf - Kaela Hierholzer, Ansonia