Georgetown's rise as the fastest-growing city in the United States coincides with the high school's journey to athletic excellence.

Led by Jeremy Kelly, Georgetown's boys swimming team claimed the Class 5A state championship in February. Mckenzie Bailey earned the girls cross-country individual title in the fall and then won a gold medal at the state track and field meet in the spring. Isa Torres led the Eagles to the state softball tournament. The girls soccer team didn't lose a match all year until the state finals. Georgetown made deep playoff runs in football, baseball and tennis, too.

This has truly been the Year of the Eagle.

Georgetown's success has not gone unnoticed. For the first time, the Eagles have been crowned winners of the American-Statesman's Breazeale Cup, which is awarded annually to the best overall high school sports program in Central Texas, as determined by Statesman writers.

Jason Dean, the athletic director for the Georgetown school district, said this is an honor to be shared with the community. A city best known for its beautiful town square, the elegant Williamson Country Courthouse and red poppies can boast about its two competitive high schools — Georgetown and East View.

"My hope is that we are building an elite athletic department and will be seen that way across the state of Texas," said Dean, who was head football coach at Georgetown High for 10 years before becoming district athletic director in 2019.

"Georgetown High School has enjoyed a lot of success, and East View High had probably its best athletic year since it started way back in 2011," Dean added. "I think it's due to high expectations from our parents, athletes, coaches and our community. Our high schools also have an extremely supportive administration."

More: Georgetown swimming and diving named Boys Team of the Year at Austin Area Sports Awards

Growing pains: A third high school down the road?

Dean said the growth of the city presents "some challenges" to the schools but "a lot of benefits as well."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgetown had a population estimated at 86,507 in 2022, an increase of 10,887 from the previous year.

Also close to home, Kyle ranks No. 3 on the list of the fastest-growing cities in America and Leander is No. 4.

Growth is being seen all around Central Texas. Liberty Hill should be adding a second high school soon and has purchased land for a third. Dripping Springs voters declined to pass a bond referendum for a new high school, but the Tigers have just moved up into Class 6A. Lago Vista has grown from a Class 2A school to a Class 4A program in the past 20 years. And Lake Travis will have to open a second high school down the road.

Fred Brent, who recently retired as the Georgetown district's superintendent after nine years on the job, said he expects the city will build a third high school in 2027. He added that voters probably will see that on the ballot during a bond election in 2024.

Brent said the population surge in the area is only a small reason Georgetown schools have prospered on the playing fields.

"I don't believe it's the greatest influencer on our most recent success," Brent said. "I believe the greatest influence to our success is the leadership culture created by our AD (Dean), our campus principals, and our leadership culture that comes from a commitment to creating opportunities for kids."

Family ties: Success for Georgetown, Westwood girls soccer teams starts with love

Turning things around during the pandemic

Brent said one turning point to his schools' recent success began when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down high school sports as well as schools across the country in the spring of 2020. Although athletic competitions with other schools were canceled, Georgetown schools kept their doors open to athletes who wanted to continue training. Coaches stayed in contact with their athletes.

"It's hard to prove, but as a leader who's been doing this for 32 years, my professional opinion is the fact our coaches and principals stayed committed to keeping our doors open and keep kids engaged as much as possible is paying dividends now," Brent said.

Longtime girls basketball coach Rhonda Farney backs Brent's claim and praises the former superintendent for "empowering us to set up strong protocols which kept our athletes safe and allowed us to have a summer strength and conditioning program when most schools in Central Texas canceled their programs."

Perhaps no one symbolizes Georgetown High's growth as an athletic power more than Farney, who has been at the school for 35 years. Her teams have posted 34 consecutive 20-victory seasons and have reached the state playoffs 33 straight times. Her 2013-14 team won the Class 4A state championship.

More: Nathan DuVall of Westlake wins top baseball award

Surging East View is worth watching, too

Across town, East View football coach Mike Wall is trying to build his own empire. He noted that the enrollment at East View (2,101 students) is larger than the enrollment at Georgetown (2,052). East View had its best showing in the Breazeale Cup standings in large part because every sport on campus outside of football reached the playoffs this year.

"Our goals are to win district and state championships," Wall said. "If we can continue the upward spring, continue to add the right ingredients from leadership and see an influx of kids who want a great education and compete at a high level, there is no doubt we can reach those goals. You've got to believe it first, then go to work."

One coach who has already tasted victory at the state level is Georgetown's Jordon Vierra, whose team won the Class 5A state baseball championship in 2022. He said the city's growth has infused new blood into Georgetown as well as East View.

"Having families, businesses and citywide expansion has led to more opportunities," Vierra said. "The incredible part about the growth is seeing how many people who have moved into the area have fallen in love with what it means to be an Eagle."

With an infusion of new families stretching Georgetown's population base every year, better days lie ahead for both of the city's high schools, Dean said.

"When athletes graduate from one of our high schools, it's our hope they will look back at their careers here and say they had the best experience because of the athletic teams that they participated on," Dean said.

More inside, online

Ranking the Central Texas sports programs, XC

Kirk Bohls writes about George Breazeale, the man behind the award, at statesman.com/sports.

Georgetown: The Central Texas city is the fastest-growing city in America.

Past Breazeale Cup winners

2021-22: Lake Travis

2020-21: Lake Travis

2019-20: Cedar Park

2018-19: Liberty Hill

2017-18: Liberty Hill

2016-17: Liberty Hill

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Georgetown High's athletic department's success earns Breazeale Cup