Gwinnett Prep Sports

Norcross head football coach Keith Maloof (left) and South Gwinnett head coach John Small (right) talk before Monday's Gwinnett Football Fellowship Golf Tournament.

SNELLVILLE — Regular-season football games are barely more than a month away, but a large number of Gwinnett County's football coaches took a break for preparation for a relaxing round of golf Monday at Summit Chase Country Club.

The Snellville course hosted the third annual Gwinnett Football Fellowship Golf Tournament, a gathering of coaches and community members to kick off the season. The event, which featured 26 teams, was made possible by Sports Medicine South, Gwinnett Medical Center and the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett, along with other sponsors.

"We couldn't do this without our sponsors," SMS founder and orthopaedic surgeon Gary Levengood said. "We appreciate them coming out and we appreciate their generosity. Because of them, we're able to generate enough money to give out a scholarship (from the tourney). And this is a way to pay back the coaches for working with our kids.

"Things are so competitive during the season, this is a way to get together in a less competitive way."

That said, there was a competition.

The Zimmer sponsorship team shot 58 to win first place and the foursome of Buford High golfers placed second overall and first in the high school division (teams of predominantly high school coaches) with a 60. South Gwinnett was a close third overall with a 61.

North Gwinnett (65), Archer (66), Parkview (66), Brookwood (67), Duluth (67), Lanier (67), Berkmar (68), Mill Creek (68), Norcross (68), Peachtree Ridge (68), Wesleyan (68) and GAC (69) also fielded teams that shot rounds below 70.

Dacula (70), Hebron (70), Meadowcreek (70), Mountain View (70), Central Gwinnett (72), Grayson (72) and Shiloh (74) also competed in the tourney.

Although their teams didn't finish high, Grayson head coach Mickey Conn and Mountain View head coach Doug Giacone still had pretty good days, as both won big raffle prizes. Conn won a 50-inch, Philips flat-screen TV and Giacone won a Big Green Egg cooker.