Athletes honored during Fall Sports Awards Night

The LCHS Red Devils, winners of the 2006 Class A state football championship, were among those honored during Fall Sports Awards Night held Monday, March 5, in the school cafeteria. Receiving awards for their performance on the gridiron were: (l-r) Brandon Barden, Most Valuable Offensive Player; Darell Norman, MVP; and Rontae Norman, Most Valuable Defensive Player.

A crowd of approximately 300 people attended Fall Sports Awards Night held Monday, March 5, in the LCHS Cafeteria.

The event was sponsored by the Lincoln County Athletic Booster Club in conjunction with the LCHS Athletic Department.

Guests were welcomed to the ceremony by Larry Campbell, athletic director and head football coach at LCHS. The audience then enjoyed a video, produced by Bruce Beggs, featuring highlights of the 2006 football season.

Next, State Senator Jim Whitehead presented Coach Campbell with a Senate resolution commending the coach "for his many years of dedicated service to the students of Lincoln County High School."

In addition to a list of a few of Campbell's other accomplishments, the resolution also noted that "Marking his 35th season in 2006, Larry Campbell has coached over 400 winning football games, achieving a truly rare feat for coaches of American football since no NFLcoach has ever breached 400 victories and even the record-holding college football coach, John Gagliardi of St. John's University, only achieved 441 wins in 57 seasons."

Capturing the top honors in softball during Fall Sports Awards Night, held recently at LCHS, were Latoya Harris (l), Most Valuable Defensive Player, and Amberly Barksdale, Most Valuable Offensive Player.

With 403 wins under his belt, Campbell is the winningest coach in Georgia high school football history.

The resolution further stated that "Coach Campbell has worked at Lincoln County High School since 1972, where he is esteemed for his love of his students and players and is credited with helping to establish a sense of identity, tradition, and community."

Following Senator Whitehead on the program was Dr. Randall Edmunds, superintendent of Lincoln County Schools, who read a resolution honoring the LCHS football team and coaching staff "for winning the 2006 Class A Football State Championship; for having back-to-back Class A Football State Championships in 2005 and 2006; for posting a 14-1 season record; for having the number one scoring defense in all GHSA (Georgia High School Association) classifications, allowing only 4.13 points per game; for giving Coach Larry Campbell his 400th career win and the distinction of being one of the top five winningest coaches in the nation; and for continuing the great tradition of past Red Devil teams by winning the 14th Football State Championship since 1960."

The resolution was adopted at the January 9 meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Education.

At this point in the ceremony, the players, coaches, managers, and cheerleaders received framed team photographs, DVDs containing season highlights as well as the championship game, copies of the resolution read by Superintendent Edmunds, state championship patches and medals from the GHSA, and state championship rings.

Those receiving the coveted rings were instructed not to open the ring boxes until all of the rings had been distributed. When this was accomplished, Dr. Becky Barden, principal of LCHS, led the group in unveiling the rings which were silver and featured a red oval stone, surrounded by the words "State Champions" with the LC diamond in the middle.

The players were also presented with embroidered sweatshirts.

The remainder of the evening was devoted to the presentation of the various individual awards. Those receiving recognition were:

Varsity Football

Most Valuable Player: Darell Norman.

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Rontae Norman.

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Brandon Barden.

Team Captains: Tyler Beale and Kiece Crite.

McWhorter Leadership Award: Jatheus Jones.

Thomas Bunch Character Award: Franklin Jones.

Coaches' Golden Helmet Award: Tyler Beale.

Most Valuable Defensive Lineman: Tony Wells and Ronell Ferguson.

Most Valuable Linebacker: Jeffery Porter and Kiece Crite.

Most Valuable Defensive Back: Ricardo Norman.

Most Valuable Offensive Back: Darell Norman.

Most Valuable Receiver: Alex Bradford.

Most Valuable Offensive Lineman: Robert Biles and Logan Rhodes.

Most Valuable Special Teams' Player: Donnell Wynn.

Also recognized were the "Players of the Week," an award given during the season in memory of the late C.G. "Jiggs" Smalley. The Players of the Week were Garrett Matthews, Deshane Willis, Vance Tarver, Carlos Hearst, Detravis Hearst, Brandon Sparks, Daniel Morris, Quay Gartrell, Austin Goldman, and Wilkes Goolsby.

In addition, Alex Bradford was the recipient of the first-ever "Russell Gibson Heart Award," presented by Gibson's family.

The award was named in memory of Russell Gibson, who passed away last fall following a valiant struggle with cancer.

Faith Hill, Gibson's cousin, and her daughter, Amanda, introduced the award:

"On October 13, Amanda and I lost our cousin - our hero. Many of you lost a friend. The Lincoln County Red Devils lost one of their most dedicated fans - Russell Gibson.

"Russell was left a quadriplegic at 19 years of age after an automobile accident in 1985. He was told by his doctors that he probably would never do more than shrug his shoulders and would have to remain on a ventilator to help him breathe.

"They didn't know the Russell that you and I knew. Less than four weeks after the accident, he moved his left arm. He continued to fight until he was totally off the ventilator, moving both arms, and sitting up straight in his wheelchair.

"Russell never gained the use of his hands, but that did not stop him from coping and learning new skills. He had his daddy bend forks and spoons to fit in his braces. He would use these and the movement of only his arms to feed himself.

"Russell was not content to sit at home and do nothing. He enrolled in Augusta Tech. His sister, Rhonda, was his hands. She drove him to school and went to class with him each day. Anything that needed writing, Rhonda would write it until Russell learned to type with the use of a stick in his brace. After graduating from Augusta Tech, he opened Classic Printing and ran the business for 11 years.

"The last year and a half were tough. Russell was diagnosed with bladder cancer in late 2005. He fought through surgery, rounds of chemotherapy, and radiation. Then he had more surgeries and more chemo. He continued to fight with a smile on his face until the very end.

"The Russell Gibson Heart Award has been established to honor the football player who shows the same work ethic, dedication, and love for the game that Russell had. Above all else, the recipient is the person who puts his entire heart into the game of football."

Junior Varsity Football

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Jafabian Green.

Most Valuable Offensive Player: A.G. Middlebrooks.

Leadership Award: Bo Reed. Most Promising Player: Alex Ellis.

Softball

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Latoya Harris.

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Amberly Barksdale.

Most Outstanding Pitcher: Christina Stevenson.

Most Improved Player: Mandy Pruitt.

Coaches' Award: Amanda Gunby and Savannah Crook.

Spark Award: Sarah Sims.

Cheerleading

Most Valuable Player: C.J. White and Caylor Sandifer.

Leadership Award: Megan Saggus. Most Improved: Audra Bradford.

Dare Devil Award: Barbara Hill.

Denise Hamrick Award: Ashton Cartledge.

In addition, the seniors on the squad were presented with snow globes by coaches Marcella Goldman and Heather Yarbrough. Receiving snow globes were Danielle Wynn, Caylor Sandifer, Megan Saggus, C.J. White, Tracy Arnett, and Katelyn Dawkins.

Junior Varsity Cheerleading

Most Promising: Bree-Anna Banks.

Leadership Award: Amanda Broom.

The school will host another awards ceremony later this year to honor those athletes taking part in spring sports.