C

Al Tipps was a larger-than-life figure as WCDT Radio’s owner and broadcaster, and his legacy lives on through the inaugural Owl Awards, held on May 1 at the Oldham Theatre.

The awards ceremony was held to honor Franklin County’s high school athletes for their many accomplishments in a variety of categories.

The show raised money for the Big Al Scholarship fund with the scholarship being founded in honor of Tipps. The scholarship will be awarded to two girls basketball players, one from Huntland and one from Franklin County High, each year going forward in reference to Big Al’s passion for the sport.

Ricky Tipps, Al’s son and the current owner of WCDT Radio, had said that inspiration for the show came from the Thundie Sports Awards which were started by Thunder Radio in Manchester following the passing of sports broadcaster Dennis Weaver in 2020.

“Dennis, like my dad, was another radio personality who covered sports in that community forever. I can’t ever remember a time that Dennis wasn’t calling ballgames over in Manchester,” Ricky said. “It just kind of felt natural to do the same thing over in Franklin County in Dad’s name.”

Nominees received written backing from their coaches, describing their strengths, accomplishments and accolades.

The candidates were then critically analyzed by a panel of five judges who came to the conclusion of an overall winner in each category.

The panel was comprised of two representatives from Huntland School, two from Franklin County High School and one outside person who was unaffiliated with either school.

The panel was diligent, meticulous and to the point in what they were looking for when selecting the winner of each category, according to Ricky.

“It meant a lot to me to get this right,” he said when addressing the audience of athletic nominees. “I am very proud of everyone who has been nominated — you are all outstanding athletes.”

The categories for the night included the best coaches for male and female sports, best male and female athletes for the fall, winter and spring seasons, male and female freshmen of the year and the best overall male and female athletes.

The last award of the night would be the Al Award. The award would go to the athlete who sets a good example and puts in extra time and effort while displaying academic success.

The first award of the evening was Female Sports Coach of the Year which went to Huntland girls basketball coach Mike Edmondson who led the Lady Hornets to a district title, a regional runner-up finish and an overall record of 23-13 for the 2022-23 season.

Best Male Sports Coach of the Year was awarded to Zach Holt, Franklin County High’s head boys basketball coach, who helped the Rebels to a runner-up finish in their district and a win in the first round of the regional tournament to go along with a record of 14-16 for the year.

The nominees for Freshman Female Athlete of the year included Na’Kayjah Holman, Cali Banks, Ruby Webb and Ali Smith with Franklin County soccer’s Banks being named the recipient.

Coaches noted Bank’s 25 junior varsity goals and 6 varsity goals as an indicator of her early success at the high school level.

“She will be a force to deal with in the future,” her coaches wrote of her.

Freshman Male Athlete of the Year nominees were Loui Arellano, Brandon Walker, Gus Gardner and Josiah Cullins.

The award went to Franklin County three-sport athlete Loui Arellano. Arellano participates in cross country, soccer and track. Coaches described him as, “willing to do whatever it takes to win and help lead his team to success.”

Next were the nominees for the Fall Female Athlete of the Year. They included Ella Masters, Libby Vincent, Logan McLennan and Hazel Reed.

The recipient of the award was Franklin County soccer’s Ella Masters. Masters scored 16 goals for the 2022 season as she helped the Franklin County girls soccer program to a second straight berth in the Class AAA state tournament.

The Fall Male Athlete of the Year nominees were Hunter Bates, Eric Jones, Manny Scott and NaShawn Holman.

Jones was named the winner of the award after accumulating 478 rushing yards, 419 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns on offense as well as 43 tackles and three interceptions on defense for the gridiron Rebels.

Coaches noted, “Eric is the most athletic in the school in terms of his pure ability and talent.”

The Winter Female Athlete of the Year nominees were Logan McLennan, Jocy May, Katie Walker and Alyssa Archer.

The recipient of the award was Archer, who attends Huntland and competes for the FCHS wrestling team. Archer was the first wrestler, male or female, to place at the state tournament in the history of the FCHS program as she finished sixth in the 100-pound division in 2023.

She earned the title of All-American last month at a national tournament in Missouri.

LaShawn Kimmons, Braylen Philips, Kai Baker and Kaleb Rigsby were in the running for the Winter Male Athlete of the Year award.

Taking home the title was Franklin County boys basketball player Baker who averaged 14.5 points per game for the Rebels and was ultimately named the District 6-4A MVP for the 2022-23 season.

Coaches spoke of Baker saying, “he is a very coachable player.”

The Spring Female Athlete of the Year nominees included Demi Champion, Hadley Gardner, Kahlynia Vanzant and Carissa Montgomery.

The winner of the category was Franklin County trackster Vanzant who is ranked in the top 10 in the state with her 200-meter dash time.

The Spring Male Athlete of the Year nominees were Jake Hatfield, Sam Vincent, Na’Zaiyah Holman and NaShawn Holman with NaShawn capturing top honors for his accomplishments in track and field.

NaShawn is ranked in the top 25 in the state for the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the triple jump.

The next award presented was for the Overall Female Athlete of the Year.

The nominees were Libby Vincent, Ella Masters, Alyssa Archer and Ashtyn Danley with Danley walking away with the victory.

Danley has been a featured athlete for Huntland in both basketball and softball and was previously named Tennessee’s Gatorade Player of the Year for softball in 2022 after leading the Lady Hornets to a runner-up finish in the Class A state softball tournament.

Danley averaged 9.4 points per game for the 2022-23 girls basketball season and earned District 9A all-tournament recognition after returning from a midseason injury. For the 2023 softball season, Danley recorded a .689 batting average with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs at the plate and pitched 58 1-3 innings with a 1.08 ERA and 81 strikeouts.

The Overall Male Athlete of the Year nominees included Manny Scott, NaShawn Holman, Eric Jones and Braylen Phillips. Franklin County football player Scott claimed victory in the category, and his coaches described him as, “a great teammate and leader who is well-respected amongst his peers.”

Scott ended his 2022 senior season with 1,010 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards and 14 rushing touchdowns on offense and 67 tackles, two sacks and five fumble recoveries on defense.

His passion, toughness and relentlessness all contributed to him being an outstanding running back for the Franklin County Rebels, his coaches said.

The last award of the night held special meaning as it honored the late Al Tipps directly by bearing his name.

Ricky explained the magnitude of the honors.

“Dad’s favorite athlete wasn’t the one that scored 20 points in a game. It was the one that asked the questions, the one that wanted to learn, the one that spent the extra time on the field or in the gym, the one that just wanted it more — that was his favorite kid,” he said.

The Al Award was ultimately given to Danley, who has put together an outstanding athletic record. Of all her accolades, though, coaches noted her humility and ability to be a great teammate as one of her strongest qualities.

“Her words of encouragement to others is outstanding. She makes them feel they are more valuable than her,” coaches noted of Danley. “She has set the bar high for future players at Huntland in not just her softball abilities, but her character.”

Ricky agreed.

“The best compliment you can give a player is that they make everyone else around them better,” he said.

Coach Zach Holt may have said it best, “Big Al would be proud of this tonight.”

Ricky gave thanks for the use of the Oldham Theatre and for the donations given by Big Sky Custom Homes.