The Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors is proud to announce another outstanding group of student-athletes who make up our Ambassadors group for the Class of 2023.
These graduating seniors from Brunswick High, Glynn Academy and Frederica Academy are the 10th Ambassadors group the Hall of Fame has honored since starting this program back in 2014.
In all, the Hall of Fame recognized 24 student-athletes from the local high schools on Wednesday evening during a reception and ceremony at the Athletics Center at Glynn County Stadium. David Bailey, a former local athlete and coach, was the guest speaker at Wednesday's event. He is now the head boys basketball coach at Charlton County which played for a state championship this season.
Near the end of each school year, the Hall of Fame works in conjunction with the three local high schools to identify senior athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically at their respective schools.
Since the inception of the Ambassadors program, the Hall of Fame has honored more than 200 student-athletes from the three local high schools.
With generous support from several donors, the Hall of Fame has been fortunate to award scholarships to 42 student-athletes since a scholarship component was added to the program in the second year of its existence.
Eight student-athletes - four girls and four boys - have once again been named from each local high school this year. One boy and one girl from each school were selected for a $1,000 scholarship award this year.
The eight Ambassadors from each school are listed below with biographical sketches for each student-athlete. The scholarship winners from each school are also noted below.
Hall of Fame president Kevin Price praised the 2023 Ambassadors for their accomplishments.
"We honored another outstanding group of young people this year," Price said. "Their credentials made them very deserving of this honor. These kids have all worked hard to be successful in their sports but also in the classrooom. They really are great Ambassadors for their schools, and hopefully the underclassmen who are following them have taken note and will work just as hard to do great things in their remaining years in high school and beyond as well.
"We want to again congratulate all these student-athletes, their parents and families and their support groups for helping them excel during their prep careers. We wish all of these kids continued to success in their endeavors going forward."
The Hall of Fame Board also would like to thank Brunswick High, Glynn Academy and Frederica Academy for their continued support of the Ambassadors program which includes contributions the Hall has used toward the scholarships.
Other donors who helped fund this year’s scholarships included local dentist and former Glynn County athlete Nick Sasser of Hartnett and Sasser Dentistry in Brunswick and several who chose to remain anonymous.
“The schools and their administrators have been so good to us through the years, cooperating with us on the Ambassadors program,” Price said. “They have been great to work with from the start and have been very supportive of what we are trying to do with this program.
“We also wouldn’t be where we are without the support of our other donors who also have helped us in the past and now Hartnett and Sasser Dentistry which was a new scholarship sponsor this year. We are grateful for the support of all of these donors."
For more information on the Hall of Fame, the Ambassadors Program and a list of past Ambassadors, please go to our Ambassodors tab under the Programs link on the website.
Meet our 2023 Ambassadors below:
Frederica Academy
Anna Counts
Anna played volleyball, basketball and tennis while attending Frederica. She also played AAU basketball outside of high-school competition.
Anna is an active member of National Honor Society. She also is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 707, Ambassadors Club, Health and Wellness Club and the Spirit Club.
She also volunteers with Blessings in a Backback, helps with childcare at her church and served in the concession stand at Frederica athletic events.
Anna will attend Georgia Southern University starting in the fall.
Sutton Ellis
Sutton played football and baseball at Frederica Academy.
This past fall, he started at quarterback for the football team and helped the Knights to a region championship while making the all-region team.
Sutton is active in the National Honor Society. He is also involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Health and Wellness Club and the Finance and Investments Club.
Outside of school, he has worked as a recreational football assistant.
Sutton recently accepted an opportunity to play college football at Grove City College in Pennsylvania. He plans to major in kinesiology and strength and conditioning.
Ryann Hankey (Scholarship Recipient)
Ryann competed in volleyball, swimming and tennis for Frederica. She was an all-region pick in volleyball all four years and made the all-state team this fall as a senior.
Ryann also plays high-level club volleyball for the Jacksonville Juniors Volleyball Association.
She has served as the National Honor Society President at Frederica. She is a Georgia Certificate of Merit Scholar and has received the Head of School Award and the Connor Landis Scholarship.
Ryann has served as an orphanage volunteer in Costa Rica and a children’s home volunteer in Bali. She also volunteers for Castaway Pet Rescue, has been a tutor for Homework Helpers and has been President of the Frederica Humane Society while also serving as President of the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia Teen Board.
This year, she served as Student Council President, has been Youth United President and Honor Council Secretary. She also is involved in World Language and Culture Club, Health and Wellness Club, 707 and the Dinosaur Club.
Ryann will be attending the University of Iowa and will be part of the Honors Program. She will major in Linguistics and English.
Tiana Jackson
Tiana played basketball, volleyball, soccer and club softball at Frederica. She was voted to the all-region team in basketball this past season.
She has served as a volunteer coach for youth summer basketball and volleyball camps and also has volunteered at children’s military camps. She also has traveled out of state to participate in youth education programs.
Tiana serves as a secretary at her church and also is a member of the youth church choir.
She will attend East Georgia State to continue her education and basketball career. She plans to major in criminal justice.
Parker Jules
Parker played golf and volleyball and competed in equestrian while at Frederica. She made the all-region team in golf and was a team captain for the Lady Knights. Parker also won the Interscholastic Equestrian Award.
She will graduate as the Class of 2023 Valedictorian. She was named an AP Scholar with Distinction and was a semifinalist for the Governor’s Honors Program. Parker was recognized for Highest Academic Achievement in her grade, won a Head of School Award, received the University of Georgia Certificate of Merit and the Rural and Small Town National Award. She has been Co-President of the Spanish National Honor Society and Treasurer for the National Honor Society.
Parker has volunteered at the St. Simons Public Library, Christ Church, Beloved Ministries, the Jones Cup Invitational and the RSM Classic Wiffle Ball event. She also has been involved in Hands on Frederica, World Language and Culture Club, Junior Board for United Community Bank and has served as President of the Service Council and Vice President of the Humane Society Teen Board.
She will be attending the University of Notre Dame and plans to major in International Studies.
Sam Norris
Sam played football and baseball at Frederica. He played both sports all four years and made the all-region football team twice and also the all-region baseball team once.
An Honor-Roll student, Sam is a member of the National Honor Society and also made the Head of School List. His honors also include winning the Latin II award, the Clarkson University Achievement award and winning first place in the Frederica Science Fair.
Sam is involved in Model UN, Science Bowl, the Finance and Investment Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has volunteered at Relay for Life, for Vacation Bible School and Children’s Church and has been a Hearts and Hands volunteer at First Baptist Church. He also has been a youth baseball volunteer and travel baseball umpire.
He will attend Mercer University and participate in the Honors Program. He plans to major in biology.
Xavier Preston (Scholarship Recipient)
Xavier played basketball and soccer and also competed in track and field for Frederica. He was an all-region and all-state selection for the Knights basketball team.
Xavier is an active member in the Hope Club, Cultural Awareness Club and the Ambassadors Club.
He will be furthering his education and basketball career at Methodist University while majoring in kinesiology.
V
Victor Riden
Victor played football and basketball at Frederica. He played basketball all four years and football for two years. He was a co-captain for the Knights basketball team and captain for the football team as a senior. Victor made all-region in basketball as both a junior and senior. He also was named for the Most Improved award on the basketball team and the Newcomer Award on the football team. He also received the Brunson Scholarship award in 2023.
Outside of high school, Victor also played AAU basketball.
He is an active member of the National Honor Society and made the Head of School list. He received the Presbyterian College Fellows award and placed second in the Physics Science Fair. He was founder and treasurer for the Racket Club and secretary for the Cultural Awareness Club. He was also a member of the Honor Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and 707.
Victor will attend the University of Georgia and plans to major in business finance.
Brunswick High
Jerlia Brown
Jerlia has been a cheerleader all four years at Brunswick High. She was on the junior varsity squad one year while being on the varsity cheerleading team for three years.
Jerlia is an active member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club and also is on the BHS Student Council. She has maintained a 4.57 GPA. Outside of school and cheerleading, she enjoys camping, biking, going on walks and listening to music.
She will attend Georgia Tech in the fall and plans to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.
Jayden Drayton
Jayden played football and also competed in track and field. He helped the Pirates to a region championship this past season as a standout all-purpose player and was named to the all-region team as a wide receiver at the end of the season.
Jayden maintains a 4.2 GPA. Outside of sports, he participates in wind ensemble and also enjoys cutting hair as a hobby.
He has accepted a football scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania and has been accepted into the Wharton School of Business undergraduate program. Jayden plans to study Business Economics and Public Policy.
Jordan Jimerson
Jordan played football for four years at Brunswick High and also played tennis at the school for two years.
This past fall, he helped the Pirates to another undefeated regular-season and a region championship while earning all-region first-team honors as a standout defensive lineman.
Jordan has maintained a 3.4 GPA and has remained active in several clubs and organizations while completing numerous community service hours as well.
After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a firefighter.
Riley Morgan
Riley has been a member of the BHS baseball team for four years. A center fielder and pitcher, he helped the Pirates to the state playoffs this spring and was recently chosen by the Region 2-AAAAAA coaches for the all-region first-team.
Riley carries a 3.96 GPA. He is currently considering offers to play college baseball. He plans to pursue a degree in business administration as he continues his education in college.
Amirah N. Muhammad (Scholarship Recipient)
Amirah played soccer while attending Brunswick High and was named team captain for the lady Pirates for the 2022-23 season.
She first started playing soccer in 2009 when she joined the local Coastal Outreach Soccer program and would eventually become a captain for her team.
Amirah has a 3.3 GPA. She is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, Key Club and Future Business Leaders of America.
She will be attending Albany State University and plans to major in computer science.
Anna Kate Owens
Anna Kate has played softball all four years at Brunswick High. This year, she was team captain and also was voted second-team all-region.
Also this year, she has served as Senior Class President and Blue Crew Captain and has been heavily involved in Student Council, performing community service hours at the Salvation Army and at local elementary schools. She also has worked in early childhood classes with the Pint Pirates where she has organized lesson plans, parties and field trips for 3-year-old students.
Anna Kate has a 3.75 GPA and has taken mostly Honors and Advanced Placement courses. She will attend Kennesaw State University and plans to purse a degree in education. Her goal is to become a math teacher.
Riyon Rankin (Scholarship Recipient)
Riyon has played basketball for four years and competed in track and field for three years at Brunswick High.
In basketball, he was an all-region pick. Also this past season, he was named the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame Player of the Game against Glynn Academy when he scored 15 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, blocked 2 shots and added 4 assists in a Brunswick win.
Last spring, he won Brunswick High’s first-ever track and field state championship in the high jump when he cleared 7 feet in the Class AAAAAA meet. Just two weeks ago, he jumped 7-2 to set a new personal record and currently has the fifth-best jump in state history. He will go for a state-title repeat this weekend and also hopes to break the record of 7 feet, 3.5 inches at the state meet as well.
Riyon has received a track and field scholarship from the University of Georgia and plans to major in accounting while attending college in Athens.
Ja’Mya West
Ja’Mya played basketball all four years at Brunswick High and also competed for the BHS girls track and field team for two years. This past season, she helped the Lady Pirates basketball team to another region championship and a trip to the Class AAAAAA Final Four. She was named to the Region 2-AAAAAA all-region team after the season.
Ja’Mya holds a 3.2 GPA. She is a member of the Social Justice Club and enjoys gardening and writing poetry in her spare time. She has accepted a basketball scholarship from South Georgia Technical College in Americus and plans to major in nursing.
Glynn Academy
Alexis Alberson (Scholarship Recipient)
Alexis competed in cross country and track and field. She lettered four years in cross country and two years in track.
She finished second this fall at the region cross country meet while helping the Lady Terrors to the region title. In track, she has set new school records the last two years, and just recently, Alexis finished first at the Region 2-AAAAAA meet in the 1,600-meter run with a personal-best time and was part of the winning 4x800 relay team which also set a new school-record time. She also placed third in the 800-meter at region. She qualified for state each year in cross country and track.
Lexi was voted Most Athletic in the senior class. She has a 4.53 GPA and is ranked among the top six in Glynn’s graduating class. She is active in the Beta Club and National Honor Society and was a leader in the Spirit Club this year. She was a school finalist for the Heisman Trophy scholarship and received the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Character Award.
Her other honors include being named a Wofford Scholar and Brewton-Parker Future Baron Scholar and earning the CASE Mercer Award, Georgia Certificate of Merit, Presbyterian College Scholars Award and the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. Lexi was also an Exchange Club Student of the Month.
She is a member of the Pirates of the Spanish Main and has served as treasurer. She also has volunteered with Sparrow’s Nest, Beloved Ministries, Communities in Schools and Keep Golden Isles Beautiful.
Lexi plans to attend Auburn University to study criminal justice with the goal of having a career in federal law enforcement.
Chanley Box
Chanley is a standout member of Glynn’s girls golf team. She has won three area championships in high school including the last two while playing for the Lady Terrors. At the recent area tournament, she shot even-par 72 to win medalist honors while helping Glynn to the area team title.
A two-time All-State player, Chanley is currently the ninth-ranked player in the Class of 2023 in Georgia and has been consistently ranked in the top 20 on the Southeastern Junior Tour where she plays regularly outside of high-school competition.
Chanley helped Glynn to the Class 6A state championship last year, and the Lady Terrors will play for another state crown later this month on Jekyll Island.
She is an active member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club. Chanley has 4.1 GPA and has already earned 24 college credits. She will further her education and golf career at the University of North Georgia starting this fall.
Riley Mansfield
Riley played volleyball all four years in high school, playing for Glynn’s varsity team since her sophomore year. She was an honorable-mention all-region pick as a sophomore before making second-team all-region as a junior and then being a first-team selection this past fall as a senior.
While playing for Glynn, she was Prep Volleyball’s Recruit of the Week in October 2020. Riley was also named to the American Volleyball Coach’s Association Phenom List and was picked for the Prep Volleyball Club Watchlist for Middle Blockers for the Class of 2023. This past fall, she played a big role in Glynn’s run to the state quarterfinals in Class 6A and actually scored the point that sent the Lady Terrors to the Elite 8.
Riley was active in National Honor Society and had a 4.07 GPA while taking Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment classes when she graduated in December. Riley was an early enrollee in January at Tulane University where she signed to play collegiate volleyball.
John McCleod
John played football for four years with the Red Terrors. He was an offensive lineman his first three years, but was called on to play Iron Man football this past season, playing on both the offensive and defensive fronts for Glynn as a senior.
This fall, he was an all-region pick in Region 2-AAAAAA for the Terrors and was the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. This spring, he has been throwing the shot put for the Glynn track and field team.
John is a member of National Honor Society and Beta Club and has taken Advanced Placement and Honors courses throughout high school. He served as the historian for the Future Business Leaders of America organization at the school. John sings base in the GA Choir and helped the choir earn a Superior Rating in its district evaluation performance this year.
John is active in his church and volunteers to serve meals on a regular basis. He has been offered by several schools to play college football.
Hank Noonan
Hank is a two-sport athlete, having played baseball all four years in high school and football as a senior. He was a second-team all-region pick in baseball as a sophomore and an honorable-mention selection as a junior. This season, he batted over .500 for much of the year. Hank hit for the cycle in a region game against Effingham and was named the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame Player of the Series against Brunswick High when he was 6-for-10 with 8 RBIs in three games.
Just last week, he was named to the first-team in Region 2-AAAAAA while also being named the Region Offensive Player of the Year. He also was recently named the Southeast Georgia Large School Baseball Player of the Year by 912 Sports.
Hank is a member of the National Honor Society. He has a 3.9 GPA and has taken multiple Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment classes. He is an active member of his church and helps with the middle-school program. He will continue his education and baseball career at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville.
Daniel Smiley (Scholarship Recipient)
Daniel competed in wrestling, track and field and also football for the Red Terrors.
A linebacker for the Terrors on the football field, he earned first-team all-region honors this fall while helping Glynn to another state-playoff appearance.
He has a 3.8 GPA and received the Georgia Black Scholar Achievement Award and also the prestigious Grissom Scholarship which is awarded to students who are the first in their families to attend college and show proven academic achievement, strong character and exceptional potential for leadership and participation in college life.
Daniel will continue his education and football career at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
David Stanphill
David has competed in football and tennis all four years of high school. He is rated as a 5-star long-snapper and is ranked fourth in the country by Rubio Long Snapping. He played in the Polynesian High-School All-Star Game in January and was coached by former University of Georgia head coach Mark Richt.
David was a team captain for the Red Terrors this past fall. He was voted to the all-region team and was also chosen as a preseason All-American by Rubio.
He is a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club and was selected as an Outstanding Senior. David holds a 4.34 GPA while taking Honors courses and has completed 40 hours of Dual Enrollment classes at the College of Coastal Georgia. He is also active in the Gathering Place and helped mentor a seventh-grade 707 group.
David has accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy where he also will play football for the Midshipmen. He plans to graduate from the Naval Academy with a bachelor of science degree, commissioning as an officer in the Marine Corps and serving in Intelligence.
Isabella Theus
Isabella has competed in softball and track and field at Glynn, lettering four years in softball and one in track.
In softball, she helped the Lady Terrors to three Sweet 16 appearances in the state tournament and three City Championships. Isabella was a two-time all-region selection as both a utility player and catcher and was named a Player of the Game three times by 912 Sports on broadcasts of GA games. She also was named the All-Area MVP by the Brunswick News this past fall. This season, she also earned the award for Highest-GPA on the Glynn Academy team.
Isabella has maintained a 4.32 GPA while taking Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses. She has been an active member of National Honor Society and Beta Club. She has been named a Golden Rule Student of the Month, has received the World Language Spanish II award, Presbyterian College Fellow award and also the Eugenia Price Poets award.
She also enjoys volunteering with Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, Fort Frederica, Georgia Sports Academy and Blessings in a Backpack. She also coaches and mentors young softball players. Isabella is a member of the Saint Williams Youth Group.
She received five scholarship offers before choosing to play collegiate softball at Georgia College and State University. She plans to pursue a degree in Exercise Science and become a physical therapist.