On Friday, April 15, students, parents, and staff of Allatoona High School gathered on the field and in the bleachers at Buccaneer Stadium to celebrate 20 Buc athletes heading off to compete at the collegiate level next year. With schools as diverse as the Air Force Academy, Bucknell University, Concordia (Ann Arbor), and Western Kentucky University, to nearby favorites, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, and UGA, Allatoona’s 2022 student-athlete class will be representing Buc Nation all over the country.
The scholarships attained by this group of scholar-athletes amounts to more than $750,000! The sports represented by the group also show the diverse talent at Allatoona: baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and swimming and diving.
Six students accepted baseball scholarships to continue their diamond game while earning a college degree. Michael Barron (Coastal Alabama East), Riley Gaskins (Andrew College), Aidan Jolley (GT), Jackson McElvy (LaGrange College), William Mosley (Western Kentucky), and Taylor Schultz (GSU) were the first of the 20 to be announced and sign their commitment letters (Letter of Intent, LOI).
Cayden Charles signed his letter to play basketball at the University of North Georgia for the Division II Night Hawks. Cayden thanked his coaches, parents, and teammates for their support throughout his high school career.
Four football players signed their letters next: Ryan Blank (Reinhardt University), Levi Brown (Air Force), Marcus Taylor (Concordia), and Ty Thompson (GT). Sharp-dressed Ty thanked head coach Gary Varner for teaching him what football is really all about. He also mentioned a valuable lesson he learned while at Allatoona: “Success requires hard work, but being great requires both hard work and taking chances.”
Jackson Stone signed his LOI for Truett McConnell University to play golf for the Christian school located in Cleveland, Georgia.
Three lacrosse players also signed for next-level play: Andrew Ferguson (Montevallo University), Will Isley (Piedmont University), and Julia Dembowitz (Bucknell). Andrew revealed that his brother was the one to get him to play lacrosse, and all thanked their parents and coaches.
Alex Stanford (Georgia Southwestern), Bailey Bulliner (Harding University), and Lorelei Lewis (Point University) will all be playing soccer next season at college, and Payton O'Connor will join William Mosley at WKU to play Division I softball for the Big Red.
The final athlete of the group was four-time state champion diver Hannah Stumpf. Hannah announced that she would be taking her talents to Athens to dive in the SEC for the Bulldogs. “Go Dawgs,” she said to a roar of approval from the bleachers.
Congratulations to all twenty student-athletes for their dedication and hard work. Juggling school, sports, and so many other responsibilities in high school can be stressful, but these Bucs are proof that it can be done and the rewards are worth it. Great job!
