Six Douglas County Student-Athletes, Coach Named Most Positive

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Six Douglas County student athletes and a coach were recognized at the Inaugural Northwest Atlanta Positive High School Athlete Awards on Friday, April 24 at NorthStar Church in Kennesaw.

Student-athletes from Douglas, Cherokee, Paulding, and Bartow counties representing 28 different boys and girls high school sports and two coaches were honored by community leaders and two-time Super Bowl Champion Tyrone Poole. Six of athletes and one coach were from Douglas County.

The 2014-2015 award winners from Douglas County are:

• Darby Demarest, Chapel Hill High School, Senior, Softball
• Rebecca Rhodes, Alexander High School, Senior, Girls Basketball
• Taiylor Hibbard, New Manchester High School, Senior, Girls Soccer
• Alexandria Brown, Douglas County High School, Senior, Girls Track
• Victoria Jensen, Lithia Srpings High School, Junior, Girls Golf
• Samuel Armas, Alexander High School, Freshman, Adaptive
• Matt Combs, Alexander High School Boys Coach

Over 400 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, and parents were submitted representing all of the aforementioned county public and private schools. Former University of Georgia and Pittsburgh Steelers star, Hines Ward, and local businessman Scott Pederson created Positive Athlete as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show characteristics such as an optimistic attitude, teammate encouragement, servant leadership, heart for others, ability to admit imperfections, giving 100 percent all the time, and realizing the team as more important than the individual.

“We did not put out a search for the best athletes in Georgia,” said Ward, “We put out a search for kids with positive attitudes whose efforts don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheets. These kids are also positive role models in their schools who get involved in charitable causes, have already learned the meaning of giving back at an early age, and many have overcome difficult circumstances and remained positive.”

— From DCPS