FROM STAFF REPORTS

BIRMINGHAM – Dothan High School’s Jack Stansell and Chelsea High School’s Maygen Boaz-Jeffords were named the overall winners at the 29^th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet here Monday night at the Birmingham Sheraton Hotel as 96 high school regional honorees were recognized and awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships.

Stansell, a senior football and track standout, was the recipient of the Larry D. Striplin, Jr., Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.  Boaz, a softball standout, received the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student Achievement Athlete of the Year Award.

The program, named in honor of the late coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama and Ralph “Shug” Jordan of Auburn, recognized 48 regional scholar-athlete winners selected for their excellence in athletics and academics and 48 achievement winners chosen for their ability to overcome major obstacles during their high school careers.

Boaz-Jeffords thanked her grandparents for stepping into her life in a major way and changing her forever. “I can never thank you,” Boaz-Jeffords said.

Boaz-Jeffords has been a standout softball player since middle school. The outfielder earned All-Shelby County honors and signed with the University of Mobile. The senior overcame many difficult family obstacles, first as a small child, eventually winding up in foster care. After moving to live with her grandmother in Chelsea, Maygen has thrived as a student, an athlete and as a student leader.

“The struggles I have dealt with have helped me to grow stronger,” Boaz-Jeffers said. “Those who have helped me, my grandparents, coaches and teachers, have helped me to strive harder each day.”

Stansell and Boaz-Jeffords were each awarded scholarships totaling $8,500. Each regional winner received $2,500 and each class winner an additional $3,000. The state winners also received an additional $3,000.

Class winners in the Scholar-Athlete division were: James Colby Wheeler, Winterboro (1A); Leah Strain, Woodland (2A); Colby Adams, Holly Pond (3A); Ethan Boyd, Oneonta; Miller Williams, Homewood (5A); and Jack Stansell, Dothan (6A).

Class winners in the Student Achievement division included: Elysabeth Morales, Jacksonville Christian (1A); Christina Cowan, Sweet Water (2A); Rhett Bailey, Elkmont (3A); Keyana Turner, Ashford (4A); Haden Ryals, Southside-Selma (5A); and Maygen Boaz-Jeffords, Chelsea (6A).