Anna Katherine Cates of Darlington School, and Noah Shepard were named as the recipients of the four-year scholarship of $1000 per year by legendary Coach Vince Dooley on April 29, 2017 at a ceremony held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Nearly 300 student-athletes and guests attended the event which featured inspirational messages from Coach Dooley, ABW Founder/President Fred Northup, and Atlanta Public Schools’ Assistant Director of Athletics Kandice Mitchell. In attendance was last year’s speaker and special guest Carror Wright of the Georgia High School Association. All enjoyed a breakfast meal, compliments of Chick-fil-A. The Hudgens Family Foundation was once again the Presenting Sponsor for the event.
Ms. Cates distinguished herself on the field as a first team All-Region Soccer player while also captain of the Cheer squad, receiving the highest scholar-athlete award in both. In the classroom, Anna Katherine is a member of the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, Math and Science Honor Society, Societe de Hispanica, numerous E.L. Wright Awards for highest average in a subject, and is a finalist for both the Stamps Presidential Scholarship at Georgia Tech, and the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina. In the community, she is the founder of nonprofit Donate Health, collecting and shipping medical supplies to clinics in Guatemala, plus supports Rome Area Young Life and other volunteer activities.
Mr. Shepard carries a 3.97 GPA while excelling at soccer and football despite recovering from major back surgery for scoliosis. Noah manages to volunteer significant time for Stop Hunger Now, Special Olympics, Hospice Care, YMCA soccer, Upward Basketball, Restoration Disaster Relief, and the Satilla River Clean Up.
The 2017 Scholarship Finalists were:
Girls
Anna Cates, Darlington School
Moriah Harris, Calvary Day School
Destinee Johnson, Ware County High School
Dorminy Johnson, Burke County High School
Kendall Nelson, Marist School
Julia Nichols, Tallulah Falls School
Allie Parkerson, First Presbyterian Day School
Tia Shorter, Archer High School
Parker Sylvester, Cambridge High School
Bailey Upton, Model High School
Boys
Bailey Brock, Winder-Barrow High School
Nathan Brown, Sandy Creek High School
Ethan Delashmit, Darlington School
William Hellier, Whitefield Academy
Rylan Lavery, Etowah High School
Ivan Martin, Chestatee High School
Noah Shepard, Ware County High School
Ethan Lamb, Tattnall County High School
Isaac May, West Forsyth High School
Keegan Woods, Callaway School
Congratulations to all 2017 Dooley Award recipients:
| Name of School | Name of Athlete |
|---|---|
| Adairsville High School | Addison Mealer |
| Adairsville High School | Chad Lowery |
| Americus Sumter High School | Eric Brown |
| Archer High School | Ethan Cano |
| Archer High School | Tia Shorter |
| Baconton Community Charter School | Kim Wenzel |
| Baconton Community Charter School | Austin Redding |
| Baker County High | Devin Sheffield |
| Baker County High | Ga’Lexius Downs |
| Banks County High School | Davis Day |
| Booker T. Washington High School | Lauryn Taylor |
| Burke County High School | Dorminy Johnson |
| Callaway High School | Dori Cook |
| Callaway High School | Keegan Woods |
| Calvary Day School | Ryan Mell |
| Calvary Day School | Moriah Harris |
| Cambridge High School | Will Britain |
| Cambridge High School | Parker Sylvester |
| Chattahoochee County High School | Erika Danielle Jackson |
| Chattahoochee County High School | Jon Zachary Nixon |
| Chestatee High School | Becca Eddins |
| Chestatee High School | Ivan Martin |
| Claxton High School | Blake Stroud |
| Clinch County High School | Mahjabin Patrawala |
| Clinch County High School | Bryce Ballance |
| Coffee High School | Chiann Watson |
| Coffee High School | Garrett Southerland |
| Coretta Scott King | Angel Carter |
| Dalton High School | Bowen Land |
| Dalton High School | Maddux Houghton |
| Darlington School | Anna Katherine Cates |
| Darlington School | Ethan Mark Delashmit |
| East Jackson High School | Ronan Atticus Veal |
| East Jackson High School | Ally Lee Petering |
| Etowah High School | Rylan Lavery |
| Etowah High School | Macki Walsh |
| First Presbyterian Day School | Allie Parkerson |
| First Presbyterian Day School | Alan Carlton |
| Fitzgerald High School | Shyann Dorough |
| Fitzgerald High School | JD King |
| Forsyth Central High School | Kirbi Mathews |
| Forsyth Central High School | Josh Weihrauch |
| Gainesville High School | Sydney F King |
| Gainesville High School | Hunter Worley |
| Georgia Academy for the Blind | Nikita Duckworth |
| Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy | Jasmyn Palmer |
| Greenbrier High School | Mark Otstot |
| Greenbrier High School | Cassidy Sigrist |
| Harrison High School | Sydne Wiggins |
| Harrison High School | Harrison Deltac |
| Irwin County High School | Nathan Tucker |
| Irwin County High School | Rebecca Paulk |
| Jefferson County High School | Bryant Arnold |
| Jefferson County High School | Morgan Williams |
| Jefferson High School | Maryanne Kilgore |
| Jefferson High School | Addison Cochran |
| Johnson County | Dani Josey |
| Johnson County | Malik Pierce |
| Landmark Christian School | Seth Cruver |
| Landmark Christian School | Tiffany Cooley |
| Lincoln County High School | Tronyotta Hawes |
| Lincoln County High School | Mitch Matthews |
| Long County High School | Savannah Dozier |
| Long County High School | James Goober |
| Lovejoy High School | Tre’mond Shorts |
| Lovejoy High School | Amber Thornton |
| Marion County High School | Madison McPherson |
| Marion County High School | Robert “Nathan” Moon |
| Marist School | Mitchell Werntz |
| Marist School | Kendall Nelson |
| Model High School | Luis Carroll |
| Model High School | Bailey Upton |
| Mount Paran Christian School | Sydney Chambley |
| Mount Paran Christian School | Carter Smith |
| Mount Zion High | Alexis Smith |
| Mount Zion High | Jasper Jackson |
| Mount Zion High School | Christian Corn |
| Mount Zion High School | Jaycee Martin |
| North Cobb Christian School | Halle Rainwater |
| North Cobb Christian School | Mark Watson |
| North Paulding High School | Brittany Broome |
| North Paulding High School | Josh Robinson |
| Oconee County High School | Danielle Della Torre |
| Oconee County High School | Chris Johnson |
| Old Suwanee Christian School | AJ King |
| Peach County High School | Eboni Steele |
| Peach County High School | Kyle Nixon |
| Pinecrest Academy | Carson Holler |
| Pinecrest Academy | Ashley Triplett |
| Rabun Gap Nacoochee School | Seth Justus |
| Rabun Gap Nacoochee School | Anna Armfield |
| Randolph-Clay High | Chanel Wilburn |
| Randolph-Clay High | Noah Mcfather |
| Sandy Creek High School | Nathan Brown |
| St. Vincent’s Academy | Meghan Vierheilig |
| Stratford Academy | David Matlock |
| Stratford Academy | Monica Montalvo |
| Swainsboro High School | Ansley N. Braddock |
| Tallulah Falls School | Michael Weidner |
| Tallulah Falls School | Julia Nichols |
| Tattnall County High School | Ethan Lamb |
| Tattnall County High School | Hannah Fox |
| Treutlen High School | Theda Yawn |
| Treutlen High School | Tyler Benjamin |
| Troup County High School | Chanse Hill |
| Troup High School Athletics | Madison Kate Jeter |
| Villa Rica High School | Adrian Sanchez |
| Ware County High School | Destinee Johnson |
| Ware County High School | Noah Shepard |
| West Forsyth High School | Isaac May |
| West Forsyth High School | Liz Galarza |
| West Laurens High School | Cammy Hatchett |
| Whitefield Academy | Lauren Burke |
| Whitefield Academy | William Hellier |
| Winder-Barrow High School | Bailey Brock |
