Lady Rebels, Rebels honored

Awards: Lady Rebels honored for championship season

  • The Rebel Seniors were gifted a jersey replica with their number and a GHSA Elite Eight emblem as recognition for their dedication to the program. Hudson Ethington, left, and Jack Sparks display their jerseys.
    The Rebel Seniors were gifted a jersey replica with their number and a GHSA Elite Eight emblem as recognition for their dedication to the program. Hudson Ethington, left, and Jack Sparks display their jerseys.
  • The Lady Rebel Seniors were recognized and gifted a jersey replica with their number and a GHSA State Championship tag. Shown are, from left, Emma Buchanan, Callie Ensley and Emma Holloway.
    The Lady Rebel Seniors were recognized and gifted a jersey replica with their number and a GHSA State Championship tag. Shown are, from left, Emma Buchanan, Callie Ensley and Emma Holloway.
  • The Rebels and Lady Rebels basketball programs held their joint banquet Tuesday, April 29. Shown are award winners, from left, Tyler Blake, Hudson Ethington, Matthew Ponton, Cannon Holloway, Emma Holloway, Jack Sparks, Maggie Ledford, Keaton Watkins, Reese Lewis, Emma Buchanan, Kolton Kaylor, Avi Ethington, Brody Henson, Izzie Jabaley, Sadie Patton, Albany Cole and Callie Enlsey.
    The Rebels and Lady Rebels basketball programs held their joint banquet Tuesday, April 29. Shown are award winners, from left, Tyler Blake, Hudson Ethington, Matthew Ponton, Cannon Holloway, Emma Holloway, Jack Sparks, Maggie Ledford, Keaton Watkins, Reese Lewis, Emma Buchanan, Kolton Kaylor, Avi Ethington, Brody Henson, Izzie Jabaley, Sadie Patton, Albany Cole and Callie Enlsey.

    State title efforts recognized

    The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) A-D1 State Champion Women’s basketball team Fannin County Lady Rebels held their banquet Tuesday, April 29, to award players and recognize their accomplishments from the historic 2024-2025 season.

    Lady Rebels Head Coach Ryan Chastain bragged on the team, saying, “I have never seen a team catch another gear like these girls did in the playoffs. That made the difference in the State Championship stretch.”

    All members of the team earned a Varsity letter for the season. Team members are Emma Buchanan, Callie Ensley, Emma Holloway, Avi Ethington, Maggie Ledford, Reese Lewis, Albany Cole, Izzie Jabaley, Kendall Gaddis, Toccoa Hampton, Brooklynn Owenby, Sadie Patton and Saige Turner.

    Many members of the team were recognized for the academic award. This award is given to seniors, juniors and sophomores with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Coach Chastain noted that the entire team’s GPA was an astounding 3.98. Recipients of the academic award were Emma Buchanan, Callie Ensley, Emma Holloway, Avi Ethington, Maggie Ledford, Reese Lewis, Albany Cole and Izzie Jabaley.

    The Northwest Georgia Tip Off Club Players of the Month were Izzie Jabaley for December and Maggie Ledford for January. Junior Reese Lewis earned the title of Northwest Georgia Tip Off Club Program Player of the Year.

    Chastain presented many individual awards as well. The Newcomer of the Year was awarded to Sadie Patton, the newest member of the varsity team who had the greatest impact on team success.

    The Sixth Man of the Year was awarded to Albany Cole, who did not start games but had an immediate impact off the bench throughout the season.

    The Johnny Farmer Coach’s Award was given to senior team captain Emma Holloway, who exemplifies commitment, leadership, loyalty, and a team-first mentality over everything else.   

    The All Around Impact award recipient was Izzie Jabaley, who performed at a high level in multiple major statistical categories. Jabaley was named GHSA A-D1’s Best Passer and GHSA All-State Honorable Mention as a sophomore.

    The Standard of Excellence was awarded to senior team captain Emma Buchanan, who exemplified excellence not only on the court but also in the classroom and community.

    Co-Defensive Player of the Year Awards were awarded to senior team captain Callie Ensley and junior Avi Ethington. These players exemplify outstanding defensive performance night in and night out.

    The Offensive Player of the Year Award was given to junior Maggie Ledford. Ledford was the team leader in total points scored, points per game average, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. She was the GHSA State Championship Player of the Game with 22 points and 7 Rebounds, AJC Second Team All-State and GHSA All-State Honorable Mention.

    The Player of the Year award was given to Reese Lewis. Lewis was the Region 7-A D1 Player of the Year, Georgia Basketball Coaches Association First Team All-State, GHSA First Team All-State, AJC First Team All-State and part of the 500 Rebound Club.

     

    Historical season honored

    The Fannin County High School Men’s basketball team held its banquet Tuesday, April 29.

    Head Coach Greg Linder spoke about the Rebels’ historic season, saying, “It was an honor to see these guys buy into what we were doing. As a new coach, change can be hard, but from the very first day, these guys were all in.”

    The Rebels made history with an Elite Eight run, losing to the eventual state champions. The team ended the season as Region Runners-Up. The Rebels hosted a playoff game for the first time in program history and won it. They won the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history, following that with their Elite Eight appearance.

    Several individual awards were presented at the banquet.

    The Coaches Award went to senior Jack Sparks.

    The Sixth Man Awards went to Brody Henson and Tyler Blake.

    The Own The Paint Award went to sophomore Keaton Watkins.

    Cannon Holloway received the Hustle Award.

    The Defense Award was given to senior Hudson Ethington, and the Offense Award was given to junior Matthew Ponton.

    Kolton Kaylor was awarded the Most Valuable Player award.

    Ethington and Kaylor were also recognized as members of the Region 7-A D1 First Team All Region. Watkins was recognized as an All Region Honorable Mention.

    Kaylor was also recognized for being selected for the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association North All State Team.