MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Six officials with a combined 243 years of officiating experience received the Greg Brewer Distinguished Service Award at Saturday’s AHSAA Officials Awards Luncheon at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center.
Among the six receiving the AHSAA’s highest officiating honor was Kenny Brewer of Jackson’s Gap, who has served as an AHSAA contest official for 50 years. Also recognized were Kevin Assman (34 years) of Mobile; Billie Campbell (43 years) of Arab; Bob Harris (36 years) of Huntsville; Robert Lose (40 years) of Mobile; and Keith Robertson (38 years) of Anniston.
More than 350 officials and family members attended the luncheon that officially closed the 2019 AHSAA Summer Conference, which was hosted by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) under the direction of AHSADCA Director Jamie Lee and Assistant Director Brandon Dean. The Officials’ Awards Luncheon was organized by Director of Officials and Assistant Director Ken Washington.
Joan Powell, a veteran volleyball official who is the Pac-12 and Mountain West Conference coordinator of officials, was the keynote speaker at the luncheon and also spoke at Friday’s AHSAA Sportsmanship Luncheon.
Contest officials who participated in AHSAA State Championships were recognized. Also, District officials of the year were honored in the sports of baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, track volleyball and wrestling. From those honorees, eight were selected as AHSAA State Officials of the Year for their respective sports. Those included:
AHSAA State Officials of the Year
Baseball: Gary Mauldin of Saraland
Basketball: Bryan Battaglia of Montgomery
Football: Todd Burbank of Florence
Soccer: Jeremiah Massa of Jacksonville
Softball: Kerry Franklin of Millbrook
Track: Tim Callins of Huntsville
Volleyball: Wanda Weeks of Enterprise
Wrestling: Byron Higginbotham of Gurley
ASOF Children’s Scholarships Awarded: In addition to honoring the AHSAA contest officials, nine individuals were chosen to receive an Alabama Sports Officials Foundation (ASOF) Scholarship. Selectees are either children of AHSAA contest officials or an official who is currently a student. One honoree was picked from each sports officials’ groups.
The recipients for 2019, and the colleges they plan to attend, include:
Baseball: William Pouncey, Chelsea (Troy University)
Basketball: Clint Wright, Loretto, TN (University of North Alabama)
Football: Hunter Clayton, Columbus, GA (Troy University)
Soccer: Malik Dahhan, Birmingham (Troy University)
Softball: Kamiyah Strother, Tuscaloosa (Troy University)
Track: Zachary Johnson, Gardendale (Auburn University)
Volleyball: Shelby Wood, Jacksonville (Wallace State Community College)
Wrestling: Lia Dagennaar, Madison (Auburn University)
Special Needs: Madison Tyler, Hoover (Auburn University)
