BLITZ Hall of Fame Class of 2018: 62 Inductees

Posted on June 13, 2018 by blitzsportsga One comment

The BLITZ Hall of Fame Class of 2018 is unveiled! A record 62 athletes are added to the hall, joining the 58 before them (27 in 2016, 31 in 2017) as the public vote topped 31,000, shattering previous voting totals.

The inductees for 2018 are added to the entire BLITZ Hall of Fame, but for your convenience, you can browse just this year’s crop by scrolling down. The inductees are in order of sport’s season (football on through track & field). They are then ordered by most votes. 10 of the 61 were given a “Producer’s Pass” into the Hall as they didn’t generate enough votes but we felt the lack of voting support didn’t reflect their dominance in their game.

The top vote-getter among all nominees was Rabun QB Bailey Fisher (1,153 votes), followed closely by Rabun G Austin DiNofrio (1,123) and Habersham OF/P Jarred Jones (1,105).

Football (9 Inductees)

BAILEY FISHER

36-4 as a starter under coach Lee Shaw, and three of those losses came in the state quarterfinals or deeper. A true winner, and there’s not been one like him. The Wildcats GOAT Bailey Fisher took his team to the 2017 title game, won four straight region titles and three 2A Quarterfinal runs or deeper. He closed his career with 113 TD passes, fourth most all-time in state history, and 9,383 yards, sixth most all-time. He tallied 170 career touchdowns (113 passing, 57 rushing), while rushing for 3,075 yards, giving him a total of 12,458 total yards of offense.

Fisher rarely stayed in for full games and played only sparingly as a freshman in 2014. His numbers could have been tops in state history. His senior year was better than we’ve ever seen — 3,341 yds passing and 43 TD, as well as 1,283 rush yds and another 27 TD on the ground — all career single-season highs and Rabun County records. Fisher had a hand in 70 touchdowns that season, and was a three-time BLITZ Player of the Year, and a nine-time Player of the Week, giving him 12 awards — the most decorated athlete in BLITZ history. Fisher is now at Tennessee Tech University. (1,153 votes, 1st year ballot)
BAILEY FISHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

COEY WATSON

No one played with more heart than Coey Watson, as he led the Dawson County Tigers when playing with knee and shoulder injuries, neither of which is easy when you’re a dual-threat quarterback. Watson closed his epic high school career with 6,928 passing yards and 65 touchdowns, adding another 2,002 rushing yards and 41 scores. In total, he amassed 8,930 yards of offense and 106 touchdowns. His name appears in the all-time leaders in passing yards in Georgia, as well as touchdowns.

He took Dawson to the state playoffs in three out of four seasons as starter under center, including a quarterfinals run in his sophomore 2015 season. While never winning Player of the Year (same class as Bailey Fisher), he took six Player of the Week awards in his career. Watson now plays at Shorter University. (911 votes, 1st year ballot)
COEY WATSON CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

MASON KINSEY

Kinsey was a gamer for the Raiders, morphing into a true leader on and off the field. No one had a better motor than him, and he almost never took a play off. He left Habersham as the second all-time leading receiver behind fellow BLITZ Hall of Famer Tavarres King, recording some 1,355 yards and 10 TDs, while adding 15 tackles and two interceptions. He had 718 yards (4 TD) as a senior in 2015 and 637 yards (6 TD) as a junior, and won a BLITZ Player of the Week award, as well as being named twice to the All-Region team and once to the All-Area team. He caught nine passes in a game on three separate occasions. Kinsey is third on the single-season and career reception list for Habersham, hauling in 54 passes as a senior and 82 overall. His career-best as a Raider came with a 9-rec, 175-yd performance in 2014. He also put up the third-best receiving total in a single season (in yards) with his 718 as a senior. He now plays at Berry College, where he finished his sophomore season as one of the top receivers in the country (77 rec, 1,245 yds, 17 TD; all Berry records). (519 votes, 1st year ballot)

HARLEY VAUGHAN

Stats literally can’t show the impact of Harley Vaughan. He was an elite lineman throughout his time at Dawson County, and that was only the beginning. Vaughan was instrumental in getting the Tigers to the state playoffs as a senior, and became a two-time All-American at the University of West Georgia (where he holds the record for most games played/started), and thereafter he was invited to the Falcons Rookie Camp to have a shot to make it into the NFL. (429 votes, 1st year ballot)

COLE WRIGHT

The dual threat QB Cole Wright, who won four Player of the Week awards, ranked as one of the tops in the state in total yardage in his two years under center. Wright was backup his first two years at Union County, with former Panthers great and BLITZ Hall-of-Famer Joseph Mancuso in place at the QB position through 2015.

Wright entered his 2016 junior year with only 160 passing yards (19/31 passing) with exactly no touchdowns and one interception. He put himself on the map with an excellent 2016 campaign that saw him throw for 1,853 yards and 15 TD, while rushing for 1,450 yards and 20 TD. His senior year was even better, as he threw for 1,938 yards and 19 TD, throwing just 3 picks and completing 57% of his passes. He rush for 1,140 yards with 14 TDs, averaging 10.5 yards per tote. His total (in just two years as starter) was 3,951 passing yards (34 TD) and 2,676 rush yards (35 TD), to give him a grand total of 6,000 offensive yards and 69 TDs. Wright is now playing at Army-West Point. (419 votes, 1st year ballot)
COLE WRIGHT CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

COLE CHANCEY

Chancey is one of the top rushers in Commerce history, which speaks volumes with the rich tradition they have of elite runners. Chancey, a former Player of the Week, racked up 3,644 yards on the ground to go with 44 touchdowns. He rarely took plays off, surpassing 100 career tackles as a safety and hauling in some five interceptions. As usual, Commerce made the playoffs in all four of Chancey’s years. Now at Harding University, Chancey had a sensational stellar season (1,347 yds, 15 TD). (295 votes, 1st year ballot)

TREVAE CAIN

Cain tallied over 3,000 rushing yards and north of 40 TDs in his illustrious career, averaging 7 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball (linebacker) he had more than 50 tackles. Cain was outstanding especially in his senior 2015 season, where he rushed for 1,339 yards and 18 TDs, which was preceded by 871 yards and 15 TDs as a junior. Cain, a one-time Player of the Week, also had more than 500 receiving yards in his career with 5 TD. He now plays at Reinhardt University. (173 votes, 1st year ballot, Producer’s Pass)

MICHAEL BABERS III

Babers was a power back for the Raiders, racking up close to 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns, averaging just under 6 yards per tote. A three-time first-team all-region selection and first-team all-area back, the three-time Player of the Week finished as the second-leading rusher in school history. Babers’ top season was his junior 2015 season, in which he had 1,264 yards and 16 TDs, adding 163 receiving yards and 4 more scores. He had 947 rush yds (10 TD) as a sophomore, and was hampered by injuries in his 2016 senior season, but still managed 641 yards and 8 TDs. He has the third-most rushing TDs in a single season (16) in school history, and second-most in a career (34), second-most rushing yards in a game (278), season (1,269) and career (2,900) and second on the all-time rushes list (536). Babers now plays at Georgia Southern. (112 votes, 1st year ballot, Producer’s Pass)
MICHAEL BABERS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

ZACH MATTHEWS

Matthews was the all-time leading rusher at Lumpkin County (3,804 yards, 47 TD), and added some 100 tackles as a linebacker. In the run game though, he made his biggest contribution, averaging nearly six yards per carry. A three-time BLITZ Player of the Week, Matthews had to move from a fullback to a running back to a run-first quarterback, then back to fullback. While his role changed, his production did not. Matthews now plays at the University of West Georgia. (53 votes, 1st year ballot, Producer’s Pass)
ZACH MATTHEWS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Softball (8 Inductees)

MATTIE CANUP

Canup was a great-hitting catcher who also played great defensively. She had a phenomenal junior and senior season. As a junior (2015) she hit .453 with 21 RBI, 22 runs and 11 SB, also adding 11 doubles and a triple, posting a .514 OBP. She followed it up with a 2016 senior year that saw her hit .491 with 18 RBI, 15 R, 8 2B, 4 3B, 10 SB, 12 BB and a .590 OBP. The one-time BLITZ Player of the Week hit .380 as a freshman, .360 as sophomore, .453 as a junior and .463 as a senior. Her career totals included .415 average (school career record), 77 RBI, 76 runs, 27 doubles, one triple and 131 hits to with 35 stolen bases. She also drew 54 walks and reached on HBP 10 times, and a record 20 sacrifice bunts. (895 votes, 1st year ballot)

KAITLYN SEABOLT

Make no doubt about it, Seabolt is one of the top hitters in Union County history. The outfielder hit .386 overall, but slugged nine homeruns and had 61 RBI. She scored 118 runs (school record) and 35 doubles to go with nine triples. Her 177 hits are still the most all-time at Union County, along with her runs scored and batting average. She still also holds the single-season mark for hits (59), runs (45) and average (.522). A current assistant coach for Union County, Seabolt played collegiately at the University of North Georgia. (454 votes, 1st year ballot)

JOY LEWIS

Lewis is perhaps the best definition of “big things come in small packages” as she put up some monster numbers in her career at Dawson. She helped lead the Tigers to an Elite 8 run, and was an All-State player her senior year (2014) after recording 222 strikeouts in 201 innings, with a 2.36 ERA. She also hit .408 with 24 RBI and 28 runs scored that season. Overall, her career looked like this: .443 average, 2 HR, 101 RBI, 82 R, 32 2B, 2 3B at the plate and a 36-9 W-L mark with a 1.59 ERA, 377 K in 315 innings and 42 complete games. She also was named region player of the year as a senior. Lewis went on to play at the University of Pennsylvania for one season. (407 votes, 1st year ballot)

COURTNEY & CRYSTAL BUSBEE

Courtney and Crystal are not the same person…as they are the first to tell you. However, their careers were intertwined, as their childhoods were as well (twins), so together they earn induction into the BLITZ Hall of Fame. Courtney, a one-time Player of the Week, finished her career with a .324 average, 67 RBI, 55 runs, 27 doubles and 135 hits, all of which fall in the top-ten in Union County history. A gamer, the catcher played through injury and almost never took a game off, piling up 417 at-bats, third most in Union County history. Sister Crystal was a defensive mainstay at shortstop, and she hit .298 with 44 RBI, 98 runs (3rd most all-time at Union) and 21 doubles as part of her 100 hits. Crystal went to Emmanuel College before transferring to Georgia Gwinnett College. (301 votes, 1st year ballot)

JESSICA MORGAN

Morgan is a generational talent – Right off the bat (no pun intended), she splashed on the scene as a freshman phenom [.468 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI], winning the BLITZ Softball Player of the Year award in 2014. After that freshman season, Morgan committed to the University of Georgia. The catcher led the Lady Warriors to 38 wins in her four seasons — including three state playoff trips, and her career closed with an impressive stat line: .490 AVG, 31 HR, 98 RBI. That also includes more than 100 runs scored, 30 stolen bases, 40 doubles and almost 10 triples in her career.

Her senior year saw her hit to the tune of a .544 average (43-for-79), complete with 10 HR, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored. She was an extra-base machine, collecting 13 doubles and three triples, as well as reaching base on seven walks and three hit batsman. A rare breed of power and contact, Morgan only struck out twice during the entire season. She won the BLITZ Player of the Year award again her senior year for her efforts, giving her two POY awards to go with a Player of the Week award. Morgan left White County early and was able to play at UGA in Spring 2018, meaning she had the rare opportunity to play her senior year of high school and freshman year of college within the same academic year. She homered in her very first at-bat at UGA. (286 votes, 1st year ballot)

TABITHA MORRISON

Morrison was a two-time All-State player, putting up some solid numbers at Dawson County as part of the Elite 8 team. The outfielder hit .440 in her career, adding eight homers and driving in 95 RBI. The speedster also had 80 stolen bases and more than 50 extra-base hits. Her junior 2014 season saw her hit .511 with 27 RBI and 31 runs. Morrison now plays at Brenau University, and has a career .244 average with a homer, 26 RBI, 32 runs and 11 SB to date. (281 votes, 1st year ballot)

MALLORY PARSON

Parson was a do-it-all player at Banks County, leading the Lady Leopards to 57 wins in the circle with a 2.74 ERA. She was 57-18 overall, adding three saves, and struck out 418 batters in 455.1 innings pitched, having a 1.29 WHIP. She was just as pivotal on offense, batting .442 as a mostly-singles hitter, notching 41 RBI, 83 runs, 59 stolen bases, 20 walks and 12 doubles and two triples. She was the region player of the year as a senior (two-time first-team All-Region) and holds the Banks County record for career strikeouts and stolen bases, and was named second team All-State. Parson now plays at Georgia State, winning one game as a sophomore in 2018. She was previously at Georgia Military College, where she was 6-1 with a 2.27 ERA as a freshman, striking out 18 in 46.1 innings of work (5 complete games). (201 votes, 1st year ballot)

Cross Country (4 Inductees)

MAKAYLA HEWELL

Hewell was a former Region Champion as a senior in 2014, and was region runner-up as a junior the year prior. She improved significantly from a 17th place finish as a sophomore. She led the Banks girls to back-to-back state meets, and finished seventh individually in both years. Her PR was 17:38 in high school. She currently runs at Emmanuel College, where she’s crushed school records and recently as a junior won the individual NCCAA South Region Championship. (875 votes, 1st year ballot)

LANCE UNDERWOOD

Underwood was a mainstay for Union County cross country boys. A region champion as a sophomore in 2015, he was also runner-up as a senior in 2017. His high-point came in his senior season at state, where he finished fifth, earning BLITZ Runner of the Year. He was 7th at state as a sophomore and 21st as a junior (5th in region) and 20th as a freshman (region runner-up). Underwood also excelled in Track & Field in the long distance events. His cross country PR time was 15:58. (494 votes, 1st year ballot)

ANSLEY VARDEMAN

Vardeman was instrumental in getting Towns County on the map, leading the team to its first of five straight state titles. She was the overall state champion as a junior (2012) and was the state runner-up as a senior (2013). Both of those seasons she was the Area individual champion. She was 6th in the area as a freshman and 7th as a sophomore, finishing 50th and 61st respectively in the state meets those years. Her 5K PR was 21:25, and her 2-mile PR was 14:01. Vardeman, a three-time Player of the Week, went on the UGA as a Cheerdancer. (277 votes, 1st year ballot)

KATE MASSEY

Massey had an equally impressive career in cross country as she did in track & field, which is typical for long distance runners. In cross country, she was a two-time Area Champion as both a sophomore and junior, and runner-up as a senior. At state, she was runner-up twice (freshman & junior years) and was fourth as a sophomore and sixth as a senior. Her 3-mile PR was 21:09 and 5K PR was 20:57. Massey was a T&F Athlete of the Year in 2016 and won a pair of Player of the Week awards. In T&F, she was a State Champion three times (2016 twice; once in 2018). (206 votes, 1st year ballot)

Boys Basketball (5 Inductees)

AUSTIN DINOFRIO

DiNofrio was a killer from long-range, scoring seemingly at will for the Wildcats. The guard was a plus ball-handler and could play with anyone on defense. He dropped over 1,000 career points, and had a fantastic senior year (2014-15) in which he netted 18.9 pts/game, 6.1 reb/game, 2.2 stl/game, 2.1 ast/game and 1.5 blk/game. He shot 43% from the floor that season, including 37% from downtown, earning BLITZ Player of the Year honors. He finished with 1,075 career points and was named once as Player of the Week. His 21-9 senior season is still the best in school history as the Cats made the Sweet 16. DiNofrio went on to play at Truett McConnell for one season. (1,123 votes, 2nd year ballot)
AUSTIN DINOFRIO CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

WILL DEVRIES

DeVries was a rare 1,000-point scorer, 500-plus rebounds and 300-plus assist member for Towns County, and was named first team all-region as a senior (2016-17). He led the Indians to a #5-ranking and first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, and averaged 16.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He was a first-team all-region and second-team all-region member in basketball. He was a two-sport star, also the region player of the year in baseball his senior year. (923 votes, 1st year ballot)

DYLAN ORR

In Orr’s four years at Banks, the Leopards had their greatest run of success, making the Sweet 16 in each season and going 96-21. Orr flashed on the scene first in 2015-16, coming off the bench to play alongside brother Zac Orr and flashy guard Zez Steeple, throwing down some thunderous dunks. Once upon a time we went to a high school game and MIGHT see a dunk, and if we saw two…well that was insane. Fast forward to 2017-18, and Orr would punish the rim typically a minimum of twice per game, sometimes four of five times. He crashed the boards hard, corralling rebound after rebound. He swatted away opposing players’ shots at an alarming rate. He was flat-out dominant in the paint on both ends of the floor. Orr’s senior year (‘17-18), he notched 22 double-doubles and 4 triple-doubles, posting career single-game highs in points (28; 12/19/17 vs Monticello), rebounds (22; 2/16/18 vs Coosa) and blocks (11; 12/1/17 vs Hart). Orr’s stat sheet produced single-game averages of 16.1 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.8 blocks, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals. He shot 60% from the floor. Orr finished his career with 930 points and 791 rebounds and a school-record 272 blocks. Orr was the BLITZ Player of the Year his senior year and a two-time Player of the Week. He is now playing at the University of North Georgia. (413 votes, 1st year ballot)
DYLAN ORR CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

ZAC ORR

Orr was a phenomenal talent for Banks County, joining an elite club of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Orr could be seen dunking, dominating the paint, doing the little things and of course, doing the dirty work of hauling in boards. Orr was sometimes overlooked because of playing with previous Players of the Year Austin Venable and Zez Steeple, but th1,000e 1,000/1,000 club was a rare feat of its own. Orr was first team all-region as a senior, second team as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore and freshman. Off the court, too, carried a 4.0 GPA as an Honor Graduate and won the Young Georgia Author Award. Orr, a one-time BLITZ Player of the Week, went to Erskine College for two years, but now plays at Bob Jones University. (390 votes, 1st year ballot)
ZAC ORR CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

AUSTIN VENABLE

Venable was the first of a string of greats to come out of Banks County. He was a 1,000 point scorer and was hard to match up against as a senior in the paint. He looked like a man among boys with his 6’9, 260 lb frame. He was a shoe-in for a couple of dunks per game at least. Venable was the BLITZ Player of the Year as a senior (2014-15), averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds per game to go with three blocks per contest. He connected on 55% of his shots. Venable was also a first team all-region member and two-time Player of the Week. He went on to play two years at Presbyterian College before going to Erskine College, where he flourished with 15.6 pts and 7.5 reb per game totals, adding 47 total blocks as a junior. (137 votes, 2nd year ballot, Producer’s Pass)
AUSTIN VENABLE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Girls Basketball (7 Inductees)

ERYN COCHRAN

Cochran remains one of the top talents to come out of Towns County, along with fellow BLITZ Hall of Famer and friends and former teammates Stephanie Patton and Gabby Arencibia. Cochran, a 1,000-point scorer, was a great ball-handler and could score from about anywhere on the floor. She averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 5.1 steals per game, all team-highs in her senior season, and as a junior: 13.9 points per game. She and Patton led the girls to a region title that season, a 26-5 record and a trip to the Final Four. A former Player of the Week and first-team all-region member, Cochran played two seasons at Columbus State before transferring to Young Harris. At CSU, she played in 61 games and average 3.8 pts/game. As a junior at YHC, she tallied 11.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.5 apg, and dropped a career-high 24 pts against her former CSU team. (744 votes, 1st year ballot)

BAILEY DANIEL

Daniel was a true leader on and off the court for Union County, and closed her career with over 1,000 career points. She was named to the first team all-region squad in her senior year and as a junior in 2016-17. (466 votes, 1st year ballot)

BRIANNA BARRETT

Barrett didn’t put up gaudy scoring numbers in high school. She was a role player, and played with a high-scoring Division-I player (Haley Gerrin), so in that sense she didn’t need to be dropping 15 or 20 per game (although she could). She was good for 9 PTS, 4 REB, 7.4 AST and 5 STL per game, a near triple-double threat. She was a 3-time defense player of the year, one year offensive player of the year, and honorable mention three years! In college, she continued to shine, even brighter really, averaging about 8.5 points per contest at Piedmont College over four full seasons, becoming one of the most consistent players for the Lady Lions, playing in over 100 games and 2,842 minutes to be exact. Barrett was a leader for the Lady Raiders and helped guide them to a Sweet 16 run and region title as a junior, and was a previous BLITZ Player of the Week. (404 votes, 1st year ballot)

ALLISON SMITH

Smith missed almost an entire season (junior year) yet still easily surpassed 1,000 career points. The guard/forward had the size and athleticism to take over a game from beyond the arc, in the paint or anywhere in between. There was no easy way to guard Smith. She led the Lady Leopards to a fantastic quarterfinals run in 2017-18, and tallied 15 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk and 3 stl per game that season. She shot 77% from the charity stripe and 33% overall from the floor. She was an All-State player as well as all-region multiple times. Smith took one Player of the Week award, and was a standout cross country and track and field athlete as well. She now plays at Emmanuel College. (256 votes, 1st year ballot)
ALLISON SMITH CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

KARLIE BEARDEN

Bearden is one of those special players that was like a second coach on the floor. A 1,000-point scorer, the former BLITZ Player of the Year put together some incredible numbers and was part of Dawson County’s best four-year run in school history. The two-time Player of the Week had a solid senior season (15.1 pts, 8.9 reb, 3.3 stl, 2.9 ast, 2.2 blk). Her junior year was also great – 11.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.7 spg, 2.6 bpg, 43% FG and 12 double-doubles. Bearden was an all-region player, and now plays at Lenior-Rhyne University. (144 votes, 1st year ballot, Producer’s Pass)
KARLIE BEARDEN CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

ASHLEY PARKER

Parker played a huge role in the 2012-13 state title run for Dawson County in her sophomore year, and became the go-to scorer inside for the next two seasons after that. Parker easily reached 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds, and was a two-time BLITZ Player of the Week and three-time all-region selection. In her senior year, Parker averaged 13.4 pts, 9.3 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.7 stl and 1 blk per game, shooting 46% on the floor and collecting 10 double-doubles. Parker played at the University of North Georgia for a season, playing in 18 games and tallying 33 points. (66 votes, 2nd year ballot, Producer’s Pass)
ASHLEY PARKER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

GABBY ARENCIBIA

Arencibia is well-known for having one of the best nights in state history on the court, a 43-point performance that included a record 13 3-pointers, breaking her own record of 9 that she made the previous season in a game. She was named Player of the Week, but the craziest part about her extraordinary night? She didn’t play in the fourth quarter, and shot 50% in total, also adding four rebounds, three assists and three blocks that night in February 2011. She still holds the state record, as well as state record for most 3-pointers in a career (312) and was a 2nd-team All-State player in her junior and senior years, and was named to the 1st or 2nd team All-Region every year of her high school career. Arencibia was a 1,000-point scorer and led the Lady Indians to an Elite 8 appearance and three Sweet 16 runs. She played a year at the University of North Georgia (0.3 ppg) before playing one more at Piedmont College (5.4 ppg). (40 votes, 2nd year ballot, Producer’s Pass)