Eli Cooling is the best Franklin County has ever had – and now caps his career off with BLITZ POY honors!

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

28 Goals (School Record)
10 Assists
Region Player of the Year
1st Team All-Region

Eli Cooling netted 28 goals, setting a Franklin County single-season record. He added 10 assists, and was named the Region POY.

VOTING RESULTS

1. Eli Cooling – 91.5 pts (16)
2. Kainen Shirley – 65.5 pts (4)
3. Bushy Turnquest – 29 pts
4. Pierre Kouadio – 26.5 pts
5. Ridge Cole – 23.5 pts
6. Fabricio Turner Sandoval – 16 pts (1)

Voting included our 21-person panel made up of sports reporters, writers, video producers, former coaches, players, GHSA officials, and sports experts. The voting is Heisman-style, with the following points system:
1st place votes: 5 pts; 2nd: 3 pts; 3rd: 2 pts; 4th: 1 pts; 5th-6th: 0.5 pts; 7th-8th 0.25 pts

Only three players captured at least a 1st-place vote, but Cooling took 16 of them to cruise to the win.

HISTORY OF SOCCER POY

• 2026 – Eli Cooling – Franklin County SR F
• 2025 – Caden Coggins – Towns County SO F
• 2024 – Austin Ball – Tallulah Falls SR F
• 2023 – Austin Ball – Tallulah Falls JR F
• 2022 – Kyler Robbins – Union County SR M
• 2021 – Hayden Gensler – White County SR F
• 2020 – Brandon Hudson – Jefferson SR F
• 2019 – Brian Smith – Union County SR F
• 2018 – Chris Keys – Lumpkin County SR F
• 2017 – Dennis Pyetsukh – Dawson County JR F
• 2016 – Dennis Pyetsukh – Dawson County SO F
• 2015 – Brandon Lund – Dawson County SR F
• 2014 – Brandon Lund – Dawson County JR F
• 2013 – Brooks Fulford – Dawson County JR GK
• 2012 – Jose Lara – Habersham Central SR F
• 2011 – Vincent Thomas – Union County SR M
• 2010 – Nolan & Sawyer Hemmer – Habersham Central SR F/D

Cooling is the first Franklin County winner of the award, and the fourth straight forward overall to win it (forwards have won it 14 times in total). 12 seniors have won the award as well.

WHO WILL WIN IT NEXT YEAR?

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