Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
The YMCA-FCA Christian Leadership Banquet was held Monday night at First United Methodist Church in Prattville. The banquet promotes the mission of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the YMCA to impact students for Jesus Christ and to provide community-based programs based on Christian principles.
The event included Rosie Langello – WSFA Sports Director. The speaker for the event was Moriah Seay, a volleyball player at Tuskegee University and Central Alabama FCA Collegiate Intern.
Prattville Christian Academy Volleyball and Tennis Coach Kaylon Cantrell won the Otis Reeves Outstanding Coaches Award. The award is presented to a coach that has exemplified a lifelong commitment to youth sports and impacting young people in the community. Cantrell has established a highly successful volleyball program at PCA, to include winning a state championship in 2022 and advancing to the Final 4 and Final 8 in other years. Additionally, Coach Cantrell has taken on the task of coaching the PCA tennis team.
“I am extremely honored to receive the Otis Reeves Outstanding Coaches Award. It is even more special to me because Coach Otis was my first gymnastics coach at the Y as a little girl, and then he also gave me my first coaching job coaching gymnastics when I was in college. He made such a positive impact on my life, so to receive an award named after him is special. God has been so good to me in allowing me to coach so many amazing athletes, and they are the reason I do what I do! They make my life better, and I hope that I’m making a positive impact on their lives as well. I’m so thankful for the opportunities the Prattville YMCA and PCA have given me to pour into the lives of young athletes and students, “Cantrell.
Prattville High School Senior Hannah Childers won the T.O. McDowell Christian Leadership Award. This honor is given to a young person that has displayed servant leadership through the YMCA and community activities. Childers has been a member of the local YMCA Leaders Program for six years and has served as an officer and completed many hours of community service. She also volunteers with the Florida K-9 search and rescue youth division.
Each Autauga County School selects up to five students for the YMCA-FCA Christian Leadership Circle Award, and these individuals were recognized at the banquet.
Autauga Academy winners were Chloe Davis, Ford Hallman, Emily Lunsford, Mary Parmer, and Jake Robbins.
Autaugaville High School winners were Akivious Motley, Tori Parker, Dekeidrich Pettiway, Zacarria Phillips, and Alexis Sanders.
Billingsley High School winners were Gavin Arnold, Nathan Gilmore, Caydin Hornady, Marshall Headley, and Lane Plott.
Marbury High School winners were Skylar Burks, Callie Carter, Jacob Driver, McKinley Tatum, and Elizabeth Woodfin.
Prattville Christian Academy winners were Collier Connell, Kendall Jordan, Amanda Lamar, Sydney Lee, and Cooper Osbourne.
Prattville High School winners were Meredyth Bruce, Jasmine Goodrum, John Marshall, Josh Marshall, and Leah Sowell.
Finally, each Autauga County school chooses one YMCA-FCA Christian Leadership winner, and those individuals were recognized and given a plaque, with one overall winner earning the Willis Bradford Christian Leadership Award and a $2,000 academic scholarship.
Autauga Academy: Evan Peak was a member of the basketball, football, soccer, golf, track and field, and powerlifting teams. He was captain of the football team for two years and was a member of the AISA All-Star football and basketball team for the 2023 season. Peak has been a member of the FCA at Autauga Academy for six years and attends Prattville Church of Christ, where he was won multiple awards for his leadership in church.
Autaugaville High School: Makasiah Burns is a four-sport athlete for the Eagles and has been captain of the volleyball team and basketball team for the last two years. She is also a two-time Class 1A Area 5 MVP in basketball. In 2024, she was named Class 1A 3rd team All-State, and All Autauga County 1st team. She had the highest points per game average of any athlete in the county. Burns is President of the Student Government Association and a member of the National Honor Society. She has a 4.32 GPA and attends Bethesda Church.
Billingsley High School: Amber Johnson is the Cheer captain at Billingsley, where she has also participated in volleyball, softball, basketball, cheerleading, and track. Johnson was named to the All-County volleyball and basketball teams and maintains a 4.3 GPA. She serves on the Leadership Committee for the FFA and attends Wadsworth Baptist Church.
Marbury High School: Ava Rhodes has been a member of the Marbury basketball, bowling, and tennis teams. In 2022-2023 she placed 5th in the state championship and won first place this year in the region championships. Rhodes is the president of Central Alabama Youth Leaders and attends Elevation Church.
Prattville High School: Shanna Cleveland has played school soccer for seven years. She was the JV girls’ soccer team captain and Most Valuable Player in 2021. This season, Cleveland was the starting center back and team captain for the varsity girls’ soccer team. She is the President of the Technology Student Association, maintains a 4.276 GPA, and attends Prattville Church of Christ.
The 2024 YMCA Willis Bradford Christian Leadership Award was given to Avery Rogers from Prattville Christian Academy.
PCA Senior Avery Rogers has participated in basketball, soccer, volleyball, cross-country, and track and field for the Panthers. She was on the 2022 PCA volleyball team that won the state championship. She was an All-State Cross Country medalist in 2020, 2021, and 2023, when she broke the school record with a time of 19:00. Rogers is a 3-time state champion in basketball. She has won numerous awards during her basketball career, most recently earning Most Valuable Player of the Autauga County basketball tournament during her senior year. She was also named Class 4A 2nd team All-State and 1st Team All-Autauga County.
Rogers is President of the National Honor Society, and a member of Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Honor Society, Junior Civitan Club, PCA Ambassador Program, FCA Servant Leadership Academy, SGA representative, and the Sports Medicine Program. She maintained a 4.2 GPA and attends CenterPoint Fellowship Church.
Rogers will attend Faulkner University and will be on the basketball team and the track and field team.
Congratulations to each school’s nominee and all award winners!
