Eight former Oglethorpe County High School athletes will cement their legacies in school history on Saturday.
Sean Daniel (wrestling), Jimmy Davenport (track and field), Antonio Jewell (football), LaTasha Bonds Martin (basketball), Ryan Martin (baseball), Everneda Moore (basketball), Eric Pittard (wrestling) and Kindra Mattox Sapp (track and field) make up this year’s Sports Hall of Fame class.
They will be recognized at the banquet at 6 p.m. Sept. 12 at OCHS.
“You’re looking at a group of individuals that deserve to be in,” OCHS Sports Hall of Fame chairman Reginald Hunter said. “I think it’s something that should make Oglethorpe County proud.”
The committee selected eight inductees, which is the maximum number per class.
Hunter credits the community with providing the committee the information it needs for selecting from nominations. He highlighted the importance of receiving details such as state championships, individual awards and school records to help the committee narrow its selections.
Sports Hall of Fame committee member Marilyn Huff-Waller said the committee fact checks documentation and makes sure every nomination is legitimate.
“It requires a little bit more homework for the committee to really study and make sure that everything is true and the documentation is there,” she said.
Hunter also wants the sports hall of fame, which started in 2019, to be something that not only honors past athletes but also inspires future generations. Photos of the 34 current members are displayed in the entry hall at OCHS.
OCHS football coach Mike Holland said he hasn’t used the hall to inspire his players, but liked Hunter’s idea.
“That would be a great motivator,” Holland said. “It may be a little far off in the future, but yeah, absolutely.”
One of Holland’s current players, sophomore Paul Pittard, is the son of inductee Eric Pittard.
The hall of fame recognizes its impact on members of the community. There were 19 inductees in the inaugural class in 2019, followed by seven in 2022 and eight two years ago.
“They want to make sure that their family, or they, are part of this legacy,” Huff-Waller said.