Student-athletes and leaders gathered last Tuesday for the 21st Annual Joe Sewell Memorial Award as Elmore County’s Outstanding Christian athletes and leaders were recognized.
The award is named for Elmore County native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Sewell. This year Elmore County High School’s Kayden Elizabeth Edwards took home the award as the girls overall winner and Stanhope Elmore’s Colby Bant Beyer was named the boys overall winner.
Both noted how special it was to be recognized among the elite high school student athletes in Elmore County.
“There are some amazing people that have won this and there are amazing candidates,” Edwards said. “I was shocked to hear my name. I’m so grateful.”
Beyer added, “It means a lot. Joe Sewell was a very big, meaningful character around here.”
Sewell is a Titus native and still holds MLB records of fewest strikeouts during a 14-year, 7,132 game career at 114. He also holds the single season record for fewest strikeouts.
While the award recognizes students’ achievements to mirror those of Sewell, it seeks to honor students’ character.
Sewell was a quiet man of character and conviction. During the Great Depression he brought baseballs, gloves and bats back to the children of Elmore County. Additionally, he was a coach in the New York Yankees organization and also coached Alabama to an SEC title in 1968.
Barry Mask and Jeff Chapman came up with the award and approached the Sewell family. They wanted to recognize high school seniors who emulated Sewell on and off the field.
Each school in Elmore County can nominate up to four students as finalists. They are interviewed by the Sewell Award board.
“There's 10 of us to start out with at the school level,” Edwards said. “We go through an interview and application process. They screen us. It was a lot of work, especially by our counselor.”
Edwards said the school counselor made it easier when she spoke to board members during the official interview process.
Beyer was an all-county and all-state punter and kicker. He also excelled at golf and soccer.
“But this award is mostly about my academics and other off-the-field things,” Beyer said. “I've been able to keep a good GPA, good ACT scores. I have been able to do all that and serving my community; that's really the most important thing, and being able to show the word of God to everybody around.”
Scott Sullivan was the keynote speaker for the program. He is a 10 MLB-veteran and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee. He spoke about playing with hall of farmers, especially during his time at the Cincinnati Reds. He considered them all great teammates.
But he felt out of place listening to the accomplishments of the 24 finalists of the Joe Sewell Award.
“I was just a baseball player,” Sullivan said. “I feel lesser about myself after listening to all your accomplishments. Congratulations to all of you.”
Category winners for this year’s Joe Sewell Award were: Boys Leadership — Clenangelo Sharvis Peake Jr., Wetumpka High School; Boys Academic — Tyler Colt Wesson, Holtville High School; Boys Church, Community and Character — Ethan Edward Pruitt, Holtville High School; Boys Athletic Award — Harold Jackson Stallworth, Stanhope Elmore High School; Girls Leadership — Zoie Jalese O’Neal Holmes, Stanhope Elmore High School; Girls Academic — Johnna Beth Sims, Wetumpka High School; Girls Church, Community and Character — Victoria Christine Bullock, Holtville High School; and Girls Athletic — Lily Monroe Davenport, Wetumpka High School.
