ATLANTA, GA (April 28, 2025) – For the eleventh consecutive year, the Positive Athlete organization is recognizing local athletes from all across the State of GA as high-character kids that have been nominated and confirmed by their schools as the most representative of “How Positive Athletes O.P.E.R.A.T.E.:”
Optimistic
Puts Team First
Encouraging
Respectful
Admits Imperfections
True Heart for Others
Embraces Service
This year, Positive Athlete is naming their “Top 7” Positive Athletes in 29 different sport categories as the “Most Positive” in their sport categories across the state. In total, fourteen of these 200+ award winners came from the Southwest Georgia Region. Because of this recognition, these award winners are in the top 3% of nominees for the 2024-25 program cycle.
Over 6,400 nominations from coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers, and parents were submitted for the Positive Athlete program state-wide, representing over 440 public and private high schools. Local GA businessman Scott Pederson created Positive Athlete in the early 2010’s as a movement for more positivity in youth sports. In addition to excellence on the field, each nominated Positive Athlete was required to show the above characteristics in order to be nominated.
Here is a list of the 2024-2025 Southwest Georgia Region Athletes who were named “Top 7” Award Winners:
NAME | SCHOOL | SPORT |
BANKS BELL | EARLY COUNTY | BOYS TENNIS |
CAROLINA BROWN | COLQUITT COUNTY | FLAG FOOTBALL |
CASON HASKIN | COLQUITT COUNTY | BOYS SOCCER |
CHARLES WILLIAMS | EARLY COUNTY | BASEBALL |
DEJA DRYER | VALDOSTA | SOFTBALL |
EMMA RYAN SHIRLEY | BAINBRIDGE | GIRLS SOCCER |
KAION HAMILTON | LEE COUNTY | BOYS COACH |
KENDALL DENHAM | SEMINOLE COUNTY | GIRLS GOLF |
KYLE DAVIS | THOMAS COUNTY CENTRAL | BOYS ALTERNATIVE |
MADDISON LANE | TERRELL ACADEMY | SOFTBALL |
MARCUS SINGLETARY | SPRING CREEK CHARTER ACADEMY | BOYS COACH |
PAIGE PARKERSON | THOMAS COUNTY CENTRAL | FLAG FOOTBALL |
PAUL WILLIAMS | WORTH COUNTY | BOYS COACH |
WALKER WOOLARD | LEE COUNTY | BOYS CROSS COUNTRY |
All of these award winners will be recognized on campus at their local high schools, and now have a chance to be named the state-wide winner award in their sport category, which will be announced in early May. The 2025 Georgia Positive Athlete Awards will be held in early June, and will be a night in which all scholarship winners and state-wide award winners are recognized.
Positive Athlete, INC. is now a national organization based in Georgia that seeks to promote the benefits of positivity to young athletes around the country through awards, scholarships and special opportunities all around the country. Positive Athlete Georgia has awarded thousands of Positive Athlete awards around the State of GA for the past 11 years, in which over $350,000 in scholarships have been awarded.