Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Hewitt-Trussville senior Grayson Pope, center, alongside head coach Jeff Mauldin, shakes hands with the umpires and Oak Mountain head coach Derek Irons before the start of a game at Phil English Field.
The Kiwanis Club of Birmingham recognized 18 high school seniors and two teams for extraordinary athleticism and sportsmanship.
For more than 90 years, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham has recognized and honored top high school senior athletes from Jefferson and Shelby County schools.
Now in its 93rd year, the Kiwanis Athletic Awards are selected by a committee of Kiwanians who scout and research athletes and teams throughout the year. The honorees were named at the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham meeting Tuesday.
Hewitt-Trussville's Grayson Pope was awarded the Coach's Choice Award, given to a student whose impact extends far beyond the field of play.
Boys Basketball Player
Dewayne Brown II, Hoover High School
Girls Basketball Player
Sarah Gordon, Vestavia Hills High School
Boys Golf Player of the Year
Jackson Skinner, Mountain Brook High School
Football Player of the Year
Jourdin Crawford, Parker High School
Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year
Emma Brooke Levering, Homewood High School
Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year
John Shoemaker, Oak Mountain High School
Baseball Player of the Year
Caleb Barnett, Mountain Brook High School
Girls Track Athlete of the Year
Annie Kerr, Mountain Brook High School
Boys Track Athlete of the Year
Colvin Bussey, Homewood High School
Girls Tennis Player of the Year
Ansley Cox, Vestavia Hills High School
Boys Tennis Player of the Year
James Giles, Jr., Ramsay IB High School
Wrestler of the Year
Damarcus Powe, Gardendale High School
Boys Soccer Player of the Year
Luke Jovanich, Oak Mountain High School
Girls Soccer Player of the Year
Aaliyah Carter, Shades Valley High School
Softball Player of the Year
Charlee Bennett, Spain Park High School
Volleyball Player of the Year
Lauren Buchanan, Chelsea High School
William Legg Award
William Magruder, John Carroll Catholic High School
The 2025 William Legg Achievement Award honors a senior athlete who has superior academic accomplishments, has exhibited leadership qualities within the school and has been involved in meaningful community service activities. This award is named in honor of long time Kiwanian, Bill Legg. Legg was a student-athlete at Birmingham-Southern College, a teacher in Jefferson County Schools, and Athletic Director for the Jefferson County Schools. He retired after serving as Executive Director of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Fred Sington Award Winners
Parker High School Football Team and Hoover High School Boys Basketball Team
The Fred Sington Award recognizes the standout high school team. It’s named for the late Kiwanis Club of Birmingham President Fred Sington, who was described as an almost mythic sports figure, lettering in four sports at Phillips High School before going on the University of Alabama as a member of its 1931 Rose Bowl Team and an All-American in both college football and baseball. He was an assistant football coach at Duke and played professional baseball for several teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers. He returned to Birmingham to open a sporting goods store and serve our community.
Coach’s Choice Award
Grayson Pope, Hewitt-Trussville High School
This award is presented in honor of late Kiwanian Dr. Don Englebert who served on the Athletics Awards Committee for 56 years. This award goes to the student who may not have even been the best athlete but who, like Don, was the heart of the team and the true MVP.
Kiwanis Club of Birmingham contributed to this report.
