See who received a "Georgie"

You’ve got your Emmys, your Tonys, your Grammys and your Oscars and in honor of my first sports season back at Leader Publishing Company, I thought it’d be both fitting and fun if we handed out the first ever Georgies! 

Now a few things to note about the Georgies, they are meant to be fun and are based on one man’s opinion. Also, if you are lucky enough to win a Georgie award and you combine it with $.89, you can purchase a fountain drink at most places where you purchase gasoline. 

So just like the big award shows do, I want to give the first Georgies of 2021 to the supporting cast members. These are the players who usually don’t get all of the attention of the opposing team, but somehow found a way to come up in the big moments for their team. 

My nominees for best supporting female cast members for the 2020-21 basketball season are for West Washington’s Alandra Johnson; for Eastern’s McKenna Jeter and Salem’s Abigail Ratts -- and the Georgie goes to, McKenna Jeter! Now, before the phone calls start to flood in, Jeter was clutch in helping secure Eastern’s fifth sectional title in seven years, including hitting the go ahead free throws. 

The nominees for best supporting male cast members are, Jake Strange, West Washington, Jacob Cherry, Eastern and Brody Pepmeier, Salem -- and the Georgie goes to Strange. When the Senators were at their best, Strange was playing well in the paint. 

I wanted to do it right and have some red carpet and sequined gowns and tuxedos for the guys, but with COVID-19, the best I could do was an Oscar statue with my head photo-shopped on it! 

We will try to improve upon that during the 2021-22 school year, but even if we do, remember, these awards are one-person’s opinion, I tip my hat to all the young men and women, all the coaches and trainers, all the athletic directors and managers who have endured these seasons. They have played, often times when no one was watching, truly for the love of the game. For that, they all deserve an award -- and for that, I give them a Georgie! 

Now let’s play some spring sports! 

The full story can be found in The Salem Democrat, March 25 edition.