Rusk salutes its top student-athletes at annual awards banquet
May 25—RUSK — Rusk honored its top student-athletes on May 17 with numerous accolades having been handed out at the annual Rusk Athletic Banquet.
Owen McCown, Donavan Burist and JD Thompson each won two major awards.
McCown won the Doug Jordan Award for boys basketball and shared the E. L. Whitehead Award with Thompson.
Thompson and Mason Cirkel, both pitchers on the Eagle baseball team, were named as the Herman Odom Most Valuable Players for baseball.
Burist took home the Class of '63 Player's Choice Award and was the recipient of the M. R. Philbrick "Fighting Heart" Award.
The Dale Dotson Award went to Ja'Darion Jenkins, a member of the Eagle basketball team.
Eagle Baseball's Will Dixon won the David Hill/Kelly Kennedy Award.
The Jacksonville Progress Scholar Athlete Awards were presented to Trinity Asberry and Peyton Wallace.
The Rusk Kiwanis Club Tennis Award went to Tristan Clay.
Damaya Hart came away with the Billy Watson Player's Choice Award for girls basketball.
The J.H. Hassell Award was presented to Faith Long.
Marissa Perry was chosen as the Lady Eagle softball F.A.M.I.L.Y. Award winner.
The accolade for the top student athletic trainer went to Samantha Lee.
