14th Class of the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame to be inducted Tuesday, February 6 at CCHS

CELINA-Voting for the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 has come to a close and the results are in.

Over 100 previous hall of fame inductees were invited to cast their vote by electronic ballot to determine this year’s class, and their votes chose the four new members to be inducted Tuesday, February 6 at halftime of the Lady Dawgs’ game versus Jackson County—which tips off at 6 p.m.

Prior to the induction, a meet-and-greet reception will be held beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Clay County High School cafeteria and it is open to all inductees, their families, their friends, and all Clay County Sports Hall of Fame members.

The 2023 honorees are: 

Sydney (Roach) Birdwell—who was one of the best basketball players to ever play in Clay County from 2009 to 2012, and she led her team to the program’s only State Championship her senior season.

As a four-year starter, Birdwell was a guard that could do it all.  She was a good shooter, ball handler, passer, defender, and could even post up if needed.  Individually, she scored 1,627 points, which ranks sixth all time.

Birdwell was viewed as one of the best players in the district, region, and state.  She was honored with an All-Tri-Lakes Conference Freshman Team selection; All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team her sophomore year; All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team, District All-Tournament Team, and Herald Citizen All-Upper Cumberland 1st Team selections her junior season; and All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team, District All-Tournament Team, and Region All-Tournament Team selections her senior season.

Additionally in basketball, Birdwell was named TSWA All-State both her junior and senior seasons, and she was honored as the State Tournament MVP and the Herald-Citizen Upper Cumberland Player of the Year as a senior, when she averaged 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals per game.

Birdwell was also an exceptional volleyball player as a four-year starter and all-district performer, where she helped her team finish near the top of the district and reach the region tournament each year.

Individually in volleyball, Birdwell was an All-District Honorable Mention selection her freshman and sophomore years; named to the All-District, District All-Tournament, and Region All-Tournament teams her junior year; and All-District and District All-Tournament teams her senior season.

Theresa (Niemann) Franklin—who was a prolific scorer for the Celina High School Lady Dawgs during her three-year career from 1979-1981.  She helped the Black and Gold achieve the most success they’d seen in a decade, and then went on to even greater heights of achievement her senior year and beyond, after transferring out of Celina.

As a three year starter, Franklin made a constant impact on Celina High School basketball.  The girls’ game shifted from half-court to full-court after her freshman season, and the change in play suited the superb athleticism of Franklin, who excelled as a sophomore and junior.

Franklin averaged 18 points per game during her Lady Dawg career, and finished 7th statewide in all classifications in scoring with 629 points her junior year, while averaging 22.4 points per game.  That single-season mark ranks her at 4th on the current Lady Dawg single-season scoring list behind Kenzie Arms (714), Tricia (Fox) Strong (662), and Taylor Strong (654).

Franklin garnered 2nd Team All-District as a sophomore, while making 1st Team All-District as a junior and earning All-State Honorable Mention status.  Franklin’s great year in 1981 led the team to their first winning record and regional tournament appearance in a decade.

Franklin’s family moved to South Dakota, where she finished her high school career as an Academic All-American, and earned 1st Team All-State honors by leading the state in scoring, averaging 26.4 points and over 10 rebounds per game.  Franklin then went on to play for four years at South Dakota State, and enjoyed a one-year stint as a professional basketball player in Europe.

Trent Boles—who established himself as one of the purest shooters in the history of Bulldog basketball during his career from 2008-2011.  On his way to becoming a member of the 1,000-point club, he garnered numerous accolades, and led his team to multiple championships, along with a state tournament berth.

As a sophomore, Boles served as a key reserve on a 27-7 Dawg team that won both the district and region championships to advance to Sub-state play.  Then as a junior in 2010, Boles took on a starting role, where he was part of a 24-5 team that won the District 7-A Championship over Pickett County, and, at one point in the season, held an 18-game win streak.  As a junior, Boles was named the regular-season District MVP and the District Tournament MVP.    

Boles’ senior season of 2011 was literally one for the local record books.  His body of work has only been overshadowed in the 24-year Rob Edwards era (2001-current day) by Tyreke Key and Grant Strong.  During a 25-9 season, Boles scored 696 points (6th all-time), connected on 94 three-pointers (1st all-time), recorded 92 steals (2nd all-time), made 8 three-pointers in a game (T-1st all-time), and scored 43 points in a game (8th all-time). 

Boles was also named 1st Team All District, after averaging 19.3 points per game, and was named Region Tournament MVP, after leading the Dawgs over Friendship Christian to their second region title in three years.  He then scored 34 in a sub-state win over Lookout Valley to send CCHS to only their second State Tournament under Edwards.  As a result of his stellar final campaign, Boles was granted the Upper Cumberland Player of the Year and All-State honors.

Mike Strong—who was an impressive two-sport star at Celina High School from 1978 to 1981 and made his mark both in basketball and baseball.

As a crafty point guard, Strong joined the 1,000-point club in his career, averaged a double-double (points/assists) in 1980, and was named all-region.

Strong was a four-year letterman on the hardwood and started two years for the Bulldogs. He played on two District Championship teams and a Region Championship team—which advanced to a substate game and missed out on the State Tournament by a one-point loss.

Additionally, Strong was just as effective for the Bulldog baseball team. He finished with a 9-2 record as Celina’s star pitcher during the 1980 baseball season. He also played in the outfield and batted over .300.

Due to his prowess on the diamond, Strong was selected to play in the TACA All-Star Game, where he pitched and recorded the win in relief.