Jordan Parker Claims Tiger Football MVP Award and Cheerleaders Caroline Crook and Madeline Martin Share MVC Honor

January 20, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

Senior Jordan Parker was named Most Valuable Player of the 2024 DCHS Tiger Football Team during the annual Awards Banquet held Saturday night at the Smithville First Baptist Church Life Enrichment Center building. Meanwhile, Caroline Crook and Madeline Martin, both seniors were co-winners of the Most Valuable Football Cheerleader Award. The trophies are sponsored by Liberty State Bank.

Meanwhile Senior Andrew Dakas was announced as the winner of the Coach Clay Edwards Memorial Tiger Pride Award. Members of Edwards’ family presented the award to Dakas including son Abram Edwards and Abram’s mother Tena Edwards-Jacobs along with Abram’s wife, Shannon and children Emmie Edwards, Carleigh Clay Edwards, and Harmony Edwards.

Seniors Andrew Dakas, Ty Webb, and Jordan Parker shared the title of Kings of the Field as Captains of the football team while Senior Annabella Dakas was named Queen of the Field as voted on by football players. Seniors Madeline Martin and Macy Anderson were equal Touchdown Royalty Court members.

MVP Parker, the Tiger signal caller, led his team to a 6-4 season in 2024.

Coach Steve Trapp, during the banquet, reviewed Parker’s high school football career and his accomplishments.

“As a junior Jordan was an All-Region player at wide receiver and won receiver of the year and then played at quarterback,” said Coach Trapp. ” But just some statistics as a runner, this year in 2024 he led our team with 1,055 yards. I believe he is only the third quarterback who has rushed for over 1,000 yards. He joins Steven Jennings and Axel Aldino in that regard. Jordan led our team in rushing and in rushing touchdowns with 14 this year and he passed for 1,236 yards and had 17 more touchdowns. For his career he had over 2,000 yards passing and 26 touchdowns. Defensively as a junior he started at safety and played some corner. This year he got a pick against Macon County. He has done a lot of different things so as a most valuable player this is an award he has definitely earned. Jordan is a 2024 team captain. A 2024 Region 4 Most Outstanding Quarterback, 2024 Farm Bureau Player of the Month, 2024 DTC All Star and DTC Player of the Game in 2024, Mr. DCHS in 2024-25, 2024 TSSAA Scholar Athlete, a 2023 team voted Receiver of the Year, 2023 All Region player, 2023 Scholar Athlete, 2022 team voted Offensive Back of the Year when he played quarterback those last nine games. All this is why Jordan deserves this award as the 2024 Liberty State Bank Most Valuable Player,” said Coach Trapp.

Six members of the DCHS Tiger Football Team earned Region 4 Superlative honors in 2024. Jordan Parker was named the Region’s Most Outstanding Quarterback while Jarett Hamilton was selected as the Region’s Most Outstanding Tight End. Meanwhile, Ty Webb and Ryan Lyons were selected to the 1st Team All Region while Jon Hendrix and Cecil Ketchum made the 2nd Team All Region.

Individual Football Player Awards are as follows:
Offensive Player of the Year- Ryan Lyons
Offensive Lineman- Kobe Roller
Offensive Back- Cecil Ketchum
Receiver- Jon Hendrix
Defensive Player of the Year- Ty Webb
Defensive Lineman- Jarett Hamilton
Linebacker- Isaac Hannah
Defensive Back- Jesse Foutch
Special Teams Player- Adrian Prater
Most Improved-Caydin Hecker
Liberty State Bank MVP- Jordan Parker
Coach Clay Edwards Memorial Tiger Pride Award-Andrew Dakas
Scout Team Player of the Year: Tucker Webb
Newcomer of the Year: JT Summers

Individual Cheer Awards are as follows:
Liberty State Bank Most Valuable Cheerleader-Caroline Crook and Madeline Martin
Most Spirited- Macy Anderson
Best Dancer- Annabella Dakas
Best Stunts- Deanna Agee
DEAR (Dedication, Enthusiasm, Attitude, and Responsibility- Caroline Crook, Madeline Martin, Macy Anderson, and Annabella Dakas,
Best Jumps-Landen Tubbs
Best Motions: Addyson Swisher and Annabella Dakas

Student Athlete Award of Merit 3.5 GPA or better (Many had a 4.0 GPA): Shelby Driver, Summer Garrett , Bryson Arnold, Blaine Atnip,, Hunter Ballew, Hunter Buchanan, Andrew Dakas, Jesse Foutch, Jarett Hamilton, Caydin Hecker, Jon Hendrix, Jaxson Kleparek,, Adrian Prater, Jordan Parker, Kobe Roller, Connor Talley, Aiden Turner, Tucker Webb, Ty Webb, Benjamin Crook, Jackson Lattimore, Hunter Locklear, Brayden Neal, and Dominic Williamson

The team GPA was 3.2.

DTC All-Star Team members from DeKalb County: Jordan Parker, Cecil Ketchum, Ryan Lyons, Jarett Hamilton, and Ty Webb.

Coach Trapp was presented a plaque by the DCHS Quarterback Club commemorating his 20th year as the Tiger Head Coach.

Tia Adcock, secretary of the quarterback club, made the presentation during the banquet.

“It takes a small village to make this whole program work,” said Adcock. “DeKalb County has one of the best football programs around and we work hard every year to provide more than just the basic necessities, but every team must have a leader and Coach Trapp is our leader. There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes, so much after hours, off the clock, on the weekends, conversations, texts, communications, it takes a lot of effort to win and organize throughout the whole season down to tonight. Coach Trapp has spent the last 20 years building, cultivating, and growing this program to the amazing thing each one of you tonight can experience. Without Coach Trapp and his dedication to not only the game but to this program and the players, I dare to say that the program would not be what it is today. Tonight, we would like to say thank you and congratulations to Coach Trapp on your 20th year as our head coach of the DeKalb County Tigers,” said Adcock.

In his 20 years from 2005 to the present, Coach Trapp has compiled a record of 111-110 and a play-off record of 7-15.

January 19, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

A member of the Liberty Station has won the DeKalb County Fire Department’s most coveted award.

Alyssa Harvey is the 2024 Wilson Bank & Trust Firefighter of the Year. She is the first ever female DeKalb County Firefighter to win this award.

Harvey was honored Saturday night during the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Awards Program at the county complex auditorium. Wilson Bank & Trust was the headlining sponsor.  The emcee was Alex Woodward, a firefighter of the Cookeville Highway Station.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Andrew Harvey is the Liberty State Bank Officer of the Year and Alex Woodward of the Cookeville Highway Station was selected to receive the DeKalb Funeral Chapel “Git R Done” Award. The DeKalb Telephone Cooperative (DTC) Rookie of the Year Award went to Terry Phillips of the Four-Seasons Station and the Liberty Station was the FirstBank Station of the Year award winner. The Smithville Marine Station Commander of the Year award went to Frank Rodegeb.

Alyssa Harvey’s award was presented by Fire Chief Donny Green along with Chad Colwell of Wilson Bank & Trust

In making the presentation, program emcee Alex Woodward said Harvey was selected from firefighters demonstrating excellence in training participation, incident response, and community service.

“Alyssa serves the department in many different roles,” said Woodward.” She is very active in call volume and always ready to help and assist on the fire scene. Harvey maintains the firefighter attitude and spirit in working around obstacles and getting the job done both safely and efficiently in a timely manner. She is a team player and works well with others as a vital asset to the fire department,” Woodward continued.

“Harvey not only serves as an active member of the fire department, but she is also the mother of four children and works for the DeKalb County School system. Although she has a very busy and demanding schedule, Harvey attends fire meetings, work sessions, training, and responds to calls. She is also a member of two specialized teams within the fire department, the wild land and extrication teams. Harvey gives back to her community by volunteering to help with the DESA dinners, after school programs, teaching students fire safety and prevention, and installing smoke alarms for households in the community,” said Woodward.

“Another vital role is her being the Communication Outreach Officer, providing communication via text messages to the department with information regarding trainings, meetings, announcements, etc. She also publishes, creates and maintains all of the department’s social media outlets, with posts almost daily and resourceful information for the citizens of DeKalb County and the members of the department”.

“It can be seen why firefighter, Alyssa Harvey, is the 2024 Firefighter of the year”, said Woodward.

*Walmart DeKalb Fire Department Length of Service Awards

Nine members have earned Length of Service awards. The 5- & 10-year awards were sponsored by Walmart while Middle Tennessee Natural Gas sponsored the 15, 20 & 25-year service awards.

5 years of service: Jordan Lader (Johnson Chapel Station), Billy Parker (Johnson Chapel Station), and Blake Reffue (Equipment Officer)

10 years of service: Lieutenant Matt Adcock, Jody Lattimore (Short Mountain Highway Station), and Steven Lawrence (Blue Springs Station).

*Middle Tennessee Natural Gas DeKalb Fire Department Length of Service Awards

15 years of service: Nelson Davis (Cookeville Highway Station)

20 years of service: Jeremy Neal (Short Mountain Highway Station)

25 years of service: Michael D. Lawrence (Keltonburg Station)

January 19, 2025
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Fire Department honored one of the station commanders during Saturday night’s annual banquet.

The Smithville Marine Station Commander award was presented to Frank Rodegeb, Station Commander at the Temperance Hall Station. Chris Allen of Smithville Marine and DCFD Captain Blake Cantrell made the presentation. Wilson Bank & Trust was the program headlining sponsor.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Andrew Harvey is the Liberty State Bank Officer of the Year presented by Rhonda Caplinger and Noah Roberts of Liberty State Bank and DCFD Assistant Chief Anthony Boyd. Alex Woodward of the Cookeville Station was honored with the DeKalb Funeral Chapel “Git R Done” Award presented by Shannon Estes of DeKalb Funeral Chapel and Captain Brian Williams.

Banquet program emcee Alex Woodward made the award announcements except for his own award which was done by Captain Brian Williams.

The Station Commander award recipient is chosen by the fire department’s officers. Considerations for this honor include meeting or exceeding the following standard responsibilities of the Station Commander position:

*Leadership at the station level – setting the example for members

*Oversight and accountability of the station and equipment maintenance

*Loss Prevention

*Membership communication and engagement

*Community Involvement

*Participation and attendance at monthly officers’ meetings

*Understanding and communicating department guidelines and policies, and

*Timely submission of incident reports and monthly maintenance checklists and mileage logs

Based upon these measures, the officers selected Temperance Hall Station Commander Frank Rodegeb as the recipient of the Smithville Marine DeKalb County Fire Department Station Commander of the Year award.

*2024 Liberty State Bank Officer of the Year Award.

Lieutenant Andrew Harvey has earned the Liberty State Bank Officer of the Year Award.

This honor goes to a recipient exclusively selected from officers of the department who serve at the rank of lieutenant or above and for achievements in training attendance, incident response, and community service.

“Lieutenant Harvey is being awarded for his commitment to service in the community beyond the fire service. He is known for his fostering spirit to protect lives and property from fire-related incidents as well as other avenues of service, such as changing a tire for an individual on the side of the road. Andrew actively participates in the DESA events serving those families in need throughout the community,” said Woodward.

“A notable example of Lieutenant Harvey’s commitment to fire service is the implementation of the Fire Safety Education program which provides safety training for individuals in the local schools, community centers and neighborhood gatherings. He also is committed to the installation process for community members that need a working smoke alarm. Andrew helps organize the installation process, either by doing it himself or delegating to another firefighter, to help individual households by having properly installed and working alarms, decreasing the risk of fire-related fatalities. He demonstrates a consistent dedicated role in the recruitment and retention efforts of the department. Lieutenant Harvey was instrumental in organizing a dinner to show appreciation for our Rehab team and their families. He is also instrumental in educating and engaging new recruits into their roles, with education and station visits. Andrew uses his vast amount of knowledge in teaching new recruits fundamental knowledge in the 16-hour orientation class as well as assisting with the Citizens Fire Academy,” Woodward continued.

“Despite the time and commitment shown to the fire department and members of his community, Lieutenant Harvey balances his family responsibilities caring for his four children and supporting his wife at home. He displays time management and dedication to both his professional and personal life setting a remarkable example for others”.

“These examples are just some of the characteristics and attributes that Officer of the Year Andrew Harvey displays for both members of the fire department and the community. Andrew’s consistent and impactful community service reinforces the DeKalb County Fire Departments mission which is to serve with honor, integrity, and compassion,” said Woodward.

*2024 DeKalb Funeral Chapel “Git R Done” Award

The 2024 DeKalb Funeral Chapel “Git R Done” Award went to Alex Woodward of the Cookeville Highway Station.

This award goes to a county firefighter based on community service, special projects within the fire department other than fire calls, special events such as fundraisers, and actions/accomplishments above and beyond normal to promote the success and image of the fire department.

“Alex has served his community in various ways over the past year. He has participated in the 2024 DeKalb emergency Services Associations meal delivery for the needy at both the Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve events in which both times more than 1000 meals where prepared and delivered. Woodward also spends countless hours volunteering his time with the Smithville Fiddlers’ jamboree and the DeKalb County Habitat for Humanity”, said Captain Brian Williams

“Alex serves as our Citizen Fire Academy Coordinator and sacrificed countless hours of his personal time to organize, plan, and present lesson plans for the 6-week academy. He serves on the Water Supply Equipment Task Force and has assisted with budgeting and acquisition of water supply equipment. Woodward has dedicated many hours working on our fundraising and project development for DeKalb Fire Inc. which supports the DCFD,” said Captain Williams.

“Alex has been very instrumental in helping plan, organize and fund our annual Awards Banquet. He has used his relationships in the community to successfully acquire many new banquet sponsors that makes this event and awards possible. Woodward is always going above and beyond to share his financial skills to help us budget and fund our special events. He has also been very successful in helping find funding for training facility projects, Water supply projects, and our annual awards banquet”.

“If you look at Alex’s accomplishments its easy to see that his actions go above and beyond in demonstrating a distinct pattern of community service, while he fulfills his assigned duty requirements and fire calls. His integrity, professionalism, respect, and accountability align with our department’s mission, vision and values, which has resulted in a positive reflection on the DCFD,” added Captain Williams.

*Safe Industries sponsored 100% training awards

Safe Industries sponsored 100% training awards which were presented to the following 27 DeKalb County Firefighters:

Justin Bass, Anthony Boyd, Blake Cantrell, Riley Fuson, Donny Green, Luke Green, Alvin Gunkel, Alyssa Harvey, Andrew Harvey, Kyle Hovey, Donnie Johnson, Ken Kobie, Will Odom, Matt Olson, Lauren Ostrander, Andy Pack, Cheyenne Phalin, Steven Phalin, Terry Phillips, Frank Rodegeb, Robert Sartin, Eric Snow, Airiana Stone, Calvin Tramel, Haston Waggoner, Brian Williams, and Alex Woodward.

*B&B Emergency Equipment sponsored 75% training awards

B&B Emergency Equipment sponsored 75% training awards which were or will be presented to the following 16 DeKalb County Firefighters (some were absent from the banquet Saturday night to receive their award):

Clayton Anstis, Triston Brandon, Bill Brown, Luis Caceres, Keith Elkins, Christina Hovey, Dustin Johnson, Heather Lader, Jordan Lader, Harley Lawrence, Austin Ostrander, Billy Parker, Kari Patrick, Shawn Puckett, Blake Reffue, and Steve Repasy.

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