CELINA-Voting for the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 has come to a close and the results are in.

Five new members will be enshrined, including four into the athletes and coaches division and one under the heritage category.

Over 100 previous hall of fame inductees were invited to cast their vote by electronic ballot to determine this year’s class, which will be inducted Friday, January 31 at halftime of the Lady Dawgs’ game versus Monterey—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 2024 honorees are: 

Athletes & Coaches

Rob Edwards—who has solidified himself as one of Clay County’s greatest coaches ever with a record tenure of a quarter-century as head coach of Bulldog basketball, where he has become the winningest coach in local history with 538 wins entering the 2024-2025 season.

Edwards has captured 14 district crowns, claimed nine region titles, appeared in 14 sectionals, qualified for nine state tournaments, finished as the 2017 State Runner-up, and won the 2021 State Championship.  

After taking over the program in 2000-2001, Edwards quickly found success.  His 2003 team qualified for sectional play, and so did the next three, highlighted by the 2006 squad making the State Tournament.  The next sectional berth came in 2009, before his second State Quarterfinal appearance in 2011.

Then a magical span of eight consecutive seasons began from 2015 to 2022, where Edwards delivered a combined record of 227-42, seven district titles, six region championships, a State Runner-up, and the program’s historic State Championship.

Edwards also helped develop Bulldogs Tyreke Key (2017) and Grant Strong (2021, 2022) into Mr. Basketball winners over the same time period, where he led his teams to the State Tournament seven out of eight years.

Edwards’ long-lasting impact will not fully be reflected in the banners hanging in Joe Sims Gym above the court named after him.  His footprint of guidance and leadership carries on today, because he continues to not only lead the program successfully, but also with integrity.

Cassandra (Cooper) Smith—who was a star athlete for Clay County High School from 2009 to 2012, excelling in both basketball and volleyball.  On the hardwood she was an excellent post player and helped lead her team to the 2012 State Championship her senior season.

As a two-year starter in basketball, Smith scored 778 points and pulled down 467 rebounds in her career as a Lady Bulldog.  She was viewed as one of the best players in the district her senior season, when she averaged 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

For her efforts in basketball, Smith was named All-Tri-Lakes Conference 3rd Team her junior year and All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team, District All-Tournament Team, and Region All-Tournament Team selections her senior season—when she was also named to the State All-Tournament Team, the Herald Citizen All-Upper Cumberland 1st Team, and the TSWA All-State Team.

Smith 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 she was named to the All-District, District All-Tournament, and Region All-Tournament teams both her sophomore and junior years.  Smith was also an All-District player her senior season, was named the District Tournament MVP, and had offers to play both basketball and volleyball at the next level.

Brandon Boone—who was a four-year starter in football for head coaches Joe Neal Eads and David Threet at Celina High School from 1992-1995.

Offensively, Boone used his imposing frame to open up running lanes for Hall of Fame member and Bulldog all-time leading rusher Gary Davis.  Defensively, he put together a consistent and impressive body of work, including 203 career stops—which places him on the list of the Top-20 tacklers of all-time and among the program’s leaders for defensive linemen.

Besides football, Boone enjoyed a stellar career on the baseball diamond for coaches Donald Sherrell and Tracy Strong.  He played first and third bases and spent time at catcher.  He was also a member of the basketball team his freshman and senior years.

Boone received All-Region honors during his football career; was the recipient of the Carmon C. Brown Award, which honored Celina High School’s most prestigious male athlete; and drew interest from schools to play at the next level, including being invited on a visit to the University of Tennessee.

Paulina (Herrmann) Bennett—who was a star basketball player from 2002 to 2005 playing on some of the best Celina/Clay County High School basketball teams of all time under legendary Lady Bulldog coach Joe Sims.

Bennett was viewed as one of the best players in the district in her time, because she was a great post player with a knack for scoring few players have been blessed with.  Individually as a two-year starter, she scored 1,222 points and grabbed 453 rebounds during her career—numbers sure to have been higher if she hadn’t had a great class in front of her and had to wait her turn.

The Lady Dawg teams Bennett played on were some of the greatest in school history, with team records during her career being 30-5, 27-3, 26-10, and 18-13.  Her four-year record was 101-31 and those teams won three district championships (2002-04), two region championships (2003-04), two sub-states (2002, 2004), and played in two State Tournaments (2002, 2004).  The Lady Bulldogs also finished as the 2002 State Runners-up.

Bennett was honored with an All-Tri-Lakes Conference Freshman Team selection; All-Tri-Lakes Conference Honorable Mention her sophomore season; All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team, District Tournament MVP, and Region All-Tournament Team her junior year; and All-Tri-Lakes Conference 1st Team and District All-Tournament Team selections her senior season.

Heritage Member

Ranford Watson-who was a 1961 graduate of Celina High School, where he was a three-year member of the basketball team, and a two-year letterman, while also being an accomplished hitter and outfielder in baseball.  On the hardwood, he served as the leading scorer and rebounder on the 1961 District 15 Champion Bulldog team—which captured conference gold for the first time in 10 years.  

Watson had an extraordinary senior season.  He averaged a double-double (points and rebounds), played in numerous contests where he recorded over 20 rebounds, and produced a 29-point, 27-rebound night against Pickett County.  Watson was named both All-District and All-Upper Cumberland for his dominant play.

While the individual accolades were tremendous, team achievements shouldn’t be forgotten.  The Bulldogs survived a five-game losing streak to begin the season, before heading into Christmas break with a 3-6 record.  After losing the first game of January to a strong Clinton County, KY team, the Dawgs went on a rampage with a nine-game win-streak—which helped improve their record to 14-9 by season’s end.  

Celina entered the District 15 Tournament as the 4th seed and proceeded to eliminate Red Boiling Springs, before taking on York—who had ended the season as the #2-ranked team in the state.  Down one starter, Watson helped beat the Dragons and then win the district title over Rickman.  The 1961 season ended with a 17-10 record after region play against Sparta, when Celina was eliminated on a last second tip-in.  Watson had 17 points and 10 rebounds in his final game.

HOF info online

The Clay County Sports Hall of Fame has an online presence at www.claycosportshof.com, a website featuring a list of current members, current nominees, full rankings from this year’s voting, and more.

The website, developed pro bono by Weaver Web & Print, also serves as the platform for balloting by current members—who are invited to cast their votes annually to induct future classes.

Though it remains partially in the construction phase, the website will also feature individual Hall of Fame classes and photos in the future.

Besides the voting platform and other attributes, the most important aspect of the website is the availability of a nomination form at all times, because the future of the organization depends on the public’s nomination of those deserving of induction.

Nominations are accepted anytime throughout the year and can be made by visiting www.claycosportshof.com.