Lumpkin athletes sign to play at college level

The Lumpkin County High School sports programs have seen some impressive things happening in the world of sports over the last year, and the athletes behind those achievements are starting to see that hard work pay off. The Indians had five astonishing student-athletes sign on to compete at the college level on Monday, Hayden Gilbert, Harper Davenport, Alejandro Narvaez, Maddy Moyer and Averie Jones.
Principal Billy Kirk weighed in on what made this group of athletes exceptional.
“The things that you don’t see are Sunday afternoons are when Averie Jones gives me a phone call wanting me to come open the gym so she can shoot for an hour. When you see the baseball players out hitting, pitching, throwing during their off-season, when nobody else is around,” he said. “What I tell these kids when you get the opportunity, what you do and put into it, what the coaches are asking you to do is the minimum. The extra stuff is why these five are sitting here today. During football season, you have a football player down there hitting baseballs and throwing; Averie asking me every day to open the gym during fall break so she can make sure she’s ready for the basketball season. Maddy Moyer shooting rifle year round. That’s what it takes to get to the next level. These five have committed to that, their coaches have committed to their success, and you as parents, with your support, have made this happen.”
Kirk touched on the most impressive thing about the athletes.
“Go check their GPAs. They are not only athletes but also the best students in our school,” he said. “I’m grateful that they represent what Lumpkin County is about. I am grateful for their parents and our student body. Lumpkin County High School will miss these five athletes in their individual sports.”

MADDY MOYER

Moyer has been a stand-out athlete for the rifle team over the last few years and has committed to the University of Nebraska. Alongside her father, Moyer has had the opportunity to compete all over the US. She has competed in the Junior Olympics, worked alongside Olympic-level coaches, and set records for Lumpkin County’s air rifle team.
Moyer’s father, Wade Chandler, spoke on the demanding schedule and her commitment to the sport.
“We went to Colorado multiple times to shoot at the Olympic training center, to Michigan, we’ve been all over, going to Aniston once a month. The competitions, the work, the time, our family vacations have been centered around a rifle,” he said. “Her brother and sister have been pretty much everywhere as well and gotten to watch people shoot. Sometimes that’s exciting, and sometimes it’s not. It can come off as slow for people who don’t know the sport, but then you realize what these kids are doing. The difference between a 9.9 and a 10 is a 100th of a millimeter. The precision they have to put in the focus, any breach of focus can take you out of there, and it’s gone.”
Chandler is proud of his daughter’s commitment and hard work that earned her way into Nebraska University.
Moyer shared her thoughts on committing to the college.
“It feels amazing. There were a lot of different colleges and offers, but everyone said when you walk onto the right campus, you’ll feel at home. I thought it wouldn’t happen, but as soon as I met the team and as soon as I got out there, I fell in love with the location, program, everything they had,” she said. “I was so grateful I was given the opportunity and a scholarship with them. After all the goal-setting and hours and hours of thousands of shots down range, it feels so good. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Moyer looks to Major in Business but hopes to be a physician’s assistant, which doesn’t require a biology major. Nebraska has an excellent graduate program aimed toward her success, and Moyer plans to take advantage of this great opportunity.

AVERIE JONES

Jones has been a staple of Lumpkin County basketball over the last few years and has remained a threat no matter where she plays on the court. Jones looks forward to joining some familiar faces at the University of North Georgia.
Former Head Coach David Dowse gave his thoughts on Jones’s big commitment.
“I think about the process Averie has gone through the last couple of years, the hard work she’s put in, and the ups and downs of this process. Several times, she and I have talked about finding the right fit, and Averies pretty much traveled the country looking for that right fit, and she found it right here in her hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia,” he said. “She’s excited about that, and I think there’s a lot of people here who are also excited about that and the likelihood of seeing her play at home and alongside some of her friends Lexi and Isabel. The thing about Averie for me is of all the individual accolades that came her way, she never put herself first. It’s always been a team-first mentality. She’s always bought into a philosophy that if you put the team first, individual things will follow.”
Her ability to adapt and her consistent hard work will undoubtedly play a role in seeing her be successful at the college level.
Averie is excited to compete with her friends at UNG and says she’s grateful for the opportunity.
“It means so much, and I’m so thankful to Coach Burson and Coach Amber for allowing me to do what I love at the college that I love. I am very thankful to play with Lexi and Isabel again, and a lot of the surrounding players that went to UNG I’ve also played with or against in some form or fashion. It’s really good to go to where I’m comfortable because I know it will be my home for the next four years.”
Jones says her entire life has revolved around basketball, and she’s proud to see her commitment payoff.
“I was off going to different places. Family vacations were nonexistent for a very long time. My family put in so much time for me; giving this back to them is rewarding and exciting. That’s really important to me because I’m so hard on myself a lot of the time, and this is where I can sit for a minute and congratulate myself,” she said.
Averie’s favorite memory was with the team winning the State Championship her sophomore year. Her advice for younger athletes is to enjoy it while it lasts.
“Enjoy it while it’s going on,” she said. “It gets so stressful in high school, but you’ve just got to remember to enjoy every moment you have here because you’ll never get it back. You have to take every moment with care and be able to love every second of it.”

HARPER DAVENPORT

Davenport has the highest GPA on the high school baseball team and is a multi-sport baseball, basketball, and football athlete. Davenport has found success in all sports, and his dedication and hard work are a testament to his accomplishments. Davenport has signed onto Kennesaw State University, where he looks to continue his athletic career.
Coach Zaideman gave his thoughts on Davenport’s achievements.
“He’s a tremendous two-sport athlete. Harper doesn’t get a lot of free time during the football season, but when he does make that time, he goes out and does a lot of off-season work with hitting and throwing to keep himself ready for baseball,” he said. “A tremendous athlete, one of the best outfielders in the state. He’s unselfish and didn’t enjoy pitching very much, but we asked him to pitch, and we won some huge games on the mound. As far as at the plate, he sets the table for us. He’s very exciting to watch on the base pads and is very exciting to watch and creates a lot of havoc, and makes a lot of opponents nervous on the base pads. I’m very excited for him and what he will do at Kennesaw State.”
Harper says the payoff of all his hard work feels great.
“It definitely means a lot to me, especially my family. They’re the ones who put in the most work, especially my dad. He’s been coaching me ever since I was a little kid and put in the most time and effort with me. Anytime I needed to go work or hit, he was there and was always my rock,” he said. “I know my coaches at Lumpkin County have been very supportive. We were forced to play multiple sports, but that’s a good thing. But our coaches are beneficial for keeping our bodies safe and healthy for both seasons,” he said.
Harper says he was attracted to Kennesaw because of its great atmosphere.
“As soon as I met the coaches, I just had this click in my heart, and I felt like it was the place for me. It all started when the coaches called me, and I realized they invest pretty hard in their kids, and I just felt that click on campus,” he said.
Kennesaw has a great baseball program that competes with some pretty tough teams, and Harper is excited to mix it up with those teams on the field.
“It’s definitely been a goal, and looking to come to a place like Kennesaw, so being able to play teams like Dallas Baptist and other teams I’ve seen on TV like Georgia and Georgia Tech, it’s always been a goal and I’m happy to be able to accomplish that,” he said.

HAYDEN GILBERT

Gilbert is a multi-talented athlete for the Indians and has played multiple positions, including pitcher, first base, and third base. Gilbert is excited to continue his athletic career at Berry College.
Coach Zaideman shared his thoughts on Gilbert’s commitment.
“He’s one of our captains this year, and we expect a lot of good things out of him this year. He’s one of our relievers out of the bullpen this year and another two-sport athlete for us,” he said. “He had a big setback this year, and he turned that into a setup to put himself in this position after breaking his collar bone. He worked his tail off when he returned from his surgery, and I can’t say enough good things about what he’s done in the weight room, on the field, and in the clubhouse. He’s entertaining to watch one of our big hitters, RBI guys. He thinks he’s a speedster, but he’s one of our big hitters who drives in runs for us. I’m very excited for him on this special day and I know he’ll do great things at Berry College.”
Gilbert is excited for the opportunity to compete.
“They had an excellent record last year. I believe they only had seven losses and around thirty wins. I’m really looking forward to the competitiveness of it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get on the field in the first year there. I’m going to some games later this year, so I’ll hopefully see what I must work towards. Right now, the mindset is “get as good as I can before getting there,” he said. “What really stood out to me about the school was the coaches. His mindset and how he wanted to play, and he’s a God first coach, and I really like that. It’s a Christian school with a really good campus, but the coach and the environment were the main thing. I really liked everything about it.”
Gilbert is proud of reaching the college level.
“It feels perfect like weights have been lifted off because you go into your senior year and you’ve already signed with a school, so you don’t have to worry about getting an offer and being signed during your senior year. You can sit back, prepare yourself for college, and also ball out your senior year.”

ALEJANDRO NARVAEZ

Narvaez signed his intent to compete at Georgia Highlands College. Narvaez is a dual threat in baseball, succeeding in several positions, including pitching. Coach Zaideman praised Narvaez’s commitment to constantly improve.
“It doesn’t matter any chance he gets to come out and improve upon his craft. He does. He and Harper both were all-region players this year. Alejandro was among the first guys to be all-region in pitching and offense. Alejandro is a very electric player with great speed and is very good at the plate. He’s our number one on the mound, and we look to him to be one of the best pitchers in the region this year,” he said. “He’s very unselfish and one of our team captains. I’m very excited for the things he’s going to do at Georgia Highlands, and the sky’s the limit for all three of these guys, and I’m excited to watch them in their future endeavors.”
Narvaez took the time to thank those that helped make this all possible.
“I want to thank everyone for being here my family and friends. My mom for always being there, cheering me on, and always keeping my jerseys clean,” he said. “My dad for always throwing to me during the endless rounds of batting practice, I’m surprised his arm hasn’t fallen off. I chose this program because the coach and team is a winning program and they create a lot of great and elite ball players. I’m excited to join Highlands.”