Female athlete of the year Tory Kemp gets the autograph of Super Bowl champion quarterback Eli Manning after the 2012 Best of Preps banquet Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center.If one thing links the three major award winners from Thursday night’s Best of Preps Banquet, it would have to be a commitment never to settle for just being successful.
For GPS senior Tory Kemp, honored with the Scrappy Moore Female Athlete of the Year award, it means working hard enough to be a star in three sports. For Baylor five-time wrestling champion Zach Watson, the Scrappy Moore Male Athlete of the Year, it means striving not to just be the best in the area or state, and for Calhoun’s Hal Lamb, the Coach of the Year, it means not letting three consecutive state-runner-up finishes derail your championship goals.
In a prep season full of great individual and team performances, they were the best of the best and humble to the end.
“This is a shock,” said Kemp, a future North Carolina Tar Heel who won five individual track and field state titles this year and was a key part of the Bruisers’ championship basketball team and state-qualifying volleyball team. “This is the ultimate award. I’ve worked so hard, and to be honored as the best in the entire area is truly an honor.”
Watson, who also won the John Franklin Award for academics, is headed to Virginia, where his competitive spirit will keep him motivated.