News

Kiwanis Club honors leaders, prep athletes

Tim Lolley accepts the Ricky Sparks Spirit Award as Ricky Sparks's sister, Brenda McCleerey, and brother, Jim Sparks, look on.

By Bill Moss, Published: May 19, 2016

The Hendersonville Kiwanis Club honored a volunteer sports announcer from North Henderson High School, a Hendersonville High School football coach known for reaching into his own pockets to help kids in need and two prep state champions during the 54th annual spring All-Stars program Thursday.

The Ricky Sparks Spirit Award went to Tim Lolley, a Baptist minister who started announcing games at North when his son played baseball and went on to announce nearly every sport. He volunteers, too, for causes like Volley for a Cure, Knights vs. Cancer and the Special Olympics and is commonly seen walking the halls of the school checking on injured athlete or celebrating a prep athlete signing a college scholarship.
Named for a longtime high school sports fan, the Sparks award goes to someone who models enthusiasm and spirit in supporting local high schools.
Mark Cook, a teacher and coach at Hendersonville High School for the past 12, won the Lou Ann Morgan Leadership Award. Cook has been honored as conference coach of the year four times. He and his wife, Leah, a teacher at Etowah Elementary School, are parents of Wesley Cook and Hailey Cook. Both are college athletes now; Hailey, a Western Carolina standout, was just named Southern Conference field athlete of the year for winning the discus, hammer throw and shot put titles in the conference championship.
Top recognition among the high school athletes were HHS sophomore Emma Laughter, the state indoor track champion for clearing 9 feet in the pole vault; and Josh Blatt, a freshman of North Henderson who won the state 3-A championship in the 106-pound class and finished the season with a 52-2 record.