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DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
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Grigsby takes over as DCHS wrestling coach
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Longtime Dawson County
Middle School wrestling coach
Andrew Grigsby recently land
ed the head coaching job at the
high school, bringing with him
several years of success.
Grigsby, a 2006 graduate of
DCHS, has coached multiple
programs in multiple states but
eventually found his way back
to his hometown. He accrued a
30-4 overall record with the
middle school team, including
two Mountain League champi
onships and an undefeated reg
ular season in 2022.
“Dawson County is my
home. My father was raised
here, I was raised here, and my
children have been raised here,”
Grigsby said. “Regardless of
my previous teaching and
coaching jobs, I have always
bled maroon and gold. The
opportunity to make an even
greater impact on the next gen
eration of Dawson County [stu
dent-athletes] is something I
hold very dear in my heart.”
Grigsby takes over the wres
tling team for Arron Haynes,
who spent over two decades as
head coach and led the Tigers
to consecutive state champion
ships in 2003 and 2004.
Heading into a role that holds
special meaning to him,
Grigsby is approaching the
opportunity with vigor.
“To be clear, wrestling has
one of the richest and most suc
cessful histories in Dawson
County, with many individual
and several team state champi
onships,” Grigsby said. “My
identity has always been to
connect with kids in a way that
fosters maximum participation,
character, and effort. I will do
everything in my power to
bring top level performance
back to Dawson County
See Grigsby 13B
Rio White Dawson County News
Former Dawson County Middle School wrestling coach
Andrew Grigsby was recently named as head coach of the
high school team.
Cream of the crop
16 Dawson County student-athletes honored in ceremony
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
With the school year
drawing to a close, the
Dawson County News rec
ognized the accomplish
ments made by 16 high
school student-athletes at
the third annual DCN
Athlete of the Year event
on Wednesday, May 17.
This year’s ceremony,
held at the Bowen Center
for the Arts, included an
expanded collection of
nominees with new and
familiar faces alike.
Wednesday night’s fes
tivities began with a meal
provided by Ruby’s
Recipes, followed by a
speech by former Lady
Tigers basketball coach
Steve Sweat.
After Sweat gave a spir
ited and meaningful
address, the backdrop for a
memorable night was set
for the many families in
attendance.
All 16 Tiger athletes —
representing a wide variety
of sports — were then
called up to receive their
certificates, after which the
audience awaited the
announcements of the two
overall winners.
Abby Felkai and Kade
See Athletes 13B
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
Abby Felkai poses with her DCN Girls Athlete of the Year winner's certificate.
Ryan Moledor
accepts Kade
Moledor's
Boys Athlete
of theYear
winner's certif
icate.
Dawson bands
get elemental at
Spring Concert
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
If there is a time in the school year when the band
can fully display its versatility and creativity outside of
marching season — without the repetition of holiday
music or the added pressure of adjudication — it is a
year-end Spring Concert.
This year, Dawson County’s Symphonic Band chal
lenged itself to not only attempt difficult pieces, but to
also immerse its audience within a themed soundscape.
At the annual Spring Concert on Thursday, May 11,
the band put on a show with the theme of “Earth, Wind
& Fire,” with the first three musical pieces seeking to
bring listeners into a world involving each of those nat
ural features.
Prior to the symphonic band playing, the eighth-
grade Concert Band also wrapped up its year with a
See Concert 13B
Rio White Dawson County News
A trombone player expresses himself while
the band plays a compilation of songs by
Earth, Wind & Fire.
Felkai’s energy helped put
volleyball back in playoffs
By Rio White
riowhite@dawsonnews.com
Coming into the 2022 volleyball sea
son, head coach Tanya Porter knew she
had a talented squad that had one goal in
mind — returning to the state playoffs
after an early end to the 2021 campaign.
But before the Lady Tigers set out to
play in a tough region that had two of
Class 3A’s strongest sides in White
County and Wesleyan, Porter had to
make a significant change to her lineup.
Abby Felkai, a charismatic setter by
trade, first joined Dawson’s roster in
2021 after moving to the North Georgia
mountains from Ontario, Canada.
Quickly making an impact in her first
season, she was asked by Porter to take a
more aggressive scoring role for her
senior year in 2022.
And did she ever.
382 kills, 297 digs and 79 aces later,
Felkai became a First Team All-Region
choice and helped steer the team back to
Rio White Dawson County News
Abby Felkai was chosen as the 2023
DCN Girls Athlete of theYear.
the state playoffs.
But her stats only tell part of the story.
While Felkai became the team’s most
conspicuous player in her new role as an
outside hitter, her ability to be a great
teammate and elevate those around her
never wavered.
See Felkai 13B
Player Of The Week!
Abby Felkai
The Player of the Week is
Abby Felkai, who won the
DCN Girls Athlete of the
Year Award.
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