Mathew Likely named The Evergreen Courant's Sportsman of the Year

Mathew Likely, right, with HHS principal Rodney Drish.

This week The Courant has selected Hillcrest High School junior Mathew Likely as the newspaper’s sixth annual Sportsman of the Year.

Likely, a resident of the Franklintown community who has been called “The Fastest Man in Conecuh County,” is receiving the award for his outstanding performance at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 4A State Track and Field Championship Meet in May in Gulf Shores.

During that event, which included the best athletes and fastest runners from across the state, Likely outran them all, winning state titles in two events – the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Likely is also the first high school athlete to receive The Courant’s Sportsman of the Year award in its six-year history.

In August, Likely was honored on the school track at Hillcrest by Hillcrest principal Rodney Drish who presented Likely with a state championship ring, which was purchased on Likely’s behalf by Evergreen Mayor Pete Wolff.

Likely, the son of Donald and Mary Likely of Johnsonville, not only stars on the running track, but he is also an outstanding basketball player at Hillcrest. Already this season, he is among the team leaders in scoring and rebounding for the No. 4-ranked Jaguars.

The Courant’s Sportsman of the Year Award is modeled after Sports Illustrated’s long-running award of the same name. The award is given to the male or female athlete or team whose performance that year most emodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement. The Courant names a Sportsman of the Year annually and names the recipient in the last edition of the calendar year.

Former University of Alabama offensive tackle, Drew Davis, a 2004 graduate of Sparta Academy, was named The Courant’s first ever Sportsman of the Year in 2008 and also received the honor in 2009. Former University of Alabama basketball player Chris Hines, a 2006 graduate of Hillcrest High School, was named Sportsman of the Year in 2010. Justin Nared, a former star quarterback at Hillcrest High School and quarterback at Tuskegee University, received the Sportsman of the Year award in 2011 and 2012.