Ridgeland enshrines 10 new members into Hall of Fame
The newest 10-member class of the Ridgeland Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted during a banquet ceremony on Saturday, May 14 at the school.
Since 2018, the Ridgeland Athletic Hall of Fame has “honored and recognized athletes, coaches, administrators and community members who have made distinctive, noteworthy and outstanding contributions to the athletic program at Ridgeland High School.”
Candidates may be inducted into the categories of Former Athlete, Former Coach/ Administrator, Community Contributor or Posthumous Recognition.
Here is a brief look at each of the newest members of the Hall:
STASHA MORTON JOYCE
A 2002 graduate, Morton Joyce was the first-ever pitcher for the school’s fastpitch softball program and helped the Lady Panthers to a region title in 2001. Her name can still be found in several places in the Ridgeland record book today. After becoming an AllAmerican at Chattanooga State, she played at Columbus State (Ga.) where she was the team’s Pitcher of the Year (2004-2006), an NFCA DII All-Region selection, a Peach Belt All-Conference Team member and the CSU Female Athlete of the Year.
RODNEY STOKER
A 1994 graduate, Stoker was All-Region (19911993) and All-State (1993) in cross country while at Ridgeland. He later ran at Georgia Southern before transferring to UTC where he picked up All-Conference honors in cross country (1997, 1998) and indoor and
outdoor track (1997, 1998, 1999). He won a 5,000-meter conference title in 1998 and helped the Mocs make the NCAA’s. Now a coach at McCallie, he guided his team to state cross country titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and the school’s first state track and field title in 2021.
LACEY SMITH
A 2002 graduate, Smith finished her Ridgeland volleyball career with two area championships, two All-Area selections and two apperances in the Elite Eight. Upon graduation, she held three Lady Panther records and finished her career with 600 kills. A graduate of West
Georgia, Smith is an advocate of Ridgeland’s work-based learning program and she previously served as president of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce. She continues to have a presence at Ridgeland as she has spoken to multiple classes at the school about the types of jobs and industries available in Walker County.
GERRY KINGSLEY
A native of Afton in East Tennessee, she moved to Flintstone in 1963 with her husband, Ray. She began working in the Walker County school system as a parapro and worked with teacher Jan Conway for many years,
including at Ridgeland starting in 1990. A mother of two Ridgeland students, she volunteered with numerous clubs, organizations and teams at the school over the years. Kingsley passed away in 2004 after battling ALS, but is still greatly missed today by all of those whose lives she touched.
DAVID STOKER
A 1994 graduate, Stoker played several sports at Ridgeland, but found his niche with running. He was a part of the Panthers’ Chattanooga XC League championship team in 1993 and went on to run track and cross country at Georgia Southern. He eventually returned to
Walker County, coaching at Chattanooga Valley Middle before serving as both an assistant and head basketball coach at Ridgeland. Today, he coaches cross country and basketball at Rossville Middle School.
NATHAN GUERRERO
A 1998 graduate, Guerrero was a standout linebacker and a key player on Ridgeland’s first state playoff teams in the mid-1990’s. He earned All-North Georgia recognition in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and was a Best of Preps second team pick in 1996. Now a successful businessman, Guerrero has been a generous sponsor and supporter of Ridgeland teams and athletes for many years.
DANIEL JOHNSON
A 2013 graduate, Johnson was a multi-year team captain in baseball and football for the Panthers and was a defensive leader who helped Ridgeland to the state football championship game as a senior. The Wendy’s High School Heisman state and regional winner, he was one of six national finalists for the award out of more than 46,000 applicants. As a senior, he was class valedictorian, in addition to garnering numerous other achievements and earned a full academic scholarship to Washington and Lee University. He was also one of two Georgia representatives in the U.S. Senate Youth Program in Washington where he met President Obama and the Supreme Court Justices.
MASON HARRIS
A 2011 graduate, Harris was All-Region and made the Best of Preps team in basketball as a senior and was All-Region and All-State in football in his final season. As a defensive end, he had 187 tackles and 27 sacks over his final two seasons and was named a three-star prospect by three different recruiting services. Ranked as the 47th-best outside linebacker in the nation and the 58th-best player in the state of Georgia by Rivals.com, Harris attended the University of South Carolina from 2011 to 2015. Upon graduation, he transferred to Kennesaw State for graduate school and played for the Owls in their inaugural season.
NIGEL NICHOLAS
A 2008 graduate who was on the football, basketball and track teams, Nicholas was ranked as a Top 30 tight end prospect by Rivals and a Top 50 recruit in the state as a senior. That year, he earned AllState honors after 12 catches for 286 yards and one TD, while he recorded 70 tackles, 16 for a loss, and eight sacks at defensive end. He attended Oklahoma State on a full academic scholarship and was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 pick in 2011. He became Ridgeland’s first NFL player when he signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans and later signed with the L.A. KISS of the Arena Football League.
TRAVIS ALLISON
A 2008 graduate, Allison has been a hard-working volunteer with the football and baseball teams since 2004 and was the team manager of the historic 2012 Panther squad that played for a football state title in the Georgia Dome. He has continued to volunteer in the front office at RHS for the past decade, spending his days walking the halls to help the staff. An avid sports fan, the likeable and personable Allison is an invaluable and beloved member of the Ridgeland community and is truly one of the faces of the school.