All Star Week features Chris Heaps as keynote

By Brannon King for the FCT

The Russellville City Schools athletic department was well-represented recently in Montgomery during the awards and banquet portion of AHSAA All Star Sports Week.

Russellville was one of 107 schools in the state that participated in the 2016-17 school year to receive no fines or ejections in sports. RHS head baseball coach Chris Heaps was chosen as the keynote speaker during the luncheon that took place at the Sportsmanship Luncheon.

Russellville has received the honor of having a coach invited to speak multiple times in the past few years, and it’s a source of pride for those involved in the school system. “It’s always a great honor,” athletic director and head football coach Mark Heaton said. “It’s something that the athletic association really puts an emphasis on, so it’s always good when you get that invitation.”

According to Heaton, Steve Savarese, executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, was at the Alabama Baseball Coaches Convention and heard Heaps speak there. Savarese invited Heaps to come and speak at the Sportsmanship Luncheon. “We had our head baseball coach there, our athletic director/head football coach and our principal at this thing, and it was highlighted by Coach Heaps as the guest speaker,” Heaton shared. “It was a great day and very humbling to be able to be a part of that. I thought Coach Heaps did a great job, and I’m very proud of the way he represents our school and our community.

“I think the state recognizes that as well. It’s not just the overall success of the athletic programs as a whole over the last several years at Russellville but also the way that we do it,” Heaton said. “Those are probably the best awards I’ve ever been a part of, and I hope that we can continue that tradition.”