Charles Henderson sophomore football player Jywon Boyd and senior volleyball player Madison Stewart have been selected as The Messenger’s inaugural Fall Athletes of the Year presented by Troy Bank and Trust for the 2021 season.

Both Boyd and Stewart are multi-sport athletes with Boyd being a starting guard on the CHHS boys’ basketball team and a member of the baseball team, while Stewart was one of the star players on the Lady Trojan softball team, as well. In fact, Stewart signed a scholarship offer to play softball at Northwest Florida State College.

Stewart was a star on both the volleyball and softball teams at CHHS. (Photo by Dan Smith)

Stewart was one of the leaders of the Lady Trojan volleyball squad, earning Best Offensive Player and Team MVP for her leadership and production on the court. As a senior, she amassed 277 kills, 2.5 total blocks, 57 aces and 142 digs in 2021.

“As a senior, she was a leader for us and she was extremely important in every aspect of our team offensively and defensively,” CHHS volleyball coach Sonny Kirkpatrick said. “She was a finisher for us, she puts balls away when we need points and we couldn’t have been more proud of her accomplishments over her years at Charles Henderson volleyball.”

Boyd was the true definition of an “athlete” for the Trojan football team, playing receiver on offense, defensive back on defense and also returning kicks on special teams. He was selected as the team’s Best Wide Receiver and Offensive MVP following the season, as well.

Boyd caught 38 passes for 867 yards as a sophomore in 2021. (Photo by Dan Smith)

“Jywon was a kid on the football field we trusted if we threw the ball to him he would come down with the play,” CHHS football coach Quinn Hambrite said. “He and (quarterback) Parker Adams have great chemistry on and off the field. Jywon was the ultimate competitor every single game no matter who we played.

“His youth didn’t show because he was naturally years ahead of his grade level when it comes to his abilities. He played like a senior would play and he kept us in a lot of games. 80 percent of Parker’s touchdowns and yards came from Jywon. We were very thankful to have him last year.”

On offense, Boyd hauled in 38 catches for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns, while securing 71 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, four interceptions and a 98-yard interception return touchdown on defense. He also returned one kickoff for a touchdown and another punt return for a score as a sophomore. Additionally, two more of Boyd’s punt returns were taken back for touchdowns before being called back on penalties along with a second pick-six that got called back on a penalty. In total, Boyd amassed 13 all-purpose touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.

“Having a kid that plays on all three phases of the game and dominates on all three phases is sort of like a cheat code in a video game,” Hambrite said. He was definitely our cheat code. He never wanted to come out of the game even when we wanted to give him a break. He’s an ultimate competitor and having a kid like him benefits this team in a great way.”

Boyd jump-started his junior season with a three-touchdown performance – in just one half of play – in Charles Henderson’s win over Class 7A R.E. Lee in the Spring Classic on May 20, as well.