2024 Inductees
Damane Duckett
Duckett was an imposing figure during his career at North Davidson. At 6-foot-7 and nearly 260 pounds, he was hard to miss and even harder to contain. He was an all-conference and Dispatch All-Davidson County defensive end during his career with the Black Knights, which wrapped up in the fall of 1998. Duckett helped lead North to a share of the conference championship in 1998 and North was a state-playoff team in both his junior and senior seasons. He was also named to the Winston-Salem Journal’s All Northwest Team while garnering all-state honors his senior season. And he competed in the East-West All-Star Game. Duckett played basketball as well and had a solid career with the Knights. His football career continued at East Carolina, where he played defensive end and tackle. He was twice named to the preseason All Conference USA team, and f inished his collegiate career by competing in two all-star games. He also joined the Pirates basketball team for one season and was a key reserve off the bench. Duckett was signed by the Carolina Panthers as a rookie free agent and spent the 2004 season on its practice squad. He was picked up by the New York Giants during that season and played through the 2009 campaign with the Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He finished his pro career in the Canadian Football League (CFL), playing with the BC Lions for two seasons. Duckett currently lives in Charlotte with his family and works with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department as a school resource officer.
David Thomas
Thomas was destined to be an athlete, growing up the youngest of three sports playing siblings, with both sisters Kelly and Leslie playing basketball in college, and with a father (Danny Thomas, Class of 2009) who was a highly successful high school baseball coach. David was a steady performer in football (defensive back) and basketball (point guard) early in his prep career and blossomed into an all conference performer as well as Dispatch All-Davidson County selection in both sports. On the baseball field, Thomas was a pure natural. Playing center field and batting leadoff, he was the Panthers engine and helped Ledford to back-to-back league championships in 2003 and 2004. He was a two-time all conference pick and played a huge role in Ledford advancing to the 2-A state semifinals in 2003 and third round of the state playoffs in 2004. He went on to play collegiately at Catawba College and turned in one of the greatest careers not only in program history, but South Atlantic Conference history as well. Thomas was a four-year starter from 2005 to 2008, was a three-time all-league choice and twice was named an NCAA Division II All American. He was the SAC Player of the Year and Division II Southeast Region Player of the Year in 2008. While in an Indian uniform, Thomas helped lead Catawba to three conference championships. Thomas is the current record holder in the SAC for career hits (344), runs scored (281) and total bases (583) and he was inducted into the league’s hall of fame this past May. In addition, he is a member of Catawba’s Hall of Fame. He also helped the Hi-Toms to a pair of Coastal Plain League titles (2006 and 2007) during the summers of his college career. Thomas was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 14th round of the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft and spent five seasons in the minor leagues. His #7 jersey is retired at both Ledford and Catawba. Thomas spent several years in coaching after his playing career and was hired as the first baseball coach when Oak Grove High School opened its doors in 2017. He guided the Grizzlies’ program for four years, taking his 2019 squad – that didn’t have seniors – to the fourth round of the state playoffs. Thomas currently lives in Davidson County with his family and works for North Carolina Farm Bureau .
Gina Rosser Bradley
You’d be hard-pressed to find a female athlete that had more of an impact at South Davidson, and the Denton community at large, than Bradley. Fans remember her as Gina Rosser, the record-setting and champion basketball player as well as state-title track performer during a career with the Wildcats that wrapped up in 1999. Bradley’s basketball career saw her score 1,583 points (second all-time in school history upon graduation) and grab 1,466 rebounds to go along with 448 steals, 344 blocked shots and 203 assists. She was a three-time all-conference pick in addition to three times being selected for The Dispatch All Davidson County Team. Bradley led South to regular season conference championships in her junior and senior seasons in addition to conference tournament titles in each of those seasons. Her senior year on the hardwood (1998-99), was truly remarkable as she was selected conference player of the year, county player of the year and led South to a school-best 25-5 finish, which ended one game away from playing for 1-A state championship with a loss in the west regional finals. Bradley was also a four-time NCHSAA scholar athlete. But basketball wasn’t her only talent. She was a back-to-back track state champion in the high jump in 1998 and 1999 and was a four-time all-conference performer. Bradley also set a school-record with a leap of 5’-6”. She also earned all-league honors in tennis and cross country multiple times. Bradley went on to play basketball at High Point University and in 2003 was the Big South Conference women’s basketball scholar athlete of the year. And for good measure, she dabbled in track on the collegiate level as well, earning a silver medal in the high jump in 2000 in the Big South Conference. Bradley currently lives in Durham with her family and works at Duke University as the Associate Athletics Director for Business Operations.
Chase Younts
Younts’ induction brings about the first three-generation family tree to the hall of fame. His grandfather, Wade Younts, was inducted in 2014 and father, Steve, was inducted in 2007. Chase was a standout three-sport athlete at Central Davidson in the late 1990s/early 2000s. He was a two-year letter winner in basketball and was a Dispatch All-Davidson County pick in football as a free safety and wide receiver. His senior season (1999) he caught 28 passes, seven of which were for touchdowns, and was named team MVP. But baseball is where Younts really excelled. He was a four-year starter for the Spartans on the diamond as an outfielder and pitcher. Younts combined speed and deceptive power with a high baseball IQ to earn all-conference honors three times. His senior season (2000) was one for the books with a .420 batting average to go along with four home runs and 29 RBIs. The southpaw pitcher also had a 7-2 record with a 1.95 ERA in leading Central to a 3-A Tri-County Conference championship, third-round showing in the state playoffs and a 25-4 record, which was a county record for wins in a season at the time. Younts was named to the all-state team in 2000 and also was a U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete. He also was a staple in the lineup for the Lexington-Davidson American Legion Post 8 team for four years and was named team MVP in the summer of 2000. Younts went on to play collegiately at North Carolina where he had a career .305 batting average and .985 fielding percentage. He was a part of four Tar Heel teams to make the NCAA Tournament, with the 2003 squad advancing to the Super Regionals. In all four of his years in Chapel Hill, UNC finished in the Top 25 national rankings. Younts, who was inducted into the Central Davidson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022, currently lives in Garner with his family and works in Human Resources for IBM.
Cory Holt
Blessed with size, speed and oodles of athleticism, Holt was a trail blazer during his time at Lexington Senior High. He was a star two-sport athlete and left his mark on the basketball and football programs. Holt was a three-year starter at quarterback and finished his career as the program’s leader in passing yards (4,872 yards) and touchdown passes (58). Holt also rushed for 1,619 career yards with 27 scores. He led Lexington to a conference championship in 2002 (the program’s first in nine years) before an injury to his collarbone derailed the Yellow Jackets’ hopes in the state playoffs. He was named Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year in 2002 and once threw eight TDs in a single game, which was a state record at the time. Holt was ranked the No. 26 recruit in North Carolina by SuperPrep and competed in the East-West All-Star game. But Holt’s basketball career goes somewhat unnoticed. He was a starter on the Yellow Jackets’ 2-A state runner-up team his sophomore season (2000-01) and then developed into an conference performer his junior and senior seasons when Lexington won consecutive league titles. Holt was twice named the CCC’s top player, was also selected as The Dispatch All-Davidson County Player of the Year, and was a part of the Winston-Salem Journal’s All-Northwest Team. He was a 1000-point scorer and still stands third on Lexington’s career scoring list. In addition, Holt was also a teammate of Chris Paul’s on a 17-under AAU team that won a national championship. He continued his football career after high school, spending a post graduate year at Hargrave Military Academy, before signing with Virginia Tech where he was a part of three ACC Championship teams. Holt, who is also in Lexington Senior High’s Sports Hall of Fame, currently lives in the Triad and works as Director/HR Business Partner for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Kelly Ann Baird McKechnie
Athletic excellence very rarely means athletic perfection. But in the case of Kelly Ann Baird McKechnie, her high school swimming career was nearly perfect. McKechnie set the standard for area swimming by winning an amazing nine state championships (individual and relay events combined) in her four years at West Davidson. She finished second at the state meet in the 200 free her freshman season, which turned out to be the only time she didn’t place first in an event in her prep career. She won seven individual state crowns, the 200 free (three times) and the 500 free (four times), while also being on two state-title winning 200 medley relay teams. And to top it off, the Green Dragons won the 1-A/2-A team state championship in McKechnie’s senior season of 2010. McKechnie was named the 1-A/2-A female state swimmer of the year three times and during high school she qualified for the US Swimming Junior National Team, which competed in Barcelona, and the US Swimming Junior Pan Pacific Team, which competed in Guam. She went on to sign with Ohio State where she competed in four Big Ten Championships and qualified for one NCAA Championship. In 2012, McKechnie participated in the US Olympic Trials in the 800 free, 400 free and 200 back. While with the Buckeyes, McKechnie was also asked to join the rowing team, and promptly helped them win an NCAA Team Championship. She now lives in Tennessee with her family but hasn’t slowed down, taking on the title of professional tri-athlete. She is ranked in the top 40 in the world in the Ironman 70.3 distance. She is also a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach.
Randy Hege (Unsung Hero)
A lifelong native of Davidson County, Hege developed a love for sports watching games on a small black and white television that he received for Christmas as a child. Although he never participated in organized sports, he found other ways to be involved. Hege coached little league baseball in the mid 1970’s and then went on to coach his church softball team to a State USSA Class B Championship in 1988. Hege was a 1971 graduate of Ledford High School and continued to support Panthers athletics throughout his adult life until his health begin to decline. His biggest passion was announcing sporting events for his alma mater. He was the public address announcer for baseball, basketball, football and softball at Ledford for more than 30 years. Hege also had stints announcing games at West Davidson and Central Davidson. He was well-known for his long tenure as the guy on the mic for the annual Davidson County Christmas Basketball Tournament, held each December at Ledford. In all, Hege announced over 1,200 games. The press box at Ledford’s football stadium is now named The Randy Hege Press Box, “Voice of the Panthers”. Hege was also deeply connected with coaches and athletic directors in Davidson County through his work as a sporting goods sales rep. He worked for Triad Sporting Goods, Bocock-Stroud, Cook’s Sports and Design Illusions, during a career that lasted 30-plus years. Hege also was the field supervisor at Doak Park in Thomasville for little league baseball for many years. He passed away in March of 2018.
Ronnie Beverly
Beverly’s ties to Lexington Senior High athletics goes deep – as a player and athletic administrator. He competed in wrestling and track along with being a standout running back for the Yellow Jackets during a golden era for the football program. Beverly helped Lexington win the 1985 2-A state championship and then repeat the following season with a monster game in the 1986 state finals. He scored two touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards in his final high school game as the Yellow Jackets rolled to their second straight crown. He was named All-Central Carolina Conference in 1986 along with being picked for The Dispatch All Davidson County Team. He signed with Winston-Salem State and was a part of four CIAA championship teams with the Rams. He was selected the newcomer of the year for running backs in NCAA Division II in 1987 when WSSU went 11-2, one of the best seasons in the history of the program. Beverly was named the Rams’ offensive player of the year and team captain his senior season of 1991. He was invited to training camp with the Indianapolis Colts the following season before being let go at the end of the preseason. Beverly went on to serve in the Air Force from 1996 to 2000 and came back home to Lexington Senior High in 2012 as the school’s athletic director. For the next 10 years he was one of the more respected ADs in the state, serving on the NCHSAA Board of Directors from 2016-2019. Beverly was named NCHSAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2016. He was inducted into the Lexington Senior High Athletics Hall Of Fame in 2015 and into the WSSU Clarence ‘Big House’ Gaines Hall of Fame in 2019. Beverly now works as the Director of Facility Operations and Maintenance for WSSU.
Heather Thompson VanderMyde
Perhaps no female athlete has been more accomplished or talented in Thomasville Senior High’s long sports history than VanderMyde. Known as Heather Thompson in her playing days, the 6-footer was a dominate force in volleyball and basketball in the Central Carolina Conference landscape in the late 1980s. During her junior season (1987-88), VanderMyde led Thomasville’s volleyball team to a league championship and was an all-conference pick. Thomasville has not won a conference volleyball crown since. She then led the Bulldogs to a conference championship in basketball several months later and was named CCC Player of the Year. But her senior season (1988-89) was something special. VanderMyde won the conference player the year in volleyball and repeated as conference player of the year in basketball while leading the Bulldogs to a second straight CCC title. Her basketball stat line was eye-popping – 23 points per game, 13 rebounds and six steals. Thomasville also won the Davidson County Christmas Tournament title that season with VanderMyde being named MVP. She received the Mary Garber Award as the Winston-Salem Journal’s All-Northwest Team Female Player of the Year. VanderMyde was also named to the Greensboro News and Record All-State Team and competed in the annual East-West All-Star game. She went on to play at North Carolina under legendary coach Sylvia Hatchell and led the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding in her freshman season. She was named MVP of the Carolina Classic Tournament in 1990. VanderMyde’s career was cut short following her sophomore season due to a severe ankle issue. She currently lives in Southern Shores with her family and is a real estate investor/ realtor with The VanderMyde Real Estate Group with Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty.
