Retired Westminster Christian Academy boys basketball coach Ronnie Stapler was named the winner of the Billy Neighbors Lifetime Achievement Award at the presentation of the inaugural Rocket City Awards at Huntsville’s Mars Music Hall on Monday.

Stapler, who retired after 53 years as a high school basketball coach – including the past decade at Westminster – this spring, won 868 games in his career. His victory total is third all-time in Alabama High School Athletic Association history.

“First of all, to be awarded with the first lifetime achievement award named after the late, great Billy Neighbors is extremely humbling as you’d have to be living under a rock not to recognize the impact and legacy the Neighbors family has had on Huntsville and this area for years and years,” Stapler said.

“Winning a lifetime achievement award means you must have done something for a long time, and I guess one of the things I’m most proud of is being able to coach for so long and persevere and you have to have a great supporting family through the good and the bad.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have great kids and a bunch of trusting parents who entrusted their kids to be coached and I’ve been very appreciative of that.”

Stapler led Westminster Christian to a state championship in 2016 and to runner-up finishes in 2023, 2019 and 2015.

The Woody Anderson Ford Rocket City Awards were presented by the Huntsville Sports Commission and 97.7 ESPN The Zone radio. The awards are meant to celebrate the achievements of local teams, coaches and athletes from the 2022-23 season.

Buckhorn freshman Caleb Holt, the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 6A Basketball Player of the Year was named the boys high school athlete of the year. “It means a lot winning this award for being recognized for what me and my teammates accomplished winning the state championship,” Holt said. “We put in a lot of hard work last year and it really paid off.”

Buckhorn boys basketball coach Patrick Harding won the boys high school coach of the year. “This was a great program and I just appreciate Neighbors Broadcasting [97.7 The Zone] for putting it on as it is so great to recognize the athletes in our area,” he said. “It is a great honor for our program and the New Market and Buckhorn community. It has been a fun ride and something that we are all real proud of and I share this award with a lot of people who people who built it.”

Hazel Green High School won two awards and was nominated for three. Head basketball coach Tim Miller received the girls coach of the year award and his Trojans earned the girls team of the year honor after taking their AHSAA record sixth straight champions. “This wouldn’t be possible without a great staff and an administration at Hazel Green that has always supported us,” Miller said. “You know, a lot of people don’t know how important that is to have.

“I also appreciate the parents of our girls so much because a lot of coaches don’t get to coach their players the way we need to, but our parents have been great.”

Westminster Christian’s Meg Paparella, the Class 5A volleyball player of the year, won the girls high school athlete of the year award after helping the Wildcats to 2021 and 2022 state titles. “It really is a great honor to be receiving this award and I’m just so happy to have everyone here to share it with me,” she said. “My teammates and I have such a great support system with the school and friends and family and it just means a lot.”

2023 WOODY ANDERSON FORD ROCKET CITY AWARDS

PRESENTED by the HUNTSVILLE SPORTS COMMISSION

HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEAR (BOYS) – Huntsville High swimming. Nominees: Buckhorn basketball, Madison Academy track.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAM OF THE YEAR (GIRLS) – Hazel Green basketball. Nominees: Sparkman soccer, Westminster Christian volleyball.

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (BOYS) – Caleb Holt, Buckhorn basketball. Nominees: Parker Free, Bob Jones tennis; Andrew Hunter, Randolph football.

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (GIRLS) – Meg Papparella, Westminster Christian volleyball. Nominees: Ava McIntosh, Huntsville track and field; Leah Brooks, Hazel Green, basketball.

HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR (BOYS) – Patrick Harding, Buckhorn basketball. Nominees: Arthur Fortin, Huntsville swimming; Robby Seaman, St. John Paul II baseball.

HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR (GIRLS) – Tim Miller, Hazel Green basketball. Nominees: Terry Nelson, Priceville basketball; Holly Richards, Westminster Christian volleyball.

NORTH ALABAMA COLLEGE TEAM OF THE YEAR (MEN) – UAH basketball. Nominees: Jacksonville State football, UNA golf.

NORTH ALABAMA COLLEGE TEAM OF THE YEAR (WOMEN) – UAH softball. Nominees: UNA softball, Calhoun Community College basketball.

NORTH ALABAMA COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR – Les Stuedeman, UAH softball. Nominees: John Shulman, UAH men’s basketball; Candice Byrd-Vinson, Calhoun Community College women’s basketball.

NORTH ALABAMA COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (MEN) – Jacari Lane, UNA basketball. Nominees: Brandon McLaren, Alabama A&M track; Chaney Johnson, UAH basketball.

NORTH ALABAMA COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (WOMEN) – Katie Bracken, UAH softball.

COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (FROM THE AREA) – Kobe Brown, Missouri men’s basketball. Nominee: Michaela Morard, Southern Cal women’s golf.

PRO ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (FROM THE AREA) – Kyle Wright, Atlanta Braves, Buckhorn High. Nominees: Nic Dowd, Washington Capitals, Huntsville; Juvaughn Harrison, high jump athlete, Columbia High.

INSPIRATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR – Kira Lewis, New Orleans Pelicans, Hazel Green.

BILLY NEIGHBORS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Ronnie Stapler, Westminster Christian boys basketball coach (retired).