Major BOP awards go to Yost, Copeland, Dale

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., center, answers questions from Chattanooga Times Free Press Sports Editor Jay Greeson, left, and Assistant Sports Editor Stephen Hargis at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Earnhardt was the guest speaker at the annual event which honors the area's best prep athletes.

Chattanooga Times Free Press Assistant Sports Editor Stephen Hargis, right, presents Male Athlete of the Year Slade Dale with the football award at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center .

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., takes the stage at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Earnhardt was the guest speaker at the annual event which honors the area's best prep athletes.

Brian Davis, left, and Justin Brown work to install a NASCAR ice sculpture at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet.

People dine at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center. NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was the guest speaker at the annual event which honors the area's best prep athletes.

In the athletic realm there is little the three major award winners from Thursday night's Best of Preps Banquet have in common except, obviously, success.

One common theme, however, from the overall coach, female and male athletes of the year is the path to that success and the acknowledgement that so much more is involved than individual glory.

For Coach of the Year Jake Yost, Female Athlete of the Year Brooke Copeland and Male Athlete of the Year Slade Dale, Thursday's coronation in front of the largest crowd in banquet history was a chance to reflect on what got each of them there.

"This is such a cool experience to be recognized for our program doing so well," said Yost, who in two seasons as the coach of Cleveland's juggernaut wrestling team has won four state titles. "A lot of it is due to so many people and facets of the program that I just happen to be the representative of, from the coaches to the parents and to the people in the community."

That sentiment was also a major theme of guest speaker Dale Earnhardt Jr., who said his NASCAR success is all about teamwork and being part of a family. Ringgold's Dale, after hearing racing's most popular driver's words, was moved to thank his own actual and athletic families.

"It's a great honor to win the Best of Preps overall award," said Dale, who is headed to the University of Georgia after earning first-team honors in baseball and football and winning the Red Etter Award for outstanding achievement in football. "I want to extend a special thanks to my family: They're my biggest supporters and the reason I compete. I want to also thank Coach [Robert] Akins. I look up to him like a father and I love him to death. I couldn't do this all by myself, and I understand the importance of my teammates and the role God has played in my life."

Bradley Central star Copeland, who starred in basketball and volleyball, was the overall female winner for the second year in a row. She's heading to the University of Florida to play basketball.

"I feel extremely blessed to even be nominated, and to win this again is incredible," she said. "This is great closure for my career and for my life in general in the Chattanooga area. I'm very honored and grateful. If there's one thing I would pass along to the athletes coming up is to give everything you have, no matter what you're doing, and to keep God first in everything you do because he's the reason you're here."

The three also took in Earnhardt's message to stop for a minute and enjoy their success.

Said Yost: "One of the main things I try to do is to get the kids to enjoy life and be good people. Enjoy every aspect of life, including the hard work. Have fun and see the bigger picture and understand it's not just about winning a wrestling match."

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

Chattanooga Times Free Press Assistant Sports Editor Stephen Hargis, right, presents Female Athlete of the Year Brooke Copeland with the girls' basketball award at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

Assistant Sports Editor Stephen Hargis, right, presents coach Jake Yost with the Coach of the Year award at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on May 29, 2014, at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga.

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., answers questions from the audience at the 2014 Best of Preps Banquet on Thursday at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. Earnhardt was the guest speaker at the annual event which honors the area's best prep athletes.