Vincent High School senior Aiden Poe and Opp High School’s Haley Vendetti were named the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Foundation’s 2025 state Scholar-Athlete and Student Achievement award recipients at Monday night’s 40th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet held at the Sheraton Ballroom Monday night.
Poe received the Larry Striplin, Jr., Scholar-Athlete Award, and Vendetti received the Ken and Betty Joy Blankenship Student-Achievement Award as the overall state recipients. The Achievement award was being presented for the 37th consecutive year. A total of 104 high school regional senior honorees were recognized and awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships through the Bryant-Jordan program annually.
The scholarship program, named in honor of the late coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant of Alabama and Ralph “Shug” Jordan of Auburn, recognized 52 regional scholar-athlete winners selected for their excellence in athletics and academics and 52 achievement winners chosen for their ability to compete in athletics while overcoming major obstacles during their high school careers. Eight students in each category were selected as regional winners in Classes 1A through 6A. Four regional winners in each category were selected from school nominations in Class 7A. Each of the 104 regional winners received a $3,000 scholarship. The 14 class winners received an additional $3,500, and for each overall state winner, the stipend received was $4,000.
Poe, an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Class 2A Vincent High School, was the first Class 2A student to claim the Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award since Harriett Washington of Aliceville High School in 2011.
“I have never been a rah-rah guy to get motivated,” Poe said. “Getting this honor though, well, I am just so grateful.”
Poe, who will attend Air Force Academy to play baseball and also pursuing his dream to become a pilot, is one of the state’s elite high school baseball players. He started playing shortstop on Vincent’s varsity baseball team as a seventh grader, played on elite summer league teams for years, and won the 2024 Class 2A Pitcher of the Year award as a junior.
Aiden has mastered the ability to excel academically and athletically. He carries a 4.4 GPA while taking numerous dual enrollment and AP classes. He scored 31 on the ACT and is slated to be Vincent’s salutatorian. He’s never made less than A on his report card.
As a junior, the right-hander compiled a 12-1 pitching record and added a save while striking out 134 of 303 batters he faced. Perhaps most impressive is the fact he walked only eight batters in 79 1/3 innings – a state record.
He was captain of the football and soccer teams.
Vendetti’s road to her senior year was rocky from the start.
She and her mother survived a horrific car crash in 2014 that claimed the lives of her stepfather and two younger siblings. In the aftermath, Vendetti’s mother slipped into the grip of depression and adjustment, leading to Haley living a life of constant uncertainty bounced from each parent and from school to school for nearly a decade.
Vendetti attended schools in Florida and South Carolina. She also lived for a time with her father in Mobile. She arrived at Opp as a high school freshman after attending schools in Andalusia, Pleasant Home and Straughn, as well as Fleeta Junior High in Opp.
How does Haley describe her journey? “Really stressful, I will say that,” she said. “It’s stressful trying to take care of yourself.”
Described by her teachers and coaches as an encourager and uplifter with a kind word to say to someone when they most need it, Vendetti said she found inner strength when she needed it most.
“I think I truly would be okay when I was able to look back and realize I had the fortitude,” she said. “So many have helped me along the way. I am really thankful for everyone who has supported me”
Haley’s ability to persevere despite the lack of normal parental support has been inspirational to all who know her, said Opp principal Matt Blake.
“The more and more I’ve learned about her story and the more and more I’ve seen her grow and the more and more I’ve seen her mature, I’ve seen her be an inspiration for people around her, even for old folks like me,” Opp Principal Matt Blake said. “The word that really comes to mind that epitomizes Haley is persistence. She has overcome a lot in her life. She has been very persistent to not let the obstacles in her life define her but rather take the initiative to define who and what she is based on her own decisions.”
Once she arrived at Opp, Vendetti began to find the security and connection she craved.
Vendetti played tennis and excelled in cross country at Opp, twice running in the AHSAA Cross Country Championships. She picked up a series of part-time jobs to pay for expenses and currently works in the after-school program at W.S. Harlan Elementary in Florala.
She initially planned to run cross country at Gulf Coast (Fla.) State College, but has since opted to concentrate solely on her academic career. She plans to study sonography at Gulf Coast and hopes to eventually work in a medical clinic specializing in pediatrics or obstetrics.
The regional recipients recognized at the 40th annual banquet included:
2025 Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program
Scholar-Athlete Regional Recipients
CLASS 1A
Region 1 Sophie Massey, Leroy High School
Region 2 Manning Fox, Brantley High School
Region 3 Ja’Kayla Moore, Keith High School
Region 4 Ty Taylor, Wadley High School
Region 5 Ava Camilla McNees, South Lamar High School
Region 6 Cheyenne Rice, Faith Christian School
Region 7 Madilyn Kerber, St. Bernard Preparatory School
Region 8 Julie Mavity, Ider High School
CLASS 2A
Region 1 William Stanley, Providence Christian High School
Region 2 Risdon McCraney, G.W. Long High School
Region 3 Harrison Renfroe, Reeltown High School
Region 4 Aiden Poe, Vincent High School
Region 5 Reese Robbins, Westminster-Oak Mountain High School
Region 6 Landon Kelley Winston County High School
Region 7 Tucker McWilliams, Covenant Christian School
Region 8 Ian Wickwire, Decatur Heritage Christian Academy
CLASS 3A
Region 1 John Moore, T.R. Miller High School
Region 2 Mary Helen Mendheim, Houston Academy
Region 3 Elle McBride, Montgomery Academy
Region 4 Raju Sudarshan, Altamont School
Region 5 Lena Johannson, Weaver High School
Region 6 Carson Young, Piedmont High School
Region 7 Colby Buttram, Sylvania High School
Region 8 Shila Marks, Lauderdale County High School
CLASS 4A
Region 1 Reade McGuff, Satsuma High School
Region 2 George Folsom, Geneva High School
Region 3 Maria Schwarz, Montgomery Catholic School
Region 4 Jackson Bennett, Oak Grove High School
Region 5 John Barrett Godsey, Haleyville High School
Region 6 Trey Harbin, Hokes Bluff High School
Region 7 Chloe May, Central-Florence High School
Region 8 Trey Rutledge, Plainview High School
CLASS 5A
Region 1 Thomas Jackson, Citronelle High School
Region 2 Sarah Taylor, Charles Henderson High School
Region 3 Emery Wideman, Demopolis High School
Region 4 Taylor Leib, Briarwood Christian School
Region 5 Emerson Schneider, John Carroll Catholic High School
Region 6 Sarah Sloughfy, Jacksonville High School
Region 7 Lawson King, Arab High School
Region 8 Spencer Duncan, Lawrence County High School
CLASS 6A
Region 1 Basia Czarkowska, Spanish Fort High School
Region 2 Colby Beyer, Stanhope Elmore High School
Region 3 Thomas Woolf, Northridge High School
Region 4 Zachary Erickson, Spain Park High School
Region 5 Jack Abenoja, Mountain Brook High School
Region 6 Kye McEwen, Oxford High School
Region 7 Pablo Lopez, Fort Payne High School
Region 8 Davis Wood, Muscle Shoals High School
CLASS 7A
Region 1 Hudson Spivey, Davidson High School
Region 2 Linnea Cox, Auburn High School
Region 3 Jack Cobb, Vestavia Hills High School
Region 4 Luke Alverson, James Clemens High School
2025 Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program
Achievement Award Regional Recipients
CLASS 1A
Region 1 Hisun Marlowe, Millry High School
Region 2 Brock Skipper, Red Level High School
Region 3 Taliyah Howard, Autaugaville High School
Region 4 Kennedy Rae Cleckley, Maplesville High School
Region 5 Julian Scott, Lynn High School
Region 6 Kaylyn Meyer, Victory Christian School
Region 7 Tyler Manley, Meek High School
Region 8 Carter Johnson, Woodville High School
CLASS 2A
Region 1 Tamera Walton, Washington County High School
Region 2 Joseph Legear, Zion Chapel High School
Region 3 Jaylen Hart, Loachapoka High School
Region 4 Darus Molette, Isabella High School
Region 5 Da’Mia Duncan, Holy Family Catholic Cristo Rey High School
Region 6 Walker Lewis, Winston County High School
Region 7 Hunter Stallings, Cedar Bluff High School
Region 8 Guadalupe Lopez, Tanner High School
CLASS 3A
Region 1 Byron Hollinger, Monroe County High School
Region 2 Aiden Harkey, Slocomb High School
Region 3 Tyson Summers, Alabama Christian Academy
Region 4 Jarrious Moore, Greensboro High School
Region 5 Keylan Hughes, Winfield High School
Region 6 Owen Abernathy, Ohatchee High School
Region 7 Corder Hobbs, Elkmont High School
Region 8 Sumi Chung, Colbert County High School
CLASS 4A
Region 1 Cooper Kurth, St. Michael Catholic School
Region 2 Haley Vendetti, Opp High School
Region 3 Bodie Giddiens, Bibb County High School
Region 4 Amberly Synchak, Handley High School
Region 5 Jayden Griffin, Dora High School
Region 6 Eryn Spradley, Alexandria High School
Region 7 Landon Bagwell, Good Hope High School
Region 8 J.R. Howard, Madison Academy
CLASS 5A
Region 1 Madeline McMurphy, UMS-Wright Preparatory School
Region 2 Jada Mock, Eufaula High School
Region 3 Tyson Ratliff, Holtville High School
Region 4 Jaden Eason, Elmore County High School
Region 5 Brayden Lowery, John Carroll Catholic High School
Region 6 Drake Loggins, Jacksonville High School
Region 7 Zane Hayes, Douglas High School
Region 8 Claire Hurt, Priceville High School
CLASS 6A
Region 1 Chloe Burford, Baldwin County High School
Region 2 Cle Peake, Wetumpka High School
Region 3 Alyssa Quintanilla, Calera High School
Region 4 Johan Favero, Pelham High School
Region 5 Charlie Sims, Homewood High School
Region 6 Emma Crider, Shades Valley High School
Region 7 Carter Reed, Jasper High School
Region 8 Brit Godfrey, Hartselle High School
CLASS 7A
Region 1 Dixie Baggett, Robertsdale High School
Region 2 Kyle Epperson, Opelika High School
Region 3 Gray Pope, Hewitt-Trussville High School
Region 4 Claire Wright, Austin High School