Adams County students earn Southeast District scholar-athlete scholarships

Vivian Grimes of Eastern and Beau Hesler of North Adams were among the Adams County students named in the Southeast District Athletic Board’s 2026 OHSAA and SEDAB scholar-athlete scholarships. The awards, announced June 23, recognized graduating seniors who paired classroom work with long-term varsity participation, community service and school honors.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association said each scholarship recipient receives $1,000. The district-board program is built around a point system that weighs grade-point average, class rank, community service, varsity letters and individual or team athletic honors, making it a measure of sustained commitment rather than a single standout season.

Candidates had to be graduating seniors with at least a 3.25 GPA after the seventh semester and at least three varsity letters in one sanctioned sport or four letters across two or more sanctioned sports. Cheerleading does not count toward that requirement. The OHSAA said each member school may nominate one male and one female candidate for both the Scholar-Athlete and Ethnic Minority Scholarship programs, and the number of recipients in each district is tied to the number of schools in that district.

For Adams County families, the local names on the list matter because they show that students from Eastern High School in Winchester and North Adams High School remain competitive in a district-wide process that reaches beyond county lines. The recognition puts Grimes and Hesler alongside other Southeast District honorees, underscoring that the county’s schools continue to produce students who can compete academically and athletically at a regional level.

The scholarship calendar for the 2025-26 school year began Jan. 28, 2026, when school administrators started activating applications. Student applications were due April 10, school counselors’ deadlines fell on April 28, and spring sports addenda were due June 15 at noon.

The broader program remains one of the OHSAA’s most visible academic-athletic awards. The association and its six District Athletic Boards distributed $200,000 to 200 graduates in the 2025-26 cycle, the second straight year the program reached that total and the highest amount in its 31-year history. OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said, “These scholar-athletes represent the very best of high school athletics.”

The Southeast District list also showed Adams County’s place within a larger regional field that includes schools across southeast Ohio. For local students balancing workouts, games, classes and service hours, the scholarship path offers a clear benchmark: steady participation over several seasons can still translate into college money and district-level recognition.