Autauga County YMCA-FCA banquet honors student leaders, coach Erica DuBois

Erica DuBois and Marion Lewis headlined the Autauga County YMCA-FCA Christian Leadership Banquet at First United Methodist Church in Prattville, where student-athletes from across the county were recognized for faith, service and success on the court, field and in the classroom.

The banquet, held May 1, has long been one of the county’s clearest showcases for leadership through athletics. DuBois was presented the Otis Reeves Outstanding Coaches Award after six seasons leading Prattville girls basketball, a run that produced more than 100 wins, two Class 7A Final Four appearances and, most recently, a Regional Tournament berth. Prattville athletic director Blake Boren called her “an incredible person and leader of young women.”

The Otis Reeves award honors a coach with a lifelong commitment to youth sports and young people in the community. The Prattville YMCA says Reeves was the inaugural recipient and played a vital role in the banquet’s legacy, which stretches back decades.

Marion Lewis of Prattville Christian Academy received the 2026 T.O. McDowell Christian Leadership Award, one of the night’s top student honors. The award, started in 2008, recognizes an athlete who shows servant leadership through the YMCA and community involvement. Lewis stood out for a long list of activities that reached well beyond athletics, including SGA, DECA, Model United Nations, FCA, Junior Civitan, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National Spanish Honor Society, Ambassadors, Leadership Academy and FBLA.

The YMCA-FCA Christian Leadership Circle also honored up to five students from each Autauga County school. Autauga Academy’s recipients were Aubrey Carter, Logan Dunaway, Ford Hallman, Kameron Seamon and Westin Ware. Billingsley High School recognized Shelby Boice, Franklin “Trent” Cobern, Avry Coburn, Lane Plott and Cam Sheppard. Marbury High School’s honorees were Marrell Hollon, James Ninesling, Jacob Rawlinson, Kaidence Seamon and Shay Sheridan. Prattville Christian Academy named Jack Diefenderfer, James Little, Brysen Pugh, Tillman Simpson and Aiden Williams. Prattville High School honored Tucker Edfelt, Dorsett Jackson, Jake McConnell, KeLeigh Mullens and Lanieya Page.

Among the individual school standouts, Autauga Academy’s McKinley Hester balanced cheerleading and academics while looking toward a health care career, and Billingsley’s Alana Jones reflected the banquet’s emphasis on excellence in both character and performance.

By 2022, the YMCA-FCA banquet was already in its 36th year, with the Willis Bradford Christian Leadership Award dating to 1991. The event has also featured local speakers and special honors in past years, reinforcing its role as a countywide measure of how Autauga County schools connect athletics, service and leadership.