VALDOSTA — Coming off its most successful season in nearly two decades, there was plenty of hardware to go around at Valdosta’s VESPYs award banquet Thursday at Valdosta High School’s Performing Arts Center.

The Wildcats had plenty to celebrate at the second edition of the revamped VESPYs, including two new Hall of Fame inductees and their first state championship since 1998. So once guests found their way inside the PAC, illuminated outside by swirling lights, Valdosta Touchdown Club president Mike “Nub” Nelson welcomed the crowd before emcee Monty Long introduced a video montage of the season.

Players and coaches from the Wildcats’ 9th-grade football team took their turn on stage, followed by the varsity team — announced grade-by-grade — and coaching staff, each earning rounds of applause from the fans in attendance.

Once introductions were over with, it was time to hand out awards.

Offensive lineman Aaron Graham, tight end Jontae Baker and receiver Wesley Veal each earned prestigious accolades with Graham taking home the Nick Hyder Foundation Scholarship Award, the David and Sharon Waller Scholarship Award going to Baker and Veal earning the Wright Bazemore Scholarship award.

The entire Wildcat program also took a few moments to recognize the varsity and JV cheerleaders, and fan Alex Lloyd, the team support specialists, and photographers Mike Chapman and Marcy Reagin before going into the coaches awards presentation.

But first, “Ric Flair” (emcee Dirk Harrell) had to make another surprise entrance to flaunt the hardware Valdosta has accumulated over the course of the season — namely the state title and Winnersville Classic trophy.

As for the awards, there was plenty of competition in nearly every category, so much so both defensive end Tyler Blue and defensive back Jaelyn Temple shared the Mark Stevens Memorial Sportsmanship Award.

Quarterback Hunter Holt won the Dynamite Goodloe Memorial Most Improved Offensive Award, with the Most Improved Defensive Award going to defensive back Jalen Everett.

Defensive tackle Justin Carter is only a sophomore, but he went on stage and gave the crowd a taste of one of the pregame speeches that earned him the Julian Lefiles Memorial Spirit Award.

Valdosta awards the Super Skinner Award to its best scout team players and this season it was running back Kimba Kimble and defensive end Marvens Cherelus who took home the award for their respective sides of the ball Thursday.

Offensive lineman Zach Lloyd was the recipient of the Most Loyal Award, defensive end Jeremiah Williams won the Coaches Award, and linebacker Thomas Eager received the James Eunice Character Award.

The competition became even tighter near the end of the awards show, especially once it was time to name the offensive and defensive MVPs of the Wildcats’ championship season.

Head coach Alan Rodemaker introduced the Wright Bazemore Defensive MVP Award winner as linebacker James Bushware, who racked up a team-high 129 total tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, two sacks and three forced fumbles to beat out other impact players like Zakoby McClain (Best Linebacker), Antown Kincade (Best Defensive Back), Devonnsha Maxwell (Best Defensive Lineman) and Jayce Rogers (Special Teams Award) for the honor.

Offensive coordinator Tucker Pruitt announced receiver J.R. Ingram as the Nick Hyder Memorial Offensive MVP for catching 61 passes for 1,053 yards and 17 touchdowns. Jared Allen (Best Offensive Lineman), Tevin Gray (Best Offensive Back), and Damarrias Morrow (Best Receiver) also took home offensive awards before ceding way to the Hall of Fame inductions of Mike O’Brien and Willie Lewis.

“I think it was great to honor our kids for the state championship and the successful season that we had,” Rodemaker said. “It was good to honor the Feed the ‘Cats folks, that was really neat, but I thought the highlight of the evening was really the Hall of Fame guys.”

For the second year in a row, the Valdosta Touchdown Club has gone above and beyond to turn the VESPYs into one of the most unique and lively awards banquets around.

The 2015 football was honored in February of this past year, but in his first season at the program’s helm, Rodemaker wanted to hold the awards banquet before his players went home for Christmas break.

But if it weren’t for the Touchdown Club, the VESPYs may have been scheduled during Valdosta’s postseason run.

“It doesn’t come cheap,” Rodemaker said of the VESPYs. “It’s not only the expense of the event, it’s all the forethought, and the planning, and all the stuff that goes on. I kind of put them in a predicament this year because I wanted it done before Christmas…

“They said, ‘Well, we can’t do it before the state championship,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, well, right. Whatever.’ True enough, we set it this week because it was a week after the state championship. So, they have a lot more forethought than I did.”

Derrick Davis is a sports reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times.