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On Wednesday, November 13, smiles, laughs, tears of joy, and collegiate colors were spread throughout at Statesboro High School as the school produced three new collegiate athletes signing with their future schools.
These students included Avery Taylor signing with the University of Georgia for equestrian, Katlyn Sullivan signing with the University of Nebraska for riflery, and Bruce Yawn signing with Georgia Southern University for baseball.
Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Elizabeth Driggers began the celebration of this signing by reflecting on the absolute dedication each athlete has put into their athletic career to bring them to this moment. Driggers encouraged these student-athletes to keep the joy that the sport has brought them, so it will remain their passion. 
The first student to put the ink on the dotted line was the 2024 APHA Reserve World Champion in Youth Reining, Avery Taylor, who signed with the University of Georgia.
This significant milestone in her life has been a long process reaching back to her sophomore year of high school, but it has been something she has strived towards her whole life. The excitement of competing on the next level for a prestigious program like UGA has Avery’s parents overwhelmed with excitement for what the future holds in her sport of Equestrian.
“I mean, there's not enough words about our pride for her, but, you know, the most important thing that I want to convey is that Avery has been easy to support because of her drive, her work ethic, her passion for her sport; it's made our job as parents easy," said Brandy Taylor, mother of Avery. "So that's where a lot of my pride comes from, which is that she's made it. She's made it easy for us to support her because she's worked very hard."
Massive amounts of praise from both of her coaches, Dennis and Amanda, acknowledged the hardworking sacrifices Avery put into the sport to stand out from the rest of the competition.
With Avery officially signed, she looks forward to experiencing all that Georgia has to offer on her next chapter of life while proudly wearing the colors of the Georgia Bulldogs. 
The second student to engrave their name on the dotted line was Georgia's 2024 Riflery State Champion, Katlyn Sullivan, signing to the University of Nebraska.
Katlyn, just recently coming off the Georgia High School Association's Riflery State Championship, has had an eye on Nebraska, taking multiple visits to the campus and facility. She came to the realization that the Nebraska Cornhuskers were destined for her all along as she steps into her next chapter.
“The resources, the commitment to providing athletes with everything they need and more to be the best that they can be, both as a student, an athlete, and a member of the community, is just beyond what anything I could think of — like just what you want as an athlete,” said Katlyn.
Lt. Col. Eric Heffner, a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corp instructor at Statesboro High and the school's riflery head coach, describes how Katlyn had a fire in her that he had never seen before along with a work ethic that could not be matched.
“It's not just being an athlete, not just shooting a rifle, but being a professional at what she does, academically, physically, and emotionally, she is in the top three in the nation, and that says something about your work ethic,” said Lt. Col. Heffner.
Both parents James and Kathleen Sullivan have expressed how extremely proud they are for the hard work Katlyn has put into her academic career and athletic career leading to her undeniable success.
The Sullivan family looks forward to the next accomplishments in Katlyn’s career as she travels far away from home to her new home in Nebraska. 
The third student to commit his future talents at Statesboro High School was Senior baseball athlete Bruce Yawn signing with Georgia Southern University. Homegrown talent Bruce knew instantly that Southern was where he wanted to be because as he states, “It’s home”.
The attention from GSU derived from his performances in travel club baseball over this past summer, leading to a message from the team's pitching coach A.J. Battisto.
“I mean, I literally live three minutes away from the field, so just being around, surrounded by friends and family was a big thing for me,” said Bruce.
Jeff Yawn, father of Bruce, expressed how they are very excited about the opportunity that he has to compete collegiately at Georgia Southern in front of his family that has supported him the entire way.
Bruce will finish out his senior year on the field as a Blue Devil, but he will enter his freshman year of college as an Eagle. 
As Statesboro High continues to produce exceptional student-athletes for the collegiate level, these three athletes will now embark on the next journey of their athletic career on a bigger stage for their represented universities.
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