Hardin County Sports Hall of Fame Announces 2026 Wes Davis Memorial Scholarship Recipients

The Hardin County Sports Hall of Fame announced the 2026 Wes Davis Memorial Scholarship recipients. 

Addi Manns of Kenton High School and Mason Howard of Ridgemont High School will each receive a one-time $500 scholarship towards their academic endeavors.

The presentation of the scholarships will take place at the Hardin County Sports Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday June 20, at St. John’s Church in Kenton.

Kenton High School Class of 2026 ~ Addi Manns

Addi is a four-year varsity letter winner in Cross Country and Track, attaining a total of 8 varsity letters. Addi also participated in Kenton’s indoor track club during the winter. In Cross Country, she holds both the KHS 5k school record and the WBL 5k meet record at a time of 18:23. Addi qualified for the State Cross Country Meet her sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school.

In 2025, she placed 6th at the OHSAA State Cross Country meet, attaining First Team All-Ohio honors for the second year in a row. Addi also competed in the OATCCC Indoor State Championships three times in her high school career. In 2025, she placed sixth in the indoor 4×800 meter relay, and eighth in the indoor 3200 meter run.

The following year, Addi placed fifth in the indoor 1600 meter run, and second in the indoor 3200 meter run. In Outdoor track, Addi has two school records: the 3200 meter run (11:24), and the 4×800 meter relay (10:00). In 2024, she was the WBL Champion in the 3200 and received the Kenton Track MVP award.

Addi was also involved in school activities such as National Honor Society, Captain’s Committee, Mentoring, Ambassadors, FCA and Chorale. Addi has received Academic All-Ohio honors for three years. She was an Elks Teen of the Month and Elks Teen of the Year for KHS, and was named FCA Huddle Leader of the Year for KHS. Addi is also heavily involved in New Hope Church, serving on many volunteer teams.

Addi will be attending The University of Findlay pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy and continuing her Cross Country and Track careers.

Ridgemont High School Class of 2026 ~ Mason Howard

Mason has participated in football, basketball, and track throughout his high school career, earning football honors as 3rd Team All-Ohio Running Back, 1st Team All-District Running Back, and 1st Team All-NWCC Running Back. In track he also earned honors as 2-time 1st Team NWCC in the 4×100 meter relay and 1st Team NWCC in the 4×200 meter relay. Through sports, Mason explained, “I have learned a lot of lessons and met amazing people. I also learned the value of hard work and what it means to be a leader.”

Outside of athletics, Mason has been very involved in FFA. He earned his FFA State Degree, placed 2nd and 3rd in the

National FFA Agriscience Fair, and earned 1st place in an FFA State Proficiency. He also helped in community service projects through Ridgemont FFA, gaining a variety of professional skills. 

Mason plans to continue both his academic and his athletic career at The College of Wooster. He will pursue a degree in Business Management while also continuing to play football.  “From both college education and sports, I hope to learn how to grow as a person and to meet great people. After college I would love to come back to Hardin County to give back to the community who made me who I am today.”