Scholarships

The Bert Jones Memorial Scholarship is given in honor of former Tift County (GA) Blue Devil, Bert Jones, of which the Bert Jones Memorial Fund was founded. Bert passed right before his senior year of high school, leaving behind a dream to one day play college football. This scholarship is given to an individual who displays Bert's same character, someone who exudes excellent team leadership skills and expresses a passion for the game of football. To learn more about Bert's story, click here.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete has played 4 years of high school football, is planning to attend a community college, university, trade school, or military branch, exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2023 Recipient(s):

• Jacoily Nathan - Tift County High School (GA), signed with Thomas University (GA)

• Abraham Soto - Tift County High School (GA), attending Mercer University (GA)

• Gavin Wood - Berrien High School (GA), attending Wiregrass Technical College (GA)

The Ed Pilcher Commitment Scholarship is given in honor of Coach Ed Pilcher. In 2013, Berrien High School (GA) head coach Ed Pilcher, who passed later in December of 2022, encouraged his assistant coach Wayne Jones (Executive Director) to give a Bert Jones Scholarship at Berrien County (GA) in addition to his yearly Tift County (GA) scholarships, playing a major role in the growth and expansion of the Bert Jones Foundation. Ed Pilcher held an inspiring dedication to the game of football and his players, and was most known for winning five state championships as Thomas County (GA) Central’s head coach in the 90s. Coach Pilcher’s devotion and love for coaching football was seen by his fellow coaches, fans and those fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play for him.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete has played 4 years of high school football, is planning to attend a community college, university, trade school, or military branch, exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2023 Recipient(s):

• Jeremiah Tillman - Berrien High School (GA), signed with The University of Mount Union (OH)

The Walk-On Scholarship was started to support young athletes who were given the opportunity to play on a sports team at a college or university, but weren't given the luxury of an athletic scholarship from their school. It was created in 2022 when our Executive Director, Wayne Jones, talked to good friend and retired Thomasville High School (GA) football coach, George Bobo about the athletic ability of these walk-on athletes and the lack of scholarship funding despite their potential. Like Stetson Bennett, walk-on quarterback for The University of Georgia and two time national champion, they were seeing many other walk-on athletes accomplish greatness without a scholarship offer. Jones believed these athletes deserved scholarships for their commitment to their sport and worked with Bobo to offer their first Walk-On Scholarship to Elijah Hynes from Prince Avenue Christian (GA) who accepted an invitation to walk-on for Georgia Southern University (GA) Football. Since then, this scholarship has been given to many other young athletes and is open to all sports.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete is planning to walk-on at a community college or university (open to all sports), exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2023 Recipient(s): 

• Warren Young Jr. - Walker High School (LA), football walk on at McNeese State University (LA)

• Monleth Perkins - Thomasville High School (GA), football walk on at Greenville University (IL)

• Hayden Futch - Berrien High School (GA), football walk on at Illinois State University (IL)

• Will Clark - Tift County High School (GA), basketball walk on at Erskine College (SC)

• Elijah Hynes - Prince Avenue Christian (GA), football walk on at Georgia Southern University (GA)

The Athletic Achievement Scholarship was created as a way to highlight athletes of all sports and reward them for their athletic accomplishments. Up until 2022, we focused on giving mostly football scholarships, but we continued to see young athletes from other sports thrive and wanted to recognize them for their commitment and achievement as well. This scholarship is given to an individual who possesses the athletic skills to be highly successful in their respective sport and utilizes those skills through hard work and a determination to always be their best.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete has shown major accomplishment and/or growth in their sport (open to all sports), is planning to attend a community college, university, trade school, or military branch, exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2022 Recipient(s):

• Nathan Nix - Berrien High School (GA), track and field at Truett McConnell University (GA)

The Michelle Jones Softball Scholarship was named after the former Berrien High School (GA) head coach, Michelle Jones. Michelle coached softball for 33 years and was honored as a Georgia Dugout Association Hall of Fame coach in 2010. During her time coaching, she won 720 games, 19 region championships, and 1 state championship. In addition to these accomplishments, Michelle was very involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) organization, making sure her team never missed a year to experience one of FCA's summer camps and ultimately leading numerous young ladies to accept Christ as their savior. This scholarship goes to a young woman who is passionate about the game of softball and committed to reaching their full athletic potential. The Michelle Jones Softball Scholarship in Berrien County (GA) is given in honor of lifetime Rebellette, Norma Gaskins.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete has played 4 years of high school softball, is planning to attend a community college, university, trade school, or military branch, exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2023 Recipient(s):

• Jordan Styles - Berrien High School (GA), signed with South Georgia State College (GA)

The Recruitment Scholarship is given to young athletes in pursuit of playing a sport in college and are actively being recruited. This is the only scholarship that is given at random throughout the year on an as needed basis. We acknowledge the travel expenses (i.e. lodging, gas, food) associated with recruiting are not always paid for by the college/university and hope to alleviate some of the financial burden through the giving of this scholarship.

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete is actively being recruited, is planning to play a sport of their choice at a community college or university, exhibits good character on and off the field, and presents a coachable attitude. In addition, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strongly encouraged.

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2023 Recipient(s):

• Josiah Davis - Berrien High School (GA), signed with The University of Florida (FL)

• Hayden Futch - Berrien High School (GA), walk-on at Illinois State University (IL)

The Christian Leadership Scholarship was created in 2023 when the Berrien County (GA) Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Chapter Director, Keith Powell led Coach Wayne Jones (our Executive Director) to give a scholarship centered around the foundation's values. We have always supported FCA, their nationwide sports camps, and our local chapter in schools and hope to expand this scholarship to other FCA chapters in the future. We give this scholarship to recognize athletes who hold a strong relationship with Christ and unapologetically share their Christian values with their teammates and coaches.   

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The criteria for the recipient(s) are as follows: The athlete has been an active member of their school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter or is an active church member, is planning to attend a community college, university, trade school, or military branch, exhibits good character on and off the field, presents a coachable attitude, and proclaims a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

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2023 Recipient(s):

• Marlie Ann Mathis - Berrien High School (GA), attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (GA)