The newest members of the Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame, Ansley Barge, Cooper Criswell, Jay Lambert, and Rita Gentry, were honored Sunday evening during an induction ceremony held at the Trojan Hall of Fame room in the Whitley Morris Field House.

ANSLEY BARGE
Ansley Barge, Carrollton High School Class of 2018, a three-sport varsity athlete, was a key member of the Lady Trojan softball, basketball and lacrosse teams. She competed in four region championships in softball and in postseason all four years, including two Elite 8 appearances. The team tallied an overall record 102-29-1 during her time, and her personal stats are a testament to her contributions to the team – a batting average of .444, 130 RBIs, 175 runs, and 106 stolen bases. Her performance earned a softball scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and she later transferred to Shorter University, where she returned to her roots as a three-sport athlete, playing softball, basketball and lacrosse for the Lady Hawks. 

COOPER CRISWELL

Cooper Criswell, Class of 2015, is the only Trojan alum who played for state championships in baseball and basketball, winning the title in baseball in 2014 and earning state runner-up in basketball in 2015. A three-year letterman in baseball and four in basketball, he chose baseball as his sport for college, pitching first at Southern Union then the University of North Carolina. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Los Angeles Angels, and currently pitches for the Tampa Bay Rays.

JAY LAMBERT

Another baseball standout, Jay Lambert, Class of 1995, was a four-year letterman who helped the Trojans win region titles his junior and senior years, ultimately earning him a scholarship to North Florida Community College where he named MVP, broke school records in doubles for a career, doubles for a season, and hits for a season. He then signed with the University of South Carolina where he played for two more years, capping off his career with a 1999 Golden Glove Award at South Carolina and membership on the 1998 South Regional Team in Miami.

RITA GENTRY

A retired teacher and school administrator, Rita Gentry joined Carrollton City Schools in 1976 as history teacher at Carrollton Junior High School and later Carrollton High School before entering administration. Because of her love of history, she led the Hall of Fame history project in 2005, gathering artifacts and most important, hearing the alumni stories of how important their high school sports experiences were to them. Even after retirement, she continues to volunteer for CHS history projects, coordinates class reunions, and works in the front office at CHS at least once a week during the school year.

The Trojan Athletic Hall of Fame honors Carrollton High School alumni whose accomplishments in athletics will stand the test of time. The brainchild of legendary Coach Charlie Grisham, the Hall of Fame held its first official ceremony in October 1976 when four former Trojan greats became the first inductees: Weems Baskin, Class of 1923, Bobby Morgan, Class of 1941, Harvey Copeland, Class of 1956, and Gerald Gross, Class of 1962.

All inductees are featured in a display in the Trojan Hall of Fame room, located in the Whitley Morris Field House. Digital profiles of each inductee are available on a kiosk in the HOF Room or online.