Roy Bates Scholarship honors 8 Wayne County seniors

The 33rd annual Roy Bates Scholarship winners were announced recently by the Wayne County Community Foundation.

After a review of nearly 40 applicants representing 10 high schools in Wayne County, the following eight scholarship winners stood out above the rest and will share in a combined $20,000: Northwestern’s James Cassady, Norwayne’s Allison DeMassimo, Smithville’s Leah Keib, Waynedale’s Carleigh Lynch, Chippewa’s Aira Regan, Wooster’s Brooke Ritchie, Triway’s Luke Starr and Orrville’s Kellen Wayt.

They will each receive a Bates Foundation one-time scholarship of $2,500 and are finalists for the Bates Player of the Year Award, which will be announced during a dinner for the scholarship winners and their parents at Greystone Event Center in May.

The Bates Foundation, which is a component of the Wayne County Community Foundation, will reach $510,000 this year in scholarship money awarded to Wayne County student-athletes over more than three decades.

Rick Rottman, a 1969 Triway graduate who’s been a longtime coach and supporter of area athletics, took over as the Bates Foundation committee chairperson in 2021.

The Bates committee was once again impressed by an exceptional group of applicants, Rottman said.

“These students represent the very best of Wayne County’s high school seniors,” he said. “Roy believed outstanding young people deserved recognition not only for athletic performance or academic success, but for their character and leadership as well.

“Truly, any of the applicants could have been selected. Credit also goes to the parents behind these remarkable students. We hope younger students take the time to learn about Roy and this unique scholarship opportunity. For more than 30 years, Bates Scholarship recipients have represented the very best. It’s a truly special honor.”

Cassady has played baseball, football and basketball for Northwestern and has a 4.01 GPA to rank 18th in a class of 89. He is the son of Amy Cassady and the late Jake Cassady. He plans to play baseball at Hiram College.

DeMassimo played basketball at Norwayne and has a 3.84 GPA to rank 29th in a class of 109. She is the daughter of Jason and Julie DeMassimo and will play basketball at Ohio Wesleyan.

Keib has participated in basketball, volleyball and track for Smithville and has a 4.34 GPA to rank seventh in a class of 62. She is the daughter of Tim and Joi Keib and will attend the University of Akron-Wayne College.

Lynch has participated in softball, soccer and cross country for Waynedale and has a 4.16 GPA to rank third in a class of 87. She is the daughter of Jamie and Shaylyn Lynch and will attend The Ohio State University.

Regan has played basketball, volleyball and softball for Chippewa and has a 4.38 GPA (class rank unavailable). She is the daughter of Glenn and Rhonda Regan and is undecided on a college.

Ritchie has played basketball and soccer for Wooster. She ranks 22nd in a class of 274 with a 4.14 GPA. She is the daughter of Brian and Katherine Ritchie and will play basketball at Marietta College.

Starr has played football, baseball and basketball for Triway and has a 4.0 GPA to rank first in a class of 108. He is the son of Adam and Kate Starr and will play football at Ohio Northern.

Wayt has played baseball, soccer and golf at Orrville and ranks second in a class of 125 with a 4.45 GPA. He is the son of Matthew and Karen Wayt and will play baseball at Denison University.

Roy Bates died at age 88 in 2004 after a life that saw him work as a successful teacher, coach, broadcaster, referee, athlete and more.

Bates played baseball and basketball for the now-defunct Chester High and coached at both Chester and Northwestern. He even helped Bobby Knight as a basketball assistant at Indiana University.

Bates set up the foundation that bears his name to honor Wayne County senior student-athletes based on character, grades and athletic ability — in that order.

To be eligible, applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA, be a senior at a Wayne County high school and play basketball and/or baseball/softball (his favorite sports). The rules state only one athlete per school can receive an award.

The Bates Foundation executive committee that chose the 2025 award winners consisted of Keith Snoddy, Aaron Dorksen and Rottman.

Special thanks go to Wayne County Community Foundation program manager Lacie Neal for her help coordinating the scholarship and hosting the selection meeting.