The honors keep coming for Bainbridge High School Bearcats senior defensive tackle Shammai Wilbern.

While in Atlanta spending the Christmas holidays with my family over the weekend, I picked up the Christmas Day edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and discovered that he had been named first team Class AAAA All-State, by the newspaper.

He had previously been selected Region 1-AAAA defensive player of the year by the region’s coaches.

He had also previously been selected to play for the South Georgia team in this Friday’s Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) North South All-Star Game, at Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ga.

Shammai’s achievements on the football field, along with those of other senior leaders, were a major ingredient in the great success coach Ed Pilcher’s Bearcats football team enjoyed in 2011.

He and two senior teammates, quarterback Quincy Fortson and defensive end Anthony Jackson, will play for the Southwest Georgia Senior All-Stars Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, when they take on the North Florida Senior All-Stars in the War On The Border Game at Mack Tharpe Stadium in Moultrie, Ga.

The fact that Shammai is an outstanding football player is obvious, but the fact that he is a fine young man is just as obvious.

His grandmother, Mrs. Betty Weston, is one of my dear friends and I have personally witnessed how much he loves and cares for her.

One of the real pleasures I have enjoyed while covering sports for this fine newspaper the past 41 years is watching fine young people like Shammai excel in high school athletics, go on to play in college, and become productive citizens.

I know how proud Mrs. Betty is of her grandson. and she should be.

I am looking forward to writing stories about his upcoming all-star game performances.

I don’t know where Shammai will play his college football, but I am confident that wherever it is, he will represent Bainbridge High School, his coaches and his family well. He is that kind of young man.

As we turn the page on 2011 and prepare to enter 2012 on Sunday, I am looking forward to covering the next wave of strong Bainbridge athletes.

They will be challenged to strive for strong positive goals, like the ones set by Shammai and many others, both now and in the past.

Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats pride is alive and well.

That should send local sports fans into the new year with a lot of positive anticipation.

Happy New Year, and I will see you at the upcoming Bearcats and Lady Cats basketball games.

Joe Crine is the sports editor of The Post-Searchlight. You can email him at joe.crine@thepostsearchlight.com