Swain County High School’s Maroon Devil Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its 2025 class at a ceremony in the school auditorium, honoring longtime volunteers, coaches and former student‑athletes.

The inductions recognized Joanna McMahon, posthumous honoree Carrie Powell, Nathan Holcomb, the family of the late coach Keith Payne and coach Billy Jenkins, among others. The event included biographical presentations, family remarks and brief remarks from inductees and longtime coaches and volunteers.

The Hall of Fame board president, Chuck McMahan, welcomed inductees and their families and explained how the Hall of Fame and its commemorative bricks operate. ‘‘If you played here, have a family member who played here that wants a brick on the side of that building, by all means, pick up 1 of those pieces of paper out in the lobby,’’ he said, referring to nomination and brick‑purchase forms available at the event.

Joanna McMahon, a longtime Swain County Schools educator, booster‑club leader and photographer who the program said served the school system for more than 30 years, accepted her plaque and thanked the Hall of Fame committee. "It's such an incredible honor," McMahon said. In remarks she described photographing games, helping ensure player academic eligibility and supporting students through tutoring and booster‑club work.

Program remarks recounted the life and career of Carrie Powell, who was honored posthumously. The presenters said Powell earned a degree in athletic training and sports medicine from Lenoir‑Rhyne College and later studied emergency medicine at Western Carolina University. Remarks at the ceremony described Powell’s work in sports medicine and as a paramedic, her financial gifts to support an emergency medical care program scholarship and her close connection to Swain County students; family members accepted the plaque on her behalf. "This was Carrie's home, and you were her kids," one family member said.

Nathan Holcomb, introduced for achievements in basketball and baseball, addressed the crowd and reflected on the community he grew up in. "Don't ever let it change," Holcomb said, urging preservation of the small‑town, family atmosphere he said shaped him. The program listed Holcomb’s athletic honors, including conference and all‑state recognitions and school records in rebounds and season batting average, and noted he played college baseball at Elon University and North Carolina State University.

The ceremony included a tribute to the late Keith Payne. His son, Ben Payne, spoke on behalf of the family, thanking the school for inducting his father and saying Payne ‘‘always could see the potential in everybody.’’ Speakers recounted Payne’s track and cross‑country coaching achievements and listed program honors and team championships attributed to staffs he led or was part of.

Coach Billy Jenkins, who spent 33 years coaching football and other sports at Swain County High School, received a Hall of Fame plaque and long tributes from former colleagues. Coach Rod White and others shared anecdotes about Jenkins’s coaching style, longevity and community ties. "Bill was always very dedicated to his craft," Rod White said during his remarks.

Athletic director Scotty McMahon closed the formal program with departmental announcements: a reminder that a Cherokee Hall of Fame presentation would take place at halftime of a game the next day, information about the Hall of Fame golf tournament scheduled for the following Saturday (registration at 8 a.m.; 9 a.m. tee time as announced during the event) and instructions that brick and nomination forms remained on the tables in the lobby. The program also thanked the Maroon Devils Network for recording the event.

The evening concluded with the Swain High alma mater sung by attendees and a round of applause for inductees, family members and longtime volunteers. The program included multiple personal tributes from former players, assistant coaches and family members.

Context and coverage notes: the ceremony combined recognition of individual service and athletic achievement with family remembrances and volunteer appreciation. No formal votes or governmental actions were part of the event; it was a school/community recognition program run by the Hall of Fame board and the Swain County High School athletic department.