FOOTBALL

Lester, Class of 1987, earned five varsity letters on the Vikings’ football team and track team. On the football team, Lester played wide receiver, running back and kick returner, and won multiple DeKalb County Touchdown Club awards. He played in the North-South All-Star Game and Georgia-Florida All-Star Game. On the track team, Lester won the state championship as a senior in the 4x100 relay. After graduating from Lakeside, Lester attended Georgia Tech and played on the football team for four years. He was on the Yellow Jackets team that won the 1990 national championship. Lester won best freshman of the year in the ACC and made the 2nd team All-ACC team and ranks 11th as the all-time leading receiver for Georgia Tech. Majoring in Business Management, he made the Dean’s List twice. After college, Letser played for the NFL’s Denver Broncos for one year and played in the CFL for two years. He was the head coach for Lakeside’s football team from 2005-2007. Lester was selected as Gwinnett County Touchdown Club Assistant Coach of the Year twice. He has been married to his wife for 15 years. Together, they have two daughters.

Anthony, Class of 1982, joined the varsity football team his junior season and became a First-Team All-State quarterback. He also lettered in baseball, basketball and track and was the recipient of the Viking Award for football and baseball, while also getting voted Most Athletic by his peers. He was co-MVP on the football team as a senior alongside Ladd Fletcher. Anthony went on to play quarterback at North Carolina where he set 14 school records and earned Academic All-American honors. In 1986, he received his BA degree with a double major in Economics and Psychology and later received a Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship from Emory University where he earned his MBA degree with concentrations in Finance and Management. Kevin moved to Jackson, Miss. in 2000 after spending 10 years working for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons where he ultimately served as Chief Financial Officer. Kevin founded Peregrine Investment Advisors, LLC in 2010 and is a Client Advisor, Investment Analyst and Portfolio Manager. Additionally, he serves as Chief Compliance Officer and is actively involved in the day-to-day business operations. Kevin and his wife Eleanor have two children together, Eleanor and Kevin.

Fletcher, Class of 1982, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings’ soccer and football teams, earning two varsity letters on each. He was a member of the 1981 state championship soccer team during his junior season, and as a senior was voted Most Valuable Offensive Player. On the football team, Fletcher was a two-year varsity starter and led the Vikings in receiving during his senior season with 40 receptions for 764 yards and seven touchdowns. For his efforts on the field, he received All State and All County honors, the Journal Prep Player of the Week award, the Decatur DeKalb Sports Personality award, two DeKalb Touchdown Club Player of the Week awards and was voted Most Valuable Player. Following his graduation from Lakeside, Fletcher received a full scholarship to play football at the University of South Carolina. He played four seasons for the Gamecocks and graduated in 1987. Now, Fletcher lives in Dunwoody with his wife Kelly, with whom he’s been married to for 30 years. Together, they have three sons in Hutch, Henry and Hudson.

Schaefer, Class of 1979, joined the Varsity football team his sophomore year, playing nose guard across the line from his brother Bruce (center for the Vikings). He became a two-way player as a junior before being named co-captain of his senior year, 1978 season, where he started in 11 games and made it to the state finals. Schaefer received post season honors where he was named to the first team All-DeKalb County Team, All-Metro Team, Georgia Coaches All-Star Team and All-State Team. After a prep year to Fork Union Military Academy, Schaefer signed a four-year scholarship with The Citadel. He finished his career at The Citadel as a co-captain for the bulldogs with over 170 tackles, 23 sacks, seven blocked passes and 11 fumble recoveries. Schaefer graduated with a BS in Business Administration and worked in the insurance industry for 13 years before becoming a serial entrepreneur with several mortgage/insurance related upstarts. Currently semi-retired, he enjoys spending time with Mary, his wife of 36 years, as well as his four children, three grandchildren and doing work with mission organizations.

Creel, Class of 1978, was a multisport athlete for the Vikings, earning a total of nine varsity letters for his time on the football, wrestling, baseball and track teams. In football, Creel was the starting offensive guard on varsity as a sophomore, and moved to offensive tackle his junior and senior year. Following his graduation from Lakeside, Creel continued his education at Auburn University. There, he received a full four-year athletic scholarship to play football for the Tigers. He lettered in 1980, and as a senior took on the role of offensive line coach for the Auburn Junior Varsity football team. Creel graduated from Auburn with a degree in Marketing and Distribution, and spent his working days with several corporations, including a 13-year tenure with Home Depot before becoming a Project Manager for Blue Square Construction. Creel is married to Lesli Phipps Creel, and has a son Logan and a daughter Lauren. Logan followed in his father’s footsteps and played college football at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Rowe, Class of 1978, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings’ wrestling, football and track and field teams. He played defensive back during his junior year and defensive end his senior year for the football team and was awarded the Defensive Lineman of the Week Award twice in his 1977 season when he was co-captain. Rowe also received the Coach’s Track and Field award in 1978. Following his graduation from Lakeside, Rowe attended Liberty University on a four-year football scholarship. There, he continued to play as a defensive end and was chosen by coaches to co-captain the team during his senior year. Rowe graduated from Liberty University in 1982, and went on to work for Tucker materials, spent three years as an Operations Manager at John’s Millwork and spent 30 years in transportation at Sysco Food Services Atlanta. He has been married to his wife Joanne, who he met at Liberty University, for 34 years. Together they have four daughters: Sierra, Saige, Sheyenne and Skylar. They also have two grandsons in Fletcher and Roman. Rowe’s greatest blessing is God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

McCoun, Class of 1976, was a First-Team All-State defensive end for the Vikings. He helped continue the momentum of Viking Football success in the early 1970’s, as they reached the State Finals and Semifinals in ‘74 and ‘75, in addition to back-to-back region titles. McCoun’s honors included the 1975 Viking Award, First-Team All- State, All DeKalb, and DeKalb’s Defensive Player of the Year. McCoun continued his playing career at Presbyterian College where he was a four-year letterman and three-time First-Team All-SAC selection at defensive end. During the 1979 season, McCoun helped lead PC to a college-best 11-2 record and No. 3 national ranking. McCoun ended his playing career being recognized as an NAIA All-American. McCoun graduated college in 1980, earning his BS in Business Administration. He had a 31-year run in the financial services industry, working with several nationally recognized investment firms. After departing the corporate world, McCoun began his current role in 2018, serving as Director of Kingdom Investments at Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, where he and his wife, Sally, are members. The McCouns, married 38 years, have three children—Jake, Sara Anne, and Emily— along with, presently, five grandchildren.

Bob Butler, Class of 1974, was a two-year starter on the Vikings’ varsity football team, including the 1972 State Championship team. Selected as the best Lakeside offensive lineman in 1973, his other football accolades include All Metro Atlanta and All DeKalb County while earning a DeKalb Touchdown Club Player of the Week award. He also played varsity basketball in 1973 and 1974 and was a runner-up for the state title in 1973. He was named a top-five scholar-athlete by the DeKalb Tipoff Club in 1974. After graduation, Butler received a full football scholarship to Auburn University and played from 1974-1978. He played with Auburn greats William Andrews, James Brooks and Joe Cribbs, and was the 1978 recipient of the Bill Streit Award for having the highest GPA on the team. He graduated magna cum laude in 1978 with a degree in Marketing and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. Butler and his wife Keigh have been happily married for 44 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. Now retired in Lilburn, he worked in computer industry sales and consulting for 44 years, including IBM for 31 years.

Sexton, Class of 1973, was a two-year varsity letterman in football. As a senior he played on the 14-0 1972 State Championship team and was named DeKalb Touchdown Club Player of the Week and made the All-DeKalb County Top 22 team. Sexton was named co-Lakeside High School Most Valuable Defensive lineman. After graduating from Lakeside, Sexton received a four-year scholarship to play at the University of North Alabama. In 1975 he set the single-game school record for the highest defensive score. Sexton was team captain in 1976, setting another UNA single-game record with 21 tackles. He received the UNA Defensive Player of the Year award and was named Sporting Magazine’s Defensive Player of the Year. In 2019, Sexton was named to the UNA 150th Anniversary All Decade team for 1969-1978. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in History and is President of Toby Sexton Tire Company. Now, Sexton leads a Bible Study class at his church and has been married to his wife, LHS Class of ‘74 graduate Lynn Blanks, for 40 years. Together, they have two children and two grandchildren with another

Kroll, Class of 1972, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings football, track and baseball teams. He played defensive back for the football team, and during his junior season was a part of the Vikings team that went 13-0 in the 1970 season and ended the season by winning the State Championship. During his senior year, Coach Creel tasked Kroll with switching to running back on the Vikings team that went 9-1. He was named on the All Region 8-AAA and All DeKalb County teams. In Baseball, Kroll pitched a one-hitter during a doubleheader at Habersham County. In track, he ran the 100-yard dash and was on the 440- yard relay team with Ed Butler and David Elder. Following his graduation from Lakeside, he lettered 3 years as a defensive back for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Kroll graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management. Now, Kroll is retired after a long career in the insurance claim industry. He enjoys playing golf and spending time with his family, especially his wife Linda, daughter, Amanda, son in law, Emory, and grandchildren, Max and Parker.

Harris, Class of 1971, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings’ football and baseball teams. For football, he won the prestigious Viking Award in 1970 and received All Region, All County and All Metro recognition. He was offensive captain of the school’s first 13-0, State Championship football team. He was also listed in “Outstanding Seniors” in 1971, and was a member of the Key Club and active in Young Life. After graduation, Harris attended Appalachian State University on a football scholarship. After college he returned to metro Atlanta, coaching and teaching at Avondale High School. A year later, he transferred to Lakeside to become the varsity head baseball coach as well as an assistant football coach. In 1979, he joined Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, today’s largest school publishing house. He moved from a sales territory in Georgia to eventually running the national sales teams. Today, he runs Business Development for Ohana Solutions. Harris and his wife, Phyllis, reside in Alpharetta, Georgia. He has three grown kids. Scott lives in Asheville with his wife Raleigh and their three kids. His daughter Jeanne lives in Atlanta with her husband Jeff. Matt, the youngest, lives near Decatur.

McCoun, Class of 1970, was a two-year varsity letterman on the Vikings’ football team, after transferring his junior year from Coral Gables High School in Florida. Even as the new kid in school, he was named team captain for the 1969 season. His efforts on the field that year earned him recognition as an All DeKalb County Linebacker, and he was awarded the prestigious Viking Award. After graduating from Lakeside, McCoun continued his football career at the University of Florida after receiving a full scholarship to play for the Gators. He played for Florida from the 1971-1973 seasons. McCoun’s son, Matt, followed in his father’s footsteps, and also played football at the University of Florida from 1997-2000. McCoun and his wife, Ann, also have a daughter, Molly. In keeping with the family tradition, she also graduated from the University of Florida in 2007 with a Masters Degree in Education. He and Ann are grandparents to five grandsons, and currently reside in Ocala, Florida where McCoun retired from CEMEX USA in October 2020.

Bartik, Class of 1970, was a multi-sport athlete for the Vikings, playing on the football and baseball teams. During his junior year, he led the football team in touchdowns and receiving yards. He also had the pleasure of catching eight touchdowns from Lakeside Hall of Famer Jack Fuqua. After graduating from Lakeside, Bartik attended Furman University where he played on the Paladin football team as a wide receiver for three years, earning All-South Carolina and Churchman’s All-America honors in 1973. He also lettered three years in baseball for the Paladins before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Bartik spent two seasons playing professional football in the World Football League from 1974-1975 for the Philadelphia Bell and the Birmingham Americans. After his playing days, Bartik began to coach. His 35- year coaching career ended in Rome, Georgia, where he helped start the football program at Shorter University, serving as Defensive Coordinator for the Hawks Now, Bartik has been recently rehabbing after his victory over stage four brain cancer which he was diagnosed with in June of 2019.