--- title: SR 627. Lowndes County High School Esports Team; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr627 cite_as: SR 627, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr627 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr627.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr627/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72479 date: 2026-01-29 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr626.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr628.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr627.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 627 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-29 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Russ Goodman - Sam Watson - Freddie Sims - Carden Summers - Chuck Payne - Chuck Hufstetler - Bill Cowsert - Clint Dixon - Blake Tillery - Mike Hodges text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR627/2025 upstream_id: 2100787 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - esports - high school sports - Lowndes County - legislative commendation --- # SR 627. Lowndes County High School Esports Team; commend ## Text Senate Resolution 627 By: Senators Goodman of the 8th, Watson of the 11th, Sims of the 12th, Summers of the 13th, Payne of the 54th and others A RESOLUTION Commending and congratulating the Lowndes County High School Esports Team on winning the 2025 Fall Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Championship; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the Lowndes County High School Esports team demonstrated exceptional talent, dedication, and competitive excellence during the 2025 fall season, culminating in a championship victory in the Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate division; and WHEREAS, through disciplined preparation, strategic teamwork, and consistent performance throughout the season, the team secured a back-to-back fall title, affirming its place among the premier high school esports programs in the state of Georgia; and WHEREAS, this outstanding achievement reflects the strong leadership and guidance of Coach Taylor Payne, whose commitment to student development and competitive integrity has been instrumental in the team's continued success; and WHEREAS, the championship effort was led by student competitors Samuel Fosdick, Merrick Burris, and Zay Taylor, whose skill, focus, and sportsmanship exemplified the highest standards of scholastic competition and teamwork; and WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the Lowndes County High School Esports team bring well-deserved recognition to the school, its supporters, and the Lowndes County community, while highlighting the growing impact of esports as a platform for academic engagement and leadership development. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body commend and congratulate the Lowndes County High School Esports team on winning the 2025 Fall Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Championship and extend their best wishes for continued success in future competitions. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Lowndes County High School Esports team. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution formally congratulates the Lowndes County High School Esports Team for winning the 2025 Fall Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Championship. ### Plain-language summary This is a commendation resolution passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any law; it recognizes the Lowndes County High School Esports Team for winning a statewide championship in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during the 2025 fall season. The resolution praises the team's coach, Taylor Payne, and names three student competitors, Samuel Fosdick, Merrick Burris, and Zay Taylor, for their roles in the win. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the team as a keepsake of the honor. ### What it does - Formally commends and congratulates the Lowndes County High School Esports Team for winning the 2025 Fall Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Championship. - Names and praises Coach Taylor Payne for leadership in the team's success. - Names student competitors Samuel Fosdick, Merrick Burris, and Zay Taylor for their performance. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the team. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors the Lowndes County High School Esports Team, its coach Taylor Payne, and student competitors Samuel Fosdick, Merrick Burris, and Zay Taylor, along with the broader Lowndes County school community. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding effect but serves as an official, public record of recognition from the Georgia Senate, giving formal statewide acknowledgment to the students' and coach's competitive achievement. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause commends and congratulates the team for the 2025 Fall Class 5A-6A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Championship win. - A further resolution clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy for distribution to the team. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-01-29) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-01-29) - Sponsors: Russ Goodman, Sam Watson, Freddie Sims, Carden Summers, Chuck Payne, Chuck Hufstetler, Bill Cowsert, Clint Dixon, Blake Tillery, Mike Hodges - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72479 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr627.md?full=1