Class 5-A All-State Team

Here is our 2017 All-State selections for Class 5-A! Underneath we wrote about each player selected, our thoughts and various stats that we found. Be sure to VOTE for our Class 5-A Player of the Year (you can vote only once). Voting will end at 11 PM on Friday 12/22. Also, leave a comment down below! Check out additional All-State selections by clicking HERE.




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OFFENSE

QB – Octavious Battle, Carver-ATL
RB – Chris Rodriguez, Ola
RB – Dameon Pierce, Bainbridge 
RB – Jamious Griffin, Rome
APB – Jo’Quavious Marks, Carver-ATL
WR – Julius Cobbs, Warner Robins 
WR – Marquis Colzie, Jackson 
WR – Marquez Ezzard, Stockbridge 
WR – Michael Luckie, Kell
OL – James Ohonba, Woodland
OL – Harry Miller, Buford
OL – Austin Smith, Ola
OL- Nicholas Sligh, Clarke Central
OL – Christian Armstrong, Warner Robins
OL – Hamilton Hall, Chamblee
K – Logan Friddell, Eagle’s Landing
ATH – Anthony Grant, Buford

 

DEFENSE

DL – Jatavious Ponder, Carver-ATL 
DL – Ja’Quan Griffin, Rome 
DL – Michael Webb, Griffin 
DL – Adam Anderson, Rome 
DL – Coltin Houser, Starr’s Mill
LB Donovan Manuel, Stockbridge
LB – Antonio Evans, Jones Co. 
LB – Kevin Swint, Carrollton 
LB – Lavar Gardner, Columbia 
LB – Ernest Jones, Ware Co. 
DB – Malik Taylor, Griffin 
DB – Trai Hodges, Rome
DB – Trevon Hudson, Harris Co. 
DB – Kapres Forbes, Clarke Central
DB – Trey Dean, Dutchtown
P – Anthony Beck, South Effingham
ATH – Quindarius Monday, Carver-ATL
RET – Chris Joyce, Dutchtown 


Honorable Mention: Riley Simonds, Logan Kesler, Justin Talley, Cal’Von Harris, Eli Mashburn, Caleb Tannor, Brenton Cox, Jonathan Bass, Dylan Fromm, Jaylan Thomas, Brandon Lopes, Knox Kadum, Drake Bolus, Jalynn Strickland, Trey Young, Bryce Dewberry, Jamarcus Chatman, Dante Walker, Darius Adams Bainbridge, Orion Weems, Martavous McCray, Trey Cobb, Nasir Greer, Jake Broom, Logan Powell, Aaron Pryor, Brandon Bunkley, Raja Bradley, Tupac Lanier, MJ Fuller, Billy Parker, Timothy Moore, MaKenly Newbill, Caleb Dowden, Connor Gates, Austin Donaldson, Austin Blake, Tyler Gillis, DeAnthony Ball, Jadon Ledford, Xavier Roberts, Dillon Braunstein, CJ Harris, Marcel Murray, Miles Montgomery, Coby Dixon, Solomon Mosley, Ja’darien Boykin, Marzavion Dix, De’Queze Fryer, Alijhamon Thomas, Jaron Bradley, Demaje’ Carter, Edwin Summerour, Bailey Ottaway, Tennilius Denson, Tarique Dennis, Jalyn Sykes, Christian Turner, Malik Damons, & Bryson Richardson


Octavious Battle had a stellar season for Carver-Atlanta throwing for 3221 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and a classification leading 149.8 QB rating. The South Florida commit had 713 yards on the ground on just 58 carries. He also averaged an amazing 47 yards per punt which led the classification as well. His entire body of work was right under 4000 yards of total offense this year, and his efficiency was nothing short of exceptional.

Chris Rodriquez from Ola had 1669 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns. The senior has run for over 1000 yards all 3 years he started at varsity running back and will be lacing them up for Kentucky at the next level. Dameon Pierce from Bainbridge was a ground leader with 2123 yards rushing and a classification leading 193 yards per game and 32 touchdowns. The senior is an absolute stud, and has been the unquestioned #1 running back on our site since the first installment of our rankings. Jamious Griffin shared the load this year, but still managed a whopping 28 touchdowns on the ground. He rushed for 1276 yards and had several long pass plays as well. His physical style of play set the tone for the Rome offense. Carver-Atlanta’s Jo’Quavious Marks had an incredible sophomore season with a total of 2502 all-purpose yards on the season. He is lightening-fast with the ball in his hands, and ended up with 2127 yards on the ground, and 10.2 yards per rush.

Julius Cobbs from Warner Robins ended his senior year with 1121 yards and 13 touchdowns. The shifty receiver was extremely effective on screens, but also a big play threat down field. The senior’s 69 receptions led class 5-A. Marquis Colzie was a big play threat at Maynard Jackson and ended up with 938 yards and 12 touchdowns. The senior has an outstanding ability to play the ball in the air, and come down with difficult catches. Marquez Ezzard from Stockbridge was near the top in 5-A with 22.2 yards per reception. He had 13 touchdowns and a long of 81 yards. Ezzard is an elite receiver and will be a force at the P5 level. Michael Luckie from Kell led all of Class 5-A with 83.9 yards per game. His 932 yards and 55 receptions are especially impressive when you consider the difficult schedule and tough matchups he saw each game.



James Ohonba had another dominating year at Woodland. The big man with the light heart and feet will be headed to Michigan State at the next level. Harry Miller paved the way for two elite running backs who ran wild against opposing defenses. The 2019 recruit is widely considered the top offensive linemen in Georgia for his class. Austin Smith out of Ola was a dominant two-way player who opened up massive holes for his All-State running back. The senior will be playing football at Georgia Tech and most likely as a defensive tackle. Nicholas Sligh has been stalwart for Clark Central the last two years. The powerful center prospect has over 20 offers and is a cerebral player manning the middle. Christian Armstrong was the cornerstone player in Warner Robins’ outstanding squad that made it to the state championship game. The senior has excellent length and size to have a major impact in the run or pass. Hamilton Hall came into his senior year looking to make a statement and his film certainly holds up. The powerful Chamblee road grader can just smash in his side of the line of scrimmage at a consistent rate. For college, he is still undecided, and one of top uncommitted linemen available in the south. 

Logan Friddell finished the year knocking in 13 of 15 field goals with a long of 51. The Eagle’s Landing senior came up big in the playoffs making 4 fields in just two games. Anthony Grant was a special two-way player for Buford who played both at running back and linebacker for his squad. Pound-for-pound he is about as physical as they come playing between the tackles. Grant was voted Region Player of the Year for his efforts. He has been a long time commit to Tennessee, but Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech have come in late, and made an impression.

Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, which is headlined by Jatavious Ponder. The Carver-Atlanta senior was a nightmare for opposing offensive lines, and just lived in the backfield collecting 54 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. Ja’Quan Griffin had 10 sacks on the season, which was tops for true defensive tackles in Class 5-A. The Rome senior is one of the best linemen in the state of Georgia, and has an insatiable hunger to beat his opponent. He just opened up his recruitment Griffin junior Mike Webb really took a step forward with his game. This year he totaled 93 tackles, 21 for a loss and 9 sacks. He also had a nice one-handed interception on a short pass. Adam Anderson was an unstoppable force coming off the edge for Rome and this year he ended up with 10 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Next fall, the state champion will be taking his talents to Georgia. Coltin Houser finished his senior year with 19.5 sacks on the year, which ranks him 2nd in the entire state according to our numbers. He has unbelievable speed getting around his blocks, and shows a relentless motor chasing after the ball carrier.



Donovan Manuel from Stockbridge just recently won his region’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The hard-hitting linebacker had 88 tackles on the year in Stockbridge’s fast-flowing defense, and still managed 65 solos. Antonio “Bull” Evans was the state’s leader with 188 tackles. The thick linebacker has a crazy-high motor and ended up with classification leading 117 solo tackles. He fires through the gaps like his hair is on fire ,and ended up with 55 tackles for loss and 11 sacks on the year. Kevin Swint was another denizen of opposing team’s backfield with 35 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. The sophomore sensation from Carrollton ended his season with 101 tackles, and is certainly a name to remember. Columbia’s Lavar Gardner finished off his spectacular senior campaign with 137 tackles. He ended up with 89 solo tackles on the year, which was 2.1 solo tackles per game higher than the 2nd closest player in DeKalb County. Gardner also had 21 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Ernest Jones from Ware County is a linebacker who stops the ball carrier right on impact. The South Carolina commit ended his senior year with 112 tackles (70 solos) & 3 forced fumbles. On short yardage plays he comes up with the stop.

Malik Taylor from Griffin was a very versatile playmaker who ended up winning Region Player of the Year. He has nimble feet, and can accelerate quickly on a pass to make the breakup. Trai Hodges finished his senior campaign for Rome with a classification leading 8 interceptions. The 6′ cornerback has a nose for the football, and a natural ability at reading the quarterback’s eyes. Harris County’s Trevon Hudson had 91 tackles on the year (62 solo) and 4 interceptions. The speedy senior can cover a ton of ground from his safety spot. Kapres Frobes was once again a classification leader in interceptions. The 2017 ball-hawking defensive back finished off his senior year with 6 picks. Dutchtown senior Trey Dean does it all for his squad. Whether he is playing textbook run support or attacking an errant pass out of the air, the senior just always makes plays for his squad.

South Effingham senior Anthony Beck averaged 37.8 yards per punt this year. He knocked in 20 inside the 20 yard line and with the right training looks like a legit college punter at the next level. Typically we do not make a 2nd athlete spot, but we are making an exception for Quindarius Monday. The senior had 1016 receiving yards on the season and had a classification leading 15 touchdowns. He was a dynamo on defense with 7 interceptions, over 70 tackles, and an unbelievable 7 blocked kicks. He could be a generational free safety talent at Auburn. Chris Joyce wins out the closely contested All-State returner spot. There was some very good candidates, but Joyce brought back by our count 5 kicks or punts for a score this year, which ranks him at the top of Class 5-A (6th was called back due to senseless penalty). The Dutchtown senior was a versatile play maker on offense and defense as well.

 

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7 Comments

  1. Ok Quindarious!!! congrats on your achievement keep going stay balanced…”itspaganistick”

  2. Reply Post By Sharon Crawford

    Antonio Evans is a all around great football player with a high level of defense plays who will tackle when it counts. Not only is he a great athletic but a fantastic schoalic with the grades to match. This young man has the whole package.

  3. Reply Post By Anonymous

    Congratulations Antonio Evans all things are possible as long as you keep God First and He will make all things possible .Keep up the good work

  4. Reply Post By Reginald Singletary

    Congratulations ? Antonio Enavs on all of your accomplishments keep doing great things and keep your head in your books as well.Great things lies ahead for you again congratulations

  5. Reply Post By Britney bryant

    Good job to all of the player. Carver high class of 2018

  6. Reply Post By Ken Dudley

    How can you have the highest scoring offense in the history of Georgia High School football and only have 1 player named to the offensive All-State team? Where is the offensive line?

  7. Reply Post By Denise Green

    Antonio Evans , Congratulations for a Awesome Season!!! This student has passion for the sport. On and off the field. I have admired you down through the years. He possesses much love for his Academics and that enables his ability to be the Outstanding Athlete he is today.. Keep your eyes on the prize young – man??????… Greater is heading your way???

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