Welcome to another year of our All-State picks! Please continue to check HERE throughout the next week to see the rest of the classifications. Down below we have our player of the year vote, first-team all-state picks with a writeup, and at the very bottom our honorable mention selections. Feel free to leave a comment down below!
Player of the Year
– Vote once per hour
– Voting ends 1/10 at 10 PM
OFFENSE
PRO – Sam Horn, Collins Hill
DUAL – Malachi Singleton, North Cobb
RB – Jordan McDonald, Milton
RB – Alexander Diggs, Brookwood
FLEX – Chase Belcher, Lowndes
WR – Kaleb Webb, McEachern
WR – DeNylon Morrissette, North Cobb
WR – Kamryn Perry, Marietta
TE – Oscar Delp, West Forsyth
OL – Mo Clipper, Milton
OL – Aaron Fenimore, East Coweta
OL – Cason Henry Walton
OL – Jaylen George, Collins Hill
OL – Griffin Scroggs, Grayson
OL – Johnnie Brown, Parkview
K – Trace Butcher, Mill Creek
ATH – Travis Hunter, Collins Hill
DEFENSE
DL – Asani Redwood, Collins Hill
DL – Kayden McDonald, North Gwinnett
DL – Tyre West, Tift Co.
DL – Drake Hatcher, McEachern
DL/LB – Josh Josephs, North Cobb
LB – Jalen Smith, Grayson
LB – Carlos Cervantes, Marietta
LB – Jayven Hall, Roswell
LB – Zakye Barker, Norcross
LB – Dee Crayton, Denmark
DB – Caleb Downs, Mill Creek
DB – Marcus Allen, Walton
DB – Bryce Thornton, Milton
DB – Mumu Bin-Wahahd, Grayson
DB – Caleb Wooden, Archer
P – Ethan Sanchez, North Paulding
RET – Sutton Smith, Walton
Sam Horn out of Collins Hill earns a spot on the All-State team for another year. The strong-armed senior quarterback threw for just under 4k yards on the season and 37 touchdowns while completing right at 70% of his passes. Horn improved as a runner this fall, totaling around 600 yards. His combined 4500 yards on the season puts Horn as the top gainer in 7A. Horn is signed to play both football and baseball at Mizzou. Malachi Singleton out of North Cobb led the entire classification with 49 touchdowns on the year. His 75% completion and 2316 passing yards and 24 touchdowns ranked him respectively among passers in the state but his running prowess is where Singleton truly shines. The ’23 QB ran for 1018 rushing yards on the year and 25 touchdowns. Singleton had one of the best QBR’s in the state at 134, and is one of the top dual-threat QB’s in the country.
Jordan McDonald makes our All-State squad after rushing for a class-leading 1630 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. The powerful 6’1″ 215 lbs. running back bulldozed over defenders for a tune of 116 yards per game, and helped his team to the state championship game. McDonald is signed on with UCF. Alexander Diggs rushed for about 796 yards for an average of 6.2 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. That might leave you scratching your head on how the senior made All-State running back. Well, that’s because Diggs did a lot of his damage through the air. The senior was actually 4th in the classification in receiving with 1003 yards and also had 8 touchdowns to boot. Diggs earned Offensive Player of the Year. The senior ended up with a total of 2159 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns on the season. Chase Belcher out of Lowndes takes our All-State flex spot. Playing both running back and receiver, Belcher made a huge impact on the field for the Vikings. The senior had a total of 25 touchdowns on the season. He rushed for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns while also hauling in 527 receiving yards (22.9 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns.
Kaleb Webb out of McEachern easily gets the nod at All-State receiver. The senior had 1601 receiving yards, which led the classification to go along with 18 touchdowns. He also had 800 return yards, giving him an amazing 2420 all-purpose yards on the season and 22 touchdowns. Webb is signed on to play at Tennessee. DeNylon Morrissette out of North Cobb had 11 touchdown receptions on the season by our count. The 6’2″ playmaker has some of the ball skills in the state of Georgia and will be suiting up for UGA at the next level. Kamryn Perry out of Merrietta found himself in the endzone more than almost any other receiver in the state. With 19 scores under his belt, Perry used his elusive route running to consistently get open and was able to total 1152 receiving yards. Perry is signed on to play at Indiana. Oscar Delp from West Forsyth had some really tough competition at the tight end spot but ultimately gets the nod. The smooth operator at tight end had 923 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on the season with 59 receptions. Delp was named Region Player of the Year and is signed on to play at UGA.
Mo Clipper out of Milton is an explosive blocker with incredible range. He moves so well with defenders, keeping light feet while engaged with the defender. Clipper is signed on with Tennessee. Aaron Fenimore out of East Coweta is a devastating run blocker who does an excellent job of getting inside the pads of the defender and driving them into the ground. The junior already has FBS interest and should be a recruit to watch. Cason Henry out of Walton helped pave the way for their efficient offensive attack. The senior is a big dude standing at 6’6″ and right under 300 lbs. Henry is suiting up for South Carolina next fall. Jaylen George out of Collins Hill plays both ways, but in our opinion, he is one of the best pure blockers in the state of Georgia. George doesn’t have the ideal size at OL, but his pancakeability (sic) is premium. Griffin Scroggs has been a very effective blocker over the course of his high school career. The proficient blocker with a high motor did an excellent job dominating the competition throughout the season. Scroggs is signed to play at UGA. Jonnie Brown out Parkview was instrumental to their offensive attack. The senior who plays with a burning passion on the field helped his skill players breakout for big impact plays. As it is, Brown is still uncommitted, but a real diamond in the rough.
Trace Butcher out of Mill Creek led the classification with 15 field goals made with a long of 56 yards. The senior was a consistent offensive engine for Mill Creek and one of the state’s leaders in scoring. Travis Hunter out of Collins Hill had 1284 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on offense. He was one of the classification leaders with 85 receptions, but you have to take into account that Hunter missed a good chunk of the season with a broken leg. Hunter was also elite on defense playing sticky coverage which resulted in 4 interceptions. The Collins Hill senior is one of the best players to play in the state over the last decade and will be suiting up for Jackson State next fall.
Asani Redwood out of Collins Hill finished off the year with 127 tackles and 45 tackles for a loss. The senior was tied for the lead with 19 sacks on the year. Redwood signed last month with West Virginia. Kayden McDonald had one of the best seasons we have seen from a defensive tackle over the last 5 years. He managed to get 95 tackles, and 58 of those were for a loss. McDonald was tied for the lead with 19 sacks. The North Gwinnett junior is heavily pursued by P5 programs. Tyre West out of Tift County is a hulking monster in the middle. The 2022 recruit earned himself Region Defensive Player of the Year creating havoc all season in the backfield. West is signed on to play with Tennessee. Drake Hatcher is one of the strongest guys in the state of Georgia repping a 400 lbs. bench press with no problem. The senior took his game to another level in 2021, and he was awarded Region Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts. The 6’1″ 280 lbs. defensive tackle is currently uncommitted. Josh Josephs out of North Cobb earns our hybrid spot on the defensive line. The 6’3″ senior is extremely explosive to the football, getting into the backfield in a nano-second. Josephs was named Region Defensive Player of the Year and is signed with Tennessee.
Grayson’s Jalen Smith ended up with 173 tackles on the season, which ended up leading all of 7A. The Grayson junior linebacker also had 14.5 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks on the year. He was named Defensive Player of the Year. Carlos Cervantes out of Marietta led the class with 111 solo tackles on the year. he had a total of 152 on the season, 11 tackles for a loss, and 6 sacks. Cervantes is currently uncommitted. Jayven Hall out of Roswell was all over the field with 153 tackles on the season and 19 tackles for a loss. The savvy junior backer was named Defensive Player of the Year for his region. Hall has some FBS offers, we suspect more will be on the way. Zakye Barker out Norcross ended up with 149 tackles and had a jaw-dropping 40 tackles for a loss. The senior out of Norcross has made the All-State two years in a row now. Barker is signed on with East Carolina. Dee Crayton is another junior to make the All-State team. The Denmark linebacker was the key to the Danes elite defense in 7A. Crayton had 91 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and 4 sacks on the year. He was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Caleb Downs out of Mill Creek ended his season with 5 interceptions on the year. The junior defensive back is one of the best in the entire state of Georgia, reading the play near perfectly. Downs was named Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts. Marcus Allen out of Walton is a really impressive senior cornerback. Allen finished off the year with 2 interceptions, 13 pass breakups, and also recovered 3 fumbles too. Allen is signed on to play at UNC. Junior Bryce Thornton had 93 tackles on the year and 5 interceptions. The Milton product gets a good jump on each play and always seems to be in the right spot. Thornton was named Defensive Player of the Year and already has a handful of FBS offers under his belt going into the 2022 offseason. Mumu Bin-Wahad is one of our favorites in the state of Georiga among defensive backs. The senior out Grayson has elite instincts reading the play, which helped him to 3 interceptions on the year. Bin-Wahad signed on with West Virginia. Caleb Wooden finished off the year with 4 interceptions and 50 tackles. The senior out of Archer was the QB of the defense this fall, lining up in the back and making incredible reads. Wooden is signed on to play at Auburn.
Ethan Sanchez out of North Paulding averaged 40.5 yards per punt. He was able to drop 10 of his 30 punts inside the 20-yard line, which made him the most efficient in the classification. Speedy Sutton Smith out of Walton ended up with 366 return yards on the season and a total of 1477 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. The dynamic playmaker for Walton will be suiting up for Memphis at the next level.
HONORABLE MENTION
Robbie Roper, Roswell/Lucca Labattaglia, East Coweta/Roberto Bryant, Collins Hill/Ryan Chestnutt, Marietta/Eddie Park, Peachtree Ridge/Lebbeus Overton, Milton/Dion Crawford, Collins Hill/Jordan McCoy, Parkview/Jaycen Harris, West Forsyth/Reggie Givhan, North Cobb/Trevion Florence, Campbell/Daniel Martin, Marietta/Noah DeMeritt, Camden Co./Brandon Best, Milton/Marcus McFarlane, North Gwinnett/AJ Swann, Cherokee/Pichon Wimbley, Newnan/Charlie Pace, Colquitt Co./Donovan Journey, Mill Creek/Joseph Taylor, Grayson/Dylan Lonergan, Brookwood/Jamal Anderson, Mill Creek/AJ Brown, Walton/Cam Pedro, Collins Hill/Aidan Banfield, Mill Creek/Jaaymen Rochell, North Gwinnett/Ryan Little, Mill Creek/Gavin Morris, South Forsyth/Elijah Haughawout, Lambert/Jay Helston, West Forsyth/J.T. Francis, North Forsyth/Grayson Mains, Lambert/Kojo Antwi, Lambert/Naim Cheeks, Gainesville/Chris Nelson, South Forsyth/Nathan Efobi, South Forsyth/Elijah Ruiz, Gainesville/Max Freeman, West Forsyth/Shaurud Umarou, Denmark/Josh Nelson, South Forsyth/Ty Watkins, South Forsyth/Toby Thompson, Cherokee/Gilles Tchio, Milton/Jack Oyola, Alpharetta/Ryan Chandley, Cherokee/Tyler Douthit, Woodstock/Elias Cloy, Alpharetta/Tyhler Williams, Milton/Ethan Nation, Roswell/JT Hill, Brookwood/Price Aristilde, South Gwinnett/Nathan Vail Harrison/Andre Stewart North Cobb/Latrell Bullard North Cobb/Rubens Joseph Hillgrove/Robert Grigsby North Cobb/Marselle Felton North Cobb/Tyler Hughes, Marietta/Lonnie Ratliff, Duluth/Jacurri Brown, Lowndes/Devin Farrell, Milton/Neko Fann, Colquitt Co./Bryce Archie, McEachern/Keegan Stover, West Forsty/Qamar Grant, Pebblebrook/Jacob Davis, Discovery/Jaylen Poe, North Paulding/Chase Sellers, Archer/Jamie Felix, Camden Co./Spenser Anderson, Collins Hill/Shaun Spence, Roswell/Stone Bonner, Brookwood/Camden Overton, Marietta/Christian Mathis, Marietta/Keshaun Singleton, Meadowcreek/Rishon Spencer, Duluth/Ny Carr, Colquitt Co./CJ Adams, Pebblebrook/Kris Thomas, Lowndes/Mike Matthew, Parkview/Ethan Davis, Collins Hill/Matteo Carrier, Alpharetta/Nakai Poole, Norcross/Debron Gatling, Milton/Brian Williams, Archer/Hayden Smith, North Paulding/Case Barrett, Roswell/Zion Rutledge, Hillgrove/Riley Slaughter, Roswell/Tyler Goddard, Cherokee/Camden Leak, Forsyth Central/Rich Dorsey, Collins Hill/Jonathan Mathis, Norcross/Raleigh Herbert, West Forsyth/Myles Allen, Norcross/Zachary Andreu, Camden Co./Jaquan Ivy, Mountain View/Daniel O’Leary, Mountain View/Trenton Hayber, Harrison/Brandon Shelton, Campbell/Victor Okafor, McEachern/Ashton Woods, Walton/Michael Daugherty, Grayson/Darrell Farrar, Grayson/AJ Lopez, Grayson/Tripp Slaton, Newman/Richard Ransom, Collins Hill/Collin Miller, North Forsyth/Malcolm McCain, Brookwood/Iman Davis, Camden Co./Kyhair Spain, Parkview/Tyler Walton, North Gwinnett/Williams Hodges, Denmark/Nick Charles, Harrison/Terrel Spigner, Meadowcreek/Jaiden Maddox, Etowah/Drew Hawkins, Woodstock/DeMarco Ward, Duluth/Evan Thomas, Duluth/Jayden Battle, Lowndes/Derrick Von Hubberd, Newton/Cameron Thomason, North Paulding/Jordan Paul, Pebblebrook/Ravon Johnson, Meadowcreek/Champ Thompson, Meadowcreek/Kristopher Cassel, Meadowcreek/Michael Haynes, Brookwood/Jacori McGee, Campbell/Bryghton Peters, Norcross/Rob Billings, Milton/Emory Floyd, Hillgrove/Jordan Buchanan, North Gwinnett/Patrick Campbell, Brookwood/Jayvon Henderson, Mill Creek/Hill Plunkett, Roswell/Luka Corpora-Ellis, Etowah/Treston Jordan, Denmark/Deliyon Freeman, East Coweta/Kayden Richardson, Milton/Isaac Bonacci, Collins Hill/JJ Silva, Brookwood/Trey Glymph, Denamrk/Will Peltz, North Forsyth/Jacob Ulrich, Mill Creek/Jackson Strickland, Tift Co./Ontavious Carolina, Colquitt Co./DeAunte Hunter, Lowndes/Josh Pickett, Lowndes/Marcus Ponder, Colquitt Co./Lee Jackson, Tift County/Peyton Gunn, Lowndes/JaQuavian Daniels, Colquitt County/Ovie Dubre, McEachern/Tyler Swan, Pebblebrook/Jaylen Geter, Newnan/Michai Hill, Newnan/Tahjae Mullix, Newton/Audavion Collins, Newton/Jack Nickel, Milton/Kenon Dicks, Denmark/Khaliq Maddox, Gainesville/Lawson Luckie, Norcross/DJ Moore, Archer/Miada Jones, Norcross/Conrad Smith, Dunwoody/Rawson McNeil Walton/Tate Nelms, Etowah/
Who comes up with these lists. Lol. What a joke. How does Sean Reese of Mountainview High School not make this list? Not even honorable mention? Seems like it’s a popularity contest.
He ranked 17th in just 7A in rec touchdowns and 39th in receiving yards. He was 2nd team All-Region and had 554 receiving yards and just 40 catches on a team with a losing record. Those are good stats, but I feel like the Mountain View players that I selected were the most deserving to be HM.