article contribute my football analyst Barry Every
Class AA
Co-Overall Players of the Year
John Wesley Kennedy, III, ATH, 5-10/185, Benedictine (2017) – Kennedy racked up a whopping 2,867 all-purpose yards while scoring 38 touchdowns for the State Champion Cadets. He carried the ball 115 times for 1,236 yards and 18 touchdowns while catching 42 passes for 895 yards and 15 scores. He returned four kicks for scores while averaging 36.9 yards per kick return and 20.7 yards per punt return. Oh Yeah, he finished his career with a 43-yard pick six in the State Championship Game.
JD King, RB, 5-10/205, Fitzgerald (2017) – This every down back proved to be a serious threat in the vertical passing game. King ran for 1,801 yards and 21 touchdowns on 234 carries. He also caught 21 passes for 551 yards and nine scores. Over the past three seasons King has rushed for 5,794 yards and 69 touchdowns.
Offensive Player of the Year
KeShawn Morgan, RB, 6-0/205, Toombs County (2018) – This past season Morgan carried the ball 205 times for 1,697 yards and 21 touchdowns while catching five passes for 50 yards and a score. He was also a defensive standout recording 62 tackles, two tackles for loss, two picks and one fumble recovery.
Defensive Player of the Year
Chris Harris, Jr., LB, 6-0/230, Benedictine (2017) – Harris was the leading tackler for the Cadets in 2016. This past season he recorded 123 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Harris was part of a defensive unit that gave up a touchdown or less ten times this season.
Athlete of the Year
Nate McBride, RB/LB, 6-2/225, Vidalia (2017) – After missing all of last season with a wrist injury McBride came back better than ever. Offensively he carried the ball 63 times for 615 yards and eight touchdowns while catching two passes for 34 yards. On the defensive side of the ball he racked up 115 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception.
Coach of the Year
Danny Britt, Benedictine (15-0/7-0) – Benedictine won 15 games in a season for the first time in school history. The Cadets outscored their opponents in 661 to 137 while averaging 417 yards per game. This was Britt’s second State Championship in the past three seasons. Since taking over the reins at Benedictine the Cadets have gone (66-14) under his watch.
Class A
Overall Player of the Year
K’Hari Lane, QB, 6-0/230, Macon County (2017) – Records are made to be broken! With four touchdown passes in the State Championship Game Lane became the single season record holder for TD-passes in a season with 56. Even more amazing is the fact that he only threw two interceptions in 2016. Lane finished the season completing 199 of 319 passes (62.4%) for 3,740 yards. He also ran the ball 65 times for 290 yards and eight scores. Lane also passed Jake Fromm for second on the touchdown passes thrown for a career with 118.
Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Trey Brown, WR, 6-3/180, Macon County (2018) – Brown was the favorite target for record setting signal caller K’Hari Lane. This past season the junior snagged 53 passes for 1,066 yards and 24 touchdowns. In two seasons on the varsity Brown has already caught 102 passes for 2,099 yards and 35 scores.
Tamorrion Terry, WR, 6-3/200, Turner County (2017) – The two-sport star had a year to remember on the gridiron. This past season Terry averaged an incredible 29.7 yards per reception. He caught 40 passes for 1,187 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also ran for two scores and returned a kick for a touchdown.
Co-Defensive Players of the Year
Malik Barnes, ILB, 6-0/215, Mitchell County (2019) – Barnes made his mark on both sides of the ball this past season for the Eagles. Defensively he was the team’s leading tackler with 129 stops. He also recorded 11 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one sack and one pick. On the offensive side of the ball he ran for 330 yards and three touchdowns on just 45 carries.
Curtis Fann, Jr., DE, 6-3/240, Emanuel County Institute (2019) – There are several great sophomores in Class A in South Georgia. Fann racked up 64 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The Bulldogs finished the season (11-1) and held eight of their opponents to two touchdowns or less in 2016.
Co-Athletes of the Year
Lyn-J Dixon, RB, 5-11/185, Taylor County (2018) – Unfortunately I was unable to track down his final season statistics for 2016. But in the first nine games of the season Dixon carried the ball 185 times for 1,698 yards and 31 touchdowns while catching 25 passes for 276 yards and three scores. He also returned one kickoff and two punts for scores.
Nolan Smith, DE/RB, 6-2/210, Calvary Day (2019) – Smith helped lead the Cavaliers to a (10-1/5-0) record. He carried the ball 98 times for 712 yards and nine touchdowns while catching five passes for 58 yards and a score. Defensively he recorded 75 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Smith was part of a defensive unit that gave up less than ten points per contest.
Coach of the Year
Dexter Copeland, Macon County (12-2/5-0) – Coach Copeland finally captured that elusive State Championship after several trips to the State Quarterfinals. This past season the Bulldogs averaged 45.6 points and 469 yards per game. Their two losses this season came at the hands of GHSA-AA runner-up Fitzgerald and GHSA-AAAAA Semifinalist Northside-Warner Robins.
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