The 2025 football season was one for the ages in Marion County as all four teams won district championships for the first time in county history and the Columbia Wildcats closed the deal with their second state title in the past five years. Now it’s time to hand out some hardware as Marion County’s Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year and Lunch Pail awards are up for grabs.
Starting off with the Most Valuable Player nominees is the reigning winner, Columbia running back and linebacker Tra Lewis. The senior swept all of the rushing categories in the county, leading the way in carries (191), yards (1,397), touchdowns (19) and yards per game (93), while also leading the county in total tackles with 168. His 17 tackles for loss were second best in the county, and he had three interceptions, three sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and fumble recovery, 12 pressures, two blocked extra points and two defensive touchdowns. If that wasn’t enough, he also was top-10 in receiving for the county, hauling in 19 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
Next up is his teammate, quarterback and safety Clydarrien Peters, who was a do-it-all threat for the Wildcats. On top of completing 76 passes for 1,196 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the county with a 67% completion rate, he trailed only Lewis with 1,205 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. His 9.8 yards per carry were tops in the county, and he tallied 34 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions and returned a punt for a touchdown.
Earning the nomination for Columbia Academy is junior athlete Trent Buckley, who played receiver, tight end, running back, Wildcat quarterback and outside linebacker for the Cougars. The Ole Miss baseball commit was a threat to score from anywhere, with his 691 receiving yards, 19.2 yards per reception and eight receiving touchdowns being second best in the county. His 63 receiving yards per game led the county. He also rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns, completed his only pass attempt for 43 yards and tallied 33 tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks.
Representing East Marion is junior running back and linebacker Elias “Big Baby” Johnson, who came alive in the playoffs for the Eagles when they needed him most. He rushed for 370 yards on 64 carries, and his 14 rushing touchdowns were fourth best in the county. He was also a thumper in the middle of the East Marion defense with 52 tackles and four tackles for loss.
West Marion is represented by senior quarterback Braxton Albritton, whose 34 total touchdowns tied Peters for the county lead despite playing three less games. Albritton paced Marion County in every passing category with 149 completions, 241 attempts, 2,215 yards, 27 touchdowns and 185 yards per game. He also added 195 yards on the ground and seven rushing touchdowns.
The Offensive Player of the Year race is down to Tra Lewis, Peters, Albritton, Columbia’s Ashton Daniels and Columbia Academy’s Bentley Myers.
Daniels, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, was a part of a three-headed monster in Columbia’s backfield as he rushed for 1,156 yards on 172 carries and tied for second in the county with 18 rushing touchdowns. Despite playing only part time on defense, he led the county with three pick-sixes.
In an offense that had eight different rushers with at least 100 yards, Myers led the way for the Cougars. The electric sophomore rushed for 731 on just 79 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per carry, and found paydirt nine times on the ground.
The Defensive Player of the Year award is a four-way race between Tra Lewis, West Marion’s James Lee, Columbia Academy’s Carson Daniels and East Marion’s Ayden Lewis.
Despite missing three games this season, Lee was such a force off the edge for the Trojans that he led the county in tackles for loss (22) and sacks (nine) in just eight games. His 17 pressures were third best in Marion County, and he also had 59 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Daniels, who won the award as a sophomore for his 2023 campaign, was second in the county with 127 tackles, had three tackles for loss, an interception and a blocked punt. His 12.7 tackles per game led Marion County.
Ayden Lewis played all over East Marion’s front seven depending on the game plan and wreaked havoc for the Eagles. The senior tallied 97 tackles, was third in the county with 16 tackles for loss and had two sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and a blocked punt.
The Breakout Star of the Year, which is awarded to the top first-year starter or player who made the biggest year-over-year leap, is between West Marion freshman Brayson Pittman, East Marion freshman Bentley Blansett, West Marion freshman Raquon Cotton, Columbia junior Christain Expose and Columbia Academy senior Cash James.
Pittman flashed enormous potential from the word “go” for the Trojans, finding the end zone 11 times on just 29 touches. He only had 12 carries for the Trojans, but he turned that into three rushing touchdowns. He really shined as a receiver, leading the county with 24.8 yards per receptions, turning 17 receptions into 418 yards and eight touchdowns. He also played a role on defense with 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
Blansett stepped into a tough role as East Marion’s starting quarterback as a freshman, but he passed the test with flying colors. He completed 80-of-155 passes for 1,024 yards and nine touchdowns against just four interceptions while starting 12 games. His four interceptions were the least among Marion County’s starting quarterbacks. While he didn’t run a whole lot for the Eagles, he did produce one of the runs of the year in Marion County with a 32-yard touchdown against North Forrest.
Cotton was tasked with being a full-time starter on the Trojans’ defensive line as a freshman and responded by placing fourth on the team with 50 tackles and coming in second among West Marion’s pass rushers with 5.5 sacks. On top of notching seven tackles for loss, he was also a big factor in West Marion’s rushing attack as a blocking tight end. He also caught a 1-yard touchdown pass for the Trojans.
Expose is the lone nominee who played significant snaps in 2024, but he took his game to a completely different level in 2025 for the state-champion Wildcats. The junior playmaker developed into Marion County’s top receiving threat, leading Marion County in receptions (43), receiving yards (781) and receiving touchdowns (nine). He also saved Columbia’s season in the third round against Newton County, hauling in the game-winning 44-yard touchdown on fourth-and-16 with 40 seconds to play.
James is the lone senior nominated for Breakout Star of the Year as he transferred in to play for the Cougars for his final season. The running back and linebacker did most of his work on the defensive side of the ball, placing second on the Cougars with 49 tackles, but he also proved to be a real threat with the ball in his hands. Despite getting just 30 carries, James rushed for 224 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns for the Cougars.
The final award is the Lunch Pail award and the nominations are made by each team’s respective head coach. The nominees are West Marion’s Donavan Miller, East Marion’s Shamar Akins, Columbia Academy’s Fletcher Rawls and Columbia’s Drew Bilderback. The award is designed to recognize players who may not show up on the stat sheet but make a significant contribution with their play on the field and their leadership off of it. These players are the ones who “bring their lunch pails to work.”
Each of the five awards are voted on by two members of The Columbian-Progress staff, all four head coaches and the fans.
