Last week the nominees for The Columbian-Progress' annual football awards were shared with the public, and the voting process officially began. Now the votes have been tallied, and winners have been determined for the five honors: Marion Pet Care Most Valuable Player, TMH Offensive Player of the Year, Columbia Credit Defensive Player of the Year, Ward's Newcomer of the Year and the Custom Trophy & Engraving Lunch Pail Award.
The winners were determined by a series of votes comprised of fans, Marion County head coaches, Publisher Joshua Campbell and Sports Editor Brad Crowe. The voting went down to the wire in multiple categories, but each vote produced undisputed winners: two from Columbia High School, two from East Marion and one from Columbia Academy.
Receiving 496 votes to win Marion Pet Care Most Valuable Player is East Marion's Karon Weary. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior did a little bit of it all for the Eagles in 2022. Offensively, he led all of Marion County in receiving, racking up 557 yards on 22 receptions — 25.3 yards per catch — with eight touchdowns through 10 games. He also contributed in a big way to the running game, rushing for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries out of the backfield. At safety, which is the position Weary will play next fall at the University of South Alabama, he logged 63 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception as he helped lead the Eagles to their first district championship since 2018.
Placing second in the voting for Most Valuable Player with 416 votes was Columbia's Amarion Fortenberry.
The winner of TMH Offensive Player of the Year is East Marion's Jadarrius "Koolaid" Mallard, whose 920 votes earned him the largest margin of victory out of all five awards. Mallard consistently changed games with his explosive running abilities, leading all of Marion County with 1,292 rushing yards on 127 carries — a remarkable 10.2 yards per carry — to go with 16 touchdowns. The senior surpassed 100 rushing yards on five different occasions, spurring on the Eagles to tremendous success in Region 7-2A competition.
Fortenberry, who also placed second in MVP voting, received a second-best total of 469 votes for Offensive Player of the Year. The junior playmaker ranked second behind Mallard in rushing this season among all Marion County players, finishing with 920 yards on 118 touches — 7.8 yards per carry — and 14 trips to the end zone.
Among the closest votes of the year was for Columbia Credit Defensive Player of the Year, which was won by Columbia's Jalon Anderson with 501 votes. Anderson shined on both sides of the ball as a senior but shined brightest at linebacker, where he racked up 116 tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack and an interception. The senior also finished second in Marion County with 18 tackles for loss, helping the Wildcats hold opponents to only 16 points per game throughout the 2022 season.
Placing second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting with 409 votes was CA senior linebacker Landon McNabb, who led the charge for the Cougars' defense with 95 tackles, six tackles for loss and three interceptions — two of which he returned to pay dirt for CA touchdowns.
Taking home the Ward's Newcomer of the Year Award with 878 votes is Columbia freshman linebacker Mac McDaniel. One would be hard-pressed to convince any of the Wildcats' opponents that McDaniel was actually a freshman, as he instantly became a big time playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, racking up a Marion County best 129 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack during his very first campaign with the varsity team.
Placing second for Newcomer of the Year with 469 votes was West Marion senior Qua Ward, who moved to Foxworth from Humphreys County in the spring of 2022 and instantly became an important part of the Trojans' game plan. Ward finished his one and only season as a Trojan with 443 receiving yards on 22 receptions — 22 yards per catch — 110 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns.
The victor of the Custom Trophy & Engraving Lunch Pail Award, with 561 votes in his favor, was CA junior Nick Reagan. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman was an anchor up front for the Cougars from the first game to the last, and head coach TC Chambliss said he's thrilled to see what's next for the young playmaker who continues to improve each time he touches the field.
"Aside from being an absolute monster on the field and a 4.0 GPA guy, Nick runs everything up for us," Chambliss said. "He makes all of our line calls, can answer anyone's questions, holds everyone accountable and works above the standard himself so that he has the right to do so."
Placing second with 457 votes for the Lunch Pail Award is West Marion's Devon Hutto, who Trojans head coach Brandon Thornhill said did all the small, seemingly unnoticeable things that allow a football team to be successful.
"Devon was a consistent grinder for us on both sides of the ball," Thornhill said. "(He) led by example and did all the little things right. We'll sure miss having him up front for us on Friday nights."
