The 2023 Marion County football season has come and gone, and it was one for the record books. Fans of each of the four schools – Columbia, Columbia Academy, East Marion and West Marion – witnessed playoff football in 2023, with Columbia making it all the way to the state championship game. With that in mind, the time has come to analyze all the worthy gridiron award nominees.
The five award categories up for voting include the Alfa Insurance-Wiley Cleland Most Valuable Player, the TMH, Inc. Offensive Player of the Year, the Ward’s Defensive Player of the Year, the Reagan’s Corner Newcomer of the Year and the Jones Ready Mix Lunch Pail Award.
The finalists for the 2023 Alfa Insurance-Wiley Cleland Most Valuable Player award are Columbia’s Amarion Fortenberry, Columbia’s Jeremiah Foxworth, West Marion’s Corjyous Weary, Columbia Academy’s Cole Fortenberry and East Marion’s Kyler “Smokie” Collins.
Whether it was from out of the offensive or defensive backfields or on special teams, Amarion Fortenberry was an irresistible force for the Wildcats on their South State championship squad. At running back, he dwarfed the rest of Marion County in season rushing yards with 1,503 on 191 attempts, good enough for nearly eight yards-per-carry. On top of that, he reached paydirt 21 times, which was 15 more scores than Donovan Whitehead of East Marion, who had the second-most rushing scores in Marion County this year. Defensively, the South Alabama signee intercepted six passes, forced four fumbles, broke up 14 passes and recorded eight tackles for loss. Two kick return touchdowns round out the statsheet on a remarkable campaign by Amarion Fortenberry.
Not to be outdone, Foxworth’s 2023 season for Columbia rivaled his teammate’s outing by doing it all to help the Wildcats. It’s hard to pick which phase of football he was most effective in, as he made his mark receiving, rushing, on defense and on special teams, where he returned four kicks for touchdowns. Defensively, he tallied 88 tackles, seven interceptions, six pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. He didn’t receive many rushing attempts on offense this season, but Foxworth took his 12 carries for 110 yards and three scores. Additionally, he finished second on the team in receiving with 698 yards on 43 receptions, adding nine touchdown catches. When the Wildcats needed a play, it was either Amarion Fortenberry or Foxworth who stepped up in most cases.
For the Trojans, Weary doubled as the yardage leader on offense and the best defender on the back end. He held his own in pass coverage all season, breaking up five passes and bringing in three interceptions. He also forced and recovered a fumble. On offense, he hauled in 40 passes for 600 receiving yards and one score for West Marion in 2023. In his first full season as a starter for the Trojans, Weary left his mark.
During a season that featured injuries aplenty and occasional misfortunes, Cole Fortenberry was a constant for CA. He made plays all over the field for the Cougars, most notably on defense and at wide receiver. The former quarterback hauled in 52 passes for 462 yards, and he scored four receiving touchdowns. Towards the end of the season due to injuries at other positions, Cole Fortenberry assumed the team’s running back role, where he tallied 116 yards and a score. Defensively, he totaled 52 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, three pass break-ups and a fumble recovery to establish himself as CA’s Swiss Army Knife.
Rounding out the MVP nominees is Collins, who was a dominant force in the trenches for East Marion. On top of being one of the best interior offensive linemen in the county, “Smokie” racked up 72 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a pair of sacks to lead a strong defensive unit for the Eagles. Although East Marion was ravaged by injuries in 2023, Collins was a constant leading force.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR MVP: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/127
The TMH, Inc. Offensive Player of the Year award has a heavy Columbian flavor, with four nominees coming from the Wildcats. The finalists include Columbia’s Amarion Fortenberry, AJ Lewis, Collin Haney, Foxworth and West Marion’s Weary.
Lewis was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams all year at wide receiver, proving to be the difference in multiple games for the Wildcats. The four-star recruit hauled in 54 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns – all three of which were the most in Marion County this season.
Efficient would likely be the best word to describe Haney in 2023, as the quarterback led the ship for the Wildcats on their deep playoff run. He completed 67% of his passes for 2049 yards and 24 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He also scored three rushing touchdowns on 127 yards.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/128
The third award category is the Ward’s Defensive Player of the Year, with Columbia’s Mac McDaniel, Amarion Fortenberry, Foxworth, West Marion’s Deundre Youngblood and CA’s Carson Daniels making up the five nominees.
Simply put, McDaniel was a tackling machine. According to MaxPreps, his 182 tackles are good enough for second in the state in 2023. The sophomore linebacker also added eight tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, a pass break-up, a pick-six, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, which resulted in a touchdown.
Youngblood, one-half of the dominant twin duo for the Trojans, wreaked havoc all season long for West Marion, often finding himself in the backfield. He finished his strong 2023 campaign by leading Marion County in sacks with nine, paired with 44 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Rounding out the Ward’s Defensive Player of the Year category is Daniels, who was unquestionably CA’s top defender this season. He led the team by a wide margin with his 113 tackles at linebacker, adding five tackles for loss, four sacks, a pass break-up, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in the sophomore’s first year as a starter for the Cougars.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/129
The penultimate category for the 2023 football awards is the Reagan’s Corner Newcomer of the Year, awarded to the top first-year starter in Marion County. The nominees include West Marion’s Logan Green, West Marion’s Weary, CA’s Daniels, Columbia’s Tra Lewis and East Marion’s Cam Waller.
Green quickly became an imposing force for the Trojans’ defensive line, as the freshman made 31 tackles – 10 of which came behind the line of scrimmage – with a pair of sacks, a pass break-up and a forced fumble.
Tra Lewis completed a dynamic sophomore linebacking duo for the Wildcats, as he, along with McDaniel, terrorized opposing defenses all season long. Tra Lewis totaled 134 tackles – second-best in the county – with 14 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass defenses and two fumble recoveries. The sophomore also served as a second option at running back behind Amarion Fortenberry, gaining 244 yards on 54 carries with four rushing scores.
Waller delivered excitement for the Eagles in the secondary, as he got his opportunity to play and made the most of it. He tallied 20 tackles and made four interceptions, including a pick-six for East Marion.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/130
The fifth and final category for The Columbian-Progress 2023 football awards is the Jones Ready Mix Lunch Pail Award, given to a player who may not jump off the stat sheet but makes a massive impact both on the field and in the locker room. The nominees are Columbia’s Harrison Cluff, West Marion’s Braxton Powell, East Marion’s La’darien Haynes and CA’s Ethan King.
The awards will be determined by a vote, consisting of Marion County coaches, C-P Publisher Joshua Campbell, C-P Sports Editor Jackson Howell and the fans.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR LUNCH PAIL AWARD: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/131
