The votes are in for The Columbian-Progress’ annual football awards, and it’s time to hand out some hardware. This year’s voting produced the closest results to date and led to four Columbia players winning an award and one West Marion athlete.
The voting was carried out with complete integrity with the fans accounting for 50% of the votes, head coaches counting for 10% each and Managing/Sports Editor Joshua Campbell counting for the final 10%.
In a race that came down to just six votes, Columbia senior running back Omar Johnson edged out teammate Jaheim Oatis for Most Valuable Player. Johnson had his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season for the Wildcats and helped lead Columbia to its first state title in nearly 40 years.
The explosive 205-pound back rushed for 1,294 yards and 21 touchdowns on 189 carries while averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He also filled in at linebacker at different points throughout the season and provided the Wildcats with a sideline-to-sideline thumper.
The Offensive Player of the Year race was another close one as four nominees were separated by about 100 votes. But in the end, it was Columbia quarterback Carter Smith who surpassed Johnson for the top offensive player in Marion County.
Smith took a massive leap forward this season and was a major reason why the Wildcats were finally able to break through for a state title. The C-P’s stat database goes back nine years, and Smith’s 69% completion rate was by far the best of any quarterback during that time. He completed 119-of-173 attempts for 1,503 yards and 17 touchdowns and also caught a key touchdown against Poplarville.
While every other award was extremely close, Oatis completely dominated the voting to win Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-6 Alabama signee had more 266 more votes than reigning Defensive Player of the Year Octavious Harvey.
Oatis, who checks in at 350 pounds, was an absolute force inside for the Wildcats, setting career highs with 77 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and five sacks. The award will add to an extensive collection for Oatis, who recently was named Mr. Football in Class 4A and played in both the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game and the Under Armour All-American Game.
The fan vote for Newcomer of the Year was extremely close, but Columbia’s Miguel Cook earned the nod from several coaches to claim the hardware. Although Cook wasn’t technically a starter for the Wildcats, he played a major role in Columbia’s offense as the complementary back to Johnson while also serving as an explosive kick returner. Cook rushed for 856 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry and consistently showed home-run speed in the open field. He also returned three kicks for touchdowns.
The Lunch Pail Award proved to be the closest race of all with all five nominees earning more than 150 votes. Ultimately, Cade Heurtin earned the hardware with a big senior season that is hard to be quantified in state. Heurtin was West Marion’s most dedicated player and most prestigious student with a 4.0 GPA and a 33 on his ACT.
The Trojan finished the season with a near-immaculate 92 grade on the offensive line with five pancake blocks. He also contributed on defense with 26 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks.
Each award winner will receive a plaque and be featured on the front page of the C-P with their hardware.
VOTING RESULTS
Most Valuable Player
Omar Johnson: 171
Jaheim Oatis: 165
Larry Magee: 151
Kris Ginn: 115
DJ Cloyd: 113
Offensive Player of the Year
Carter Smith: 274
Omar Johnson: 246
Jakaden Mark: 180
Kris Ginn: 167
Amere Woodham: 72
Defensive Player of the Year
Jaheim Oatis: 408
Octavious Harvey: 142
Sam Mitchell: 126
Ka’Ron Weary: 54
Eli Beard: 50
Newcomer of the Year
Miguel Cook: 218
Eli Beard: 143
Elijah Alston: 139
DJ Cloyd: 115
Amarion Fortenberry: 102
Lunch Pail Award
Cade Heurtin: 316
Kentrell Jackson: 218
Deundre Ruffin: 217
Jacob Reid: 157
Jalon Anderson: 152
