Football season is always a highlight of any given year, even when some schools in Marion County have a down year. No school had such misfortune this year, as all four area teams advanced to the second round or further in the playoffs, making the 2024 season one to remember.
Plenty of stars shined bright, and some of those have an opportunity to forever have their name etched in Marion County gridiron history.
The five award categories include TMH, Inc. Most Valuable Player, Wiley Cleland-Alfa Insurance Offensive Player of the Year, Ward's Defensive Player of the Year, Columbia Credit Newcomer of the Year and the Jones Ready Mix Lunch Pail Award.
Making up the TMH, Inc. Most Valuable Player category are Columbia's Tra Lewis, West Marion’s Braxton Albritton, Columbia Academy’s Reed Duncan and East Marion’s Caden Mingo.
There were few players as dominant as Lewis this year, and his numbers more than show it. He did it all on both sides of the ball, helping guide Columbia to an 8-3 record and a Region 7-4A title. On defense, the linebacker tallied 164 tackles – good enough for fifth-most in the state – with five tackles for loss, four interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles. On offense, he was as bruising and punishing as anyone coming out of the backfield. On 123 carries, the running back amassed 960 yards with 11 touchdowns, adding five receptions for 137 yards and a pair of receiving touchdowns.
Albritton was the captain of the ship for West Marion, who finished 8-3 and won the Region 8-3A crown. The junior gunslinger was Marion County’s leading passer, with 1,641 yards on 117/207 passing – a 57% completion percentage, which was tied for the highest mark among players to attempt more than one pass. He tossed 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions, adding 129 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Although he was primarily the team’s starting quarterback for the previous two years, Duncan did a little bit of everything for CA in 2024 – and was successful doing so. At free safety, where he mostly stayed on defense, he made 107 tackles, broke up two passes, forced one fumble and recovered two fumbles. Running the ball is where he was most successful offensively, gaining 600 yards on 101 carries with eight scores. He completed 13 of 28 passes for 220 yards – tossing two touchdowns against three interceptions – while gaining 92 yards on 13 receptions in CA’s ground-and-pound offense.
Rounding out the MVP nominees is Mingo, who made highlight-worthy plays all across the field. The star receiver led the county in receiving with 623 yards on 32 receptions, scoring nine touchdowns. He gained 146 yards on 15 carries with a rushing score out of the backfield, and he recorded 36 tackles on defense. His biggest accomplishment at defensive back was his five interceptions, including a pick-six.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR MVP: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/205
The Wiley Cleland-Alfa Insurance Offensive Player of the Year award has five nominees, including Columbia’s Ashton Daniels, Columbia Academy’s Trent Buckley, Columbia Academy’s Jackson Speir, Mingo and Lewis.
In his first year as a starter, Daniels more than made a name for himself with a stellar season as Columbia’s lead running back. On 155 carries, he rushed for 1,269 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, which were both best out of all Marion County ball-carriers.
Buckley was by far CA’s top downfield target, having more than double the amount of receptions as the next closest Cougar receiver. On his 32 receptions as a tight end and wide receiver, he gained 558 yards with seven touchdowns. He was an effective runner, too, totaling 310 yards on 53 carries while reaching paydirt seven times.
The final nominee for the Wiley Cleland-Alfa Insurance Offensive Player of the Year award is Speir, who was CA’s go-to running back in an offense with plenty of options in the backfield. He toted the rock 130 times for 772 yards and eight touchdowns, and he added 143 yards on 12 receptions as a pass-catcher.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/206
The five Marion County defenders up for Ward's Defensive Player of the Year are West Marion’s Deundre Youngblood, Columbia Academy’s Carson Daniels, East Marion’s Mod Moses, West Marion’s James Lee and Lewis.
For the second year in a row, Youngblood led Marion County in sacks. His 12 sacks were more than Columbia and East Marion had all season, and the number matched Columbia Academy’s season total. The game-wrecker recorded 52 tackles – 21 for loss – and forced three fumbles as an edge rusher.
CA’s Daniels continued to be a tackling machine after winning last year’s Newcomer of the Year award, tallying 131 stops with one sack, two pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries as the Cougars’ chief linebacker.
While the Eagles had plenty of firepower on defense, Moses was at the forefront of most big stops in a big moment. The defensive end and linebacker recorded 82 tackles with six tackles for loss in 2024.
Rounding out the Ward's Defensive Player of the Year nominees is Lee, who was part of a stellar Trojan defense alongside Youngblood. The senior defensive end and linebacker made 52 stops, including six sacks and 15 tackles for loss.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/207
Five players were new to the scene but made quite the name for themselves in 2024, including CA’s Bentley Myers, West Marion’s Brandon Bullock, East Marion’s Shamar Akins, Columbia’s Junior Curney and Ashton Daniels.
Myers missed five games in October and November due to injury, but his success when healthy was undeniable. The speedy freshman was a big-play threat early in the season, scoring three receiving touchdowns on 10 receptions for 186 yards. He was a nice change-of-pace back for CA as well, tallying 275 yards on 42 carries with one score.
Bullock’s first season on the football team may have been cut short due to injury, but he made an impact for the Trojans at skill positions on both sides of the ball. He hauled in 15 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, and he completed his lone pass for a 33-yard touchdown. On defense, he broke up two passes, forced a fumble and intercepted two passes, including a pick-six.
East Marion’s Akins was a constant in the trenches on both sides, serving as a leading blocker on offense and havoc-wreaker on defense. At defensive line, he made 43 tackles, recorded four sacks and blocked a punt. On offense, his crowning achievement was recovering a fumble following an interception and taking it to the house for a big-man touchdown.
The final nominee for the Columbia Credit Newcomer of the Year award is Curney, who saw little time at running back last season but came into his own as a starting linebacker for the Wildcats in 2024. He finished second on the team with 78 tackles, and he forced four fumbles as well. He still saw some time at running back, gaining 99 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/208
The fifth and final category is the Jones Ready Mix Lunch Pail Award, which is given to the hardest worker who makes an impact both on the field and in the locker room. Those up for the award are Lee, East Marion’s Cam Waller, CA’s Jackson Speir and Columbia’s Cortez Robinson.
Lee’s toughness stood out to his coaching staff, with West Marion head coach Mason Woodrow saying, “He plays both ways, never complains and plays really well on both sides. Very versatile. Can play H-Back, tight end, linebacker and plays through injuries and never asks to come out. A 190-pound kid was one of the best D-linemen in the district.”
Former East Marion head coach Jerry Fletcher said the work Waller did outside of practice is what set him apart from the rest, and the Eagles followed him.
“This is the kind of guy that brought toughness to the team,” Fletcher said. “The kind of guy that came to do extra work after practice and before practice. He set the tone and will be a great leader. Everybody liked to follow him because he’ll get the job done with no excuses. Win at all costs.”
“Jackson was one of the toughest competitors on our team this year,” CA head coach Joey Hawkins said of Speir, CA’s nominee. “His senior leadership was unparalleled.”
Robinson caught Columbia head coach Lance Pogue’s eye early upon his arrival due to his hard work and effort.
“He hung around, did his time, and he played with heart, guts and a desire to win,” Pogue said. “Undersized and all that stuff, but he made up for it with the desire and will to win. He caught my eye early.”
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THE LUNCH PAIL AWARD: https://www.columbianprogress.com/poll/209
