For the first time in the history of the award, The Columbian-Progress Most Valuable Player comes from the defensive side: Columbia High School outside linebacker Kevon “KJ” Cloyd.
The senior was a force off the edge this season for the Wildcats with a team-high 110 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, eight sacks, six hurries and four pass breakups. He also filled in as a running back the first two games of the season with Kentrel Bullock out and had 62 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries in a change-of-pace and goal line back role.
Cloyd said receiving the honor of Marion County MVP was crazy and serves as validation.
“It means that all the hard work, the sweat and blood during the summer, really paid off,” he said. “We had a really good season, but even after the season and the postseason for me to get this award it means a lot to me.”
The Wildcats went 10-3 in 2018, reached the third round of the playoffs and claimed the Marion County Football Championship for the first time since 2008. This came after a 3-7 campaign the year prior, and Cloyd said it was a “great honor” to be the driving force of the senior class that turned the football program around.
“For most teams that had a bad year the previous season and new coaches coming in, they want to get the seniors out. For us, we helped turn it around, and that means a lot,” he said.
One of the biggest reasons behind the turnaround was the vast improvement on the defensive side. The Wildcats gave up 30.7 points per game in 2017 but more than cut that in half down to 13.5 this season. Cloyd and the front seven as a whole were at the forefront of it, and he said he took every play personal.
“When I step on the field with my brothers, we come to win. We didn’t come to be friends. We can be friends after the game,” he said. “As a defense you have to think you’re the best. We’ve come to show you we’re the best, and you’re going to leave knowing you played the best. We wanted to be tough and gritty.”
Cloyd actually made a position change heading into the season, moving from inside linebacker to outside in a 3-4 front for the Wildcats, which meant his responsibilities play to play completely changed. He went from keying on guards and shooting gaps to rushing the quarterback and setting the edge in the running game. However, he said the transition to outside linebacker didn’t really matter to him, as long as he got to hit people.
Pictured Above: Columbia's Kevon "KJ" Cloyd soars through the air in the first round of the playoffs against Morton. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
