With football season coming to an end Friday night in Marion County, it’s time to start reflecting on the 2019 season and handing out awards.
Per usual, The Columbian-Progress will be selecting a Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and nominees have been chosen for the four honors.
The top player in the county is a four-player race between Columbia’s Kentrel Bullock, East Marion’s Devin Daniels, West Marion’s Blaten Norris and West Marion’s Jeremiah Holmes. Bullock had a monster senior season, rushing for 1,881 yards and 30 touchdowns and adding 132 receiving yards and three more scores. Daniels similarly had a big final season with 823 passing yards and nine touchdowns and 1,078 rushing yards and nine more touchdowns. Daniels also had two interception returns for a touchdown, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a punt return for a score.
Norris came back from a back injury last year to lead West Marion’s historic defense as a senior. The undersized nose guard had 72 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, and he forced a safety. Holmes, meanwhile, led the county in every passing category with 1,679 yards, 59 percent completion rate and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 336 yards and eight touchdowns.
Bullock and Daniels are also nominated for best offensive player, along with West Marion’s Jartavious “Tater Rabbit” Martin. Martin was a do-it-all Swiss-army knife for the Trojans as a running back, Wildcat quarterback and occasional slot receiver. He rushed for 895 yards and 13 touchdowns on 7.9 yards per carry and had nine receptions for 136 yards and a score.
On the defensive side of the ball, Norris was chosen once again alongside teammate Jordyn Mahaffey, Columbia’s Teshonne Franklin and Columbia Academy’s Patrick Gill. Mahaffey returned to West Marion after a year at CA and had 78 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Franklin was one of the leading tacklers for the Wildcats and led the county with eight interceptions. Gill led the Cougars with 138 tackles despite missing time with various injuries. He also had seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
For the best newcomer, which can go to any first-year starter, East Marion’s Amere Woodham, CA’s Preston Sauls, Columbia’s Josh Brown and West Marion’s Ka’Marius Husband were selected as nominees.
Woodham burst onto the scene in Week 6 for the Eagles and finished the year as the third-leading receiver in the county. He had 16 receptions for 434 yards (county-best 27.1 yards per reception) and two touchdowns. He also had a pair of interceptions and a defensive touchdown. Sauls was thrust into the lineup at running back out of necessity and showcased speed and power that will make him a force for years to come. The freshman had 657 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and three touchdowns on the ground, 142 yards receiving and a score and 41 tackles defensively.
Brown started the year in a two-man rotation as Columbia’s quarterback and eventually became an athlete the Wildcats lined up all over the field and their top receiver by year’s end. He ran for 516 yards (county-best 11.0 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns, caught nine passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and became a starting cornerback midway through the season. He also completed six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Husband played sporadically for the Trojans last year on the both the offensive and defensive line but became a mainstay and a force as a junior. He played both guard and tackle offensively depending on the matchup and was West Marion’s best pulling lineman on both screens and tosses. He also lined up at defensive end and had 69 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Winners for the awards will be announced in the Jan. 2 edition. If you have any input or would like to discuss nominees, contact Sports Editor Joshua Campbell at (601) 736-2611 or by email.
Pictured Above: MVP and Offensive Player of the Year nominee Devin Daniels runs the ball against West Lincoln in the first round of the playoffs. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
