ESPN 104.9 names Super 11 team

The ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show named its inaugural Super 11 team Tuesday night, honoring the 11 players deemed to have had the best high school football seasons among the teams in the listening area.

A listening area that consisted of high school teams from Choctaw County, Sumter County, Clarke County, Greene County and Hale County produced a Super 11 consisting of 10 players from Marengo County.

The ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show also named its Coach of the Year and Player of the Year during the Tuesday night broadcast live from Batter Up Sports Grill in Demopolis.

The ESPN 104.9 Coach of the Year is Marengo Academy head man Robby James, who led his team to a 13-0 season and an AISA Class A state championship in a 2013 season in which it did not trail for a single moment.

The ESPN 104.9 Player of the Year is Sweet Water senior running back Jakoby Aldridge. The Jacksonville State commit and Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game selectee ran for 2,571 yards and 32 touchdowns on 323 carries for the AHSAA, Class 2A Bulldogs as they pushed their season all the way to the state semi-finals for a second straight season.

Aldridge is joined on the Super 11 list by teammate Demarcus Gamble. The Sweet Water senior played tight end, fullback and defense for the Bulldogs during a campaign in which he ran for 858 yards and 15 touchdowns, hauled in two touchdown passes, recorded 71 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Linden senior Chris Rogers earned a spot on the team. A four-year starter at linebacker for the Patriots, Rogers recorded 125 tackles, 25 TFLs, two sacks, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles while playing hurt for much of the year. At 6-1, 249, Rogers also started at left tackle for the run-centric Patriot offense.

Kynard Craig, also a Linden senior, caught six touchdowns for the Patriot offense. However, the 6-4, 175-pound standout did most of his damage on defense, recorded 74 tackles, including 14 for loss, from his safety position. Craig also picked off four passes and returned two of those for touchdowns.

A.L. Johnson senior Lawrence Burrell played hurt for much of the season and missed four of the Eagles’ games due to injury. Still, Burrell ran for more than 800 yards and continually showed the talent that makes him one of the best athletes in west Alabama.

Marengo High senior Jatevin Horn earned his way onto the Super 11 team by virtue of what he did on both sides of the ball for a resurgent Panther squad. With only 114 carries at the running back spot, Horn ran for 1,238 yards and 11 touchdowns. At 5-9, 185, Horn really made a name for himself at the linebacker spot where he recorded 148 tackles, including 37 for loss to go along with 18 sacks and two interceptions.

The lone member of the team from outside Marengo County is Patrician Academy’s Gentry Allen. A jack-of-all trades for the Saints, Allen threw for 10 touchdowns, ran for more than 600 yards, punted 32 times for an average of more than 36 yards per kick and led the team in tackles with 76 while also recording three interceptions and recovering a fumble.

Demopolis High placed two players on the Super 11 squad in seniors Demetrius Kemp and Roderick Davis. Kemp did pretty much everything for the Tigers in 2013 while playing offense, defense and special teams.

Kemp made 64 tackles, intercepted four passes, recovered two fumbles, forced four fumbles, broke up three passes, blocked three punts and two extra points on defense while also rushing for 363 yards and six touchdowns on only 32 carries and hauling in 28 passes for 480 yards and four touchdowns. Kemp also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Davis led the Tigers in scoring with 20 total touchdowns. He carried the ball 187 times for 1,394 yards and 19 scores and caught eight passes for 100 yards and a TD.

Marengo Academy proved responsible for two underclassmen on the squad as sophomore Hayden Huckabee and junior Hayden Hall made the Super 11 team.

Hall made 124 tackles with eight sacks, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries from his linebacker spot for the Longhorns.

Huckabee ran for 1,522 yards and 23 touchdowns on only 136 carries while also throwing for 461 yards and two touchdowns. Huckabee, who ran for 148 yards and three scores in the state title game, also returned a kickoff and two punts for touchdowns in 2013.