West Alabama Watchman 2014 All-County Football Team

QB – Hayden Huckabee, Marengo Academy, Jr. – The Longhorns’ biggest offensive threat took snaps at quarterback and running back this season, amassing 1,024 yards and 21 touchdowns on his first 58 carries of the season. And those numbers were through only nine games. Add in three kick return touchdowns and seven touchdown passes and he is an absolute no-brainer to be on this list.

RB – Rashad Lynch, Demopolis, Sr. – He never played a varsity snap before this season. Read that again. He never played a varsity snap before this season. And the senior’s debut year was phenomenal as he ran for 1,189 yards and 18 touchdowns on only 119 carries. That’s 9.99 yards per carry.

RB – Travarious Harris, Marengo High, So. – Harris could be the most underrated player in the county already. He is 6-1, 230 pounds and only a sophomore. He led the way for a run-heavy Panther squad in 2014, gaining 1,165 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns on 151 carries. He also had 14 two-point conversion runs, 42 solo tackles (Marengo didn’t track assisted stops), three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and an interception.

WR – Shade Pritchett, Marengo Academy, Sr. – He has been the best passing game threat in the county for three straight years and that didn’t change in 2014. He led the county in receiving yards and kicked in some impressive rushing numbers for good measure.

WR – DeVonta Poole, Linden, So. – Much more of a tight end than a traditional wideout, Poole had five receiving touchdowns on the year to go along with some pretty solid defensive contributions.

OL – Travares Hall, Demopolis, Jr. – In his first year playing for the Tigers, Hall proved to be the best offensive lineman on an offense that ran for 3,073 yards and 47 touchdowns.

OL – Kennedy Sewell, Linden, Sr. – At 271 pounds, Sewell proved plenty big enough to be the Patriots’ best offensive lineman in 2014. His role took on even more importance when the Pats lost locker room and lineman leader Ca’Terius Hinton to injury early in the season.

OL – Deshon Kilpatrick, Sweet Water, Sr. – He could make this team on either side of the line of scrimmage. He is 6-2, 232 and rock solid for a Sweet Water team that relies on playing defense and running the ball. Defensively, he had 87 tackles, 16 TFLs, five sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumbles recoveries. And he already has offers from Tuskegee and Alabama A&M.

OL – Phillip Treadwell, Marengo High, Sr. – He is listed at 6-1, 397 on the Marengo roster. But Treadwell’s importance to his team is far bigger than that. He is a five-year starter for the Panthers at center and has seen three different head coaches in his tenure. He is the anchor of a run-first team that finished 6-4 this season.

OL – Tait Sanford, Marengo Academy, Sr. – Sanford has a legitimate mean streak that has given the Longhorns plenty of edge over the last few seasons. His play on the offensive line was a key component to the MA ground game.

ATH – Floyd Simmons, Marengo, Sr. – Simmons was a two-way player for the Panthers and an invaluable one at that. He saw regular carries on offense and led the team in tackles on defense in addition to recovering four fumbles for the Panthers.

ATH – Cordarius Scruggs, Linden, Sr. – He spent much of the year as one of the steadiest members of the Linden backfield rotation. Scruggs also proved to be plenty talented on the defensive end for Linden, recording 65 tackles, including seven for loss.

DL – Tim Bonner, Demopolis, Sr. – He is a Louisville commit with plenty of other offers and Tim Bonner played like a Division I talent this season. He led Demopolis in tackles with 84 including 31 for loss and nine sacks.

DL – Rahmeel Cook, Demopolis, Jr. – Demopolis defensive end had 82 tackles including 22 for loss and seven sacks to go along with three fumble recoveries.

DL – Cason Cook, Marengo Academy – Cook would have started on any defensive line in the county.

DL – Jalen Bell, Linden, Sr. – Bell was a key component on both the offensive and defensive lines for Linden in 2014. He finished the season with 64 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two fumble returns for touchdowns.

LB – Carson Huckabee, Marengo Academy, Sr. – The starting center on the offensive line and an absolute force at linebacker, Huckabee was among the very best the AISA had to offer this season. He finished the season with 131 total tackles after only 12 games.

LB – R.J. Cox, Demopolis, So. – Only a sophomore, Cox could well have been the most improved player in the county this season. His ability to read plays and fit in the right spot seemingly every time is uncanny. He finished the year with 71 tackles, eight TFLs, a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries to go along with three pass breakups. And the future looks plenty bright for him.

LB – Hayden Hall, Marengo Academy, Sr. – He is only 5-9, 175 but he plays so much bigger. Respected as one of the best linebackers in the AISA, Hall also started at guard on the Longhorn offensive line. This season saw him lead the county in tackles with 146 (107 of those solo) to go along with six sacks and three forced fumbles.

LB – DeAmonte Greene, Sweet Water, Sr. – At 5-6, 150, Greene has relied heavily on the intangibles to build a very successful high school career. This season was no different as he worked his way to 97 tackles for the Bulldogs, leading his team in that category.

DB – Andrew Martin, Marengo Academy, Jr. – After the corner on the opposite side made All-State a season ago, most teams figured they would try their luck against “Hawk” this season. Most teams regretted that decision. He tied a county high with four interceptions on the year.

DB – Bobby Taylor, Demopolis, Sr. – Taylor finished the year with 34 total tackles from his corner spot to go along with three interceptions. His 10 pass breakups led the county.

DB – Alston Dinning, Marengo Academy, Sr. – Dinning did not get tested a lot this season, but he made his presence felt at corner for the Longhorns. For good measure, he finished his high school career with a pair of interceptions and MVP honors in the AISA all-star game.

DB – Michael Kennedy, Marengo High, Fr. – The youngest member of the All-County team, Kennedy tied for the county lead with four interceptions in 2014. Marengo is happy to have him around for a little while longer.

K – Tyler Overstreet, Demopolis, Sr. – The most consistent kicker in the county by a longshot, Overstreet hit all three of his field goal attempts and ended the year with 57 points scored.

P – Josh Holifield, Marengo Academy, Sr. – Yeah. Holifield was a 1,000-yard rusher as a bull of a back. And, yeah, he had a 100-yard rushing game in the state title round. But what teams learned about Holifield this year is that he can punt. Holifield averaged well over 40 yards per punt as the best in the county at the position this year.

 * no players from A.L. Johnson High School were nominated for All-County honors