2013 West Alabama Watchman All-County Football Team
OFFENSE
QB – Tyler Oates, Demopolis – No quarterback in the county threw for more yards or more touchdowns than Oates and none did it against any better competition.
RB – Jakoby Aldridge, Sweet Water – A Jacksonville State commit, Aldridge ran for 2,571 yards and 32 touchdowns for Sweet Water this season. That resume includes a 300-yard performance against Luverne on the road in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A playoffs.
RB – Roderick Davis, Demopolis – Davis grew leaps and bounds in 2013 and it showed as he had his best games against the biggest competition in a season in which he ran for 1,394 yards and 19 touchdowns in only 11 games. Davis also caught eight passes for 100 yards and another TD.
WR – Cortez Lewis, Demopolis – It is hard to be a receiver in a run-first offense, but Lewis led the county in catches (29) and receiving yards (575) despite playing only nine games. He is also a DI commit with big upside.
WR – Demetrius Kemp, Demopolis – Kemp could have made this list as a defensive back as well. But the DI commit averaged 14 yards per touch from scrimmage on the year. He hauled in 28 passes for 480 yards and four scores and ran it 32 times for 363 yards and six scores. On the defensive side, Kemp recorded 64 tackles, picked of four passes, forced four fumbles, recovered two fumbles and blocked three punts and two extra points.
TE – Shade Pritchett, Marengo Academy – MA didn’t throw it much, but when they did, it normally went to Pritchett. The Longhorn standout caught 21 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns in 2013 while also toting the ball 14 times for an astounding 25 yards per carry. He tallied 352 yards and four rushing scores. Pritchett also did a little defensive work with 112 total tackles and two interceptions on the year.
OL – John Anthony Morrison, Demopolis – Morrison is among the most underappreciated players in the county. He was the unquestioned stalwart of the Demopolis offensive line and profiles as probably the best offensive lineman in the county. He has been nothing short of irreplaceable for Demopolis the last two seasons.
OL – Ryan Chafin, Sweet Water – Chafin is a three-year O-line starter on a team that rushed for 4,854 yards and 63 touchdowns. Moreover, he is a high quality, high character kid that is indicative of what the Bulldogs want embodied in their student-athletes.
OL – William Tutt, Marengo Academy – Tutt’s only year in the AISA was impactful as he helped lead the Longhorn offensive line after having cut his teeth at the AHSAA, Class 5A level. At 6-1, 250, he helped anchor the MA front while also playing plenty of noseguard on defense.
OL – Carson Huckabee, Marengo Academy – Huckabee could have made the case to make this list on the defensive side after recording 111 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on the defensive side of the ball for the Longhorns. But his tenacity and execution really proved an invaluable asset along the offensive front for MA.
OL – Jalen Bell, Linden – Bell proved among the most consistent offensive linemen in the county in 2013 while blocking for a perennially strong Patriot ground game. The junior also finished with 53 tackles, 18 TFLs, seven sacks and four forced fumbles on the defensive side of the ball.
ATH – Demarcus Gamble, Sweet Water – Gamble takes an athlete spot because he got it done at fullback, tight end and on defense. At 6-1, 240, Gamble proved the toughest player in the county to bring down while running largely in between the tackles for that hard yardage the Bulldogs needed. He finished with 858 yards and 15 touchdowns on 163 carries as well as five catches for 63 yards and two scores. Throw in 71 tackles and an interception return for a touchdown on defense and you have a jack-of-all trades kind of guy.
ATH – Hayden Huckabee, Marengo Academy – Huckabee is not at running back because the athlete designation best illustrates the overall impact the sophomore had during the season. He ran for 1,522 yards and 23 touchdowns on only 136 carries. He completed 23 of his 31 pass attempts for 461 yards and two scores and he returned one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns. His 148 rushing yards and three scores in the state title game were just the icing on the cake.
ATH – Lawrence Burrell, A.L. Johnson – Burrell looks like a man amongst boys at times. A.L. Johnson’s best player battled injuries all season long but still managed more than 800 yards on the ground in only seven games. Factor in his defensive contributions and you have a player who was key to the Eagles’ 8-3 season.
DEFENSE
DL – Tyler Merriweather, Demopolis – Merriweather will be the first to tell anyone he is not happy with his defensive statistics. However, his impact on a game goes far beyond stats. The Georgia Tech commit’s sheer presence helped inflate his teammates’ numbers as teams ran away from him all season. He did finish with 19 tackles for loss in 11 games though.
DL – DeAmonte Greene, Sweet Water – Perhaps the most unusual player on this list, Greene led the county in tackles with 149 despite playing defensive line as a 5-6, 150-pound sophomore. But, as unorthodox as he may be, there is no disputing the results.
DL – Hollis Bright, Demopolis – Forget numbers. The 300-plus pounder makes this list simply because he is the single most unblockable player in the entire county. Bright is a gap eater with a motor and a bonafide mean streak.
DL – Deshon Kilpatrick, Sweet Water – As a junior, Kilpatrick recorded 107 tackles from the Bulldogs’ defensive line in 2013. That’s plenty of production for the 6-2, 245-pounder.
LB – Jatevin Horn, Marengo – Nobody came from further off the radar to do more than Horn did in 2013. In 11 games, the 5-9 inside backer recorded 148 total tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 18 sacks and two interceptions. He also ran for 1,238 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Panther offense.
LB – Peyton Pearson, Demopolis – Pearson was the Tigers’ tackle leader in 2013. Undersized for a 5A linebacker, Pearson’s ability to fly to the ball made Demopolis’ 4-2-5 scheme work in 2013. Nobody is more tenacious.
LB – Chris Rogers, Linden – A four-year starter at 6-1, 249 the middle linebacker recorded 125 tackles, 25 TFLs, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries this season. He also served as the team’s left tackles on offense.
LB – Hayden Hall, Marengo Academy – Nobody speaks softer while playing louder than Hall. The 5-9 junior tallied 124 tackles and eight sacks while forcing six fumbles and recovering four drops for the Longhorns in 2013.
DB – Warren Boykin, A.L. Johnson – Boykin quietly anchored the A.L. Johnson secondary in 2013, finishing with five interceptions to tie for tops in the county in that category.
DB – Kynard Craig, Linden – You have to see Craig play to truly understand how impactful he is on a game. At 6-4, 175, he is a big safety with ball skills. He finished with four interceptions to go along with 74 tackles and 14 tackles for loss in 2013. He also took two of those interceptions back for touchdowns. Craig showed himself solidly on offense as well with six receiving touchdowns.
DB – Daniel Sewell, Sweet Water – He played tailback, Wildcat quarterback, kick return and corner, so we could have put him a lot of places on this list. But Sewell is truly the best cover corner in the county. He also tied for county lead in interceptions with five while recording 52 total tackles. Factor in a kick return touchdown, a punt return TD, an interception return TD and 712 rushing yards and seven scores and you have one dynamic player.
DB – Alston Dinning, Marengo Academy – Dinning is an interesting case study. With very little defensive experience prior to 2013, he stepped in during his first season at MA and tied for the interception lead in the county with five.
ATH – Michael Lewis, Marengo – Lewis got it done on both sides of the ball in 2013. He ran for 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Panthers on offense. But it was his 91 tackles and four sacks from the safety spot that stood out the most to us.
ATH – Tanner Luker, Sweet Water – He is in the athlete spot because he played on both sides of the ball. Luker is probably the best of the Sweet Water offensive linemen and he recorded 108 tackles from his linebacker position.
SPECIALISTS
P – Stephen Stewart, Demopolis – Stewart averaged 36 yards per punt in 42 attempts that totaled more tan 1,500 yards. But the senior punter really showed his worth as a field position maven with three kicks in excess of 50 yards (52, 57, 64) and 14 the stuck opposing offenses inside their own 20.
K – Leif Midgorden, Demopolis – If we had a most improved award, it might just go to Leif Midgorden. Referred to jokingly as “The Norse god of Kicking” by the Watchman, Midgorden took steps toward living up to that moniker in 2013 when he connected on all 45 of his extra point attempts and went 5-for-7 on field goals to easily lead the county. He proved a legitimate weapon for the Tigers this season.