Finalists released for Standard football awards
The high school football season officially came to an end this past weekend when state champions were crowned in classes AAAA, AAA and AA. The Aiken Standard, though, isn't quite ready to let such an entertaining season come to a close. On Monday, the Standard released its finalists for its three major annual awards on the high school football scene - Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Football fans love to see offense, and there was plenty of it generated from area teams this year. The finalists for the Offensive Player of the Year, which will be announced on Dec. 22, are North Augusta quarterback Loranzo Hammonds, North Augusta wide receiver Matt Hazel and Williston-Elko running back Kendic Salley.
Hammonds led the area in passing, averaging more than 175 yards per game through the air, but it was the junior's dual-threat capabilities that made him so difficult to stop. Always seeming to come up with the big play when the Yellow Jackets needed it most, Hammonds also rushed for nearly 1,000 yards this season. Overall, Hammonds accounted for more than 250 yards of production per game and scored nearly 30 touchdowns this season.
Hammonds' top target was senior wide receiver Matt Hazel, who is still working through his offers to decide his collegiate future. Hazel had more than 1,100 receiving yards this season, more than double the total of any other area receiver, and he found the end zone 18 times.
Salley did most of his damage on the ground. The area's top rusher, Salley nearly reached the 2,000-yard plateau while leading his Blue Devils to a Class A, Division II state title. He scored 29 touchdowns on the year and averaged more than 135 rushing yards per game.
The old football cliche is that offense wins games but defense wins championships, and area teams did their best to prove that statement to be correct. Three of the top stars on that side of the ball included Defensive Player of the Year finalists Marcus Bates (Williston-Elko), Dexter Staley (Williston-Elko) and Tavaughn Gaines (Silver Bluff). The award will be announced on Dec. 23.
Bates, a junior linebacker,
led the area with 147 tackles this season, averaging more than 10 stops per game. He had 19.5 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and two sacks for a Blue Devil team that gave up just 11 points per contest.
His teammate, Staley, was a threat on both sides of the football - as well as serving as a punter, kicker and return man - but some of his biggest contributions came on defense, where he finished the year with 48 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery.
Gaines, a senior linebacker, was one of the top tacklers in the area, finishing the year with 63 solo tackles and 63 assisted tackles. The three-year starter had 10 tackles for loss and three sacks on the season, and he also was credited with two fumble recoveries and an interception.
All of that talent can't come together without the right leaders, and the Aiken area saw some great coaching performances this season as well. Topping the list were the three finalists - North Augusta's Dan Pippin, Williston-Elko's Dwayne Garrick and Midland Valley's Rick Knight. The top coach will be announced on Dec. 24.
Pippin took a team that was 1-10 his first season in 2006 to a 10-1 regular season this time around. The Yellow Jackets advanced to the second round of the Class AAAA Division II playoffs before losing to Goose Creek on the road. North Augusta averaged more than 34 points per game on offense, while allowing fewer than 15 points per game to its opponents.
Garrick experienced the type of season every coach dreams of achieving. His Blue Devils blew out basically every team on its schedule, winning by at least 18 points in every game prior to the Class A Division II state title clash against Scott's Branch. His team closed the deal in that game, winning 34-26 to bring the trophy back to Williston. The Blue Devils scored 49.8 points per game while opponents scored just 11.
Knight, the 2008 Aiken Standard Coach of the Year, did what could be considered an even better job this season. After losing his top passer, rusher and receiver from his 2008 region championship team, Knight guided this year's Mustangs to an 8-2 regular season that included wins over Silver Bluff, Batesburg-Leesville and South Aiken. A loss at Airport was the only thing that kept Midland Valley from repeating as region champs, and the Mustangs picked up a first-round win over Crestwood in the playoffs before bowing out to Myrtle Beach in the second round.
Who do you think should win the Aiken Standard's awards? Visit www.aikenstandard.com to cast your vote for the Offensive Player of the Year and come back each day to vote on the other winners.