Below are my mid-season high school football awards. In choosing my awards, I'm including players from all schools located in the main counties of our viewing area (Butte, Shasta, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, and Trinity). I hope you enjoy.
Team of the Year: Enterprise Hornets
Despite dealing with an injury to Senior Wide Receiver James Williams, the Enterprise Hornets have managed to jump out to a very impressive 7-0 record. With wins over their rival Shasta, Pleasant Valley, Foothill and Corning, the Hornets have proven that so far, they are the best team in the North State. Look for that trend to continue throughout the rest of the season because Head Coach Darren Trueblood keeps his team very focused on the task at hand. Senior Quarterback Anthony Williams and Senior Running Back Bryan Coleman have both been spectacular this year and they should continue to provide the Hornets with a two-headed monster that most teams won't be able to handle.
Runner-ups: Portola Tigers, Corning Cardinals
Player of the Year: Evan Taylor - Shasta Wolves
Shasta Running Back Evan Taylor is the epitomy of a great high school football player. The bruising back has dominated the North State for two and half years at the varsity level and should continue to do so throughout the rest of the season. He runs hard every time he touches the rock and is able to break off some of the more spectacular runs you will ever see. Just take this into persepctive, through seven games this year, Taylor has rushed 127 times for 960 yards, an average of 7.56, that's ridiculous. Also, he's managed to get into the end-zone a measley 18 times, that's also ridiculous. E.T. is a big time talent and so far, he's my choice for the North State high school Heisman.
Runner-ups: Bryan Coleman - Enteprise, Chris Huckins - Greenville
Coach of the Year: Darren Trueblood - Enterprise Hornets
At the beginning of the year, if somebody had told me that Enterprise would be the best team in the tough Eastern Athletic League at the half-way point of the season, I would have laughed. Well now, Darren Trueblood and his Enterprise Hornets are the one's laughing, laughing all the way to their first place position in the standings. Somehow, week in and week out, Trueblood has his Hornets extremely focused to play football. They don't make very many mistakes and they play to their strengths, mainly giving the ball to QB Anthony Williams and RB Bryan Coleman.
Runner-ups: John Studer - Corning, Steve Heskett - Portola, Javier Lopez - Wheatland
Offensive Player of the Year: Anthony Williams - Enterprise Hornets
Okay, okay, I know, three of my four first awards belong to the Enterprise Hornets, but believe me, the Hornets deserve them. If you ask their Head Coach Darren Trueblood who is the most important player on his team, he will tell you Anthony Williams and he will also sing a line of praise about his Senior Quarterback that will leave you wondering just how good Williams is. The answer, real good. Williams is the combination of intelligence, athleticism and leadership that every coach would love to have lining up under center. Ultimately, he's a better runner than passer but I think his most valuable asset is his ability to make good decisions with the football. Anthony Williams is the main reason the Hornets are 7-0.
Runner-ups: Lt Hisey - Dunsmuir, Scott Harrison - Hayfork
Defensive Player of the Year: Clint Johnson - Wheatland Pirates
Clint Johnson, a Senior Middle Linebacker for the Wheatland Pirates has already put up a season's worth of numbers and we're only half-way through the year. So far Johnson has accumulated 122 tackles, an average of 17.4 per game. He's also sacked the Quarterback 5 times, caused 2 fumbles and intercepted 1 pass. I repeat, we're only half-way through the year. Honestly, I can't wait to see the end of the season totlas for this beast from Wheatland, they should be pretty darn impressive.
Runner-ups: Aaron Ropp - Paradise, Derek Mench - Maxwell
Junior of the Year: Jamiel Hardman - Chico Panthers
If you haven't had the opportunity to watch RB Jamiel Hardman from the Chico Panthers, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Hardman has been a big time focal point of the Panthers offense this season and he's rewarded Head Coach Jason Alvistur with 992 yards on 139 carries and 8 touchdowns. There's no doubt that Hardman has definitely broken out during his Junior season but I can't help but think just how good he can be next year as a Senior.
Runner-ups: Derek Mench - Maxwell, Scott Harrison - Hayfork, Jordan Rigsbee - Pleasant Valley
Most Versatile Player: Jordan Rigsbee - Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley Viking Jordan Rigsbee is a beast in the trenches. He plays both sides of the ball as an Offensive and Defensive Lineman. He's 6'4", weighs about 275 and will flat out run you over. I feel like the Junior is a little more polished as an Offensive Lineman and when you watch him block, it's a beautiful thing. He has a tendency to push whoever he's blocking ten to fifteen yards down the field and doesn't quit until the play is completely over. Look for him to dominate as a Senior next year.
Runner-ups: Marcial Lawson - Foothill, Darren Lee - Lassen
So there you have it, these are my mid-season awards for high school football around the North State. Let me be the first to tell you that there are very deserving players who were left off this list so if you feel the need to put in your two cents about players, coaches or teams that you think belong on here, please comment. Other than that, thanks for reading.
