2014 WCBI End Zone Awards: Team of the Year & All-End Zone First Team Revealed

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — For the third consecutive year, the sports team at WCBI has compiled its list of the best players from the viewing area in the state of Mississippi in high school football. The WCBI Sports team of Robby Donoho & Tommy Lopez carefully debated and decided over the best players, teams, coaches, and moments of the 2014 high school football season.

Below are the finalists and winner of the 2014 End Zone Offensive Player of the Year award and the 2014 All-End Zone honorable mentions.

(Stats and information are provided by the schools and MaxPreps)

2014 END ZONE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ja’Marcus Bradley, QB, Choctaw County

** Was the senior quarterback of the Chargers good this year? Yes, and that’s putting it mildly. ‘Mark’ as everyone at Choctaw County calls him, was darn near unstoppable during the 2014 season.

(Star Herald)
Senior quarterback Jamarcus Bradley of Choctaw County is our 2014 End Zone Offensive Player of the Year.

The leader of the Chargers threw for 1,437 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. That’s only scratching the surface on the season he had under center. 2,606 rushing yards. Yes, you read that correctly. 2,606. Mark did not have a game where he rushed for under 200 yards this season. That includes his 31 carries, 518 yards and 10 touchdown performance versus Union on September 12th. Those may seem like video game numbers, but it’s all real life.

Bradley accounted for 56 touchdowns this season from Choctaw County. As a team, the Chargers had 67 touchdowns on offense. That means over 83% of the touchdowns scored by the Choctaw County offense came from the guy wearing No. 3. With all of that put together, we are awarding Choctaw County senior quarterback Ja’Marcus Bradley the 2014 End Zone Offensive Player of the Year award!

Offensive Player of the Year Finalists
Brady Davis, QB, Starkville
Diamante Pounds, RB, Saltillo
Brenton Spann, RB, New Hope
Jamarlo Smith, RB, Nanih Waiya

2014 END ZONE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jeffrey Simmons, DL, Noxubee County

(Mississippi Gridiron)
Noxubee County defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons is the 2014 End Zone Defensive Player of the Year.

**As a Sophomore, Jeffrey Simmons broke onto the scene with his relentless pass rush and top-notch tackling skills. This year as a junior, he has taken that to another level.

Even more impressive is this stat: Simmons forced eight fumbles this season and recovered five. No other defensive lineman in the state has those kinds of numbers stripping the football. His abilities in the special teams also came in handy as he blocked two punts in the postseason this year including his block versus St. Stanislaus that led to the game’s opening touchdown in the 4A State Championship.

It also may help his case a bit to see him dominate on offense as a receiver in the red zone. With all of that being said, it’s easy to see that junior defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons is our 2014 End Zone Defensive Player of the Year!

Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
Justin Clifton, LB, Tupelo
Denver McQuary, Houston
Antavius Moody, Coffeeville
Tyler Rogers, Starkville

2014 END ZONE COACH OF THE YEAR
Kris Pickle, New Hope
** We had phenomenal nominees for our 2014 Coach of the Year but one stands out above the rest.

New Hope head coach Kris Pickle is our 2014 End Zone Coach of the Year.

Kris Pickle came into a difficult situation for his first year as head coach at New Hope. The program was in turmoil after the departure of Shawn Gregory and someone had to be the backbone of the rebuilding job. The only problem was there was no rebuilding job in the first year under Pickle.

New Hope was flying out of the gates under their new head coach and began the season winning their first seven games, the longest win streak to begin the season for the Trojans in recent memory. The offense was putting up points at a rapid pace and the defense was shutting down opposing teams like the Trojans had never done before.

The crowning achievement of the season was New Hope’s 20-15 win at West Point, which was the Trojans’ first win over the Green Wave since the 1995 season. The 2014 Trojans claimed the second best record in school history as they finished 10-3 while also earning their first playoff victory since 2010.

To take over a team that went 4-7 the previous season and lead them to 10 wins is remarkable. With all of that being said, Kris Pickle is our 2014 End Zone Coach of the Year!

Coach of the Year Finalists
Andy Crotwell, Caledonia
Tate Hanna, Nanih Waiya
Perry Liles, Calhoun City
Jamie Mitchell, Starkville
Tyrone Shorter, Noxubee County
Jeff Terrill, Starkville Academy
Doug Wilson, East Webster

2014 END ZONE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Noxubee County Tigers

(Macon Beacon)
Noxubee County is our 2014 End Zone Team of the Year.

** For the second time in three years, our End Zone Team of the Year hails from the great city of Macon, Mississippi.

Noxubee County flew under the radar for most of the 2014 season, and it should never have gone down that way. The Tigers had one of their more dominant seasons in recent memory and it culminated with a State Championship in December.

Head Coach Tyrone Shorter told us before the season that his offense would average between “35 to 40 points per game” this season. Everyone scoffed at that figure thinking that Noxubee was known for their defense. How would they be able to put up those kinds of points?

Sure enough, they did. Noxubee averaged 35.4 points per game this season and scored over 40 on seven different occasions. All the while, the Tiger D was nasty as usual as just two teams that they faced in 4A or below scored more than 20 on them this year.

What’s even scarier: the Tigers return eight starters on offense for 2015 including talented quarterback Timorrius Conner, 1,000 yard rusher Shunnessy Sherrod and outstanding wide receiver Kymbotric Mason PLUS our 2014 End Zone Defensive Player of the Year in Jeffery Simmons.

This may very well just be the beginning to what’s setting up for a back to back State Title run for the Noxubee County Tigers. With all of that, it’s easy to see how the 2014 Noxubee County Tigers are our 2014 End Zone Team of the Year!

2014 All-End Zone – FIRST TEAM
QB – Brady Davis, Starkville
RB – Jamarlo Smith, Nanih Waiya
RB – Diamante Pounds, Saltillo
RB – Brenton Spann, New Hope
WR – Ralph Leonard, Starkville
WR – DK Metcalf, Oxford
WR – AJ Brown, Starkville
OL – Cody Cliett, Caledonia
OL – Eli Johnson, Lafayette
OL – Nathan Cox, Tupelo
OL – Chris Humphries, West Point
OL – Michael Story, Ripley
ATH – Brieton Sykes, Calhoun City
K – Michael Godley, Starkville

DL – Derion Ford, Starkville
DL – Trinity Conner, Noxubee County
DL – Jimmy Tyes, Baldwyn
DL – Jalon Sangster, Louisville
LB – Justin Clifton, Tupelo
LB – Mike McGhee, Oxford
LB – Quendarion Bennett, Noxubee County
DB – Jarvis Wilson, Tupelo
DB – Antavius Moody, Coffeeville
DB – Denver McQuary, Houston
DB – Wesley Bush, Noxubee County
DB – Tyler Rogers, Starkville
P – Tyler Cosby, East Webster

2014 All-End Zone – SECOND TEAM
QB – Jack Abraham, Oxford
RB – Tavonta Hadley, Tupelo
RB – Kenzie Phillips, Oxford
RB – Matt Fuller, Starkville
RB – Brandon Henry, Caledonia
WR – Brooks Shannon, North Pontotoc
WR – Jerrick Orr, Aberdeen
WR – Tyrique Armstrong-Gunn, Bruce
WR – Steffon Moore, West Point
OL – Austin Talley, New Hope
OL – Jalen Bell, Amory
OL – AJ Smith, Starkville
OL – Orinthial Walker, Louisville
OL – Kobe Jones, Starkville
OL – Kirk Sisson, Louisville
ATH – Duke Upshaw, Baldwyn
ATH – Jack Wilson, East Webster
ATH – Jay Johnson, Bruce
K – Alex Robles, Water Valley

DL – Lorenzo Dantzler, Starkville
DL – Shaun Kolheim, Tupelo
DL – Xavier Taylor, Saltillo
DL – Krayveon Harris, West Lowndes
LB – Alonzo Flowers, Starkville
LB – Nyang Wek, French Camp
LB – CJ Williams, Aberdeen
DB – Darron Temple, New Hope
DB – KT McCollin, Oxford
DB – Darrell Brandon, Noxubee County
DB – Armani Linton, Walnut
DB – Kirkland Horton, Water Valley
P – Austin Holloway, Booneville

2014 All-End Zone – THIRD TEAM
QB – Timorrius Conner, Noxubee County
QB – Josh Williams, Aberdeen
RB – Lamontae Salley, Eupora
RB – Shunnessy Sherrod, Noxubee County
RB – Demarcus Brooks, Louisville
RB – Brandon Townsend, Houston
RB – Kadarius Forside, West Point
WR – Ladaveon Smith, Noxubee County
WR – Isaiah Howard, Ripley
WR – Dontea Jones, Louisville
WR – Bryson Ellis, New Hope
OL – Cason Collins, Baldwyn
OL – Bobby May, Noxubee County
OL – Brock Flemings, East Webster
OL – Noah Hill, Calhoun City
OL – Caleb Roberson, Oak Hill Academy
OL – Matt Prentice, Baldwyn
ATH – Zay Cullens, North Pontotoc
ATH – Chakel Gates, Calhoun City
ATH – Tay Rucker, Mooreville
ATH – Deangelo Liggins, East Webster
K – Corey McCullough, Louisville

DL – Cedric Buford, New Albany
DL – Jordan Ware, North Pontotoc
DL – Trip Brown, Louisville
DL – Payton Lane, New Hope
DL – Jamal Wren, Tupelo
LB – Julius Love, Louisville
LB – Armontie Price, Baldwyn
LB – Jeremy Newton, New Hope
LB – Demarcus Rogers, Tupelo
LB – CJ Coleman, North Pontotoc
LB – Dee McNeal, Water Valley
DB – Blake Slaughter, Starkville Academy
DB – Tyler Staples, New Hope
DB – Tyreke Gates, Aberdeen
DB – Alex Lipscomb, Columbus
DB – Malcomb Jones, East Webster
P – Drake McCarter, Saltillo

2014 All-End Zone Team – HONORABLE MENTIONS
Quarterback
Trey Pittman, Eupora
Caleb Nelson, North Pontotoc
Stone Sisson, New Hope
Vijay Miller, Itawamba AHS
Jack Simpson, Booneville
Z Gates, Amory
Spencer Unruh, Caledonia
Antares Gwyn, Corinth
Will Quinn, Walnut
Jonathan Waycaster, Hatley
Jacob Turner, Baldwyn

Running Back
Keshon Heard, Hamilton
JC Buchanan, Okolona
James Christian, Booneville
Chris Rucker, Mooreville
Chance Lindsey, Hatley
Javone Dudley, Coffeeville
Chris Smith, Nanih Waiya
Demontae Rush, West Point
Dequin Babbit, Okolona
Kendre Conner, Columbus
Jevontrae Williams, West Lowndes
Jeramie Lawrence, Falkner
Hunter White, Itawamba AHS
Quincy Starks, West Point
JT Herring, New Site
Brandon Bounds, Water Valley
Tyrell Price, Lafayette
DC Olton, Winona
Keon Coleman, Louisville
Dee Moore, Smithville
Kylin Hill, Columbus
TJ Fields, Amory
Taylor Franks, Mooreville
Drew Harrell, Starkville Academy
Logan Pettigo, Mantachie
Austin Morphis, South Pontotoc
Donte Carter, Aberdeen

Wide Receiver/Tight End
Alex Norwood, Tupelo
Tarmarcus Silvers, Noxubee County
LJ Hawkins, Water Valley
Corson Gunn, Eupora
Rod Hogan, Columbus
Kymbotric Mason, Noxubee County
Cameron Montgomery, Shannon
Jaylon Jernighan, Hatley
Walker Brown, Heritage Academy
Cole Gullette, Caledonia
Jordan England, Calhoun City
Kyree White, Oxford
Greg Gambrel, North Pontotoc
Zach Cousar, Oxford
Braudrique Boyd, New Albany