By By Chandler Myers
It’s that time again. The All-Stars for the Atmore area football teams have been decided, and each player on the team earned their way on the roster.
The Atmore Advance’s 2009 All-Area team is in its fifth year and the players and coach of the year now making its third appearance. This is a great thing for the paper, the teams and even the fans.
For the paper, we get to honor those players who stood out during the season.
This season was a turnaround for two teams with Escambia Academy and Northview each bouncing back in 2009 with winning seasons. Congratulations to them.
Finding a Player of the Year was difficult on offense because of the production by several players. Rico Stallworth was chosen because he displayed great athleticism and finished with more yards than he had before despite an injury.
The other top contenders for the Offensive Player of the Year were both from Escambia Academy. Sophomore running back Jaylen Henry had an excellent season with 1,028 yards and 16 TDs. Jon Dean also ran for more than 1,000 yards and scored six TDs.
Defensively, the Player of the Year was easy to make a decision on. The player that received put up more tackles than any player on his team or the area. His next closest competitor was 40 behind him.
Escambia Academy’s senior linebacker Cameron “Cowboy” McGhee recorded 144 tackles this season. He played diehard football every game and earned this year’s award with a lot of heart and effort.
Coach of the Year has been awarded to a coach who never lost faith in his players after a rough 2008 campaign.
Escambia Academy Cougars Head Coach Heath Gibson came into 2009 looking for just a little success. What he got was a team that was ready to fight each and every week.
The Cougars had one of the most successful seasons in history and also won their first playoff game in their time in AISA.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123 or by e-mail at sports@atmoreadvance.com.