YOUTH FARES WELL ON ALL-KANAWHA TEAM
Publication:
Published: 12/04/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: YOUTH FARES WELL ON ALL-KANAWHA TEAM
Byline: TOM ALUISE
A youth movement has infiltrated this year's
Ten of the 26 players
selected to the squad are underclassmen,
including one sophomore.
And 1997's Player of the
Year, DuPont tailback Tremain Straughter,
is
a junior.
Other honors go to DuPont's
Dick Whitman as the Coach of the Year and
Nitro defensive back Jeff Clark as Rookie of the Year. Clark, a
sophomore who didn't play as a ninth-grader, picked off a county-best
10 passes from his free safety spot.
The team is selected by the
Daily Mail sports department.
Whitman directed a DuPont
team that entered the season on a seven-game
losing streak to the Class AAA semifinals and a 10-3 record.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Straughter, compiled a remarkable year, his
first as a starter. He rushed for 2,025 yards on 250 carries and
scored 27 touchdowns for the Panthers, who lost to
24-19, in last week's semifinals.
In that game, Straughter carried 22 times for a staggering 258 yards
and three TDs. And he did it despite mud up to his
ankles and
Marion
"That's as good of a
performance as we've ever had out of one of our
running backs,' Whitman said. "I'm telling you,
he was on another
level.'
Straughter, in fact, might have approached
another level in DuPont's
record books.
Whitman said he can't
remember another Panther back ever amassing
2,000 yards in a season.
"I don't recall a back
at DuPont ever getting over 2,000 yards,'
Whitman said. "Not as long as I've been here.
That's a ton of
yardage.'
Straughter averaged 8.1 yards per carry and
155.8 yards per game on
the season. He finished with 29 TDs, including a punt
return and pass
reception.
As a defensive back, he was
credited with eight pass breakups and one
interception.
And as a returner, Straughter averaged
18.1 yards on punts and 31.3 on
kickoffs.
Other DuPont players
selected to the all-county team include sophomore
offensive lineman Mark Neely; senior defensive lineman Steve Raike;
junior defensive back Mike Hill, the team leader in tackles and
interceptions (4); and senior linebackers David Pates, Jamie White and
Lewis Tose.
Class AAA quarterfinalist
Capital has six players on the club:
tailback Clyde Tyler rushed for 1,462 yards on 183 carries (8.0 per
rush) and scored 17 TDs; offensive lineman Ryan
Edmonds opened holes
for Tyler; defensive lineman Todd Miller was effective against the
run; linebacker Marc Harris was underrated; Roqson
Boyd was the
Cougars' top defensive back; and punter Noah Dillard averaged nearly
38 yards per kick.
Nitro quarterback J.R.
House missed the Wildcats' first four games but
in the seven he did play, he piled up 3,272 yards passing and 33 TDs.
House threw 11 TD passes in Nitro's two playoff games.
Other Wildcats
earning county honors are receiver Chris Martin, who
pulled in 74 passes for 1,331 yards and 17 TDs;
hard-nosed running
back Zack Collins, who rushed for 724 yards and caught 45 passes for
357 yards during the regular season and reliable offensive lineman
Justin Valleau.
East Bank has four players
on the squad: offensive lineman David
Kersey; receiver Travis Walker, who caught 31 passes for 442 yards and
four TDs; defensive end Mitch Pack and defensive back
Jeremiah
Ferrell, who picked off four passes in addition to rushing for 1,199
yards and 11 TDs at tailback.
passes for 738 yards and eight TDs and was equally as
impressive on
defense; defensive back Chris Knapper, who had 41
catches on offense
and kicker Jeremy Nelson, who booted six field goals, including a
42-yarder.
Other picks include
lineman Bill Hitchman.