Florida HS Football’s All-First Weekend State Finals Team

ORLANDO – After the first weekend of the FHSAA Football Finals, quite a few players turned in some memorable performances that saw some teams win state championships, while others tried their best to make it worth the effort of playing in the Citrus Bowl.

Here is FloridaHSFootball.com’s All-First Weekend Team as selected based upon final statistical information from the games, input from Joshua Wilson and Corey Davis who attended the finals and from coaches based upon performances.

State Finals Results

Class 1A: Trenton 56, Port St. Joe 21
Class 2A: University Christian 61, Cambridge Christian 16
Class 3A: Jacksonville Trinity Christian 30, Delray Beach American Heritage 3
Class 4A: Booker T. Washington 43, Raines 23

First Team Offense

QB – Billy Cobb, 6-1, 200, Sr., Trinity Christian – Had a phenomenal game for the Conquerors in the Class 3A Final going 10 of 25 passing for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Also ran the ball six times for 36 yards.

RB – Alex Rutledge, 5-8, 183, Sr., Raines – Despite not scoring a touchdown and having one fumble, Rutledge was a decent rusher carrying the ball 24 times for 147 yards while having six catches for 52 yards.

RB – Montrez Jackson, 5–9, 165, Jr., Trenton – Racked up 112 all-purpose yards (103 rushing) and scored one touchdown in the Class 1A Final. Also had four total tackles including a half tackle for loss on defense.

RB – Otis Anderson, 5-11, 180, Jr., University Christian – Carried the ball 10 times for 107 yards and scored two of nine total rushing touchdowns for the Christians in the Class 2A Final. Also had one tackle and one pass breakup on defense.

WR – D.J, Matthews, 5-11, 165, Jr., Trinity Christian – Had only three catches, but totaled 124 yards and a touchdown in the Class 3A Final against American Heritage.

WR – Darius Scott, 5-10, 170, Sr. Booker T. Washington – Caught five passes for 100 yards and one touchdown in the Tornadoes state-record fourth consecutive state championship win in the Class 4A Final.

WR – Gustavious Dames, 5-0, 160, Sr., Booker T. Washington – Second leading receiver on the tonight for the Tornadoes, catching 2 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown in the Class 4A Final.

OL – Dakota Harding, 5-9, 210, Sr., Trenton – Was one of the key cogs to blocking and opening up running lanes for Hamp Cheevers big night of 200 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in the Class 1A Final.

OL – Solomon Kindley, 6-5, 330, Sr., Raines – Was one of the big reasons for Alex Rutledge achieving over 140 yards rushing in the Class 4A Final despite Rutledge not scoring any touchdowns.

OL – Alex Wilcox, 6-0, 265, Jr., University Christian – Was a major contributor to opening up holes in the Christians 412 yard rushing effort that produced nine rushing touchdowns in the Class 2A Final.

OL – Andrew Wilcox, 6-0, 265, Jr., University Christian – Like his twin brother, Wilcox was a major contributor to opening up holes in the Christians 412 yard rushing effort that produced nine rushing touchdowns in the Class 2A Final.

ATH – Trey Sanders, 6-2, 180, Fr., Port St. Joe – Sanders who is only a freshmen, made the biggest name of any of the Tiger Sharks athletes in the Class 1A Final, racking up 244 all-purpose yards (140 kick return) and scored one receiving touchdown while collecting up five tackles on defense.

AP – Hussein Howe Jr., 5-10, 180, Sr., University Christian – Turned in a huge day in the Class 2A Final with 191 yards rushing and five touchdowns, plus one catch for 43 yards on offense. On Defense Howe was also all over the field, collecting up nine tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

AP – Hamp Cheevers, 5-11, 165, Sr., Trenton – The only running back to rush 200-yards in any of the four state finals games, Cheevers also scored with three rushing touchdowns and was a force on the defense collecting up three touchdowns and intercepting two Port St. Joe passes in the Class 1A final.

First Team Defense

DL – Brian Roberts, 6-1, 195, Jr., Trinity Christian – Not listed initially as a projected started for the Class 3A Final, Roberts turned in a solid game with three tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss.

DL – Jaquan Bailey, 6-3, 235, Sr., Raines – Had seven tackles, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries during the Class 4A Final.

DL – Jaquan Beaver, 5-11, 190, So., Booker T. Washington – Only a sophomore, Beaver had an outstanding game, collecting up eight total tackles, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries in the Class 4A Final

DL – Anthony Mitchell, 6-0, 243, Sr., Trinity Christian – Led the Conquerors in tackles in the Class 3A Final with 10 tackles, plus had two tackles for loss.

LB – Michael Pickney, 6-1, 225, Sr., Raines – Was the biggest star of the Raines defense in the Class 4A Final, collecting up seven total tackles, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one interception and one quarterback hurry.

LB – Robert Hicks, 6-2, 210, So., Booker T. Washington – Another sophomore that had a solid night for the Tornadoes in the Class 4A Final, Hicks collecting up eight total tackles, one and half sacks, three and half tackles for loss, forcing one fumble and one quarterback hurry in the Class 4A State Final.

LB – Eriq Gilyard, 6-0, 205, So., Trinity Christian – Another underclassmen that had a nice day in the spotlight on the field, Gilyard collected up eight total tackles and half a tackle for loss in the Class 3A Final.

DB – Saun Paul Nobles, 5-11, 180, University Christian – All over the field on defense for the Christians, Nobles turned in a solid performance in the Class 2A Final with two tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups.

DB – Dedrick Mims, 5-10, 195, Sr., Raines – Another Raines athlete that was solid in the Class 4A Final, collecting up four total tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hurry.

DB – Richard Dames, 5-11, 165, Jr., Booker T. Washington – Another of many the underclassmen athletes that contributed for the Tornadoes in the Class 4A Final, Dames led the team in total tackles with 13, recorded half a sack, one tackle for loss and had one pass breakup as well as one quarterback hurry.

DB – Dedrick Mackey, 5-11, 170, Jr., Booker T. Washington – One of three players to finish with 10 total tackles for the Tornadoes in the Class 4A Final, Mackey also had one forced fumble, one interception and one pass breakup during the game.

DB – Marquis Decius, 5-10, 175, Sr., Booker T. Washington – Collected up 10 total tackles in the Class 4A Final, forced one fumble, one pass breakup and returned one interception for 100 yards and a defensive touchdown.

AP – Shaun Wade, 6-2, 174, Jr., Trinity Christian – Had four total tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass breakup on defense during the Class 3A Final. Also had two catches for 46 yards on offense as well.

AP – Michael Smith, 5-11, 170, Jr., Trenton – Was another athlete that had stats across both sides of the ball for Trenton in the Class 1A Final, collecting up six total tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception. Went two for seven at quarterback with both completions going to Brooks Martin for two touchdown receptions.

First Team Specialists

K – Marcus Mannerstedt, 6-0, 170, Sr., Trenton – Was eight for eight on extra point attempts during the game and his nine kickoffs averaged 55.7 yards per kickoff on 501 yards with five kickoffs going for touchbacks in the Class 1A Final.

P – Billy Mitchell, 5-11, 180, Jr. American Heritage – His six punts averaged 44.5 yards per punt with his longest punt being of 70 yards and three punts being pinned inside the Trinity Christian 20-yard line in the Class 3A Final.

Returner – Bishop Bonnett, 5-7, 145, Sr., Raines – Had three kickoff returns for 144 yards including a long return of 65 yards in the Class 4A Final.

Most Valuable Players

Offensive MVP: Hamp Cheevers, Trenton
Defensive MVP: Hussein Howe Jr., University Christian

Best Coaching Performance

Earl Tillman Jr., Booker T. Washington – Taking a team with a 5-5 record and being able to keep the team focused with a lot of young talent during the playoffs led to a fifth consecutive appearance in the state finals, while tying a state-record with a fourth consecutive state championship victory in the Class 4A Final.

Best Team Offensive Performance

University Christian – Team rushed for 419 total yards, the most of any of the eight teams in the first weekend of the state finals with all nine touchdowns scored coming in the rushing game during the Class 2A Final.

Best Team Defensive Performance

Trinity Christian – Despite allowing American Heritage over 230 yards of total defense, the Conquerors stood their ground against the Stallions, holding them to three total points during the game while intercepting two passes in the Class 3A Final

Honorable Mention

Quarterbacks: Augie DeBiase, 6-2, 215, Sr., Raines; Daniel Richardson, 6-0, 175, Fr., Booker T. Washington
Wide Receivers: Ronald Patterson, 6-2, 185, Sr., Raines; Dalvin Storey, 6-4, 185, Sr., Raines
Offensive Lineman: Christian Dana, 6-0, 275, Sr., Trenton; Travaris Shanks, 6-0, 254, Raines
Defensive Lineman: Alvin Dempsey, 6-0, 219, So., Port St. Joe, Kade Rogers, 6-2, 210, Sr., Trenton; Ryan Brooks, 6-2, 215, Sr., University Christian; Richard Hughes, 6-1, 220, Sr., American Heritage; Lamonte McDougle, 6-0, 265, Jr., American Heritage; Braden Tobar, 6-0, 225, Sr., Booker T. Washington
Linebackers: Uriah Ratliff, 5-11, 180, Fr., University Christian, Randy Fuller, 6-0, 175, So., Trenton; Scott Ater, 6-0, 180,, So., Cambridge Christian; Tyre Curry, 6-0, 235, Sr., University Christian; Titus Curry, 6-0, 230, Jr., University Christian; Dominique Ross, 6-3, 203, Sr., Trinity Christian; Logan Wakefield, 5-11, 230, Sr., American Heritage; JaQuan Holt, 6-1, 197, Sr., Raines
Defensive Backs: Rachaun Mitchell, 5-11, Sr., University Christian; Caleb Young, 5-11, 170, So., Cambridge Christian; Michael Marshall Jr., 5-11, 182, Sr., University Christian; DJ Davis, 5-10, 185, Sr., American Heritage; Chamarri Conner, 6-1, 175, So., Trinity Christian
Athletes: Alec Sinkfield, 6-0, 185, Jr., American Heritage