Tifton — As people settle down to open their presents and enjoy Christmas Day together, several athletes in the Tiftarea have an extra treat in their stockings, a berth on the 2005 All-Tiftarea football teams.

The 2005 team is led by Nate Inman and Larry Dean. Fitzgerald’s Inman is the 2005 All-Tiftarea Offensive Player of the Year, while for the second straight season Tift County’s Dean is the All-Tiftarea Defensive Player of the Year. The 2005 All-Tiftarea Coach of the Year is Turner County’s Erik Soliday.

Inman had 1,602 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing, while Dean had 100 total tackles on the year. Soliday coached the Turner Rebels to a Region 1-A title and into the second round of the state playoffs.

Joining Inman in the first-team offensive backfield are Tiftarea Academy Panther quarterback Bryan Ellis and running backs Chad Walker of Turner County and David Arnold of Cook High.

Ellis was 116-for-205 passing this season for 2,586 yards. The junior, who is the first-team quarterback for the third straight season, also threw for 28 touchdowns and was picked off seven times.

Walker rushed for 1,216 yards on 193 carries. He scored 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 6.3 yards per carry. Arnold had 247 carries for 1,298 yards, as well as nine catches for 121 yards. He scored 86 points this past season.

Manning the two wide receiver spots are Turner County’s Shawn Jackson and Tiftarea Academy’s Matthew Souter.

Jackson caught 47 passes for 737 yards and six touchdowns, while Souter had 59 catches for 1,213 yards and 16 touchdowns. Souter also ran the ball five times for 182 yards and one score.

Irwin County’s Justin Anderson, a three-time All-State selection and University of Georgia commitment, anchors the offensive line. Anderson is joined by Fitzgerald’s Travis Fleming, an All-State selection who graded out at 88 percent and had 24 pancake blocks, as well as Berrien High junior Tanner Strickland, who committed to Georgia before his junior season in 2005. Rounding out the five-man line are Tiftarea Academy’s Alex Moore and Ross Parrish. Moore graded out at 75 percent, while Parrish came in at 72 percent with 12 pancake blocks.

Tift County’s Israel Troupe is the first-team athlete. The Region 1-AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year, Troupe was hobbled for part of the year, but still caught 36 passes for 495 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 14 punt returns for 214 yards, four kickoff returns for 194 yards and seven rushes for 27 yards. Troupe averaged 15.2 yards every time he touched the ball.

Rounding out the first-team offense is Tift County Blue Devil place-kicker Charlie Edwards. The junior was only one short of a state record in 2005 as he kicked 18 field goals. He also had 14 touchbacks and 49 punts for a 40-yard average.

Joining Dean in the first-team defensive backfield are Irwin County’s P.J. Florence, Cook High’s Blake Mainor and Tift County’s Randy Parker.

Florence intercepted four passes, blocked four kicks, broke up 12 passes and was in on 52 tackles.

Offensively, Florence rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns and had 11 kickoff returns for 313 more yards. The senior was a first-team All-Region 2-AA selection as a defensive back and as a running back. He was also the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year and an honorable-mention All-State selection named by the Georgia Sports Writers Association (GSWA).

Mainor was also a GSWA honorable-mention All-State pick. The senior Hornet led the Tiftarea with seven interceptions. He was in on 50 tackles and broke up five passes.

Parker was in on 35 tackles. He also intercepted four passes and broke up eight more. He added two blocked extra points and a blocked field goal. Besides those numbers, he also had 12 punt returns for 225 yards and 10 kickoff returns for 176 yards.

Tiftarea Academy’s Garrett Bowen had 130 total tackles, nine tackles for loss yardage, four fumble recoveries, four interceptions and three sacks from his linebacking position. Joining him as first-team linebackers are Turner County’s Lennie Richardson, Tift County’s Jeffery Searcy and Fitzgerald’s Kiyati Nicholas.

Richardson had 110 total tackles, including 17 for loss yardage; six sacks and two interceptions. Searcy had 96 total tackles, as well 14 tackles for loss yardage. Nicholas had 119 total tackles, including 10 for loss, and two interceptions.

Every first-team defensive lineman was either a first-team or honorable-mention All-State pick. Those players are Worth County’s Nikita Hooks, Cook High’s Jeremy Brown and Jamarian Brown, Fitzgerald’s Jarrell Paschal and Tift County’s James Carter.

Hooks had 101 total tackles, 11 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries and was in on five turnovers. Paschal had 92 total tackles, including 21 for loss yardage, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries. Carter was in on 43 tackles, including five for loss yardage. He also caused a fumble and recovered a fumble.

Jeremy Brown was in on 100 tackles, including 21 for loss yardage. He also had three fumble recoveries, one an interception return for a touchdown. Besides the interception for a touchdown, the Cook High Hornet also recovered one of the fumbles for a touchdown. Jamarian Brown had 98 total tackles, including 14 for loss yardage. He also recovered two fumbles.

Rounding out the first team is punter J.J. Brown of Berrien High, who was also first-team All-Region 1-AA.

The second-team offensive backfield has Turner County’s Mikel Soliday at quarterback (1,501 yards passing), and at running backs, Fitzgerald’s Johnathan Roberts (862 yards rushing), Berrien’s Kendrick Riley (798) and Irwin County’s Chavarious Carlton (756). The second-team wide receivers are Dontavious Smith of Turner County (30 catches for 643 yards) and Arthur Blackmon of Worth County (31-464).

David Stevenson of Turner County (11 catches for 142 yards) is the second-team tight end, while the offensive line is comprised of Fitzgerald’s Russ Ridgeway and Marcus Walker, Cook High’s Jonathan Surrency and Mike Mello, and Tift County’s Britt Wilson.

The second-team athlete is Cook’s Ty Goff (793 yards passing and 867 yards rushing), while the second-team place-kicker is Fitzgerald’s Victor Ayala (45-for-49 on point afters, 2-for-2 on field goals).

In the second-team defensive backfield are Berrien’s Kenta West (first-team All-Region 1-AA defense), Fitzgerald’s Corey Taylor (77 tackles, five interceptions), Tiftarea Academy’s Robby Garren (90 tackles, one interception) and Tift County’s Blake Reddick (57 tackles, four interceptions).

The second-team linebackers are Irwin County’s Vincent Wells (136 total tackles) and Terry Ashley (118), Cook High’s Kenny Tippins (91) and Tift County’s Sumner Ellis (60).

On the second-team defensive line are Tiftarea Academy’s Justin Burke (108 total tackles), Tripp Giddens (104) and Corey Bradley (97), Fitzgerald’s Byron Scott (97) and Tift County’s Jay Gaskins (48 total tackles, four fumble recoveries and three touchdowns off the fumble recoveries).

The second-team defense is rounded out by Turner County’s Adam Brock, who averaged 36.4 yards per kick.

The All-Tiftarea team is selected by the Tifton Gazette sports staff, with help from area football coaches.



HONORABLE MENTION:

TIFT CO. - SCOTT SHUMAN, BLAKE ASKEW, MARVIN CHANEY, LANARIUS MCKINLEY, ASTIN ROBERSON. IRWIN CO. - JULIAN NORTHCUTT. WORTH CO. - BRANDON KENT, EDDIE FAVERAU, TAY BURKS, CLAYTON EDWARDS. FITZGERALD - ANTHONY BROOKS, JAMAAL WILLIAMS, JERAD SMITH, DION ROSS, DARIEN AUSTILE, JOSH BATTLE, KALEB HENINGER, NAPOLEON HARRIS, DESMOND HODGES. TURNER CO. - DARRYN ODUM, JEREMY STEVENSON, DANIEL SHEFFIELD. COOK HIGH - QUINTIN STAFFORD, BUBBA EMRICH, CHRIS CORNELIUS, BRAIT MCDONALD, LEE SEYMORE, T.J. JOHNSON, MAURICE THOMAS, THAD WILLIAMS, MICHAEL HENLEY, JUSTIN INMAN. BERRIEN HIGH - J.J. BROWN, O.J. MOFFETT, JAMIE NEW, BILL KAUFMAN, JAMES HUGHES. TIFTAREA ACADEMY - JOHN MCBRAYER, AARON DOBBS, THOMAS GANAS, LAYTON GATEWOOD, BRANDON REEDER.