TIFTON — Fresh off winning their first region football title in 23 years, the Tift County Blue Devils placed nine players on the first-team All-Region 1-AAAAA offense and defense.

Tift actually landed 10 of the first-team spots as Charlie Edwards made the first team as both a place-kicker and punter. Besides the 10 first-team picks, the Devils also had nine players chosen either second-team or honorable-mention.

“I think our kids are very deserving,” said Walls. “They have done a great job this year, and it’s great for them to get individual recognition, and it says a lot for our success as a team.

“I tell our guys if our team is successful you will get all of the individual recognition you want, but the team needs to go first. They have done a good job.”

Tift had four players named to the first-team offense — Kaream Hess, Israel Troupe, Zach Allen and Edwards.

Hess was picked at running back. After Friday’s 22-7 first round state playoff win over East Coweta, Hess has rushed for 1,104 yards and has caught 37 passes for 311 more yards. The junior has also scored 14 touchdowns this season.

A first-team wide receiver, Troupe has caught 48 passes for 498 yards and four touchdowns. He has also rushed for 102 yards and 14 carries. As a kick returner, Troupe has five kickoff returns for 109 yards and 11 punt returns for 102 yards. The senior has averaged 10.4 yards every time he has touched the football in 2006.

After grading out at over 90 percent for most of the season, Allen was chosen as an offensive lineman. The 6-foot-2, 275 pound Allen is a junior.

The final first-team pick on offense was Edwards as a place-kicker. In 2006, Edwards has converted 16-of-24 field goals and 25-of-26 point afters. On his kickoffs, Edwards has sent 24 out of 45 into the endzone for touchbacks.

Six Tift players were named first-team on defense — Lanarius McKinley, Jeffery Searcy, Josh Abbott, Jay Gaskins, Randy Parker and Edwards.

From his defensive line position, McKinley has 30 total tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and one caused fumble.

Even though he missed the first game of the season with a knee injury, Searcy is still second on the team in total tackles with 84. The senior linebacker also has six sacks, three caused fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Only a sophomore, Abbott leads the team in tackles from his linebacker position. On the year he has 96 total stops, two pass breakups and two caused fumbles.

A senior free safety, Gaskins has 69 total tackles, five interceptions, one caused fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass broken up.

From his cornerback spot, Parker has 47 total tackles, three interceptions, nine passes broken up and one caused fumble.

Edwards also received first-team honors as a punter. The senior has punted 51 times for 1,992 yards — a 42.8 yard average. He has also placed 23 of his 51 punts inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.

Two Tift players were named to the second-team offense, quarterback Sean Baxley and lineman Mark Buhler. Baxley shared second-team honors with Coffee High’s Daniel Anderson.

In his first year at the helm of the Devils, Baxley is 152-for-238 passing for 1,414 yards. The senior has completed 63.9 percent of his passes, has thrown 12 touchdowns and has been picked off eight times.

“For Sean to go from never starting to being a second-team player, considering how tough our region is, I think that is a great accomplishment,” Walls said. “He is doing a great job.”

Buhler has graded high all year along the offensive line. The senior and the rest of the line have helped Tift have a 1,000-yard rusher in Hess and a 1,000-yard passer in Baxley.

Larry Bryant was the only Devil picked to the second-team defense. The junior lineman has 42 total tackles, one pass breakup, one interception, one fumble recovery and 1 1/2 sacks.

Tift’s honorable-mention picks were lineman Thom Roberson and wide receiver Marvin Chaney on offense, and defensive back Blake Reddick, defensive end A.J. Brown, monster back Zack Brown and linebacker Anthony Woods on defense.

“Our kids started working in February and did everything we asked them to do,” Walls said. “They had a great summer and worked very hard. All of the hard work, dedication and commitment is paying off.”

Houston County’s Eric O’Neal was named the All-Region 1-AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year while the 1-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year was Brian Buford of Warner Robins.

Voting for the 1-AAAAA teams took place during a meeting of league sports writers last week at the offices of The Tifton Gazette.



2006 All-Region 1-AAAAA

Football Team

CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR: JERRY ODUM-COFFEE AND JAY WALLS-TIFT COUNTY

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ERIC O'NEAL-HOUSTON COUNTY

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: BRIAN BUFORD-WARNER ROBINS

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB - Channing Hudson-Colquitt County

RB - Eric O'Neal-Houston County

RB - Kaream Hess-Tift County

RB - Melvin Loving-Coffee

WR - Orion Ponder-Colquitt County

WR - Israel Troupe-Tift County

AP - Alfrie Johnson-Valdosta

TE - Ben Collins-Houston County

OL - Zach Allen-Tift County

OL - Robert Luciano-Warner Robins

OL - B.J. Baker-Colquitt County

OL - Dylan Thompson-Houston County

OL - Cody Kennedy-Coffee

PK - Charlie Edwards-Tift County

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB - Daniel Anderson-Coffee

Sean Baxley-Tift County

RB - D.J. Dodson-Houston County

RB - B.J. Howard-Colquitt County

RB - Darriett Perry-Lowndes

WR - Demetrius Williams-Coffee

WR - Vance Cuff-Colquitt County

AP - Greg Reid-Lowndes

TE - Demario Paulk-Coffee

OL - Mark Buhler-Tift County

OL - B.J. Brand-Coffee

OL - Alex Hall-Valdosta

OL - Caleb Thornton-Coffee

OL - Rob Bailey-Warner Robins

PK - David Clark-Warner Robins

Matt DeMott-Colquitt County

OFFENSIVE HONORABLE MENTION: Thom Roberson and Marvin Chaney-Tift County; Martez King-Houston County; Tuzer Chism, Lawrence McCoy and Michael Turner-Valdosta; Chad Culpepper-Lowndes; and Rod Jones-Coffee.



FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DL - Brooks Barbaree-Coffee

DL - Justin Cowart-Warner Robins

DL - Princeton Dean-Houston County

DL - Lanarius McKinley-Tift County

LB - Brian Buford-Warner Robins

LB - Jeffery Searcy-Tift County

LB - Victor Nito-Coffee

LB - Roderick Rose-Warner Robins

LB - Josh Abbott-Tift County

DB - Jay Gaskins-Tift County

DB - Randy Parker-Tift County

DB - Greg Reid-Lowndes

DB - Quam Hancock-Coffee

P - Charlie Edwards-Tift County

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL - Larry Bryant-Tift County

DL - C.J. Mizell-Coffee

DL - Joe Rogers-Lowndes

DL - Dexter Holman-Houston County

LB - Ellars Manning-Coffee

LB - Curtis Ewing-Valdosta

LB - Derek Illian-Colquitt County

LB - Anthony Harris-Houston County

LB - Chris Prewitt-Houston County

DB - Dontrell Johnson-Colquitt County

DB - Laron Scott-Warner Robins

DB - Dedrick Early-Houston County

DB - Stacy Williams-Coffee

P - Will Goggans-Coffee

DEFENSIVE HONORABLE MENTION: Blake Reddick, A.J. Brown, Zack Brown and Anthony Woods-Tift County; Jamal Hunter-Valdosta; Rashad McRae and Koreen Burch-Coffee; and Thomas Bruce-Warner Robins.