As the 2023 football season came to a close, there were many highlights ranging from stunning comeback wins to game-winning Hail Mary’s all across the county. While four of the six county teams reached the playoffs this year, there was also plenty of individual success from the county’s best players.
The 2023 All-Elmore County Football Team is highlighted by Offensive Player of the Year Nate Rogers, Defensive Player of the Year Donnie Arnold and Two-Way Player of the Year Gabe LeMaster.
The Elmore County Coach of the Year is Jason Franklin for leading Holtville to a 7-4 record and a home playoff game in his final season.
Here is your full All-Elmore County Football Team.
FIRST TEAM
QB: Nate Rogers, Wetumpka
Rogers has been stellar in his three seasons starting quarterback for Wetumpka. While leading the Indians to their third-consecutive playoff appearance with him at the helm, he passed for 1,343 yards and 8 touchdowns while rushing for 1,630 yards and an impressive 21 touchdowns.
QB: Keiland Baker, Holtville
After an All-State campaign from a season ago, all eyes were on Baker heading into his junior season. He did anything but disappoint as he completed 114 of 201 passes for a county-high 1,708 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. He added 345 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
RB: Arthur McQueen, Stanhope Elmore
Stanhope Elmore’s star running back lit up the field every single Friday night as he rushed for over 100 yards in 9 of the 10 games he played in. The junior back rushed for 1,420 yards and totaled 1,705 all purpose yards as he found the end zone 13 times this season.
RB: CJ Wilkes, Elmore County
Despite missing a few games due to injury and not playing at 100% all season, Wilkes once again showcased his skill running the ball. The senior rushed only 99 times but turned that into 677 yards and 9 touchdowns. He had to play some defense this year as well and recorded 39 tackles and 1 sack.
WR: Jabari Murphy, Elmore County
Jabari Murphy proved once again to be the best receiver in the county as he recorded 37 catches for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. Having to play running back as well, he rushed for 363 yards and 5 more touchdowns. For his season, he was selected to play in the AHSAA North-South All-Star Football Classic.
WR: Erik Adkins, Holtville
Erik Adkins capped off an already impressive career with a stellar senior season. The speedy receiver recorded a county-high 41 catches for 586 yards and four touchdowns. He made his presence known rushing the ball too as he added two touchdowns on the ground.
ATH: Cade Everson, Elmore County
Much like he was at Tallassee early in his career, Cade Everson proved to be a game changer in a Panthers’ uniform. The Elmore County senior played receiver, running back and quarterback and scored a team-high 21 touchdowns. He had 698 rushing, 437 receiving and 125 passing yards.
ATH: Brock Whitt, Edgewood Academy
Whitt, Edgewood’s sophomore do-it-all player who stands at 6-foot-4, played quarterback, tight end, receiver, defensive line and linebacker this year. He recorded 5 rushing touchdowns, 1 receiving touchdown and 2 passing touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 70 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. He also blocked two field goals and one punt.
OL: Clark Barker, Wetumpka
Playing at right guard for the Indians, Barker helped lead an impressive rushing attack from the Indians. Barker recorded a team-high 11 pancake blocks and was selected as one of the top offensive linemen in the state as he played in the AHSAA Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.
OL: Tristan Gulledge, Holtville
After jumping onto radars everywhere this summer via camps, Gulledge turned in one of the most dominant senior campaigns of the entire state. The Holtville tackle graded out at a county-best 91% this year with 88 pancake blocks. He allowed only one sack all season.
OL: Jonathan Thames, Elmore County
There weren’t many better offensive linemen than Jonathan Thames this year. The 6-foot-6 senior helped lead Elmore County to back-to-back playoff appearances while recording a team-high 43 pancake blocks. He graded out at 88% and gave up only one sack the entire season.
OL: Macin James, Stanhope Elmore
James, only a sophomore, is the youngest offensive lineman to make this list. Helping the Mustangs rush for over 200 yards per game, he graded out at 84% playing both guard and center. He recorded 17 pancake blocks on the year and gave up no sacks.
OL: Zayne Talley, Edgewood Academy
Edgewood’s junior offensive tackle had a great year as he helped lead the Wildcats to the first round of the AISA Class AA playoffs. Talley graded out at 83% while also playing defensive line the entire year. On defense, he recorded 76 tackles with 17 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
OL: Braden Arnold, Tallassee
As Braden Arnold capped off an impressive career in the trenches with Tallassee, he proved once again to be one of the toughest offensive linemen in the area. Leading the Tigers to a strong rushing attack, Arnold was the team’s best offensive lineman this season.
DL: Donnie Arnold, Stanhope Elmore
Arnold led the county in sacks this year, and could’ve had even more had he not been moved to hybrid linebacker role midway through the season. Despite the move, Arnold recorded 16.5 sacks to go along with 60 tackles, 31 quarterback pressures and 16 tackles for loss.
DL: Ethan Bailey, Wetumpka
Ethan Bailey was as dominant as they come for Wetumpka this year. The junior defensive end had nearly half of Wetumpka’s total sacks as he recorded 61 total tackles, 9 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback pressures. He also forced 3 fumbles.
DL: Brandon White, Elmore County
Brandon White decided to play football for his senior season, and head coach Kyle Caldwell is very glad he did. The senior defensive end lived in opposing backfields as he recorded 57 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and even intercepted 2 passes.
DL: Anthony Chunn, Holtville
In only 10 games played, Anthony Chunn made his presence known by consistently getting into opposing backfields. The junior defensive end recorded 58 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and a team-leading 12 sacks.
DL: Thomas Williams, Stanhope Elmore
Williams was part of the two-headed monster of Stanhope Elmore defensive ends this year. The senior tallied 57 total tackles to go with 12.5 sacks, 16 quarterback pressures, 18 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 touchdown.
LB: Cleangelo Peake, Wetumpka
Peake, despite missing some time due to injury, turned in one of the most well-rounded seasons of any defensive player in the county. The junior finished the year with 55 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble.
LB: Luke Strength, Holtville
If there was a tackle being made from Holtville’s defense, it was almost a guarantee that Luke Strength was at least part of it. The ball hawk flew around the field this year as he recorded 122 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. He also blocked three punts and four PATs.
LB: Parker Shaw, Edgewood Academy
While playing both sides of the ball at an elite level, Parker Shaw always found himself around the football. The senior linebacker recorded 121 total tackles, 83 of which were solo tackles, and he added 6 tackles for loss. On offense, he had a team-high 441 rushing yards with 3 touchdowns.
LB: Jackson Mann, Elmore County
Despite only being a junior, Mann has already established himself as one of the top players in the county and flies around to the football. That was no different this year as he recorded 60 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 8 passes defended, 3 blocked punts and 1 blocked field goal.
LB: KamRan Anderson, Stanhope Elmore
KamRan Anderson found himself all over the field for the Mustangs as he played a hybrid role of linebacker and defensive line. While doing so, he ended the year with a team-high 71 tackles with 9 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 8 quarterback pressures.
LB: Joseph Hooks, Tallassee
For the second-straight season, Hooks was a bright spot on Tallassee’s defense. The senior linebacker made his presence known not only by being one of the team’s top tacklers but by also being one of the top running backs on the roster.
DB: Gabe LeMaster, Edgewood Academy
Much like he has in his entire career, LeMaster was a ballhawk in the secondary for his final season. The senior safety recorded a county-high 7 interceptions while tallying 72 total tackles and 3 tackles for loss. On offense, he had 786 total yards with 7 touchdowns, and he added a kickoff return for a touchdown.
DB: Orenthal Martin, Stanhope Elmore
Orenthal proved to be an elite defender both in the pass game and the run game. To finish off his high school football career, he recorded 58 total tackles (34 solo tackles), 6 tackles for loss, 8 passes defended and 1 interception. He also blocked a punt and scored a defensive touchdown.
DB: Jayden Bennett, Wetumpka
Playing a hybrid role as both a cornerback and safety, Bennett had a knack for disrupting passes this season. To go along with his 23 total tackles, Bennett had a team-high 7 pass breakups with 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.
DB: Cedrick Croskey, Holtville
Croskey made his presence known on all three facets of the game, but he was most effective intercepting passes in Holtville’s secondary. The junior cornerback had a team-leading 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles to go with 53 total tackles.
K: Colby Beyer, Stanhope Elmore
Beyer made the most of every opportunity he was given during a standout junior season. The star kicker made 36 of his 37 PATs while knocking down 4 of his 6 field goal attempts. He also served as the team’s punter and averaged 33.4 yards per punt.
P: Elijah Headley, Holtville
Elijah Headley consistently flipped the field to put Holtville’s defense in good positions. In 27 punt attempts, Headley averaged 35 yards per punt and pinned opposing offenses inside the 20-yard line 9 times. As a receiver, he had 18 catches for 279 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Returner: Jamarion Thrasher, Wetumpka
Jamarion Thrasher has been known as one of the speediest players in the county, and that showed this year in the return game. On 18 returns, he averaged 27.1 yards per return and scored 2 touchdowns. On offense, he had 637 total yards and 3 touchdowns.
HONORABLE MENTION
EDGEWOOD ACADEMY: Jackson Hudson (OL), Cooper Freeman (LB), Will Reeves (OL/DL).
ELMORE COUNTY: Caleb Spivey (DE), Connor Pike (LB), Trevor Brown (OL), Ryals McNeely (QB), Luke Reinert (DL).
HOLTVILLE: Dok Barton (DL/OL), Hunter Chavis (RB), Carson Reese (OL), Josh Jimenez (LB/RB), Clifford Edwards (OL).
STANHOPE ELMORE: Jamari Coleman (WR), Dashaun Caffee (DB), Bunny Jackson (DL), Xavier Foxhall (OL).
TALLASSEE: Jaiden McKenzie (RB/WR), Trent Morris (QB), Alec Carswell (K), Christian McCary (RB/LB), Ja’Twon Griffin (OL).
WETUMPKA: Mike Dillard (RB/LB), Malik Owens (WR), Ethan Blake (DL), Davin Lee (DB), JD Denmark (DL), Patrick Barfoot (OL).
