The best of area prep football
By Cedric Williams
For the St. Louis American
‘Tis the season of giving, which means once again ‘tis the time when we give praise, respect, & much love to those that gave us so much excitement & enjoyment during the prep football season by naming the 2006 St. Louis American Newspaper’s All-American Team.
For the 10th season now, it has been our pleasure to honor the best of the best among area prep football players & coaches. We like to break the teams up into large school & small school classifications, with honors and awards for both teams.
This week we’ll start with the large school team, with special praise for CBC head coach Bob Shannon, who led the Cadets to an 11-2 record and the first state title game appearance in school history, making him an easy choice as our Coach of the Year. CBC RB Rayon Simmons, who led the area in rushing & scoring, was our choice for Offensive Player of the Year, while Paul Cannon of Kirkwood is the Defensive Player of the Year. Two players who figure to be a part of future All-American teams, SLUH RB Ronnie Wingo & Beaumont RB Derrick Banks, were selected as Sophomore of the Year & Freshman of the Year, respectively.
And now with no further ado, here is the 2006 St. Louis All-American Large
School Team:
The 2006 St. Louis American Newspaper All-American Team
Offense Defense
QB- Derrick Johnson-Sr., East St. Louis DL-Tymon Coleman-Sr., Roosevelt
RB-Nick King-Sr., East St. Louis DL-JohnHopkins-Sr., Oakville
RB-DeVion Moore-Sr., Hazelwood Central DL-Brandon Kirksey-Sr., Hazelwood East
RB-Rayon Simmons-Jr., CBC DL-Chad Evans-Sr., Kirkwood
WR-Carl Givens-Sr., Chaminade LB-Ronnell Banks-Sr., Hazelwood Central
WR-Norris Johnson-Sr., McCluer North LB-Paul Cannon-Sr., Kirkwood
WR-Jerrell McDaniel-Sr., East St. Louis LB-Keith Liddell-Sr., East St. Louis
TE-Chris Owens-Sr., Hazelwood Central LB-Zach Kimbrough-Sr., Alton
OL-Deonte Coleman-Sr., East St. Louis DB-Pierre Desir-Jr.,Francis Howell Central
OL-Niko Mafuli-Sr., SLUH DB-Jon Victorian-Sr., Pattonville
OL-Jesse Mitchell-Sr., East St. Louis DB-Lamark Brown-Sr., Hazelwood West
OL-David Young-Jr., Edwardsville DB-Dwayne Pickens-Sr., Oakville
OL- Scott Jones, Sr., Kirkwood
All-Purpose-Carl Gettis-Sr., Ft. Zumwalt West
All-Purpose-A.J. Stewart-Sr., Riverview Gardens
PK-Kavon Lacey-Sr., Alton
P-Jeremy Cosby-Sr., Hazelwood East
KR-Javell Jeffries-Sr., Gateway Tech
PR-Duane Bennett-Sr., O’Fallon
Coach of the Year-Bob Shannon-CBC
Offensive Player of the Year-Rayon Simmons-CBC
Defensive Player of the Year- Paul Cannon- Kirkwood
Sophomore of the Year-Ronnie Wingo-SLUH
Freshman of the Year-Derrick Banks-Beaumont
QB- Derrick Johnson-Sr.., East St. Louis – The latest top quarterback developed by coach Darren Sunkett, Johnson completed a stellar career by leading the Flyers to an 11-1 record and Southwestern Conference title. He completed 93 of his 169 passes for 2,005 yards and 29 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. A three-year starter, Johnson threw 61 touchdown passes during his career as a Flyer.
RB-Nick King-Sr., East St. Louis – This fantastic runner bided his time in the East Side defensive backfield for two years, until he finally got his shot in the offensive backfield this season. And boy did “Nick the Quick” make the most of his chance, leading the entire Metro East area in rushing with 1,653 yards & 21TDs.
RB-DeVion Moore-Sr., Hazelwood Central – A transfer from Georgia, Moore needed only one season to prove himself one of the top RBs in the area. The 5-9 Mizzou recruit rushed for 1,640 yards & 19 TDs to help lead the Hawks to a 9-2 record and might have led the area in WOW moments, including a now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t TD a run against Pattonville, you had to in the building see & believe.
RB-Rayon Simmons-Jr., CBC – An easy pick for Offensive Player of the Year and a key reason why the Cadets made their first advance to the state title game in school history, Simmons led the area in rushing & scoring with 2,017 yards & 28 TDs. He had three 200-yard games, a 199-yard game, and had at least 100 yards in every game this season, except the title game loss to Blue Springs South.
WR-Carl Givens-Sr., Chaminade – Givens proved himself one of the area’s top big-play wideouts with 40 catches for 812 yards & 11 TDs, and his 20.3 yds/catch average was tops in the Metro Catholic Conference this year.
WR-Norris Johnson-Sr., McCluer North – After posting a 999-yard, 13 TD season in 2005, Johnson fought through a hamstring injury to lead the Suburban North with 782 receiving yards & 11 TDs this season.
WR-Jerrell McDaniel-Sr., East St. Louis – Quite possibly the single most exciting player in the area this season, McDaniel led the Southwestern Conference with 913 yards & 20 TDs, while his 25.4 yds/catch average was tops in the area.
TE-Chris Owens-Sr., Hazelwood Central – One of the most sought after TE prospects in the country, Owens led all large school TEs with 18 catches & five TDs.
All-Purpose-Carl Gettis-Sr., Ft. Zumwalt West – With an oral committment to Mizzou, Gettis proved as productive a player as any in the area this season, leading the Gateway Athletic South Conference in rushing & receiving with 1,283 & 685 yards, respectively. He was first team all-GAC South on both sides of the ball & also scored 21 TDs.
All-Purpose- A.J. Stewart-Sr., Riverview Gardens – One of the area’s top all-around talents, Stewart passed for 1,549 yards and 21 TDs and rushed for 1,087 yards and 11 TDs as the Rams’ quarterback. On defense, Stewart had seven interceptions as a starting safety. He gave a verbal commitment to attend Kansas.
OL-Deonte Coleman-Sr., East St. Louis – One of the area’s top lineman prospects, Coleman was the leader of East Side’s bruising front five.
OL-Niko Mafuli-Sr., SLUH – A two-time All-St. Louis American team choice, Mafuli once again was the key hole-opener for the Jr. Bills & our Sophomore of the Year choice RB Ronnie Wingo.
OL-Jesse Mitchell-Sr., East St. Louis – Possibly the area’s most improved player, Mitchell’s brilliant lineplay helped make all-staters out of teammates Derrick Johnson, Nick King, & Jerrell McDaniel.
OL- David Young-Jr., Edwardsville – A 6’6” 265-pound offensive tackle, Young is one of the most gifted lineman in the St. Louis metropolitan area. A two-year starter, Young has helped open holes for last year’s Player of the Year E.J. Jones and his replacement at tailback Darryl Hendricks.
OL- Scott Jones-Sr., Kirkwood- The 6’1” 264-pound senior center was the anchor for the Pioneers’ offensive line on a team that advanced to the school’s first Show-Me Bowl. A two-year starter for the Pioneers, Jones is receiving recruiting interest from his share of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA schools..
PK-Kavon Lacey-Sr., Alton—Truly one of the best athletes in the area, Lacey had another fantastic season for the Redbirds. We took him as our PK after he connected on 26-29 PATs and booted home two FGs, including a clutch overtime game-winner against O’Fallon this season. But we could’ve just as easily made him our QB, where he passed for 821 yards & 11 TDs, or a DB, where Lacey made 58 tackles & five INTs.
KR-Javell Jeffries-Sr., Gateway Tech – The PHL Offensive Player of the Year, Jeffries led the league with 1,337 rushing yards & scored eight TDs. But we like him best as a KR, where he led all large school return men with an incredible 33.3 yds/return average, including a breathtaking 96-yard runback against McCluer.
DL-Tymon Coleman-Sr., Roosevelt – The PHL Defensive Player of the Year, Coleman was simply unblockable this season and led the entire state with 23 sacks. A virtual unknown at the start of the season, he burst onto the area prep football scene with five sacks in the season opener against Vashon.
DL-John Hopkins-Sr., Oakville—The fourth Mizzou recruit to make our large school team, Hopkins posted 71 tackles & 10 sacks to lead an Oakville defense that allowed a Suburban West Conference-low 10.1 pts/game this season.
DL-Brandon Kirksey-Sr., Hazelwood East – The area’s top DL prospect, Kirksey fought through constant double- and triple-teaming to lead all area DL with a whopping 112 tackles.
DL-Chad Evans-Sr., Kirkwood – A force coming off the edge and the emotional leader for Kirkwood’s area-best D, Evans made 62 tackles and led the Suburban West with 13 sacks.
LB-Ronnell Banks-Sr., Hazelwood Central – A three-year starter for the Hawks, Banks posted another brilliant season, leading all large school players with 150 tackles, including 83 solos stops, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, & two INTs.
LB-Paul Cannon-Sr., Kirkwood – The heart & soul of Kirkwood’s D, Cannon led the lethal gang-tackling bunch with 100 tackles. He was also the Pioneers’ top rusher during their run to the state title game, going for 860 yards & 11 TDs.
LB-Keith Liddell-Sr., East St. Louis – A small linebacker in the mode of former Flyers’ All-State performer Trevor Dismukes, the 5’10” 170-pound senior had more than 100 tackles and eight sacks for the powerful Flyers.
LB-Zach Kimbrough-Sr., Alton – Probably the Metro East area defensive player of the year, Kimbrough was the leader of Alton’s bangin’, bruisin’ defense with 113 tackles and eight tackles for loss.
DB-Pierre Desir-Jr., Francis Howell Central – No doubt one of the top players to watch next season, Desir was a star in all phases of the game for the Spartans. We took him as a shut-down corner, after he posted 56 tackles & four INTs this season. Like friendly rival Carl Gettis, Desir was all-GAC
South on both sides of the ball, thanks to his 1,192 rushing yards & conference-best 24 TDs. And he even ran back two punts for TDs, despite not being Howell Central’s regular return man.
DB-Jon Victorian-Sr. Pattonville – Probably the area’s most polished cornerback, Victorian faced more top WRs & sophisticated passing schemes than any other player in the area. And thrust into the role of shut-down corner for Pattonville, the 6’0, 190-pounder shined, leading the Suburban North with seven INTs.
DB-Lamark Brown-Sr., Hazelwood West – Regarded as the area’s most college-ready player, Brown was on everybody’s players to watch list to start the season. And the 6’3, 225-pound Kansas State recruit didn’t
disappoint. Unfortunately, his all-state play at free safety & 13 TDs on offense wasn’t enough to prevent a dismal 2-7 season for the Wildcats.
DB-Dwayne Pickens-Sr., Oakville – An all-Suburban West selection at both WR & DB, Pickens was all-state at safety after leading all area DBs with 106 tackles & four INTs.
P-Jeremy Cosby-Sr., Hazelwood East – A three-time all-St. Louis American team selection, Cosby was once again one of the area’s top punters this season, booming kicks for a 37.0 yds/punt average. As a placekicker, he made 28-32 PATs. And was also a top soccer player for the Spartans, where he led the team with nine goals & 20 points scored.
PR-Duane Bennett-Sr., O’Fallon – A truly fantastic player, who’ll probably play defense at the University of Minnesota next season, Bennett was once again one of the top offensive players in the area this season. He led the Panthers with 1,362 rushing yards & 22 TDs. But we like him best as a PR after he led the area with a 27.3 yds/return average, including two he ran back for scores against.
