D.J. Ford leads all-‘American’ team
Of the St. Louis American
In last week’s American, we honored the large school members of the St. Louis “All”-American High School Football Team. Now, it is time to show some love for the standouts from the small schools. Here are the members of the St. Louis “All”-American Team in the small schools division.
D.J. Ford (Affton): This two-way standout led the Cougars to a 12-2 record and the school’s first ever appearance in the Class 4 Show-Me Bowl. The senior quarterback rushed for 1,030 yards and 17 touchdowns while passing for 838 yards and 12 touchdowns. On defense, Ford had 87 tackles and two interceptions.
Jason Ford (Althoff): The sophomore tailback followed up a tremendous freshman year by rushing for 1,391 yards and 20 touchdowns at 7.7 yards per carry. An ankle injury late in the season kept him from posting even bigger numbers.
Previn Perry (Lutheran North): The talented junior running back rushed for 1,280 yards and 19 touchdowns in leading the Crusaders to an 8-3 record and berth in the Class 3 state playoffs.
Antonio Tullock (Festus): One of the top talents in Jefferson County, the 6’2” 190-pound junior rushed for 1,193 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. Tullock averaged more than seven yards a carry.
Rolandis Woodland (Lutheran North): The 6’4” junior jumping jack was a great target at wide receiver for the Crusaders. Woodland had 14 receptions for 378 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 27-yard per reception was great evidence of his big-play ability.
Sergio Kaun (University City): The 6’2” 185-pound senior was the favorite target of standout quarterback Greg Clemons. Kaun had 36 receptions for 618 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions. He is considered one of the top available recruits in the area.
Kris Heard (Cardinal Ritter): An excellent all-purpose player who caught 20 passes for 478 yards while rushing for 477 more yards. Heard finished the season with 13 touchdowns in helping the Lions to the Class 2 state semifinals. He was also one of the area’s top return specialists.
Cameron Hicks (Clayton): The 6’4” senior tight end finished his senior year with 19 receptions for 439 yards and seven touchdowns. His dramatic last-minute catch against Ladue gave the Greyhounds a district title and berth in the state playoffs. He also did an excellent job as Clayton’s punter.
Courtney Miller (Cardinal Ritter): The 6’0” 272-pound senior tackle was the anchor of Ritter’s line play throughout the season. He helped pave the way for the Lions’ explosive offensive attack.
Eric Stepney (Affton): A standout two-way lineman, the 6’2” 287-pound senior was an All-Suburban East Conference selection on both sides of the ball in helping the Cougars to the Class 4 state-championship game.
Will Cornielius (Affton): The 6’0” 320-pound senior tackle was the biggest member of Affton’s humongous offensive line that dominated opposing defenses in the trenches throughout the season.
Kelvin Jones (Lutheran North): The 6’0” 210-pound senior was the starting center for the Crusaders and focal point of the team’s offensive line.
Thomas Hellm (Sumner): The 6’5” 285-pound senior tackle was an All-Public High League selection as a senior. He anchored the line play for the Bulldogs and opened holes for standout junior tailback Michael Clark.
Aaron Hunter (Lutheran North): A standout two-way lineman who earned many postseason accolades on both sides of the ball. The 6’2” 285-pound senior tackle helped the Crusaders to yet another berth in the state playoffs.
Steffan White (Cardinal Ritter): A three-year starter as the Lions’ kicker, White kicked three field goals and 27 extra points for a total of 41 points as a junior.
Robert McField (Normandy): The 6’5” 225-pound senior defensive end is one of the area’s most underrated perfomers during his career. As a senior, McField registered 52 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks. He recently committed to the University of Missouri.
Chris Current (Jennings): The 5’10” 190-pound junior defensive lineman helped lead a revival of Jennings football in ’05. Current finished the season with 105 tackles, two sacks and six fumble recoveries.
Justin Williams (Clayton): A 6’2”215-pound defensive end, Williams had 43 tackles and eight sacks in helping the Greyhounds to a berth in the Class 4 state playoffs.
Brandon Bosley (Cardinal Ritter): The 5’9” 190-pound defensive end had 89 solo tackles, six sacks and 12 tackles for losses as one of the leaders of the Lions’ defense.
Travis Johnson (St. Clair): The 6’0” 210-pound senior was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Four Rivers Conference. A standout linebacker and tight end, Johnson led St. Clair to the Class 4 state quarterfinals in ’05.
Doug Williams (Clayton): The defensive leader of the Greyhounds, the 5’11” 220-pound junior finished the season with 121 tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries. He recorded 21 tackles in the Greyhounds’ victory over Ladue in the district-title game.
Michael Baker (Cardinal Ritter): The 6’0” 205-pound junior linebacker had a big year for the Lions, with 93 tackles, four sacks, five interceptions and five tackles for losses.
D’Angelo Dean (Ladue): The senior linebacker was an All-Suburban East Conference performer at linebacker after recording 67 solo tackles (95 overall) and four interceptions. Dean also rushed for more than 1,000 yards on offense.
Antonio Gully (Cardinal Ritter): The senior defensive back was brilliant on defense again with nine interceptions for the second consecutive year. Gully has added 561 yards in receiving yardage as well. He is headed to the University of Illinois.
DiMarcus Wilson (MICDS): The talented junior was one of the top all-around players for the Rams, who advanced all the way to the Class 3 state championship game. He was a standout on defense with nine interceptions. On offense, Wilson also spent time at wide receiver and quarterback.
Chris Perkins (John Burroughs): An two-time All-ABC League performer, the 6’2” 185-pound senior had a hand in 66 tackles for the Bombers, which finished with a 7-2 record.
Carlos Bisch (St. Pius X): One of the top two-way performers in Jefferson County, Bisch rushed for 1,282 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. On defense, Bisch had 88 tackles and two interceptions.
