Meet the 2023 Montgomery Advertiser AISA-Class 4A All-Area high school football team
The Montgomery Advertiser All-Area high school football team for 2023 is split into a "big school" division (AHSAA Class 5A-7A) and a "small school" division (AISA-Class 4A) and honors a player of the year and coach of the year for both divisions.
Here is the small school team:
Player of the Year: KJ Jackson, Saint James
Quarterback, Sr.
Why Chosen: Before taking his talents to Fayetteville, Arkansas next fall, Jackson, a four-star University of Arkansas football commit, did not disappoint in his farewell tour. He finished 2023 throwing for 2,951 yards for 43 touchdowns and rushed for 665 yards and 14 touchdowns on 147 carries. This put him at 130 career touchdowns at Saint James, setting a school record. He would end his high school career with 9,077 career passing yards, which is another school record.
Coach of the Year: Kirk Johnson, Montgomery Catholic
Why Chosen: With 11 players listed on the all-area team, coach Johnson and his staff led the Knights to nine shutout victories in 2023. A perfect 15-0 record led Johnson to winning his first high school state championship as a head coach.
First Team Offense
Caleb McCreary
Montgomery Catholic, Sr.
Position: Quarterback
Why Chosen: If there were multiple players of the year selections, McCreary would have been a clear favorite to take that honor. The future quarterback at Troy ended his senior season leading Montgomery Catholic to a 15-0 season and the program's first Class 4A state title. He finished with 31 total regular season touchdowns with 727 rushing yards and 1,274 passing yards. He surpassed more than 11,000 career yards in his high school tenure and on top of three all-state selections he was named as an AHSAA South All-Star participant.
Josh Griffin
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: Running back
Why Chosen: Griffin averaged 12.8 yards per carry stamping him as one of the best backs in his class. He finished with 1,570 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns in his first season with the Knights. Due to landslide scores he has played in three full games, showing how dominant Montgomery Catholic was in 2023.
Ross Sanders
Trinity, Sr.
Position: Running Back
Why Chosen: Sanders led the Wildcats to an 11-2 season commanding the ground game on offense. He finished with 1,456 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023.
Cole Anderson
Saint James, Sr.
Position: Running Back
Why Chosen: Anderson broke out for the Trojans offense playing in the backfield and slot. He finished with 1,240 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns.
Derrick Vinson Jr.
Montgomery Academy, Jr.
Position: Wide Receiver
Why Chosen: Playing in 11 games for the Eagles, Vinson was the offensive anchor for Montgomery Academy. He led the River Region with 66 receptions for 1,461 yards and 14 touchdowns this year.
Tabor Offord
Saint James, Jr.
Position: Wide Receiver
Why Chosen: Offord broke the Saint James single season school record for most touchdown receptions with 18 TDs. He finished with 34 receptions and 991 receiving yards.
Aaron Taylor
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: OL
Why Chosen: Led an offensive line that totaled 34 knockdowns, 24 pancakes and zero sacks allowed all season.
Aryin Gilbert
Montgomery Catholic, Sr.
Position: OL
Why Chosen: A part of an offensive line unit that totaled 34 knockdowns, 24 pancakes and zero sacks allowed all season.
Carson Brown
Trinity, Sr.
Position: OL
Why Chosen: Finished with 47 pancakes and 55 impressive blocks for his offense throughout the course of the season for the Wildcats.
Ashton Yelder
Lowndes Academy, Jr.
Position: OL
Why Chosen: Graded in the 90 percentiles with more than 11 pancakes, led Lowndes Academy to their third straight AISA State championship.
Webber McClinton
Trinity, Sr.
Position: Athlete
Why Chosen: Playing both sides of the ball, McClinton was everywhere on the field for the Wildcats team. On offense he finished with 1,089 all-purpose yards with 12 total touchdowns. On defense he finished with 36 solo tackles and 43 assisted tackles. He snagged five interceptions along the way too.
Jake Huff
Saint James
Position: Kicker
Why Chosen: Huff set a Saint James school record kicking 67 extra points in 75 attempts. He also finished 2 of 3 on field goal attempts.
First Team Defense
Kj Washington
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: DL
Why Chosen: Washington was a part of a defensive unit that gave up 3.1 points per game. He finished with 60 solo tackles, 35 assisted tackles, 24 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Garrett Sanford
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: DL
Why Chosen: Sanford was a part of a defensive unit that gave up 3.1 points per game. He finished with 71 solo tackles, 35 assisted tackles, 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Wils Johnson
Saint James
Position: DL
Why Chosen: Johnson finished with 139 total tackles and 56 solo tackles for the Trojans defense.
Kam Miller
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: LB
Why Chosen: The defensive leader for a unit that gave up 3.1 points per game, Miller finished with 91 solo tackles, 42 assisted tackles, 17 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Myles Khatri
Montgomery Catholic, So.
Position: LB
Why Chosen: The sophomore sensation on one of the best defenses in the state, Khatri finished with 107 solo tackles, 47 assisted tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions.
Knox Wingate
Montgomery Academy, So.
Position: LB
Why Chosen: Finished with 35 solo tackles, 48 assist, 13 tackles for loss, and two sacks for the Eagles.
Coleman Till
Trinity, Sr.
Position: LB
Why Chosen: Till finished 2023 with 68 total tackles, 37 assisted tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks for the Wildcats defense.
JoTavion Pierce
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: DB
Why Chosen: Pierce finished with 91 solo tackles, 41 assisted tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. On offense he tallied 464 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns.
Rickie Williams
Montgomery Catholic, Jr.
Position: DB
Why Chosen: Williams finished with 85 solo tackles, 41 assisted tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions.
Chance Wilson
Montgomery Academy, Sr.
Position: DB/Athlete
Why Chosen: On defense, Wilson finished with 35 solo tackles, 30 assisted tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions. On offense he finished with 1,128 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Clint Houser
Saint James, Sr.
Position: DB/Athlete
Why Chosen: Despite missing six games with an ankle injury, Houser managed to be a force at defensive back and special teams. He finished with 12 total touchdowns for 633 yards on 36 receptions. He came up huge in the postseason grabbing a few interceptions.
Ryan Basile
Trinity, So.
Position: Punter
Why Chosen: Basile hit 93% of his extra point attempts and averaged 4.9 points per game.
Second Team Offense
QB: Walker McClinton, Trinity, Sr.
RB: AC Walters, Alabama Christian, Jr.
RB: Kasen Dismukes, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
RB: Nelson Hall, Opp, Sr.
WR: Ziggy Holloway, Saint James, Sr.
WR: Zebulun Green, Opp, Sr.
OL: John Paul Davis, Prattville Christian, Sr.
OL: Pierson Hill, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
OL: Mike Hale, Edgewood Academy, Sr.
OL: Clay Whiddon, Fort Dale, Sr.
OL: Owen Stockinger, Hooper Academy, Sr.
ATH: Clayton Hussey, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
ATH: Colby Ballard, Opp, Sr.
ATH/P: Parker Cook, Montgomery Academy, Sr.
Second Team Defense
DL: Dominic Dougan, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
DL: Graham Martin, Montgomery Academy, Sr.
DL: Christian Snipes, Alabama Christian, So.
DL: Jamarcus Leonard, Alabama Christian, Jr.
LB: Will Hardin, Montgomery Academy, Sr.
LB: William Milner, Alabama Christian, Sr.
LB: Mac Benefield, Montgomery Academy, So.
LB: Dalton Nickles, Macon East, Jr.
DB: Jaden Phifer, Montgomery Catholic, Sr.
DB: Cooper Dansby, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
DB: Scott Stinson, Lowndes Academy, Sr.
DB: Gabe LeMaster, Edgewood Academy, Jr.
Jerry Humphrey III is a sports writer for the Montgomery Advertiser who covers area high school sports, Auburn recruiting and Alabama State athletics. Follow him on Twitter @jerryhump3.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery Advertiser AISA-Class 4A All-Area high school football team 2023
