Prep football Player of the Year finalists named
Dec. 24—Another high school football season is in the books, and area players once again put up big performance after big performance.
Local talent filled various All-Region, All-State and other all-star teams, and plenty more signed with colleges or started receiving attention from recruiters.
The finalists for Aiken Standard Offensive Player of the Year are Wagener-Salley's Cameron Davis, Silver Bluff's Traevon Dunbar, Ridge Spring-Monetta's Remedee Leaphart and Barnwell's Tyler Smith.
The finalists for Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year are Aiken High's Jayden Fuller, South Aiken's Demaurion Ginn, Silver Bluff's Jaden McLeod and North Augusta's Amir Young.
Davis is a finalist for a second consecutive year after putting up more explosive numbers running the ball for the War Eagles. He averaged more than 9 yards per carry and totaled 1,596 yards and 23 touchdowns despite receiving constant defensive attention.
Dunbar is the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, and his sophomore season didn't disappoint after a brilliant freshman year. An All-Region and All-State selection, Dunbar rushed for 1,959 yards and 28 touchdowns on 212 carries and also caught seven passes for 148 yards and another score while helping lead the Bulldogs to a Class AA Lower State championship.
Leaphart thrived in his senior season as the Trojans' quarterback, and he was a frequent Aiken Standard Player of the Week honoree in addition to his All-Region and All-State honors. He accounted for 2,923 yards of offense and 36 total touchdowns.
Smith was a workhorse for the Warhorses, surpassing 2,000 rushing yards while also playing significant snaps on defense and special teams. He rushed for 2,147 yards and 28 touchdowns on 288 carries, and he also caught nine passes for 107 yards and three more touchdowns.
Fuller was a focal point for an Aiken High defense that gave the Hornets a chance to win every night. He earned All-Region and All-State honors after switching to the defensive line, and he made 72 tackles (13 for loss) with eight sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six quarterback hurries and a defensive touchdown.
Ginn, the reigning Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year, earned that honor this season for Region 5-AAAA and also made the All-State team at linebacker. He made 82 tackles (13 for loss) with four sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
McLeod led a Bulldogs' defensive front that was routinely in the opponent's backfield. He had 90 tackles for the season, with 43 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. He had 10 sacks, forced four fumbles and recovered another, and he earned All-State and All-Region honors.
Young punished opposing quarterbacks whenever they threw in his direction, and he also punished whichever receiver or running back ended up the ball. He finished the season with 60 tackles and intercepted six passes.
The Aiken Standard Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year will be announced at the end of the school year.
