Tuscaloosa News Class 4A-7A All-Area high school football team for 2023

Here is The Tuscaloosa News' 2023 high school football Class 4A-7A All-Area first team, second team and honorable mention, along with The Tuscaloosa News' 2023 player of the year.

Player of the year

TJ Banks, Hillcrest

The four-star safety was an instrumental part of a Hillcrest defense that allowed 8.9 points per game in 2023. He was also a part of a Hillcrest team that finished the regular season undefeated for the second-straight year, along with winning its second 6A-Region 4 championship and making a deep third-round playoff run before losing to Saraland. The four-star is committed to play football at Ole Miss and was named a 2024 Under-Armour All-American.

Coach of the year

Lance Tucker, Demopolis

Tucker, a former Alabama football quarterback and son of Waldon Tucker, the former winningest coach in Alabama high school football history when he retired in 2010, made quite the coaching debut his first season back in West Alabama. He led the Tigers to a 10-3 overall record and a 5-0 finish in 5A-Region 3, their fourth-straight region title. Demopolis also made a run in the AHSAA Class 5A state playoffs, making it to the third round before ultimately falling 20-17 to Eufaula.

First-team

Offense

QB: Lance Cormier, Sipsey Valley, Jr., 6-1, 175

In Sipsey Valley's 11 games, Cormier went 181-of-324 for 2,666 yards and 27 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. The junior also rushed the ball 100 times for 321 yards and five touchdowns.

RB: Kevin Riley, Tuscaloosa County, Sr., 5-11, 195

The four-star Alabama commit rushed for 769 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. He also had eight receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown.

RB: Keishawn Rowser, Demopolis, Jr., 5-10, 196

Rowser rushed the ball 182 times for 1,349 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also recorded eight catches for 100 yards.

WR: Wyatt Bailey, Sipsey Valley, Sr., 5-11, 175

In 11 games played, Bailey hauled in 70 passes for 1,206 yards and 15 touchdowns.

WR: Jamarcus Prince, Hillcrest, Sr., 6-3, 195

Prince led the Patriots offense with 24 receptions for 481 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

WR: Davis Dare, American Christian Academy, Sr., 5-8, 170

Dare had 67 catches for 1,023 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023. He also added 348 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

OL: Colter Pereira, Central, Sr., 6-3, 275

Pereira finished the 2023 season with 52 pancakes and averaged a player grade of 87% for his position.

OL: Tony Zinnerman, Demopolis, Sr., 6-1, 265

Zimmerman was a key part of the Demopolis offensive line that helped the Tigers average 26.8 points per game in 2023.

OL: Neal Hodo, American Christian, Jr., 6-0, 230

Hodo averaged a 96% lineman grade and was voted as team captain for the 2023 season.

OL: William Sanders, Brookwood, Sr., 6-3, 280

The four-star offensive guard is committed to play football at Alabama.

ATH: Nick Sherman, Northridge, Sr., 6-2, 180

In nine games, Sherman had 15 carries for 178 yards and 52 catches for 965 yards. He accounted for 12 total touchdowns for the Jaguar offense.

Defense

DL: Pherron Dancy, Central, Jr., 6-0, 215

The junior tallied up 33 solo tackles and 25 assisted tackles in 2023 with three tackles for loss, six sacks, one interception and two defensive touchdowns.

DL: Xavier Rhine, Bibb County, Jr., 6-1, 200

Through 12 games played, Rhine tallied 84 solo tackles, 35 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions and one caused fumble and a fumble recovery. He also accounted for three Choctaw touchdowns.

DL: Trashun Griffin, Bibb County, Sr., 6-4, 230

Griffin finished with 55 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, four sacks along with five caused fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

DL: Brody Cook, West Blocton, Sr., 5-10, 200

In 11 games played, Cook had 57 solo tackles and 4.5 sacks along with a fumble recovery.

LB: Jon Welch, Sipsey Valley, Sr., 6-2, 220

Welch, the team's defensive player of the year, racked up 135 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and four sacks. Welch finished the 2023 season as the No. 3 leading tackler in the state across all classifications and was one of three players in the state with 200-plus tackles.

LB: Jamarcus Vawters, Demopolis, Jr., 6-3, 195

Vawters was an instrumental part of a Demopolis defense that allowed an average of 15.6 points per game in 2023 and made a trip to the Class 5A quarterfinals.

LB: AJ Quarles, Hillcrest, Sr., 6-1, 220

Quarles had 49 tackles in 2023 and one interception.

LB: Ty Burkes, Bibb County, Sr., 6-2, 185

Burkes led the Bibb County defense with 90 tackles, 23 of those for loss, along with one sack and one interception. He also recovered two fumbles for touchdowns.

LB: Caleb Lockridge, American Christian Academy, Sr., 5-8, 175

Lockridge, voted as a team captain for the second consecutive year, finished 2023 with 31 solo tackles, 87 assisted tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

DB: Quilen Hale, Tuscaloosa County, Sr., 6-0, 160

Hale had 21 solo tackles, 37 assisted tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception.

DB: TJ Banks, Hillcrest, Sr., 6-2, 185

Banks wrapped up the 2023 season with 14.5 tackles.

DB: Kevin Montgomery, West Blocton, Sr., 5-10, 165

Montgomery tallied up 31 solo tackles in 2023 along with 18 pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

DB: Jesiah Rainer, Central, So., 6-0, 175

Rainer had 65 solo tackles, 23 assisted tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack during his sophomore campaign.

Special Teams

K: Tucker Cornelius, Northridge, Sr., 6-2, 190

The Alabama commit scored 59 total points in 2023, going 20-of-22 on extra point attempts and 13-of-18 on field goals with a long of 57 yards.

P: Anderson Green, Northridge, Sr.,6-0, 210

The Alabama commit and five-star punter went 7-of-8 on extra point attempts, along with punting the ball 33 times for 1,655-yards, averaging 41.2 yards per punt.

Returner: TJ Banks, Hillcrest, Sr., 6-2, 185

Banks finished 2023 with six kickoff returns for 203 yards and one touchdown, along with nine punt returns for 155 yards and two scores.

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Second-team

Offense

QB: David McNeil, Central, Sr., 5-9, 185

The junior went 86-for-130 for 1,250 yards passing and 14 touchdowns with three interceptions. He also carried the ball 81 times for 705 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.

RB: Marquis Thomas, Central, Sr., 5-9, 170

Thomas ran the ball 83 times for 750 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. He also added 14 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

RB: Nate Barron, West Blocton, Jr., 5-8, 190

Through 11 games played, Barron rushed for 1,023 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns.

WR: Devin Guin, Northside, Sr., 6-3, 215

Guin had 28 catches for 648 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023.

WR: Jordan Chambers-Smith, Tuscaloosa County, Jr., 5-11, 145

Chambers-Smith had 30 receptions for 517 yards and three touchdowns in nine games played in 2023.

WR: Dalyn Jackson, Demopolis, Sr., 6-0, 195

Jackson hauled in 66 passes for 1,251 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior campaign.

OL: Riley Turner, American Christian Academy, Sr., 6-4, 275

The senior averaged a 92% grade in 2023 and helped the ACA offense rush for more than 1,500 yards.

OL: Landyn Scurlock, West Blocton, Sr, 6-3, 295

Through 11 games, Scurlock added up 60 pancakes and had an average grade of 88%.

OL: Devin White, Northridge, Jr., 6-5, 285

White gave up one sack all year along with 47 pancake blocks.

OL: Ivan Williams, Tuscaloosa County, Jr., 6-2, 280

The junior was a part of a Tuscaloosa County offensive line that helped the Wildcats' offense rush for 1,946 yards in 2023 and gave up seven sacks.

ATH: Antonious Steele, Bibb County, Jr., 6-2, 187

Steele had 11 catches for 240 yards and four catches, along with five rushes for 19 yards.

Defense

DL: Jamarkus O'Neil, West Blocton, So., 5-11, 240

O'Neil accumulated 46 solo tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries in 2023.

DL: Dylan Goode, Bibb County, Sr., 6-0, 233

Goode racked up 62 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three sacks and one caused fumble.

DL: Thomas Bedsole, Demopolis, Sr., 6-0, 190

The edge rusher was a key part of the Demopolis defense, also seeing time as linebacker.

DL: Brendan Parsons, Northside, Sr., 6-1, 215

Throughout 10 games, Parsons tallied up 55 total tackles, 12 of those for loss, along with seven sacks.

LB: Tyler Colvin, Central, Sr., 5-11, 180

Colvin had 58 solo tackles, 27 assisted tackles seven tackles for loss and three sacks during his senior campaign.

LB: Luke Thompson, Bibb County, Jr., 6-2, 185

In 12 games, Thompson had 81 solo tackles, 18 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. He also had one caused fumble and one fumble recovery.

LB: Zay Hall, Paul W. Bryant, So., 6-3

Hall had 87 solo tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2023.

LB: John May, Northridge, Sr., 5-10, 210

May finished the 2023 season with 67 total tackles, two sacks, three fumble recoveries and nine tackles for loss.

DB: Dyllon Williams, Demopolis, Jr., 6-2, 175

The junior was one of the leading defensive players for Demopolis in 2023.

DB: Drew Keller, Tuscaloosa County, Jr., 6-0, 175

The junior racked up 17 solo tackles, 36 assisted tackles, two tackles for loss along with scoring a defensive touchdown in 2023.

DB: Braylon Smith, Central, Jr., 5-11, 180

Smith had 33 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one interception in 2023.

DB: Lyndon Hood, Bibb County, Sr., 6-2, 206

Hood tallied up 28 total tackles, three of those for loss, along with three fumble recoveries and two touchdowns.

Honorable mention

American Christian Academy: Drew Lee (OL). Bibb County: Jay Harris (RB), Jordan Leverette (QB). Paul W. Bryant: Miles Madden (ATH), Braelyn Gray (ATH), Edwin Merriweather (QB), Josh Hines (ATH). Northridge: Rowdy Christensen (QB), Tyson Whiteside (RB), Hayes Formby (OL), Will Allen (OL). Central: Dominic Myles Jr. (DB), Jamarion Gilmore (DL). Demopolis: Ethan Malone (LB), Alexander Mullings (DL), Jay Johnson (OL), Jakoby Collins (OL). Holt: Orion Jackson (OL), Tamaris Harris (RB/LB) Demaje Ashe (RB/DB), Jamarcus Jordan (OL/DL). Tuscaloosa County: CJ Hutchins (RB), Isaac Boulger (OL), Jackson Sprayberry (LB), Kole Nicholson (LB). West Blocton: Levi Carey (LB), Landyn Lindsey (OL). Northside: Bennett Green (RB/LB), Jackson Rhodes (QB). Hillcrest: Christian Richey (RB), Bryson Kimbrough (QB), Kamari Patton (DB).

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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: The Tuscaloosa News' 2023 Class 4A-7A All-Area football team