By Ashley Hargrove
Alex Taylor couldn’t wait for spring training to come around.
After being sidelined most of his freshman season with an injury, the current West Limestone sophomore was anxious to hit the weight room with his teammates to begin preparation for another season.
This year, Taylor reaped the rewards for the hard work and time he put into helping his team become successful as he accounted for 1,549 total yards of offense for the Wildcats, who finished the season 5-5. In addition, he helped lead his team to their first 3-0 start since 1998, which included the school’s first-ever win over perennial powerhouse Colbert County, according to records that date back to 1950.
For his performance on the gridiron this season, Taylor has been named The News Courier’s 2009 Limestone County Football MVP.
“I’m very surprised,” Taylor said of the honor. “I know there are a lot of other good athletes out there.”
Despite rushing for 1,078 yards and 13 touchdowns, and returning nine kickoffs for 260 yards, Taylor isn’t taking any of the credit. Instead, he gives it to his team.
“The team is what helped me be so successful,” Taylor said. “We learned how to play together to make a good team and got along. We learned not to quit and to keep going at it. Although we were young, we didn’t give up.”
Taylor also noted how good it felt to get West Limestone back on a winning track. Now he just hopes it will help get more people interested in the program.
“Our workouts really helped us a lot,” Taylor said. “I hope it will help bring more people to our games and help make more boys want to come and join the team.”
Coach of the Year
Don Jacobs only needed one word to describe the year for his Elkmont team.
Fun.
The Red Devils head coach and his staff addressed the issues of having to fill a void left by 16 seniors. Early in the season, Jacobs met with each class and explained that the only way they could be as good as they needed to be was to have people step up. And on several other occasions this season, he talked of how no one thought they would make the playoffs after losing so many experienced players. Let alone win six games.
But no one was having it.
Jacobs knew his team was good enough to finish second in the region and the players did too. But they also knew it wasn’t going to happen just because they wanted it too. They knew they were going to have to work for it — and they did.
The Red Devils finished the season 8-4, clinching the second spot in Class 3A, Region 8 and a home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Elkmont defeated Vinemont 56-7 to advance to the second round before falling to Hamilton.
For his efforts in leading his team this season, Jacobs has been selected as The News Courier’s 2009 Football Coach of the Year.
“It was a lot of fun this season,” Jacobs said. “We did something this year that a lot of people didn’t think we could. We may not have had a lot of superstars, but everybody was involved.”
2009 All-Area Football Team
Coach of the Year: Don Jacobs, Elkmont
MVP: Alex Taylor, West Limestone
Offense
QB Stephen Rivers Athens
QB Jamison Bridges Clements
RB Hunter Day Elkmont
RB Brandon Sanderfer Clements
RB Chris Cain Athens
WR Cole Glass Elkmont
WR Julius Jones Athens
WR Matt Teeples Ardmore
OL Zach Draper Tanner
OL James Billiter Clements
OL Andrew Gilliam Athens
OL Andrew Chambers West Limestone
OL Jarred Love East Limestone
PK Grant Talbert East Limestone
ATH Alex Taylor West Limestone
Defense
LB Marquez McDonald Tanner
LB Ross Leonard West Limestone
LB Cody Martin Elkmont
LB Tracy Twitty Athens
LB Lucas Wilbanks Clements
DB Tray Cosby Tanner
DB Howard Petty Elkmont
DB Jake Appleton West Limestone
DB Sherman Bowman East Limestone
DL Bruce Boydstun East Limestone
DL Darius Cosby Elkmont
DL Cody Harrison East Limestone
DL Andy Stanford Clements
P Cody Lewter Ardmore
ATH Jamaal Bess Athens
Honorable mention
Quarterback: Dylan Brazeal, Elkmont; J Tribble, Ardmore
Running back: Devin Robinson, East Limestone; Jonathan Franklin, Clements
Wide receiver: Tre Turner, Clements
Offensive line: Taylor Warren, East Limestone; Terrence Pendleton, Tanner; Zeke Jackson, Athens; Casey Rice, West Limestone; Nate Burks, West Limestone; Jacob Holt, Clements; John Mark Ham, Clements
Place-kicker: Mark Adams, Tanner; Bronson Warren, Clements
Defensive back: Scott Chapman, Clements
Linebacker: Erik Smith, Tanner; Jake Holland, West Limestone; Jake Blankenship, West Limestone; Dan Logan, Elkmont; Joel Evans, Clements; Zach Weatherford, Athens
Defensive lineman: Kyle Shoulders, Tanner
