BIRMINGHAM – There was more than a little excitement surrounding high school football in Limestone County this fall. With five teams making the playoffs, three teams making deep playoff runs and one program winning its first state championship since 1976, its easy to say there was plenty to cheer about at the local football stadiums this fall.

One of the main reasons for the amount of success Limestone County football programs had this fall is partly due to the large amount of talent spread across the county.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association’s All-State Football Teams were released today, and it’s obvious that there was a lot of talent within Limestone County by the high number of players from the county that have been recognized.

There are seven players from Limestone County that have been named first-team All-State, while four have been named honorable mention.

Athens – winner of the Class 5A state title – led all local programs with four players named first-team in Class 5A. Leading the Golden Eagles was quarterback Rob Ezell. The senior signal-caller accumulated over 2,700-yards passing this season while rushing for over 800 yards. Senior wide receiver Jacquez Pride was also named to the first-team offense with over 1,200-yards in receptions.

On defense, senior Alfred McCullough was named first-team defensive lineman with over 70 tackles. Senior defensive lineman Karlos Jones was named first-team defensive athlete with 82 tackles. Jones also led the team in sacks, while scoring eight rushing touchdowns on the season.

In Class 4A, East Limestone senior linebacker Cameron Nye was the county’s lone first-team reprehensive. He led the Indians’ defense with 131 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Ardmore junior running back was named honorable mention with over 1,700-yards rushing with over 20 touchdowns.

In Class 3A, Elkmont senior tight end Tim Woolridge was named to the first-team offense with 27 receptions. He was also one of the Red Devils leading blockers this season. Clements junior linebacker Brad Smith was named to the first-team defense with over 140 tackles on the season.

Clements senior receiver Jeremy Craig and kicker Josh Cooper were also named honorable mentions on the Class 3A offense.

In Class 2A, Tanner senior offensive lineman Matt Smith was named to the first-team offense. He was the lone senior on an offensive front that helped produce two 1,000-yard rushers – Jarquise Peoples and Tim Mason. The Rattlers advanced to the second-round of the playoffs.