Reed Blankenship tries to break free of Tanner defender in the first quarter Friday.

James Clemens defensive end LaBryan Ray, Tanner quarterback Chadarius Townsend and West Limestone athlete Reed Blankenship will represent the area at today’s Player of the Year Luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Montgomery.

The Back of the Year and Lineman of the Year from each of Alabama’s seven classifications will be announced at the banquet, along with Mr. Football for 2017 – awarded to the top overall player in the state.

The banquet begins at 11:30 a.m and can be streamed live at this link: http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/a2ff96536d

Townsend hopes to repeat as Class 2A Back of the Year as does Ray as the Class 7A Lineman of the Year. Blankenship is a finalist for Back of the Year in Class 4A, the first player from his school nominated for the award.

They are part of 48 finalists chosen by a panel of prep writers from around the state. The 48 are also finalists for the state’s Mr. Football award.

Ray actually had a better year statistically than in 2015 when he won the award. The four-star defensive end had a team-high 13 sacks, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, 25 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles.

The other finalists for 7A Lineman of the Year are Kendall Randolph of Bob Jones and Christion Taylor of Hoover.

In 247 Sports final recruiting rankings for the Class of 2017, Ray moved up from No. 46 overall to the 15th overall ranked recruit in the country. Ray is also now ranked as a 5-star prospect — one of only three in the state.

“There’s some Jonathan Allen ‘tough-guy’ in Ray,” said 247 Sports recruiting analyst Barton Simmons. “He’s got the same kind of versatility too. He can play every position along the defensive line and his senior film is some of the best in this cycle.”

Townsend accounted for more than 2,700 yards and 35 touchdowns for Tanner. An Alabama signee, he threw for 1,245 yards and 13 touchdowns, but it was on the ground where he did the most damage. The dual-threat QB carried the ball 147 times for 1,481 yards and 22 touchdowns.

The other finalists for 2A Back of the Year are Dilan Kilpatrick of Fyffe and JaTarvious Whitlow of LaFayette.

Blankenship did it all for the Wildcats, playing quarterback, running back and wide receiver this season. He finished with 874 passing yards with eight touchdowns, 1,311 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns and 251 receiving yards with six touchdowns.

The other finalists for 4A Back of the Year are Michael Matthews of UMS-Wright and Brady Sherrill of Haleyville.