Three local players concluded their high school football careers by receiving the highest honor they could at the high school level — being selected to the all-state team in their respective classifications.

East Limestone wide receiver C.J. Yarbrough was selected to the first team Class 5A All-State Team, while Athens offensive lineman Kannon Biggs was named to the first team Class 6A All-State Team.

Athens defensive lineman Ethan Rinke was named to the second team Class 6A All-State Team.

The all-state teams were named by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

The first-team selections were fitting rewards for Yarbrough and Biggs, who both signed to play with Division I colleges last week. Yarbrough will be playing at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, while Biggs has signed to play at Troy University in Troy.

Rinke has received offers from schools such as South Alabama and Army, but has not made a decision yet.f

Yarbrough spent his senior season at East Limestone after playing his first three years of high school at Tanner. He helped lead the Indians to a 9-3 record and the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

Yarbrough had 32 receptions for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns at wide receiver. He also had 20 kick returns for 580 yards and two scores, and as a defensive back had 37 tackles and six interceptions, returning two of those for touchdowns.

“He’s a difference maker on the field, but he’s also a difference maker on the practice field with his demeanor and the way he play the game,” East Limestone coach Jeff Pugh said. “He’s just a leader. Everything he’s gotten he’s earned. He’s worked hard to master his craft.”

Pugh said Yarbrough made a tremendous impression on the rest of the East Limestone team in just one year due to his diligence and leadership in practice.

“The things that makes me believe he’ll persevere in college is his work ethic and the way he handles practice,” Pugh said. “When he messed up in drill work, he would line himself up back in the drill and go again on his own until he did it right. Those are the things that make guys special. The guys who play on Saturday don’t skip the weight room. They don’t come up with excuses to miss practice and don’t make excuses for mistakes. He’s a perfect example of that.”

Another example of hard work paying off is the case of Biggs. It is the second-straight year Biggs was selected for the Class 6A All-State Team. He made the second team following last season.

Biggs, who was also selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game on Dec. 17 in Montgomery, set a goal to play collegiately and made it happen, said Athens coach Cody Gross.

“It took a lot of work for him to get to this point,” Gross said. “It’s satisfying to see a young man who set a goal and then worked to achieve it. He’s worked as hard to get to this point as anybody I’ve ever seen.”

Biggs’ example is something the entire team can learn from.

“The discipline and toughness it took to do that is really hard to measure,” Gross said. “It’s a great example to the rest of our team. It’s something I will talk about probably the rest of my career. He’ll be an example we can use.”

Rinke is also a deserving selection, having made 70 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries his senior season. Rinke also occasionally played tight end on offense, and had a touchdown reception at that position.