TOMORROW: The All-Metro defense
WEDNESDAY: Coach of the Year and the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year
JOURNAL STAFF
There’s no question that the story of the 2022 local high school football season can be summed up in one word – offense.
Seemingly every week, teams were posting crazy offensive numbers. For example, one week after one quarterback threw six touchdown passes in a game, another quarterback threw seven.
Just in the regular season alone, three quarterbacks threw for 2,000 yards. Five running backs ran for 1,000 yards. Three receivers had at least 1,000 yards and at least 15 touchdown receptions.
That, plus the fact that the area had perhaps the best group of place kickers in local history.
All of that played into one undeniable fact: It was going to be nearly impossible to choose an All-Metro team. But as tough as that task was, the staff of the Shreveport-Bossier Journal, in consultation with local coaches, chose the 2022 team, which is limited to 12 on offense, 12 on defense and three specialists.
Today’s edition features the announcement of the offense and specialists, where the skill positions did not lack for quality or depth.
How is this for getting to the end zone? Receivers Daxton Chavez (Airline), Omarion Miller (North Caddo) and Pearce Russell (Benton) combined for 49 touchdown catches. That might sound good, except that the three running backs who were chosen made it to the end zone 56 times.
But the toughest call may have been at quarterback, where Benton’s Gray Walters (2,375 yards, 27 touchdowns) won out over a list of those who might have run away with the honor in any other year. Walters, who had a slow start to his season with only 471 yards in the first three games, also rushed for 362 yards.
Huntington’s Kam Evans (2,286 yards, 24 TDs) was the leading passer in the area for much of the season before suffering an arm injury and ending his season in late October. Airline sophomore Ben Taylor led the local area with 2,730 yards and 34 touchdowns and Haughton’s dual threat Colin Raines threw for 1,639 yards and ran for 460 with eight touchdowns.
Return specialist Christian Jones of Byrd brought back two kickoffs for touchdowns with an average 34.4 per return.
Place kicker Aeron Burrell of Parkway was 12 of 14 on field goals with a long of 52 yards, a Bossier Parish record, along with a game-winning 50-yarder at Haughton and 49 touchbacks. Byrd’s Abram Murray was chosen as the punter (41.6 average and two 60-yard punts) but could have just as easily made it as the place kicker. The junior nailed a 49-yarder and had 48 touchbacks.
OFFENSE
Wide receiver – Daxton Chavez, Airline (Sr.)
Wide receiver – Omarion Miller, North Caddo (Sr.)
Wide receiver – Pearce Russell, Benton (Sr.)
Offensive line – Quantavious Bradford, Huntington (Jr.)
Offensive line – Chandler Davis, Parkway (Sr.)
Offensive line – Jamarion Kennedy, Northwood (Sr.)
Offensive line – Peyton Polk, Haughton (Sr.)
Offensive line – Cam Robinson, Captain Shreve (Sr.)
Quarterback – Gray Walters, Benton (Sr.)
Running back – Greg Manning, Benton (Jr.)
Running back – Jaylan White, Parkway (Sr.)*
Running back – Quintavion White, Northwood (Sr.)
SPECIALISTS
Place kicker – Aeron Burrell, Parkway (Sr.)
Punter – Abram Murray, Byrd (Jr.)
Return specialist – Christian Jones, Byrd (Sr.)
* Received unanimous first-place votes at his position.
Listed below are the Journal’s “Best of the Rest,” which recognizes those who either had a high recommendation or received point totals in the voting that put them in consideration for the first team.
BEST OF THE REST
Wide receiver – Jackson Dufrene, Byrd (Sr.); Damarion Carter, Huntington (Sr.); Parker Fulghum, Evangel (Jr,); Cam Jefferson, Airline (Sr.)
Offensive line – Kyle Sprague, Byrd (Sr.)
Quarterback – Kam Evans, Huntington (Sr.); Ben Taylor, Airline (Soph.); Colin Rains, Haughton (Sr.)
Running back – KJ Black, North Caddo (Sr.); Tre Jackson, Airline (Jr.); Tyler Rhodes, Haughton (Sr.); James Simon, Calvary (Soph.)
Punter – John Chance, Captain Shreve (Jr.)
Place kicker – Abram Murray, Byrd (Jr.)