Second Team Offense
Mark Laird, WR, 6-2, 178, Ouachita Christian (Monroe, La.), Junior, Undecided
The state 1A player of the year in baseball last year as a sophomore, Laird was an all-state pick in football this year with 78 catches for 1,755 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has 140 receptions for 3,064 yards and 34 touchdowns in three varsity seasons.
Akeem Woodson
Photo by Steven Silva
Klenke helped Coldwater reach the Ohio Division V championship game by catching 96 passes for 1,625 yards and 21 touchdowns. Named to the All-Ohio First Team by JJ Huddle and was an All-Division V first-team pick.
Taylor Haines, WR, 6-1, 175, McComb (Ohio), Senior, Undecided
An all-Ohio Division VI selection, Haines led the nation in touchdown receptions with 30 while catching 110 passes for 1,822 yards.
Akeem Woodson, TE, 6-3, 185, Madison (San Diego), Senior, Undecided
Woodson, an All-San Diego Section selection, helped Madison reach the California Division III bowl game. He caught 42 passes for 863 yards and 11 scores.
Stephen Shoemaker, OL, 6-2, 265, Bronxville (N.Y.), Senior, Yale
Shoemaker was named the state Class C player of the year in New York. The Yale-bound lineman led Bronxville to the school's first state championship.
Robert Olive, OL, 6-2, 297, Murray (Ky.), Senior, Undecided
Olive earned a spot on the Courier-Journal's all-state team in Kentucky after helping lead Murray to the Class 2-A semifinals. He is a three-year starter and a two-time member of the All-Western Kentucky Team by the Paducah Sun.
David Andrews, OL, 6-3, 295, Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.), Senior, Georgia
One of the top linemen in Georgia regardless of school size, Andrews was the region lineman of the year and earned Class 1A all-state honors.
James Elliott, OL, 6-4, 285, Pensacola Catholic (Fla.), Senior, Undecided
A three-year starter for Catholic, Elliott earned all-area honors and helped lead Pensacola to the Class 2B semifinals the past two seasons.
Freddie Tagaloa, OL, 6-8, 270, Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), Junior, Undecided
Tagaloa's masterful work on the offensive line helped Salesian finish with an 11-2 record. He earned all-East Bay honors and has also been a starter on the team's state championship basketball team.
Andrew Dee, QB, 5-11, 195, McComb (Ohio), Senior, Undecided
Dee earned Ohio Division VI offensive player of the year honors after completing 219 of 415 passes for 4,267 yards and 56 touchdowns while leading McComb to the Division VI semifinals.
Christian Brumbaugh, QB, 6-4, 200, South Fayette (McDonald, Pa.), Senior, Undecided
Brumbaugh set a state record with 52 touchdown passes while leading South Fayette to the AA state championship game. He completed 237 of 367 passes for 3,726 yards. His 7,164 career yards is a WPIAL career record. He earned Class 2A all-state honors.
Kelvin Taylor, RB, 5-11, 205, Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.), Sophomore, Undecided
Taylor got off to a slow start due to a spring knee surgery, but rushed for more than 1,000 yards during the playoffs in leading Glades Day to the 1B state championship in Florida. Taylor completed the season with 2,517 yards on 288 carries with 35 touchdowns, including 437 yards and five touchdowns against Jupiter Christian. He was named the Small Schools Player of the Year by the Sun Sentinel.
Kelvin Taylor
Photo by Stuart Browning
A first-team all-state pick by the Courier Journal, Wales rushed for 2,994 yards on 297 carries with 40 touchdowns in leading Central to the 3A state championship. He came up big against large school opponents, rushing for 1,049 yards against seven 6-A teams, according to the Courier Journal. He already has 5,429 career yards and 79 touchdowns.
Rueben Duckworth, RB, 5-10, 205, Mount Olive (Miss.), Senior, Undecided
Duckworth led Mount Olive to the 1A state championship and an 11-4 record by rushing for 2,965 yards on 268 carries with 39 touchdowns. He earned all-state first team honors by the Clarion Ledger.
Kyle Caldwell, K, 5-8, 150, Dadeville (Ala.), Senior, Undecided
A Super 12 pick in Alabama, Caldwell was also the Opelika-Auburn Now Offensive Player of the Year. Besides completing 170 of 242 passes for 2,790 yards and 25 touchdowns, Caldwell also booted 11 of 14 field goals with a long of 44 yards. He added 55 of 58 extra point attempts and averaged 46 yards on punts.
Alex Niznak, Ath, 6-3, 226, Ithaca (Mich.), Senior, Central Michigan
Niznak led his team to the Division 6 state championship and was named to the Detroit News Dream Team as the first team quarterback. He completed 150 of 219 passes for 2,728 yards and 31 touchdowns and also ran 153 times for 1,173 yards and 21 touchdowns. Niznak accounted for 102 touchdowns over his final two varsity seasons.
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