High school football: Terry Bussey of Texas headlines Small Town All-America Team

One year after falling short of a Class 2A Division 1 state championship, Timpson (Texas) completed the quest in 2023 with a 16-0 record and a convincing 49-7 win over Tolar in the final. Terry Bussey, a Texas A&M pledge who was last year's Mr. Texas by Dave Campbell's High School Football, led the way by accounting for 466 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in the victory.


Bussey edges out Daniel Thomas of Bell County (Pineville, Ky.), who led the nation in rushing with 3,828 yards, and Alvin Henderson of Elba (Ala.), who led the nation in touchdowns and points with 68 and 408, respectively.

Small Town National Coach of the Year honors go to Jamie Driskell of Malakoff (Texas). Now in his 15th season, Driskell led the Tigers to a 16-0 record and  the school's first state championship. The 16 wins was also a school record.

When Driskell took over at Malakoff in 2009, the Tigers were coming off an 0-10 season and had won only one game the past two seasons. Malakoff had also won eight or more games just eight times in school history prior to Driskell's arrival with only seven district championships over 87 yards. In his 15 years, Driskell has never won fewer than eight games in a season, posting an overall record of 157 wins and 35 losses with eight district championships, including five in a row.

The Small Town All-America Team consists of 56 players on a first and second team chosen from schools with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students from towns with a population of less than 10,000 people. Small Town All-America Team

First Team Offense

WR — Nitro Tuggle, NorthWood (Nappanee, Ind.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190 | Year: Senior
Earned Top 50 All-State honors in Indiana while catching 95 passes for 1,449 yards and 19 touchdowns.

WR — Isaiah Smith, Western Brown (Mt. Orab, Ohio)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 165 | Year: Senior
Led the nation in receiving yardage with 2,038 yards and 14 touchdowns on 123 catches.

TE — Carter Nelson, Ainsworth (Neb.)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 220 | Year: Senior
The All-Super State selection caught 32 passes for 658 yards and 14 touchdowns, ran 120 times for 1,148 yards and 19 touchdowns and threw for 610 yards and eight touchdowns.

OL — Josiah Thompson, Dillon (S.C.)
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 264 | Year: Senior
Named to the Class 2A All-State team by the coaches association. Ranked No. 3 offensive lineman in the nation by 247Sports.

OL — Grant Brix, Logan-Magnolia (Logan, Iowa)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 278 | Year: Senior
Named to the All-State team by the Iowa Sports Writers Association. Ranked No. 23 offensive lineman by 247Sports.

OL — Cody Fox, East Buchanan (Winthrop, Iowa)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 270 | Year: Senior
Named to the All-State team by the Iowa Sports Writers Association. Ranked No. 43 offensive lineman by 247Sports.

OL — Gabe Vansickle, Coopersville (Mich.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 283 | Year: Senior
Associated Press All-State team selection. Ranked No. 53 offensive lineman by 247Sports.

OL — T.J. Lockhart, Winona (Miss.)
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 365 | Year: Senior
State coaches association All-State pick. Ranked No. 72 offensive lineman by 247Sports.

QB — Preston Ries, Monticello (Iowa)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 205 | Year: Senior
MaxPreps Iowa Player of the Year threw for 2,559 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,926 yards and 33 touchdowns.

QB — Terry Bussey, Timpson (Texas)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170 | Year: Senior
Led team to state title by throwing and running for 4,275 yards and 60 touchdowns.

RB — Daniel Thomas, Bell County (Pineville, Ky.)
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
The MaxPreps Player of the Year in Kentucky set a state record for rushing yards in a season with 3,828 yards. The national leader in rushing yards, Thomas also scored 54 touchdowns.

RB — Tiqwai Hayes, Aliquippa (Pa.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 200 | Year: Junior
The MaxPreps Player of the Year for Pennsylvania rushed for 2,130 yards and 23 touchdowns.

RB — Alvin Henderson, Elba (Ala.)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 198 | Year: Senior
Henderson led the nation in scoring with 408 points and touchdowns with 68. He also rushed for 3,523 yards on just 225 carries.

AP — Blayne Sisson, Mt. Carmel (Ill.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
The Illinois MaxPreps Player of the Year completed 121 of 218 passes for 1,777 yards and 15 touchdowns and also rushed 235 times for 2,230 yards and 37 touchdowns.

K — Brayden Pate, Gilmer (Texas)
Height: 5-8 | Weight: 170 | Year: Senior
Led the nation in kicking points with 95 extra points and 12 field goals, including four in one game.

First Team Defense

DL — TayQuon McKinney, Louisville (Miss.)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 195 | Year: Junior
Edge rusher earned state MVP honors by the coaches association. He had 112 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 23 sacks.

DL — Williams Echoles, Houston (Miss.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 312 | Year: Senior
Ranked the No. 18 defensive lineman in the nation by 247Sports, Echoles had 96 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.

DL — Andrew Zock, Hawthorne (Fla.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 230 | Year: Senior
The defensive leader for the state champions, Zock led the team in tackles with 143 while adding 20 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

DL — Jerod Smith, Corbin (Ky.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 265 | Year: Senior
The top-ranked player in Kentucky by 247Sports, Smith had 90 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and nine sacks while earning All-State honors by the Courier Journal.

LB — Elijah Groves, East Robertson (Cross Plains, Tenn.)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 211 | Year: Senior
The All-State selection posted 85 tackles and 17 tackles for loss.

LB — Keegan Sell, Garfield (Garrettsville, Ohio)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 190 | Year: Senior
The Class V state defensive POY finished with 210 tackles, including 33 tackles for loss and four sacks.

LB — Tyler Lockhart, Winona (Miss.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195 | Year: Senior
All-State pick along with his brother T.J. after posting 100 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

DB — Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon (Pa.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 205 | Year: Senior
The Class 3A Player of the Year rushed for 1,181 yards and 18 touchdowns and caught 53 passes for 764 yards. On defense he had a pair of interceptions.

DB — Devyn Hidrogo, Franklin (Texas)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 175 | Year: Senior
The top player for the Class 3A Division 1 runner-up, Hidrogo was the District 11-3A-1 most valuable player.

DB — Demello Jones, Swainsboro (Ga.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Named the Class A Division 1 state defensive player of the year by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

DB — Koi Perich, Esko (Minn.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
Named to the coaches association All-State team, Perich had 57 tackles, five interceptions and five defensive touchdowns.

P — Drew Miller, Mediapolis (Iowa)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 200 | Year: Senior
Named to the MaxPreps All-American team, Miller averaged 49.5 yards per punt.

AP — Adam Hill, Albany (Texas)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 205 | Year: Senior
Rushed for 2,641 yards on 306 carries and 44 touchdowns. He finished with 51 overall touchdowns and 308 points. On defense he had 103 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks.

Second Team Offense

WR — Ashawd Wynn, Hobbton (Newton Grove, N.C.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190 | Year: Junior
Caught 98 passes for 1,823 yards and 18 touchdowns.

WR — Jaydon Smith, Ingleside (Texas)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
Smith set a national record with 39 touchdown receptions. He finished with 84 catches for 1,875 yards.

TE — Amir Jackson, Portal (Ga.)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 210 | Year: Senior
Earned All-State honors by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He caught 44 passes for 727 yards and 12 touchdowns.

OL — Talan Chandler, Nevada (Mo.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 292 | Year: Senior
An All-State pick by the coaches association, Chandler is ranked the No. 102 offensive lineman in the nation by 247Sports.

OL — Brock Riker, Brock (Texas)
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 286 | Year: Senior
Led Brock to the Class 3A state semifinals and was selected as the district most valuable player.

OL — Zachary Wurm, Adams Central (Monroe, Ind.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 285 | Year: Senior
Wurm earned Top 50 All-State honors in Indiana.

OL — Riley Sunram, Kindred (N.D.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 265 | Year: Senior
Selected as the North Dakota Class A Player of the Year.

OL — Mike Crist, Steel Valley (Munhall, Pa.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 300 | Year: Senior
A candidate for the Bill Fralic Award identifying the state's top offensive lineman.

QB — Camren Cavalier, Canadian (Texas)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
Threw for 3,950 yards and 59 touchdowns on the season. He also ran for 1,503 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading Canadian to a 14-1 record.

QB — Logan Jenkins, Collinsville (Texas)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 135 | Year: Senior
Finished with the second-highest passing yardage total in the nation this year, throwing for 5,060 yards and 67 touchdowns. He also rushed for 458 yards and seven scores.

RB — Isaiah Groves, East Robertson (Cross Plains, Tenn.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: Junior
Isaiah joins his brother Elijah on the team after rushing for 3,050 yards on 277 carries with 37 total touchdowns.

RB — Hunter Babb, Caruthers (Calif.)
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Rushed for 3,245 yards on 303 carries with 45 touchdowns. Led the nation in yards rushing per game at 295.

RB — Garrett Garcia, Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa, Pa.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Ran for 1,762 yards and 28 touchdowns while recording 128 tackles on defense.

AP — Armando Lujan, Sunray (Texas)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Completed 284 of 434 passes for 4,211 yards and 61 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,016 yards and 21 touchdowns.

K — Preston Tarpley, Gunter (Texas)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 185 | Year: Junior
Led the nation in extra points with 110. He also had five field goals and 125 kicking points on the year.

Second Team Defense

DL — Jamari Payne, Loachapoka (Ala.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 250 | Year: Senior
Notched 24 tackles for loss and eight sacks on the season.

DL — D.J. Sanders, Bellville (Texas)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 310 | Year: Junior
Piled up 115 tackles and 15 sacks.

DL — Doc Renberg, Malakoff (Texas)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 220 | Year: Senior
In helping Malakoff win a state title and finish No. 1 in the Small Town Top 25, he recorded 43 tackles and 11 tackles for loss.

LB — Derek Weisskopf, Williamsburg (Iowa)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 205 | Year: Senior
Made 58 tackles on the season and is ranked as the No. 2 player in the state of Iowa by 247Sports.

LB — Landon Arling, Marion Local (Maria Stein, Ohio)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170 | Year: Senior

LB — Rocco Alfieri, Kirtland (Ohio)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 175 | Year: Senior
Led Kirtland to a state championship with 104 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three interceptions and a blocked punt. He also rushed for 1,161 yards on 187 carries and 26 touchdowns.

LB — Demarcus Riddick, Chilton County (Clanton, Ala.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 215 | Year: Senior
Registered 92 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

DB — Quay’Sheed Scott, Marion (S.C.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Recorded 63 tackles and three interceptions.

DB — Jalewis Solomon, Schley County (Ellaville, Ga.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 185 | Year: Senior
Earned Class 1A POY honors from the Atlanta Journal Constitution after grabbing eight interceptions.

DB — Willie Goodwyn, Rabun County (Tiger, Ga.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 180 | Year: Senior
Recorded 54 tackles and five interceptions.

DB — Damion Miller, Port Gibson (Miss.)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 190 | Year: Senior
Named to the all-state team by the coaches association.

P — Bryson Costa, Windber (Pa.)
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 165 | Year: Senior
Averaged 48.8 yards on 25 punts and also had 48 touchbacks on kickoffs.

AP — Chauncey Hogg, Malakoff (Texas)
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 160 | Year: Senior
Caught 76 passes for 1,048 yards and 12 touchdowns. Also had nine interceptions on defense.