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Roane’s Burnside, May make first team

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Senior Polar Bears rode a stout defense all the way to the Class AA state championship game, and leading the group which allowed an average of 16 points per game this season was Class AA first-team All-State defensive captain Jake Abbott, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

The Polar Bears’ starting linebacker and quarterback accounted for 97 solo total tackles and 39 assists this season with 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, something FSHS coach J.L. Abbott, Jake’s father, attributes to his dedication to the game and hard work.

“He was probably in the best shape of his life coming in,” J.L. Abbott said. “He understands the game. He’s always watching film, and he has pretty good technique.”

While Jake Abbott may not be a dominating physical presence at 6-foot, 210-pounds, his coach saw him make up for any lack of size with speed.

“I don’t know how many times he was able to get over blocking linemen just from athletic ability and speed,” J.L. Abbott said. “I attribute all of that to his success.”

While his numbers all accounted for team highs, Abbott was far from alone on the FSHS defense with both Darius and Dante Stills earning first-team Class AA All-State honors as well.

Darius Stills finished the season with 64 solo tackles, 19 assists, 24 tackles for loss and nine sacks, while Dante Stills finished the season with 50 solo tackles, 25 assisted tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

While the FSHS defense carried the Polar Bears to the state championship game, their opponent in the contest and eventual state champion, Mingo Central, was led by quarterback Jeremy Dillon, who accounted for 60 total touchdowns this season and earned the distinction of Class AA first-team All-State offensive captain.

Dillon led a Miners’ offense which scored an average of 46.2 points per game by running for 1,205 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 189 of 299 passes for 2,852 yards, 37 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

“He’s a good football player,” Mingo Central coach Danny “Yogi” Kinder said following the state championship game. “He’s a good athlete. He’s tough, and it’s hard to get those quarterbacks like that.”

At running back on the first-team offense are seniors Tyler May (Roane County), Cody Enrietti (Weir) and J.T. Harris (Bridgeport).

May rushed for 2,039 yards and 24 touchdowns with three passing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown this season. Enrietti ran for 1,358 yards and 13 touchdowns with 63 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Harris accounted for 1,044 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 176 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Senior wide receivers Carter Sebert-Sweeney (Nicholas County) and Chase Riley (Lincoln) each earned All-State first-team honors.

Sebert-Sweeney caught 32 passes for 830 yards and 17 touchdowns this season to go along with 193 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Riley caught 71 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns.

First-team offensive linemen include Seth Stewart (Point Pleasant), Garrett Burnside (Roane County), Thomas Minnear (Winfield), Skyler Eastman (Liberty-Harrison) and Peyton Carey (Herbert Hoover). For the Raider Burnside, it was a repeat first-team honor.

Chance Brown (Sissonville), Latrell “Mookie” Collier (Bluefield) and Bryson Gilbert (Fairmont Senior), all juniors, were each selected to the first team as utility players.

Brown ran for 1,755 and 22 touchdowns and caught nine passes for 158 yards and a score. Collier ran for 863 yards and 12 touchdowns on 84 carries while catching 40 passes for 546 yards and five touchdowns. Gilbert accounted for 21 total touchdowns this season, two of which were defensive, to go along with 855 rushing yards and 475 receiving yards.

Bridgeport’s Koby Kiefer, a junior, was selected as the first-team kicker with eight field goals and 42 made extra-points.

Joining the Stills brothers on the first-team defensive line are senior Jordan Allen (Weir) and junior Chapin Murphy (Bridgeport).

Allen, a returning first-teamer, had 43 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles, 15 sacks, 25.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions, while Murphy recorded 20 solo tackles, 17 assists and 17.5 tackles for loss.

First-team linebackers along with Abbott are Tripp Shiflet (James Monroe), Mackenzie Holmes (Bridgeport), Caleb Lester (Mingo Central) and Colton Faber (Sissonville).

Shiflet recorded 169 total tackles, 88 of which were solo, to go along with 17 tackles for loss and five sacks. Holmes had 42 solo tackles, 41 assists and 7.5 tackles for loss. Lester recorded 47 solo tackles with 37 assists and 16.5 tackles for loss while Faber recorded 145 total tackles, 86 of which were solo with 25 tackles for loss.

Brady Ours (Keyser), Markus Guy (Independence) and Dylan Smith (Chapmanville) were selected as first-team defensive backs.

Ours recorded 42 solo tackles and an interception. Guy had 51 solo tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and four pass breakups to go along with four punt-return touchdowns and Smith 33 solo tackles, 25 assists, a sack and three interceptions.

Brody Thomas (Herbert Hoover) and Grant Safford (Point Pleasant) were named first-team defensive utility players with Evan Beasley (James Monroe) being selected as a utility/punter.

Thomas had 62 solo tackles with nine coming for loss this season.

Lincoln quarterback Kobie Carpenter was selected as All-State second-team offensive captain after completing 223 of 368 passes for 3,255 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Nicholas County linebacker Tate Mays was selected as second-team defensive captain with 42 solo tackles, 14 assists, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions.

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