HUNTINGTON - Some years, The Herald-Dispatch All-Tri-State high school football team has just one or two FBS-caliber players on the entire squad.
The 2016 team features four on the offensive line alone, and several others sprinkled throughout.
Led by Player of the Year Riley Locklear, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound tackle from Class AAA runner-up Spring Valley, the newspaper's front five is a force that any running back would love to run behind. Locklear, who committed to the University of Tennessee, was recruited by several national powers, including Florida State, Michigan State and Penn State.
"Tennessee was the right fit for me," Locklear said. "Whenever I got a chance to watch (Volunteers offensive line coach Don) Mahoney, I saw some things in him that I really liked and how close of a group his o-line unit was." Mahoney is a former Marshall University offensive lineman.
Locklear is joined on the All-Tri-State offensive front by Huntington High's Billy Ross, a 6-5, 305-pound senior tackle who is committed to the University of North Carolina; Point Pleasant's Seth Stewart, a 6-8, 205-pound senior tackle committed to LSU; Spring Valley 6-5, 285-pound sophomore guard/tackle Doug Nester, who has offers from Marshall, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Tennessee; and Jordan King, a 6-2, 220-pound junior from Cabell Midland.
The backfield also is impressive. Heading the group is Derek Johnson, a 5-8, 170-pound junior quarterback who led a potent Spring Valley offense that rolled to the state championship game. Timberwolves coach Brad Dingess, the 2016 All Tri-State Coach of the Year, said at times Johnson was "the best player in the state."
Johnson can pass, but undoubtedly would enjoy simply handing off to the trio of All Tri-State running backs.
Cabell Midland sophomore Ivan Vaughn (5-11, 180) rushed for more than 1,800 yards this season in helping the Knights to the playoffs. A powerful runner with speed and agility, Vaughn led the Mountain State Athletic Conference in rushing.
"At the beginning of the season, we didn't even know Ivan was going to be the man," Cabell Midland coach Luke Salmons said. "He came on and showed what he could do."
Fairland's Keedrick Cunningham, a 6-1, 175-pound junior, also came on strong as the season progressed, rushing for more than 1,200 yards, including 750 in three games when he showed the speed and athleticism that made his father, Fairland coach Melvin Cunningham, an all-American cornerback at Marshall.
Johnson probably would be thrilled to throw to the All Tri-State receivers. Tate Dowdy of òòò½ÊÓƵhland converted from quarterback to split end and caught 59 passes for 974 yards and eight touchdowns to help the Tomcats to the Kentucky Class AAAA playoffs. Huntington High's Lenny Jackson picked up the slack when Brett Christian and Mikal Dawson went down with early season injuries and helped the Highlanders to the playoffs by catching 19 passes for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Wes Malavenda, a 5-10, 155-pound senior, provided an outside threat to prevent defenses from keying on Chesapeake's potent running game and helped lead the Panthers to the playoffs.
Dylan Lucas from Buffalo, winner of the Curt Warner Award as running back of the year in West Virginia, is an example of how difficult it is to make the All Tri-State team. Lucas rushed for 2,465 yards and scored 36 touchdowns. He averaged 322 all-purpose yards per game and earned a position on the first team offense as the utility player.
The first team defense would be a great challenge for the powerful All Tri-State offense. Three Huntington High players join Spring Valley's Brock Adkins, a 5-9, 205-pound senior, on the defensive line. Huntington High senior Ryan Mills (6-foot, 230) was a Class AAA all-state first team pick who headed a fierce run defense. Huntington High senior tackle Manny Mercedes (5-10, 260) also made the squad and showed a knack for the big play, as well as for stuffing the run. Huntington High's Darnell Wright (6-6, 275) showed promise as a freshman, then made a name for himself as a sophomore and has scholarship offers from Marshall, West Virginia and Louisville.
Spring Valley players made up half of an impressive All Tri-State linebacker corps. Jonah Wellman, a 6-2, 225-pound senior, and Owen Porter, a 6-3, 210-pound junior, helped the Timberwolves shut down some of the better offensive attacks in the state. Porter has a scholarship offer from West Virginia University.
Brendan Meadows, a 5-11, 215-pound senior from Chesapeake, and Grant Safford, a 5-11, 210-pound senior from Point Pleasant, also are linebackers on the squad. Both were influential helping their teams make the playoffs.
Spring Valley's Chandler Stacy, a 6-3, 195-pound senior, heads a secondary that also includes speedy ball-hawking 6-foot, 160-pound Drew Keeton of Cabell Midland and versatile and durable 5-11, 180-pound junior Jadon Hayes of Huntington High.
"Jadon volunteered to play in the secondary," Highlanders coach Billy Seals said of Hayes, his team's leading rusher. "That's the kind of kid he is. He thought he could make us better and he did."
Point Pleasant 5-11, 170-pound sophomore Cason Payne is the utility player on defense, where he starred in the Big Blacks secondary. Payne also was one of the region's better quarterbacks.
The kicker is Cason Kessinger of Huntington High. Kessinger made 24 of 25 extra points and the lone miss was on a bad snap. He kicked six field goals, including a 54-yarder in a victory at Spring Valley.
Alex Ray of Cabell Midland is the punter. Ray sacrificed average to pin opponents inside their own 20-yard line and often helped the Knights win the battle for field position.
