Two-time 2-4A Division I champion Lions earn 28 all-district selections

December 4, 2023 at 12:55 pm Updated: December 6th, 2023 at 6:37 am Derrick Stuckly

Quinten McCarty (left) was named District MVP, Ike Hall (center) was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year, and Sam Kallman (right) was selected as Defensive Player of the Year – all seniors.

The two-time 2-4A Division I football champion Brownwood Lions again dominated the all-district accolades with 28 selections, which were announced Monday.

The Lions earned four superlative honors as senior offensive/defensive lineman Quinten McCarty was selected the District MVP, senior quarterback Ike Hall was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year, senior linebacker Sam Kallman was named Defensive MVP, and Sammy Burnett was voted Coach of the Year.

McCarty played left tackle on an offense that averaged 40 points and 396 yards – 239 rushing and 157 passing – per contest, while amassing 81 tackles with 5 for loss and 4 sacks along the defensive front.

Hall led the Lions in both rushing and passing as he compiled 1,814 yards and 27 touchdowns on 181 carries, while connecting on 110 of 206 passes for 1,932 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Hall also caught three passes for 79 yards with a trip to the end zone.

Hallman racked up 151 tackles with 8 for loss, 6 sacks and 1 fumble recovery on a unit that surrendered just 16 points and 283 yards – 155 rushing and 128 pass – per game, despite missing one contest this season due to injury.

Burnett, who in his sixth season at Brownwood, led the Lions to a 12-2 record – their most wins since 2010 – and their first appearance in the regional finals since 2015. Burnett also reached 100 career victories this season and stands at 103-58 for a career record and 45-26 during his stint with the Lions.

Landing on the first-team offense for Brownwood were senior linemen Davis Le and Logan Knight, sophomore receivers Carson Noe (43 catches, 772 yards, 7 TDs) and Aaron Edmonds (25 catches, 341 yards, 3 TDs), junior tight end Weston Wolf (6 catches, 109 yards, TD), and senior kicker Junior Martinez (11 of 14 FGs – long of 52; 71 of 74 PATs; 104 points).

Chosen for the first-team defense were senior linebacker Stevie Ramirez (154 tackles, 8 for loss, 4 sacks, 2 INTs), senior cornerback Morsello Hooker (43 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 INTs), senior safety Jake Jetton (124 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT), junior safety Noah Gonzalez (134 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), Wolf (80 tackles, 7 for loss, 6 sack) on the defensive line, and Martinez (38 punts, 38.8 yards average – long of 52; 3 inside opponents’ 5) at punter.

Selected as a utility player was senior Hayden Noe, who finished with 52 tackles, 1 for loss and 1 interception in the secondary and caught 6 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.

Second-team offensive choices were senior Cole Miller and sophomore Aidan Packheiser along the offensive line, sophomore running back Levi Pearson (581 yards on 120 carries, 5 TDs; 9 catches, 123 yards, TD), and sophomore receiver Stone Ratliff (11 catches for 205 yards, TD).

Making the second-team defense were senior linebacker Zakk Zabecki (103 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT), junior lineman Robert Trowbridge (72 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack), and senior cornerback Jordyn Nickerson (49 tackles, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery).

Receiving honorable mention were Miller (52 tackles, 2 for loss, 3 sacks) on the defensive line, senior Jaylan Brown (523 yards on 104 carries, 8 TDs; 2 catches, 12 yards) at running back, junior Kenyan McDowell (30 tackles, 1 INT) at cornerback, and sophomore tight end Aiden Driskill.

The rest of the district superlatives included Newcomer of the Year Jaesean DeBouse of Andrews and Lineman of the Year Darius Alexander of Lubbock Estacado.

Rounding out the first-team offense were quarterback DJ Johnson of Estacado; running backs James Bozeman of Estacado and Kavien Ford of Big Spring; full back Merqucio Saiz of Andrews; receivers Cedric Ross of Estacado and Jose Munoz of Big Spring; and linemen Jayden Overton of Big Spring, Tate Gore of Andrews, and Vershaunndrick Smith of Estacado.

Comprising the rest of the first-team defense were linemen Juan Hernandez of Andrews, Isaiah Belgara of Estacado and Jamar Shaw of Estacado; linebackers Daylon Jeffcoats of Andrews, Keisean Harris of Estacado and Nate Orta of Estacado; and secondary member Donivan Torrez of Estacado.

Completing the second-team offense were quarterback Gavin Padron of Big Spring; running back Bobby Ross of Estacado; fullback Jacob Delgado of Estacado; receivers Michael Duran of San Angelo Lake View, DevoryeaDevoryea Boyd of Estacado, and Zeyire Franklin of Big Spring; tight ends William Blaylock of Estacado, Keyshaun Woodruff of Big Spring and Brayden Williams of Andrews; and linemen Evan Bustamante of Andrews, Izaiah Castro of Estacado; and Tyson Valenzuela of Andrews.

The rest of the second-team defense featured linemen RJ Gomez of Big Spring, Diego Peregrino of Andrews, Antwone Haskins of Estacado, and Braylen Arguello of Estacado; linebackers Jimmy Johnson of Big Spring, Sammy Saldivar of Andrews, Brady Kelley of Andrews, and Mekhi Williams of Estacado; and secondary members Antonio Willis of Estacado, Nathan Vasquez of Big Spring and Devoryea Boyd from Estacado.