Class AA all-state: Calhoun’s Lamb, Kirby, Lamb sweep awards
Calhoun quarterback Taylor Lamb, who threw for 3,640 yards and 40 touchdown in leading his team to its first state championship since 1952, is the AJC’s Class AA offensive player of the year.
His teammate Alex Kirby, a linebacker who has committed to Tennessee-Chattahooga, is the defensive player of the year.
CLASS AA
Offensive player of the year: Taylor Lamb, Calhoun
Defensive player of the year: Alex Kirby, Calhoun
Coach of the year: Hal Lamb, Calhoun
Offense
QB – Taylor Lamb, Calhoun, 6-1, 190, Jr.
RB – Tyshon Dye, Elbert County, 6-1, 210, Jr.
RB – Marteze Waller, Putnam County, 6-1, 210, Sr.
WR – Ben Lamb, Calhoun, 6-0, 170, Sr.
WR – Travin Henry, Cook, 6-4, 215, Sr.
TE – Kurt Freitag, Buford, 6-3, 245, Sr.
OL – Vadal Alexander, Buford, 6-6, 310, Sr.
OL – Tyler King, Calhoun, 6-2, 280, Sr.
OL – Chase Roberts, Greater Atlanta Christian, 6-3, 285, Sr.
OL – Joseph Scelfo, North Oconee, 6-2, 285, Sr.
OL – John Thomas, Carver-Columbus, 6-1, 260, Jr.
ATH – Maurice Martin, Dublin, 5-10, 180, Sr.
PK – Harrison Butker, Westminster, 6-4, 175, Jr.
Defense
DL – Dakota Ball, Pepperell, 6-3, 295, Sr.
DL – Leonard Floyd, Dodge County, 6-5, 220, Sr.
DL – Greg Hall, North Oconee, 6-3, 230, Sr.
DL – Frederick Walker, Lamar County, 6-2, 300, Sr.
LB – Hunter Knight, Calhoun, 6-0, 190, Sr.
LB – Alex Kirby, Calhoun, 6-0, 210, Sr.
LB – Dillon Lee, Buford, 6-4, 220, Sr.
DB – Deion Bonner, Carver-Columbus, 6-0, 180, Sr.
DB – Byron Buxton, Appling County, 6-2, 170, Sr.
DB – Ryan Dillard, Buford, 5-10, 175, Sr.
DB – Jaquadrian Lewis, Fitzgerald, 5-11, 180, Sr.
P – Thomas Pritchard, Jefferson County, 5-10, 155, Sr.
Honorable mention
QB Zach Folsom, Cook; QB Lashune Moore, Appling County; QB/LB Leo Myers, Laney; QB Kaleb Nobles, Fitzgerald; QB Malcolm Parrish, Brooks County; QB Zack Payne, Armuchee; QB Tavon Ross, Bleckley County;
RB Jayden Compton, Gordon Central; RB Janier Ferguson, Pepperell; RB Marquez Holloway, Carver-Columbus; RB Jermaine Hutchinson, Temple; RB Tolerance Shepherd, Fitzgerald; OL Luke Brantley, Chattooga; OL/DL Ben East, Dublin; OL Denarius Rutherford, Lamar County; PK Adam Griffith, Calhoun; DL Dequan Clark, Buford; DL Ira Robinson, Elbert County; DL E.J. Shipman, Brooks County; LB Zach Coker, Adairsville; LB Ken Murphy, Tattnall County; LB/FB Nathan Staub, Buford; LB Timothy Whatley, Carver-Columbus; DB/QB/WR Nick Colvin, North Oconee; DB Toney Williams, Spencer
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© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
32 comments Add your comment
AASportsFan
December 23rd, 2011
1:03 pm
Adam Griffith from Calhoun High School not being All State is stupid. He made Sports Illustrated 1st Team All American, and you clowns put him as Honorable Mention. He made the winning kick in the Dome in O.T. to beat the mighty Buford Wolves and he is Honorable Mention? SMH!!!
Georgiabuckmaster
December 23rd, 2011
4:09 pm
I agree with AA Sportsfan, #1 rated kicker and honorable mention? I’m not from Calhoun and worst pick out of entire state
Northga2121
December 23rd, 2011
4:58 pm
This is a joke, Adam on honerable mention? Please tell me what yall were thinking? Armuchee QB? THEY HAVE A QB? Dakota Ball over-rated, Some of these kids couldnt hold the jockstrap of the more deserving players that were left off the list. Bunch of clowns at the AJC. Yall obv. dont know good football players this list is a joke except for 7 or 8 of them. And the HM is terrible. Nice job once again clowns.
tech.grad
December 23rd, 2011
6:01 pm
Adam Griffith should be player of the year-yes this is joke that he is not first team !!
Also # 4 Legrant from Buford is the best player at Buford–Moore from Buford was the best DB at Buford–So maybe this is a bigger joke that we think—
Todd what are you thinking……??
Gwinnettgothosed
December 23rd, 2011
6:23 pm
This must be some kind of popularity contest/who’s coach pushed hardest for their players. From Gwinnett county alone you have D 1 players Legrant, Moore, Head from Buford, and Nelson, Daniels, Ford from GAC that all should have at least been honorable mention. It’s funny how kids that are going to D 1 A and AA schools can be overlooked, while kids who’s coaches play better politics get listed as All State.
jacketfan
December 23rd, 2011
6:32 pm
Alex Kirby is the Defensive Player of the year and you can’t even get his name right , called him Kirby Smart . What gives ? You don’t proof read
Former Red Bud Coach
December 23rd, 2011
8:13 pm
To “Yellow Jacket Fan”: Don’t go feeling bad about the AJC mistakenly submitting the name Kirby Smart (current Defensive Coordinator for the soon to be National Champion Crimson Tide) in place of Alex Kirby. Everytime I read the Calhoun “Yellow Jacket” Times the writers of the paper mis-spell and place captions “bass-akwards” when it comes to the other 2 schools in the county. You can count on 2 things…1). I spell check my column; and 2) I gonna talk about my wife every chance I get.
Todd Holcomb
December 23rd, 2011
8:15 pm
re: Adam Griffith –
Harrison Butker made 16 of 17 field goals. His only miss was from 59 yards. He made nine field goals of 41 yards or more, including a 51-yarder. He kicked off 59 times, and 47 were touchbacks.
tech.grad
December 23rd, 2011
10:17 pm
Todd–Please address the other miss picks–Butker is good and you make a good point..
Moore was the best DB at Buford-And Legrant was better this year than Lee..
Thanks
THEHILLISREAL
December 23rd, 2011
10:43 pm
Finally! Ryan Dillard getting his props. WESTSiIDDDE!
Slinger
December 23rd, 2011
11:25 pm
Todd – Saw both Kickers this year and you made the right choice. Yes, the sexy choice is the take the state champ kicker who made the kicks in the Dome. But, I am willing to bet that all of the posters above never saw Butker kick. Griffith is GREAT. So is Butker. Both should end up kicking on Sundays.
Are you guys serious?
December 24th, 2011
9:03 am
Todd, although it’s appreciated, DO NOT feel the need to explain your picks…. Deal with it people!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Football Fan 22
December 24th, 2011
9:21 am
Leaving Griffith off 1st team is unbelievable. This may be the time you have 2 1st team kickers. Can’t argue with Butker’s #’s but Griffith made 17 Fg’s and had over 80% touchbacks. And if you measured hangtime on Kickoffs, Griffith makes it on that alone. Griffith scored 117 points this year as well. Go out on a limb, Todd, and pick both as first team since both these kids deserve it.
ldbkck
December 24th, 2011
11:31 am
Adam is good but give it a break, had it not been for Calhoun’s Defense all year they would never have made it to the dome. Had Adam made the the field goal he missed in the first quarter no over time. The 2 point play Ben Lamb called was what kept Calhoun from losing in regular time.
Darlington Alum
December 24th, 2011
12:39 pm
Let me try and grasp this Todd. Every recruiting sites has Adam Patrick as either the #1 or #2 kicker in the nation. Saban didn’t mention a name, because that would be a violation. He did speak in broad terms, but everyone knew who he was referring to. “I think that I witnessed the best HS kicker in probably four or five years” after the LSU game.
Todd- have you ever seen this kid kick besides the dome? Have you ever watched him warming up? This guy is unreal and is rated #1 in the country for a reason, but he doesn’t make the AJC’s first team?? Now, your evaluations will never carry any weight or even believe in your rankings. Wow!
Jason English
December 24th, 2011
1:01 pm
I agree for the most part “Darlington Alum.” I do agree that Todd’s evaluations lost a ton of credibility. Most of the players ranked by Todd in all classifications are pretty good. I also heard Saban’s comments. Don’t really care for Saban, but I think that he has a pretty good eye for talent. When he said that about watching a “kid” who is probably the best HS kicker that he has seen in 4-5 years…..that says something. I went to the Dalton game and watched him warming up. The guy was “warming up” kicking 50 yarders…that was just “warming up.” He should do well, but I hate that he is going to Bama.
nonamedefense
December 24th, 2011
1:05 pm
No disrespect to the players who made this list, but if Nathan Staub isn’t first team and Andre Johnson from Buford are not on this list, it’s not valid. And didn’t Deon Bonner miss like half the season?
nonamedefense
December 24th, 2011
1:11 pm
tech.grad, I have to somewhat disagree with you. Moore should be mentioned on this list, but Dillard and Head are every bit as good. The roles they play in Buford’s defense are diffrent and Moore had more opprotunities than the other two. Congrats to Ryan. He’s as good as any corner in the state. And Legrant deserves mention as well.
calhounpeopleareidiots
December 24th, 2011
1:23 pm
Whoever is saying that Adam Griffith is better is a complete idiot. As someone else said, Harrison Butker made 16 of 17 field goals. His only miss was from 59 yards. He made nine field goals of 41 yards or more, including a 51-yarder. He kicked off 59 times, and 47 were touchbacks.
Todd Holcomb
December 24th, 2011
4:19 pm
Re: Buford players –
I don’t want to argue players against each other. All I can say is that I found a lot of disagreement and debate among coaches and reporters over players on Buford’s defense. I saw Buford play three times myself and had similar uncertainty. Never seen a defense in my years of covering high school football that had so many players who were legit candidates for all-state, depending on how you look at it. The Buford guys you mention are deserving. I hope they make the AP team, which comes out Sunday.
johnsr
December 24th, 2011
5:44 pm
why to go GWC players john thomas, deion bonner, honorable mention marquez holloway, timothy whatley…great job guys
soccerref
December 25th, 2011
12:55 pm
Good to see alot of north Georgia kids represented. Too bad the QB is actually from South Carolina. It makes one wonder where some of the others come from…and how many were actually a “home grown” product of the system and not “influenced” to attend this school. GHSA needs to step up and enforce their own rules.
YELLERJAKITZ1
December 25th, 2011
3:19 pm
SOCCERHEAD EVIDENT U DONT NO NOTHING ABOUT CALHOUN. ADAM GRIFFITH CAME FROM POLAND TO LIVE WITH HIS UNCLE WAS A SOCCER PLAYER HIS UNK NCOURAGED HIM TO TRY OUT KICKING A FOOTBALL WHICH HE HAD NOT SEEN UNTIL HE GOT TO THE STATES ALOT OF IMPROVEMENT N 4 SHORT YEARS! THE QB T.LAMB IS COACHES NEPHEW WHOSE DAD MOVED FROM GREENVILLE SC TO CALHOUN TO TAKE OVER AND START PROGRAM AT MERCER U. ALL THE REST OF ROSTER ALL R HOMEGROWN FROM CALHOUN/GORDON CO. NO GSHA VIOLATIONS DO YOUR HOMEWORK OR STICK TO FUTBAL !!!
soccerref
December 25th, 2011
7:32 pm
Yellerjakitz1…I never said anything about Mr. Griffith…everything I have seen and read about him suggest he is a great kid and I am sure he will do well in college…but there are violations there…and no not everyone on the roster is home grown…
GHSA defines undue influence basically as anyone associated with a program, to include alumni, using influence, including the offering of a job, to get an athlete to attend a certain school. Do you think the QB will come out and announce the he won’t be playing football next season so he can concentrate on baseball??? I doubt it. I wouldn’t either. Of course, I doubt there is another QB waiting in the wings or transferring in as was the case a couple of years ago. That did happen…someone probably told that young man that he would not be starting the following season. This was just after he had been selected as the all-state QB in AA. That was also the same year this team got turf put down and the new QBs family was rumored to helped “pay” for part of it.
I appreciate that this QBs dad took a position at Mercer and I hope that he is successful in reviving that program, but he drives from Calhoun each day??? Talk about a long drive to work…
By the way, I do my homework, but you might brush up on your spelling and grammar…
Jamal
December 26th, 2011
12:31 am
You need to also take into account that Adam and most of the starters typically played about 2 1/2 quarters because each game was so out of hand. Heck, even his backup is almost just as good. But, he is rated the #1 kicker in the nation for a reason. By the way, he was adopted from Poland. If you know of any wrong doings, then report it. That simple. There has not been a single coach that has ever reported anything to GHSA regarding Calhoun. But, if you know of some, then report. Sounds like sour grapes to me!
Kicking Scout
December 26th, 2011
9:51 am
There is nothing wrong with Griffith’s eligibility, so drop all of that crap right now.
There are two major kicking ranking services in the country, Chris Sailer and prokicker. Rivals and Scout get their kicking info from these services. Sailer’s site ranks only those kickers that went to his camps, prokicker ranks only those kickers that go to their camps. Camps aren’t cheap. There may well be better kickers that didn’t attend either camp.
Griffith is ranked as the number one senior by one service, Butker is ranked as the number one junior by the other service. Neither service ranks both kickers due to them attending different camps and being different classes. Both are excellent kickers, probably the two best in the state at any level, with only Austin Hardin of Marist being the other kicker that might get into the discussion.
Butker won the All State honor based on his accuracy, and accuracy at greater distances. He missed ONE field goal all year, a 59 yard attempt. No one should be denigrating Griffith, he’s a great kicker, and should help Alabama. Of couse Saban is going to say he’s a great kicker, as Adam could still change his mind and go somewhere else (I don’t think he will, nor should he, it’s a great opportunity and he is obviously needed). Butker, being a junior, is earlier in the recruiting process, and won’t gather the comments from college coaches until next summer.
But put their numbers side by side as Todd did, and Butker earned the honor. Colleges might well prefer Butker because he is also a bigger player and punts for over 40 yards a punt as well (not D1 levels, but good as a backup). And colleges also have to judge how well high school kickers are going to adapt to kicking off the ground, not all kickers can make that change, as the kicking motion changes. But Alabama got a great kicker in Adam Griffith, and I hope he makes the adjustment to the college game.
Don Clark
December 27th, 2011
10:30 am
I know you had great kickers to chose from and think you got it right by picking Butker #1….Cody Clark for North Oconee had a great year despite never playing until this year his senior year. Did he even enter discussion for honorable mention. The Appling coach who palyed against both Clark and Griffith said Cody was just as talented. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Kicking Scout
December 27th, 2011
3:19 pm
Clark went 7 for 9 on FG, with a long of 47, and no other kick made over 42. Less than 42% on touchbacks. Those numbers are good for a HS kicker, especially one in his first year, but aren’t on the same plane as Butker or Griffith, who will both be destined for major college careers.
Don Clark
December 27th, 2011
4:28 pm
Thanks for your comments on Cody Clark….he was a soccer player until this year and wants
to pursue college football as a kicker.
Kicking Scout
December 27th, 2011
7:42 pm
It’s possible, especially if he is considering smaller schools. Find schools with which you are comfortable with the school first, and contact the staff, sending stats and video. Don’t expect scholarships, but many small schools would give him an opportunity (without guarantees!).
Jefferson
December 27th, 2011
10:10 pm
My money is on Adam, proven clutch kicker in state championships.
Don Clark
December 28th, 2011
9:28 am
Hey Kicking scout….I”ll send you some video and then you can give me opinion…you probably only saw his stats…he passes the eye test