FOOTBALL: Bulldogs, Jackets top all-region honors

Bulldog head coach Jamie Abrams once again was named the region’s coach of the year. Abrams has taken Cedartown deeper into the postseason each of his three years as head coach, getting to the Class 4A state championship game this past season as the Bulldogs set a program record of 14 wins.

A pair of senior Bulldogs, Harlem Diamond and Eli Barrow, were named the region’s co-players of the year for their final season at Cedartown.

Diamond, one of Cedartown’s weapons in the backfield, finished with 141 carries for 1,271 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also had 20 receptions for 412 yards and eight touchdowns, as well as 220 return yards for 1,903 total yards.

Barrow proved himself as one of the toughest linebackers in the state as he went on to finish with 186 tackles, 133 solo, 15 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He also was utilized as a fullback at times and finished with two touchdowns on seven carries for 35 yards.

Region 7-4A also noted linemen of the year, with Cedartown sweeping the honors as Grant Dempsey was named the offensive lineman of the year and Patrick Gardner took the defensive honor.

Cedartown quarterback Reece Tanner was named the first-team offense athlete after the senior was 51-of-98 passing for 980 yards and 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also had 57 carries for 396 yards and five touchdowns and was the team’s main punter, totaling 23 punts for 781 yards, an average of 34 yards, with eight ending inside the 20-yard line.

Here is the rest of Cedartown’s all-region selections:

First-team offense

OL — Dustin Green, Sr.; OL — Peyton Nikolopoulus, Sr.; ATH — Reece Tanner, Sr.;

First-team defense

DL — Cornell Medellin, Sr.; ILB — Xavier Hargrove, Sr.; DB — DeMarcus Gardner, So.; DB — Tae Harris, So.

Second-team offense

WR — Khamarion Davis, Sr.; TE — Edgar Martinez, Jr.; OL — Demari Gibson, Sr.;

Second-team defense

DL — Jakoby Diamond, So.; OLB — Sam Smith, So.; DB — Taidji Neal, Jr.

Honorable mention

OL Zak Tillery, Sr.; OLB Carlos Jones, Sr.

Rockmart, coming off of its sixth straight region championship, also had several all-region selections for its first season back in Region 7-AA.

Head coach Biff Parson was named the coach of the year after leading Rockmart to its best postseason showing since 2018 as the Jackets reached the Class AA Elite Eight before losing an overtime thriller to eventual state runner-up Fitzgerald. Parson also surpassed Ed Pharo this past season for most wins by a Rockmart head coach.

Player superlatives came in the form of Jacket junior and linebacker Brent Washington being named the region’s defensive player of the year, while senior Dennis Sims was named athlete of the year along with Fannin County’s Corbin Davenport.

Here is the rest of Rockmart’s all-region selections:

First-team offense

QB — J.D. Davis, Jr.; RB — Cam Ferguson, Sr.; RB — JoJo Haynes, Sr.; OL — Hugo Rangel, Sr.; OL — Montreas Simmons, Sr.

First-team defense

DL — Zay Middlebrooks, Sr.; DL — Bobby High, Jr.; LB — Nyreon Cooper, Sr.; DB — Braylon Jones, Sr.; DB — Ty’Shawn Johnson, Sr.;

Second-team offense

RB — Lanear McCrary, Sr.; WR — Tristian Anderson, So.; ATH — Nahzir Turner, Jr.; TE — Zyion McCrary, Jr.; OL — Antrell McCoy, Sr.; K — Jose Alegria, Jr.

Second-team defense

LB — J.J. Stocks, Jr.