VALDOSTA —
Less than a week after claiming the GISA Class AA state championship with the school’s first-ever undefeated record, the postseason honors started to roll in for the Valwood Valiants.
Valwood head coach Ashley Henderson was named the Region 3-AA and GISA Class AA Coach of the Year, leading the Valiants to a 14-0 record and winning by an average of 32.3 points per game in his first season at the helm.
Nine Valiants were named to the All-Region 3-AA team, while two were named Honorable Mention. From there, six Valiants were named to the Class AA All-State team and five were named to the South Team for the annual GISA All-Star Game, which will be played Saturday in Macon.
Seniors Allan Taylor, Aulden Bynum, Griffin Clyatt, Khary Paige, Rashad Mathis and junior Char Merine were all named to the All-State team, along with being named All-Region. They were joined on the All-Region team by linemen Austin Wilkes, Jackson Pegg and back Marik Merine.
Defensive back Gerrick Williams, who led the Valiants in interceptions this season with five, and lineman Spencer McQuaig were named to the Honorable Mention list.
Mathis, Williams, Clyatt, Wilkes and Taylor will represent Valwood in the All-Star Game this weekend, along with Henderson. Paige was selected to the game but will not play due to ACT testing Saturday morning.
The Valwood offense averaged 404.9 yards per game, including 261.14 yards rushing. Paige finished the 2012 season with a team-high 1,684 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 15 passes for 290 yards with three touchdowns.
Mathis led the team in receptions with 47 for 827 yards with nine touchdowns, while Char Merine, who will play in the Rising Senior Bowl in Atlanta Dec. 31, hauled in 30 passes for 540 yards with eight touchdowns this season.
Paige also led Valwood in tackles this season with 73 1/2, including three sacks and six tackles for loss, while forcing two fumbles and an interception. Allan Taylor was second on the team in tackles with 58 1/2, which included three sacks.
Marik Merine was the only other Valwood player to finish the season with more than 40 tackles, ending the year with 42 1/2, including three sacks. He also had two interceptions.
Local Sports
Nine Valiants named All-Region, six All-State
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VSU eliminated
Valdosta State softball’s bid for a national title repeat came up short this season.
The Blazers were eliminated from the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament Saturday with a 7-5 loss in nine innings to Armstrong Atlantic University, a school based off the Georgia coast in Savannah. -
Win or go home
The Valdosta State softball team faces Armstrong Atlantic University in an elimination game for the 2013 Division II Softball Championship Tournament today at noon.
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HOOPER: An early look at the 2013 football season
I haven’t written a column in quite some time, largely because there has been so much going on and we haven’t always had the space, nor have I felt up to it after writing so many other stories.
But today, I am writing this column and taking up the inches in the daily sports section and giving a little love to the upcoming football season. -
Blazers fall to Molloy in eight innings
With only one out remaining and trailing by three, the Molloy Lions strung together four hits to plate three runs in the seventh followed by another run in the eighth inning to defeat Valdosta State’s softball team 5-4 in the first round of the 2013 Division II Softball National Championship Tournament on Thursday in Salem, Va.
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Albritton, Johnson earn All-America honors
Valdosta State softball players Courtney Albritton and Morgan Johnson gathered multiple All-America honors late Wednesday night.
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Golfers take course for Wounded Warriors
Local patrons participated in the Wounded Warrior Project Golf Tournament at Stone Creek Golf Club in Valdosta on Thursday.
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Valwood football hosting 4-man scramble golf tourney
Head coach Ashley Henderson and the Valwood football team will be hosting a 4-man scramble golf tournament at Valdosta Country Club Friday, June 14.
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VHS football cheerleaders to host Junior Cheer Camp
The Valdosta High School football cheerleaders will be hosting a Junior Cheer Camp June 5 through June 7 at the W.G. Nunn Elementary School gymnasium.
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Gillespie, McPherson pleased with spring practices
Valdosta’s Rance Gillespie and Lowndes’ Randy McPherson both think their football teams got better during the recent 10 days of spring practice.
Then again, both coaches know their teams have a ways to go before the start of the football season. -
Signing day at VHS
It was signing day galore at Valdosta High School Wednesday.
Six student-athletes signed national letter of intents to compete at the next level, while two VHS athletes both signed academic scholarships to Division I universities. - More Local Sports Headlines
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