2022 ALL-STATE FOOTBALL TEAM: Burns, Crest, East Lincoln, Forestview, Kings Mountain, North Lincoln, South Point and West Lincoln represented

By Richard Walker

Local schools are well represented on the North Carolina Sportswriters all-state team voted on by a panel of 10 sportswriters from across the state and organized by NCpreps.com publisher and owner Deana King.

East Lincoln’s Dave Lubowicz was named coach of the year and running back Mason Avery of West Lincoln, offensive lineman Sullivan Absher of South Point, linebacker Ben Cutter of East Lincoln and kick returner Javarius Green of Crest were named to the first team.

Local honorable mention selections were Bryson Esser of North Lincoln, Isaiah Eskridge and Curtis Simpson of Kings Mountain, Cahari Haynes of Burns, Will Ross of South Point, Keandre Walker of East Lincoln and Tylique Aldridge of Forestview.

The state’s offensive player of the year was Jadyn Davis of Providence Day and the state’s defensive player of the year was Keith Sampson, Jr., of New Bern.

Here’s the full all-state team with number of votes cast for the first-team selections:

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Jadyn Davis – Providence Day (7)
RB – Christian Perris – Princeton (6)
RB – Mason Avery – West Lincoln (5)
WR – Chris Culliver – Maiden (9)
WR – Nathan Leacock – Millbrook (7)
TE – Jack Larsen – Charlotte Catholic (5)
OL – Samuel Pendleton – Reagan (9)
OL – Sullivan Absher – South Point (8)
OL – Clinton Barlow – Charlotte Catholic (8)
OL – David Sanders, Jr. – Providence Day (5)
OL – Connor Drake – Providence (4)
OL – Luke Rector – Draughn (4)
ATH – Isaac Weaver – Andrews (6)

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Keith Sampson, Jr – New Bern (7)
DL –Logan Wright – Dudley (6)
DL – Jamaal Jarrett – Grimsley (6)
DL – Davion Hobbs – Concord Robinson (5)
LB – Ben Cutter – East Lincoln (9)
LB – RJ Brown – East Forsyth (6)
LB – Zane Williams – Wake Forest (3)
DB – Dionte Neal – Reidsville (8)
DB – Daunte Hall – East Duplin (7)
DB –Chris Peal – Providence Day (4)
DB – Israel Powell – Hertford County (3)
DB – Jordan Young – Monroe (3)

FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
K – Nolan Hauser – Hough (8)
P – Palmer Williams – Davie County (7)
KR – Javarius Green – Crest (4)
PR – Brody Barnhardt – Providence Day (4)
PR – DJ Hamilton – Mallard Creek (4)
LS – Mabry Bumgarner – Smoky Mountain (7)

HONORABLE MENTION:

QB – Mason Fortune (Millbrook); Jaylen Alexander-Raynor (East Forsyth);
RB – Sincere Baines (Jack Britt); Avery Gaby (East Duplin); Max Guest (A.C. Reynolds); Tyler Mason (Mount Airy); Anthony Quinn (Seventy-First);
WR – Terrell Anderson (Grimsley); Truitt Manual (West Henderson);; Alex Taylor (Grimsley);
TE – Jayvontae Conner (East Forsyth); Griffin Reimer (Weddington);
OL – Eagan Boyer (Hough); Bryson Esser (North Lincoln); Isaiah Eskridge (Kings Mountain); Henry Harden (Grimsley); Reagan McCranie (Chase); Austin Pittman (Mount Tabor); Umar Rockhead (Mallard Creek); Walter Turner (Northwest Guilford); Ashton Williams (Seventy-First);
ATH – Kevin Concepcion (Chambers); Que’Shyne Flippen (Reidsville);
DL – Hector Bautista (Seventy-First); Bryce Davis (Grimsley); Zairion Jackson-Bass (Chambers); Nick Martin (East Forsyth); Elity Naire (Olympic); Isaiah Shirley (Watauga); Curtis Simpson (Kings Mountain); Kaden Thomas (Independence); Semaj Turner (East Forsyth):
LB – Dillon Earp (Hibriten); Jaybron Harvey (Southern Durham); Cahari Hayes (Burns); Demorris Jenkins (North Mecklenburg); Kade Kennedy (East Duplin); Raymond McCray (Seventy-First); James Nesta (Hough); Tyquan Rankin (Butler); Michael Short (Mallard Creek); Hunter Stalcup (Murphy); Ben Watson (Newton-Conover);
DB – Cutler Adams (Robbinsville); Brody Barnhardt (Providence Day); Channing Goodwin (Providence Day); Jaylen Jones (Butler); Samari Matthews (Hough); Adriel Miller (Central Cabarrus); D.J. Parker (Dudley); Tim Patterson (Page); Will Ross (South Point); Dashawn Stone (A.C. Reynolds); Joshua Switzer (Ardrey Kell); Keandre Walker (East Lincoln);
K – Aiden Daugherty (Oak Grove); Alan Bahena-Soto (Bunker Hill);
P – Owen Fehr (Hough);
KR – Tylique Aldridge (Forestview); Que’Sean Brown (East Forsyth); Kendall Harris (Cox Mill);
PR – Zachariah Melton (Monroe);
LS – Liam Groulx (Providence Day);