9 area players semifinalists for Mr. Football Awards
Nine players from the Chattanooga area were among those named semifinalists for the TSSAA’s annual Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards on Friday.
From each list of five semifinalists per classification and for all-class Kicker of the Year, there will be three finalists named Monday, Nov. 13. The winners for all 10 awards will be announced Monday, Nov. 27, at the Titans’ Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Five of the nine area semifinalists are non-seniors. The area honorees are Baylor’s Brendon Harris (Division II-AAA), Notre Dame’s Cam Wynn (Division II-AA), Soddy-Daisy’s Ty Boeck (Class 5A), Central’s Michael McGhee (4A), Red Bank’s Calvin Jackson (3A), Marion County’s Jacob Saylors and Meigs County’s Aaron Swafford (2A), South Pittsburg’s Garrett Raulston (1A) and Bledsoe County kicker Gabe Boring.
Going into Friday’s first round of the state playoffs, the season statistics for the semifinalists were already impressive.
Harris, a senior who recently committed to Vanderbilt, had 550 rushing yards and seven touchdowns as well as 77 tackles and an interception on defense. Wynn, only a junior but already committed to the University of Tennessee, had
1,430 all-purpose yards, 20 touchdowns and 30 tackles in nine games.
Two-way players are rare at larger programs, but Boeck rarely comes off the field for the Trojans. The senior had more than 1,200 total yards and 17 touchdowns, as well as 95 tackles, four more for loss and three sacks.
Only a junior, McGhee had more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns. Also a junior, Jackson is one of the most versatile players in the state, having made the transition from quarterback last season to athlete this year. He had more than 1,700 all-purpose yards, averaging 12 yards per touch, and 27 touchdowns.
“I’m so happy for Mike because he’s a great kid and student as well as being a really good football player,” Central coach Cortney Braswell said. “It’s the culmination of a job well done for Mike and his teammates, who helped him get this recognition.
“To go from where we started last year to now having a player who’s a semifinalist for Mr. Football, it’s just another exciting part of a historic season for us.”
Saylors is a two-time all-state defensive back who has taken on a much larger offensive role in his senior season. He averaged 15 yards per carry while gaining more than 1,500 yards and also had 450 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns to go with 38 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
Swafford is just a sophomore but led the Tigers to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 1,100 yards, rushed for more than 1,000 and had 32 total touchdowns to go with 65 tackles and three interceptions, with two of those returned for touchdowns.
Raulston, a junior fullback and linebacker for the Pirates, averaged 8 yards per carry while rushing for close to 800 yards and also had 57 solo tackles, 61 assists and six more for loss for 1A’s top-ranked team.
Boring was perfect on 11 extra-point attempts and 5-for-6 on field-goal tries, with a long of 47. He also led the area with a 47-yard punting average.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.