By Rob Ketcham
The Cullman Times
FAIRVIEW —
Seven Fairview football players were recently named to the All-Class 4A, Region 7 team, including Luke Bailey, who earned the region’s Offensive MVP award.
The Aggies received the accolades following a successful 7-4 (5-2) season that came to an end with a 55-41 road loss to Alexandria in the first round of the state playoffs.
There were high expectations for Fairview’s quarterback heading into his junior campaign, and Bailey certainly didn’t disappoint.
He was involved in an astounding 47 of the team’s touchdowns — 30 through the air to go along with 3,008 passing yards, as well as 17 on the ground and 755 rushing yards.
“To have all the great teams — North Jackson, Guntersville and Cherokee County — in our region and have one of our guys be the overall Offensive MVP says a lot about our school, Luke and what he’s been able to accomplish this year,” said George Redding, who met with the region’s coaches the weekend before Thanksgiving to vote for who would be named to the honorary team.
Of course, Bailey wouldn’t have been able to lead the Aggies or accumulate those stats without a dependable offensive line or strong corps of receivers to throw to, and the region’s coaches acknowledged that in their voting.
Micah Chambers and Jake Roberts made the All-Region team on the O-line, and both Tyler King and Spencer Byrd were Fairview wide receivers who earned the honors.
King finished the season as one of the county’s top wideouts, catching 64 passes for 1,210 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Byrd served as another potent option, accumulating 859 yards and eight scores on 42 receptions.
“Getting two receivers from the same team is a great accomplishment and shows how hard they worked,” Redding said. “Those guys did an outstanding job. Every position requires a lot of skill, but at receiver, it’s the little things that separate them from the other receivers.”
The Aggies are more widely known for their offensive prowess, but there were two players who were also recognized from the defensive side of the ball — linebacker Kanzaz Bailey and defensive lineman Forrest Sears.
“Kanzaz has been an outstanding linebacker for a couple years now,” Redding said. “Both those guys have played tremendously well and fought through some injuries. To play both sides of the ball, be productive and play at a high level each week is tough to do.”
The Overall MVP went to North Jackson’s Kahne Cooper, who helped his team in every aspect of the game — offense, defense and the return game.
“He’s an all-around outstanding athlete,” Redding said. “He catches the football well and has a great deal of speed. He was definitely very deserving of the position he received.”
Coaches are always trying to outdo their counterpart on the opposing sideline, and Redding said the voting process was no different.
“It’s always tough,” he said. “There are a lot of good kids and a lot of good candidates out there. That’s why we all come together as entire region and everyone has their vote.”
A total of seven Aggies were All-Region honorable mentions: defensive lineman Evan Parker, wide receiver Bryant Powers, offensive lineman C.J. Waters, linebacker Justin Bryan, linebacker Austin Addison, defensive back Dexton Gregory and defensive back Austin Earwood.
Rob Ketcham can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 257 or at robk@cullmantimes.com.
