Senior Luke Kimmel, a two-way standout, was the heart and soul of the Pillow Academy team that went 10-2 and claimed the school's first state championship in 11 years.
Kimmel has been named the Commonwealth's Player of the Year.
First-year Greenwood High School head coach Clinton Gatewood promised big changes back in August for the floundering Bulldog football program, and he delivered big time. He guided GHS to a 10-2 mark and into the second round of the North 4A playoffs.
Gatewood has been named the Commonwealth's Coach of the Year.
Kimmel, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound emotional leader, led the Mustangs in tackles from his middle linebacker post with 106, including 83 solo stops, and was second on the team with two interceptions. Those numbers helped earn Kimmel North AAA best defensive player honors.
Kimmel also provided a powerful punch to the Mustangs' running game with 623 yards and nine touchdowns from his fullback slot.
In his final outing as a Mustang, Kimmel might have saved his best for his biggest game. He ran for 103 yards and a pair of TDs and recorded 17 tackles in Pillow's 28-14 win over Oak Forest in the State AAA Division II championship game. Pillow finished with a 10-2 record.
"Luke just had a tremendous senior season. He impacted our team in so many different ways," said PA head coach Michael Fair. "When I got here three years ago and Luke was a sophomore, there was never any doubt in my mind that he had what it takes to be a great player - work ethic, leadership and natural talent.
"He's not just a great player but a great person. He is a great ambassador for Pillow Academy."
Gatewood took over the Greenwood program in early January of this year and went right to work. As he said often during the season, the transformation started on Jan. 7 with off-season training.
"We had to get the kids to buy into the program and believe in what we were doing. We started just lifting weights, but as we came together as brothers, I asked them do they believe in themselves," said Gatewood. "They knew me from being around the school for a number of years, and they know how I stress discipline. I also make sure their academics are taken care of. They've got to meet those requirements to be a part of this program.
"We're going to get back to work on Jan. 3 to start preparing for next season. I feel we'll be better next year."
The Bulldogs went through Region 3 with a perfect 5-0 mark. They beat Amory 14-7 in the first round of the playoffs before falling 42-8 to Shannon in the second round.
Here's a brief look at the rest of the 2010 All-Commonwealth football team:
• Quenten Jones, quarterback, senior, 6-1, 185, Leflore County — Jones is a three-year member of the All-Commonwealth team, making the team as a defensive back in 2009 and as a receiver in 2008. He put up some outstanding numbers for the 9-2 Tigers this past season as he threw for 2,307 yards and 21 touchdowns on 109-of-177 passing to go with 13 interceptions. He also tossed 11 2-point conversion passes, rushed for nine scores and ran for five 2-point runs. Jones was selected as the Region 4-3A offensive MVP.
•Roderick Wade, running back, senior, 5-11, 190, Leflore County — Wade makes the team for the second straight year as a running back. Ran for 1,063 yards on 155 carries and scored 14 touchdowns. Wade also had six 2-point conversion runs and caught five passes for 75 yards.
• Ja'Quez Taylor, running back, senior, 5-11, 185, Pillow Academy — Strong runner with great cutting ability. He finished the season with a team-high 1,235 yards and 17 touchdowns - which ties the school's single-season mark for rushing TDs set by Steve Young in 1993 - on 149 carries in just nine games. Taylor, who also took some snaps at quarterback in the Wildcat formation, connected on 6-of-11 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He was also a factor in the passing game as a receiver, pulling in 14 catches for 281 yards and a pair of TDs. A first-team All-North AAA selection and played in the MAIS all-star game. Taylor is a three-year member of the All-Commonwealth team, making it in 2009 and 2008 while at Leflore County.
• Hayden Harrell, running back, junior, 5-8, 150, Carroll Academy — Harrell played fullback and linebacker for the 5-5 Rebels as if he were 6-1, 200. Finished with 571 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 51 carries. He also caught six passes for 98 yards and two scores and had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. As a linebacker, Harrell made 89 solo tackles, had 41 assists and picked off one pass. Named District 2-AA All-Conference.
• Boyd Patterson, offensive line, senior, 5-10, 230, Pillow Academy — A first-team All-North AAA selection, the team's lone offensive lineman to earn that honor, and voted to play in the MAIS all-star game. He's been the Mustangs' most consistent blocker the last two seasons. Made all the calls up front as PA's center for three seasons.
• Michael Bowman, offensive line, senior, 6-1, 280, Leflore County — Bowman returns for his third stint on the all-Commonwealth team. An all-district selection this season, Bowman has been Leflore's best lineman the last several years.
• Xavier Pitts, offensive line, junior, 6-3, 275, Greenwood — Solid offensive lineman for the Bulldogs. Strong, hard worker, dedicated and aggressive. Also a good pass blocker.
• D'Ondre Jackson, offensive line, senior, 6-5, 295, Greenwood - Jackson came into his own this season and now has scouts looking at him with his impressive build. He played defensive tackle when Greenwood needed to stop the run or get a bigger pass rusher in the game. Finished with 54 total tackles and two sacks.
• Alonzo Clay, offensive line, senior, 6-3, 305, J.Z. George - Clay, a member of the All-Commonwealth team as a junior, was by far the Jaguars' most consistent lineman during a disappointing 3-8 campaign. Has the size and strength to play somewhere next season.
• Christopher Stewart, wide receiver, senior, 6-2, 195, Amanda Elzy - Quietly had a strong season for the 6-4 Panthers. He caught 28 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns. Also played linebacker.
• Cordious McGee, wide receiver, senior, 5-7, 165, Leflore County - Explosive receiver with great hands, agility and speed. Had 31 receptions for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns and also caught four 2-point conversion passes. He ran for 133 yards on 10 carries in the Wildcat formation, scoring four times. He tacked on two 2-point runs and one TD on a punt return. McGee also played defensive back.
• Richard Shaw, defensive line, senior, 5-9, 235, Pillow Academy - Tough against the run with his strong, compact frame. A first-team All-North AAA selection after recording 36 tackles and picking off one pass.
• Andersen Lucic, defensive line, junior, 6-0, 245, Pillow Academy - A dominating player with his strength and tenacious attitude. A first-team All-North AAA selection. Finished with 41 tackles, 38 of which were solo stops.
• Michael White, defensive line, senior, 6-1, 275, Amanda Elzy - White was Elzy's run stopper across the defensive line. He finished with 56 tackles and eight quarterback sacks, recovering two fumbles, one for a touchdown.
• Calvin Lucas, linebacker, senior, 5-11, 205, Greenwood - Lucas makes the All-Commonwealth team for the second straight season. As the team's middle linebacker, led the Bulldogs with 142 total tackles (87 solos, 55 assists). He also recovered two fumbles and made two interceptions.
• Navadrae Griffin, linebacker, junior, 5-9, 175, J.Z. George - Griffin makes the team for the second straight season. He led the Jaguars in tackles with 87 total stops, and also had three quarterback sacks and three fumble recoveries.
• Breland Marett, linebacker, sophomore, 5-10, 175, Carroll Academy - Marett played his heart out for Carroll this season on both sides of the ball. As a linebacker, he finished with 57 solo stops, 23 assists and two interceptions. As the starting quarterback, he threw for 1,341 yards and 23 scores on 69-of-114 passing. He was only intercepted twice during the season. Marett also rushed for 523 yards and four touchdowns on 87 carries.
• Kevin Haymore, defensive back, senior, 5-9, 180, Greenwood - One of Greenwood's best cover guys in the secondary. He was second on the team with six interceptions, and also deflected nine passes and recovered two fumbles. He finished with 63 solo tackles and 41 assists.
• Jermaine Whitehead, defensive back, senior, 6-0, 185, Amanda Elzy - Whitehead, who made the team last season as an all-around athlete and in 2008 as a defensive back, finishes his prep career with his third selection to the squad. The Mississippi State commitment battled with a high ankle sprain most of the season but managed to finish with 52 tackles and five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. On offense, he ran for 750 yards and scored six times and had 220 yards receiving and two touchdowns. He threw for one score while playing quarterback and had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. Whitehead played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Classic in Mobile Saturday night.
• DeBrandon Sanders, defensive back, senior, 5-7, 160, Leflore County - An exciting player for the Tigers who played receiver, cornerback, punt and kick returner and also stepped in at quarterback in the Wildcat formation. On defense, Sanders finished with seven interceptions, returning three for scores. He was selected as the Defensive MVP in Region 4-3A. On offense, he had 36 receptions for 694 yards and six touchdowns. He also had one 2-point pass receiving, and ran for 37 yards on five carries to go with one 2-point run. On special teams, he returned one kickoff for a touchdown. Sanders, who will play in the Mississippi All-Star game on Dec. 18 for the North team, is a three-year member of the All-Commonwealth squad.
• Tre' Jones, defensive back, senior, 5-8, 165, Greenwood - The hardest hitter in the area. Jones, back on the team for the second straight year, made a whopping 136 tackles (87 solos, 49 assists) from his safety position. He had one quarterback sack and two interceptions, deflected seven passes and caused two fumbles.
• Charles Nause, defensive back, senior, 6-0, 180, Pillow Academy - A true shutdown corner, thanks to his great speed and ball skills. A first-team All-North AAA selection as a cornerback, receiver and kick returner. The team's fourth-leading tackler with 45 stops.
• Raheem Sanders, all-around athlete, senior, 6-0, 185, Greenwood - Sanders did a little of everything for the Bulldogs, playing receiver, quarterback, safety, punter and punt returner. He finished with 47 catches for 656 yards, six touchdowns and one 2-point reception as a receiver. He also had 75 yards rushing on 18 carries, mainly in short-yardage situations, and scored seven touchdowns. Sanders had eight 2-point conversion runs. He finished with 78 total tackles (46 solos, 32 assists), nine interceptions and deflected seven passes. As a punt returner, he had 27 returns for a 23.2 return average.
• Cayson Cox, kicker, junior, 5-11, 160, Pillow Academy - The team's second-leading scorer with 60 points. He connected on 5 of 6 field-goal attempts and was 45-of-47 on PAT kicks.
