Another season, another impressive crop of football talent from one of the deepest counties, both team- and player-wise, in the entire Southeast. Here is the Score Prep Gwinnett All-County Team for 2008
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Michael Tamburo, North Gwinnett – The senior, committed to Boise State, runs one of the county’s most prolific offenses and has thrown for 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also has over 500 yards rushing and 10 rushing touchdowns on the year.
Running back: Brandon Jacobs, Parkview – The county rushing leader after the first round of the playoffs (1,573 yards) is currently second in Gwinnett in rushing touchdowns (19). He’s also an adept pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Running back: D.J. Adams, Norcross – A big bruising back that’s committed to Maryland, Adams is currently second in rushing (1,499 yards) and will likely overtake the No. 1 spot now that Parkview’s out of the playoffs.
Wide receiver: Prince Kent, Norcross – Kent was the big-play threat Norcross needed after the departures of Brice Butler and Devonta Bolton. He finished the regular season third in the county in receiving yards and averages over 20 yards per catch.
Wide receiver: Julian Horton, GAC – One of only a few juniors to make our list, Horton was the favorite target of Spartans quarterback Colton Chapple this year. His seven touchdowns led the county after the regular season, and his 560 yards per game were fourth.
Tight end: Kenny Barnes, North Gwinnett – Headed to Wofford, Barnes is one of the main weapons in the Bulldogs’ potent offense. He averages over 15 yards per catch and has snagged two touchdowns on the year.
Offensive lineman: Max Garcia, Norcross – The big junior anchors an offensive line that helped the Blue Devils’ rushing unit put up 291 yards in a first-round win over Parkview.
Offensive lineman: Dallas Lee, Buford – An exceptional two-way player for the Wolves, this Georgia commit blew up defensive lines all year for tailbacks Storm Johnson and Cody Getz. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, he is an explosive athlete.
Offensive lineman: Jake Thomas, North Gwinnett – The nod goes to the senior on a big and talented Bulldogs O-line. A 6-foot-2, 240-pound center, Thomas is the anchor on one of the best units in the state.
Offensive lineman: Kellen Williams, Brookwood – The man who helped Kenny Miles run all over defenses last year was just as impressive in his senior campaign. A big man with a mean streak, Williams puts up a ridiculous number of pancake blocks.
Offensive lineman: Jacob Mwinami, Grayson – The Rams run the ball better than just about anybody, and it all starts with the line. The senior has helped Grayson rack up an astronomical 3,227 rushing yards this year.
DEFENSE
Defensive end: Joseph Champaign, Grayson – Little known coming into this season, this two-way junior lineman led the county with 12 sacks heading into the playoffs.
Defensive end: Cameron Whigham, Shiloh – The future Ole Miss Rebel registered seven sacks and 79 tackles this year for the Generals. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound rush end was a big reason Shiloh was a dramatically improved football team in 2008.
Defensive tackle: Wesley Hollingshed, Norcross – The name wasn’t widely known in recruiting circles before this season, but Hollingshed put up 91 tackles and 9.5 sacks through 10 games.
Defensive tackle: Dallas Lee, Buford – A space-eater as well as a threat to get to the quarterback, Lee had five sacks and 77 tackles at the completion of the regular season.
Linebacker: Kevin Minter, Peachtree Ridge – A tough hitter that’s headed to LSU a semester early, Minter is the leading tackler on a Lions defense that has yielded less than 11 points a game. He also has shown an ability to get to the quarterback.
Linebacker: Steven Smith, Norcross – Smith has been a tackling machine for the Blue Devils this year, with 142 so far (and a game-high 12 in a 20-17 first-round win over Parkview last Friday). .
Linebacker: Curtis Guest, Collins Hill – Certainly the defensive MVP this season for the resurgent Eagles, Guest finished his senior year with over 130 tackles, and also caught some balls on offense in 2008.
Cornerback: Connor Norman, Peachtree Ridge – Norman is fast with a nose for the ball, and came through with two huge pass breakups in a region-clinching win over North Gwinnett.
Cornerback: Kadeem Wise, Berkmar – The speedy Duke commit was a shutdown corner all year for the Patriots. He’s also a sure tackler, registering 51 stops on the year from the cornerback position.
Safety: Wade Brogdon, Brookwood – The do-it-all senior for the Broncos led the county in interceptions with five. The utility man also handled all kicking duties and lined up at wide receiver for Brookwood.
Safety: Prince Kent, Norcross – As intimidating as the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Kent can be as a receiver, he’s even scarier in the secondary. The athletic rover tallied nine tackles in his team’s latest win.
KICKERS/SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker: Connor Hawk, Norcross – The best all-around kicker in the county was a weapon for the Blue Devils, as he has connected on 13 of 17 kicks thus far, including the game-winner last Friday against Parkview.
Punter: Connor Hawk, Norcross – Hawk was second in the county in punting average through 10 games (38.8 on 30 attempts).
Kick returner/Punt returner: Kadeem Wise, Berkmar – Wise is electric on punts and kickoffs, as he showed Shiloh back in September when he took the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Brandon Jacobs, Parkview – Parkview coaches will miss Jacobs on both sides of the ball when the tailback/linebacker departs for Auburn. He toted the ball a county-leading 227 times during the regular season, and could end up on either offense or defense (or the baseball diamond) for the Tigers.
Ewalt can be reached at aewalt@scoreatl.com.
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