PrepNation.com - January 13, 2006 10:53 PM
PrepNation 101 All-American Football Team Released
Jamie DeMoney, Editor and Publisher

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

PLAYERS FROM ALL 50 STATES COMPRISE PREPNATION 101 ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

January 9, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 2005 PrepNation 101 All-American Team -- the only high school All-American squad to include players from all 50 states -- has been announced by the high school sports website PrepNation.com.

The team features the 101 top prep football players in the country from the 2005 season, as selected by PrepNation Editor and Publisher Jamie DeMoney. Game tape, all-state lists, sportswriters and other prep football analysts around the nation were consulted by DeMoney in making his selections.

"Our All-American team includes players from every state because outstanding prep football is played in every state," DeMoney said. "The USA Today and Parade All-American squads are great honors and have a great tradition, but less than half of the country is actually represented in those teams. I wanted to recognize the best players from every state."

No state is eligible to have more than five players selected for PrepNation's 101-player team. It is believed to be the only prep All-American football team to ever honor players from the states of Alaska, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon and Vermont.

DeMoney views literally thousands of high school players on videotape each year during the course of his work as an analyst for the national scouting service, Forbes Recruit Evaluation (TheForbesReport.com). However, selection to the PrepNation 101 All-American team was based exclusively upon high school accomplishments, not recruiting rankings or college potential.

"There are plenty of recruiting rankings and websites out there already," DeMoney said. "The PrepNation 101 is about honoring players for what they have done on the field in high school and for what they have meant to their high school team's success."

Below is the full list of PrepNation 101 honorees by state (All players are seniors unless otherwise noted):

Alabama (3): Bryan Morgan (OL) Hoover; Chris Smelley* (QB) American Christian; Andre Smith (OL) Huffman; Alaska (1): Chris Hinkley (QB) Juneau-Douglas (jr.); Arizona (2): Matt Smith* (WR/DB) Brophy Prep; Troy Taylor (LB) Brophy Prep; Arkansas (1): Mitch Mustain (QB) Springdale; California (5): Allen Bradford (LB) Colton; Toby Gerhart* (RB) Norco; Michael Herrick (QB) Valencia; Konrad Reuland (TE) Mission Viejo; Dwight Roberson (LB) St. Bonaventure; Colorado (3): Andy Muns* (RB) Douglas County; Nick Lind (RB) ThunderRidge; Tyson Liggett (QB) Limon; Connecticut (1): Amari Spievey (RB) Xavier-Middletown; Delaware (1): Nick Dominelli (RB) Salesianum; D.C. (2): Ryan Bartholomew* (OL) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.); Akeem Hebron (LB) Good Counsel (Wheaton, Md.); Florida (4): Scott Bryant (LB) Lakeland; Troy Johnson (LB) Lakeland; Tim Tebow* (QB) Nease; Sam Young (OL) St. Thomas Aquinas; Georgia (2): Marcus Ball (LB) Stephenson; Antonio Henton* (QB) Peach County (Fort Valley); Hawaii (1): Dylan Rush (TE/DE) Konawaena; Idaho (1): Cody Hawkins (QB) Bishop Kelly; Illinois (4): John Dergo* (RB/LB/K) Morris; Sean Dunning (RB) St. Teresa (Decatur); Tyler Knight (WR/DB/K) Maine South; Anthony Kropp (QB) Lincoln-Way East; Indiana (1): Dexter Taylor (QB) Warren Central; Iowa (1): Levi Ferguson (RB) North Mahaska; Kansas (1): Jake Sharp (RB) Salina Central; Kentucky (2): Justin Burke (QB) Lexington Catholic; Micah Johnson* (RB/LB) Fort Campbell; Louisiana (3): Jacob Cutrera (LB) Acadiana; Joe McKnight* (RB) John Curtis Christian (jr.); Charles Scott (RB) Jonesboro-Hodge; Maine (1): John Wiechman (RB) Bonny Eagle; Maryland (2): Sean Price* (RB/LB) Gilman; Ben Tate (RB) Snow Hill; Massachusetts (2): Junior Penn (FB/LB) Brockton; Jessey Resende* (QB/DB) Brockton; Michigan (2): Keith Nichol (QB) Lowell (jr.); D.J. Ritz* (QB/LB) Muskegon Oak Ridge; Minnesota (2): Jake Machacek (RB) Eastview; Alexander Robinson* (RB) De La Salle; Mississippi (2): Cordera Eason (RB) Meridian; Chris Strong* (LB) South Panola (jr.); Missouri (1): Drew Newhart (QB) Cameron; Montana (1): Chase Reynolds (RB) Drummond; Nebraska (1): Jeff Tarpinian (QB) Millard North; Nevada (1): DeMarco Murray (RB) Bishop Gorman; New Hampshire (1): Sean Jellison (RB) Souhegan; New Jersey (2): Knowshon Moreno* (RB) Middletown South; Alex Wujciak (TE/LB) Seton Hall Prep; New Mexico (1): Matt Nulk (OL/DL) La Cueva (Albuquerque); New York (2): Kevin Collier (RB) Churchville-Chili; John Ferrara* (OL/DL) Monsignor Farrell; North Carolina (3): Mario Acitelli (OL) Charlotte Catholic; Hakeem Nicks (WR) Independence; Quan Warley* (RB) Thomasville (jr.); North Dakota (1): Jake Landry (QB/LB) Grand Forks Central; Ohio (5): DeLone Carter* (RB) Copley; Nate Davis (QB) Bellaire; Ross Homan (RB/LB) Coldwater; Connor Smith (OL) Colerain; Chris Wells (RB/LB) Garfield; Oklahoma (3): Matt Edmonds (QB) Mustang; Gerald McCoy (DT) Southeast; Casey Whorton* (QB) Tulsa Union; Oregon (2): Connor Kavanaugh (QB) Lincoln (jr.); Kyley McRae* (RB/DB) McNary; Pennsylvania (4): Aaron Berry (WR/DB) Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg); Maurice Dantzler (RB) Franklin (Philadelphia); Pat Devlin* (QB) Downingtown East; Travis McBride (RB/DB) McKeesport; Rhode Island (1): Joe Goniprow (OL/DL) Barrington; South Carolina (3): Willy Korn* (QB) Byrnes (jr.); Prince Miller (RB) Byrnes; Ricky Sapp (WR/DE) Bamberg-Ehrhardt; South Dakota (1): Dusty Coleman (QB) O'Gorman; Tennessee (2): Graig Cooper (RB) Melrose; Gaston Miller* (RB) Riverdale Texas (5): Sergio Kindle (RB/LB) Wilson; Greg McElroy* (QB) Southlake Carroll; Matthew Stafford (QB) Highland Park; Will Thompson (DB) Katy; Malcolm Williams (DB) South Garland; Utah (1): Riley Nelson (QB) Logan; Vermont (1): C.J. St. Onge (RB/LB) South Burlington; Virginia (2): Keith Payne (RB) Oakton; Evan Royster* (RB) Westfield; Washington (3): Jason Harris (QB/LB) Skyline; Jake Locker* (QB/DB) Ferndale; Stephen Schilling (OL/DL) Bellevue; West Va. (1): Josh Culbertson (RB) Nitro; Wisconsin (2): Jake Bscherer (OL) Sturgeon Bay; John Clay* (RB) Racine Park (jr.); Wyoming (1): Chris Prosinski (QB/LB) Buffalo.
*-PrepNation state player of the year

101 breakdown by region: Northeast (15); East Coast (14); Southeast (16); Midwest (16); Midlands (15); Southwest (13); and West Coast (12).

Offensive Player of the Year: Mitch Mustain (QB) Springdale (Ark.)

Mustain also earned national player of the year recognition from both USA Today and PARADE magazine and was starting quarterback for the West squad at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior completed 190 of 270 passes (70 percent) for 3,817 yards with 47 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Mustain also rushed for seven scores while leading Springdale to the Class 5A state championship and No. 3 ranking in the final National Prep Poll (becoming first Arkansas team to finish in the NPP Top 25 since 1998). Still being courted heavily by Arkansas, Alabama, Notre Dame and Tennessee, Mustain was called "the best high school quarterback to come through the state" by his high school coach Gus Malzahn (now the offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas).


Defensive Co-Players of the Year: Scott Bryant (LB) and Troy Johnson (LB) Lakeland (Fla.)

The duo formed the inner core of Lakeland's championship defense, which allowed only 93 points in 15 games with six shutouts en route to a second consecutive 5A state title and No. 2 final National Prep Poll ranking. The Dreadnaughts' opponents managed only 145 yards of total offense per contest and rushed for just 2.2 yards per carry. Bryant (5-10, 205), an uncommitted senior, led the team with 191 tackles (88 solo) including 41 tackles for losses. He added five sacks, four caused fumbles and 18 quarterback hurries. Johnson (6-2, 200), who has verbally committed to Iowa, was second on the team with 179 tackles (87 solo) and led the Dreadnaughts with 48 tackles for loss. He caused four fumbles and blocked three field goals/PATs and three punts on the season.


Coach of the Year: Bill Castle, Lakeland (Fla.)

Employing an offense led by a first-year starting quarterback and a virtual brick wall of a defense, Castle guided Lakeland to the Class 5A state championship and final Top 10 ranking in the National Prep Poll for the second consecutive season. It was the Dreadnaughts' fifth title and third NPP Top 10 final ranking under Castle overall. Lakeland outscored its opponents a combined 580-93 and didn't play a game decided by fewer than 14 points until the state semifinal round. Lakeland finished ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25, becoming the first Florida team ever to end the season top-ranked in one of the three major high school polls (National Prep Poll, USA Today, Student Sports). If there were a Mount Rushmore of Florida prep football coaches, Castle's mug would surely be included. He has an overall record of 284-72 in 35 seasons and led Lakeland to a state-record 60 consecutive regular season wins from 1995-2001. In 30 years at Lakeland, the Dreadnaughts have never had a losing season. Castle was also named national coach of the year by USA Today and American Football Monthly.

Past PrepNation 101 Players and Coaches of the Year:

2004: Offense: J.R. Hasty (RB) Bellevue (Wash.) - Defense: Terrill Byrd (DT) Cincinnati Colerain - Coach: Kerry Coombs - Cincinnati Colerain