Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412220096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Thomas Jones, who broke three state records leading Powell Valley to the Division 2 championship, headlines the Associated Press 1994 All-Group A football team.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior edged out 165-pound Giles senior tailback Raypheal Milton as player of the year in voting by a panel of sports writers from across the state.
Jones, in his first full varsity season, set single-season records of 44 touchdowns and 3,314 rushing yards on 340 carries in 14 games. He also set a single-game record of 462 yards in a Sept. 30 game against J.I. Burton.
Milton accounted for 2,857 yards of total offense in 12 games. He rushed for 1,753 yards and 31 touchdowns on 248 carries and completed 53 of 100 passes for 1,094 yards and five touchdowns. He amassed 6,161 yards of total offense in his prep career.
Jones and Milton are joined in the backfield by quarterback Blake Carleton of Powhatan and running back Jermaine Brockenborough of Division 1 runner-up Middlesex, both seniors.
Carleton completed 93 of 151 passes for 1,421 yards and 21 touchdowns in Powhatan's 12-1 season. He was 215-of-408 in his career for 3,243 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Brockenborough, who missed two games with an injury, had 1,619 yards and 20 touchdowns on 186 carries. For his career, he had 514 carries for 3,963 yards and 50 touchdowns.
The ends are Anthony Webb of Clintwood, who had 41 catches for 207 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Doug Shirley of Buffalo Gap, a blocking tight end who caught 11 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns.
Monty Matthews of Bland County is the kicker. He hit four of his 10 field goal attempts, the longest from 45 yards, and was 25-of-28 on conversion kicks.
The interior offensive line, which averages 220 pounds, consists of tackles Alex Webb of Giles and Ben Smith of Division 2 runner-up Sussex Central, guards Jerry Shuler of Powell Valley and Harold Bowman of Division 1 champion Appalachia, and center Steve Puckett of Lebanon.
The defensive line consists of Kevin Williams of Lebanon, Gary Lowery of Narrows, Darrick Turner of Goochland, Kevin Page of King William and Wes Robbins of Powell Valley. Turner was a standout with nine sacks and four fumble recoveries.
The linebackers are Brandon Steele of Giles, Roger Allen of Powhatan and Chris Mabe of Appalachia. Among them, they averaged almost 10 tackles per game, and Allen recovered eight fumbles.
Defensive backs are Kenneth Scruggs of Goochland, who had 10 interceptions; Josh Hedrick of Stonewall Jackson-Mt. Jackson, who picked off nine, and Tyron Edmond of Sussex Central, his team's leading tackler.
Punter Gary Maben of Goochland had a 42.4-yard average.
The closest battle was between the only two returning members of last year's first team - senior Blaine Hackney of Haysi and junior Frankie Shoemaker of Strasburg - for kick returner. Hackney, a 1993 defensive back choice, bumped last year's kick returner to the second team.
Besides returning kicks, Hackney rushed for 1,780 yards and scored 29 touchdowns, 10 on pass receptions. In addition to his returns, Shoemaker rushed for 1,153 yards, caught 17 passes for 543 yards and scored 22 touchdowns.
There are four underclassmen on the team - Jones and Shuler on offense, Turner and Steele on defense. The second team has five juniors and a sophomore.
Bill Shirley of Buffalo Gap is the coach of the year. When he took over in 1990, Buffalo Gap had two winning seasons and three break-even records in 28 years. His five years have produced one .500 record and four winners, the last an 11-2 team this year which reached the Division 1 semifinals.
by CNB