THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9511300176
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Jeff Zeigler
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Now that high school football season is over (at least for teams in The Carolina Coast readership area), it's time for my annual awards presentation.
These awards are for players, coaches, and teams in The Carolina Coast circulation area and the teams that are in their conferences.
In the team award group:
Best Team I've Seen All Season: Tie between Plymouth and Bertie County. I only saw Plymouth play once this season, but it was enough to convince me the Vikings were one of the most dominant. Plymouth smashed Edenton-Holmes 44-14 in the second round of the playoffs after Edenton had won 33-0 the previous week. Bertie turned it on at the most important time of the year - during the playoffs. The Falcons just had an air about them, you knew they were going to win.
Best Offense: Is a tie between Williamston and Plymouth. Williamston averaged over 30 points per game in Albemarle Conference games. Plymouth had three running backs with over 1,000 yards and with speed to burn. The Vikings were a scoring threat from anywhere on the field.
Best Defense: Northampton East. The Rams had several shutouts this year, including a 2-0 win over last year's 1A state champs North Edgecombe.
Best All-Around Team: Williamston. The Tigers could do it all - run, pass, play good defense, and kick.
Best Comeback: Edenton-Holmes. It looked as though the Aces were going nowhere fast with a four-game losing streak during the middle of the season. Then, all of a sudden, Edenton woke up and won big games over Manteo and Currituck to reach the playoffs. Then the Aces shocked everyone by winning in the first round of the 2A playoffs.
Most Improved Team: Northeastern. The Eagles went from a disastrous 3-7 record in 1994 to a 6-5 record in 1995 with less experienced players. Currituck County gets honorable mention in this category.
In the individual award group:
Best Quarterback (passing): Brian Riddick, Gates County. Riddick passed for over 1,500 yards in Gates County's ``Air Harrell'' offense.
Best Quarterback (rushing): Shawn Ricks, Bertie County. Ricks was the fastest player on the field for the Falcons and was a big weapon on the option play.
Best Receiver: Brian Bennett, Gates County. Bennett was the one catching all the passes from Riddick.
Best Running Back: Mitchell Stanley, Edenton-Holmes. Stanley, only a sophomore, became a touchdown machine for the Aces. Kentron King of Northeastern was a close second.
Best Kicker: Kevin Dodson, Camden County. Dodson kicked a field goal over 50 yards this season.
Best Defensive Player: Many players fit this category.
Best Two-Way Player: Tykinsten Wood, Perquimans County. On offense, he gained over 1,000 yards rushing. On defense, he was on the front end of some vicious tackles.
Coach of the Year: Eric McDaniels, Northeastern. McDaniels led a bunch of young, inexperienced players to a winning season and a surprising 2-3 record in the Big East Conference. Eagles fans should expect big things next year.
In the miscellaneous group:
Best game: Williamston 14, Northampton East 12. The game, played the last week of the regular season, decided the Albemarle Conference championship.
Worst game: Weldon 14, Perquimans 9. Both teams played horribly in a thunderstorm. Ironically, Perquimans made the playoffs despite the loss to Weldon even though the teams were tied for third place. Weldon coaches drew the short straw.
Best Press Box: As always, Northeastern. Bertie County is a distant second.
Weirdest game: Northampton East 2, North Edgecombe 0.
Worst fans: Plymouth. Shame on Plymouth high school backers for trying to pick a fight with Edenton radio announcers in the press box and rooting loudly for a Viking two-point conversion with a 30-plus point lead. MEMO: Jeff Zeigler covers sports for The Carolina Coast. Send comments and
questions to him at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head, N.C. 27959.
by CNB