Jakerrius Wyatt: AISA All-Metro football player of the year
Jakerrius Wyatt
offensive/defensive lineman
6-foot-3, 290 pounds, senior
•First-team AISA All-State.
•Helped the Generals average almost 439 yards offense and 47.7 points per game. Running back Derrick Dunigan ran for 1,641 yards and 27 touchdowns, while quarterback Tripp Carr threw for 2,287 yards and 26 touchdowns.
•Was the source of a majority of Autauga’s offense, according to head coach Kyle Glover and offensive coordinator Bobby Carr.
•Made a team-high 66 tackles this season with a team-best three sacks.
•Helped Autauga win its first state championship since 1999 and finish 13-0. The Generals were the only undefeated team in the AISA.
•Was the leading force in Autauga’s 21-7 home win over Bessemer Academy on Sept. 30, a victory that made the Generals the top-ranked team in the AISA for the first time in school history.
•AISA All-Star. Was named the West All-Stars’ most outstanding offensive lineman.
•Played at Prattville High as a junior.
•Says he’s a student-coach for Autauga’s boys basketball team.
•Is receiving NCAA Division I-A offers, though he’s not settled on a list of finalists.
So, ever wanted to carry the ball?
I wanted to the whole season, but it just didn’t happen. I guess it wasn’t my time. Maybe in college, I’ll get my chance. I’m going to hold that against (Glover and Carr). I can catch it, too. I’ve always considered myself a receiver. I’m an athlete. I can do it all. I have good hands, and I have good feet, too. I know if I get the ball, I’m just going to take off running with it.
How much did you campaign for it?
I tried to get back deep one time on special teams, but they caught me. We had a play set up on offense, but Coach Carr didn’t call it. I’m going to hold that against them. I’m still pretty upset about it. We won, so I’m not tripping.
Do you prefer offense or defense?
I like playing both. I just like playing in the trenches. Not everybody can play in the trenches. You have to be a man to play in the trenches. I like defense a lot. I get to tackle people. On offense, I get to punish people. So, it’s all the same.
Which of your teammates would you most like to hit?
My quarterback, Tripp Carr. He’s always running his mouth. He talks a lot. If I get a chance to hit him, I’d take it. He says I’m not fast enough to catch him and he’s too smooth, but I’ll get him. I wouldn’t hurt him because that’s my brother, but if I had a chance to hit somebody, it would be him.
Which teammates is the best with the girls? And who’s the worst?
After me, I’d say Tanner Payton. He gets all the girls. I don’t know what they think about him, but he gets them.
K.J. Howard has no game. He gets a couple, but I don’t know what to say for him. He’s just quiet. K.J. doesn’t do much talking. He never talks that much, so that’s why I say him.
Compare and contrast football in the AHSAA and AISA.
It’s just smaller. Public school ball is just bigger. I feel like it doesn’t matter. If you can play, you can play, no matter where it is.
What was your best game?
Probably Bessemer Academy. It was a big game. We knew that going in, and I had a good game. We won and we became the No. 1 team in the state. That gave us a lot of momentum for the rest of the season. At the end, we stayed on top, so that was a pretty big game.
What was your toughest game?
The first time we played Escambia Academy, in the regular season (a 41-34 win with a last-minute touchdown). They came out and played. Both times they came out and played, but that first one, I guess we may have been asleep a little bit. It was a hard game for us. I had to play the whole game, too, so it was pretty tough. I had to do what I had to do, but we got the job done.
Since you’re a manager on the basketball team, how good of a waterboy are you?
No. I’m on the coaching staff. I’m not going to say manager. I don’t care what they call it. I don’t clean up after them or anything. I’m a coach, but they don’t respect me enough to call me coach. I haven’t earned their respect yet. I need to put my feet down. I’m going to get on them at practice and make them run a little bit.
Online, what’s your favorite site?
YouTube. There’s a lot of funny stuff on it. You can go to YouTube and search for anything. I watch football highlights all the time. There might be something funny that pops up, but I watch a lot of football highlights. The last person I watched was (Michigan linebacker) Jabrill Peppers.
Should Peppers have won the Heisman over Louisville’s Lamar Jackson?
I think Lamar deserved it. He had an outstanding season. Jabrill had a good season, too. He can do it all. If I can play like somebody, I choose him because he can do it all. He got a chance to run the ball, too. I wish I had.
2016 ASWA All-State football teams
AISA ALL-METRO FOOTBALL
Player of the year: Jakerrius Wyatt, Autauga Academy
ALL-METRO OFFENSE
QB: Tripp Carr, 5-10, 160, So., Autauga Academy
Was 128-of-195 passing for 2,287 yards and 26 touchdowns against four interceptions. Ran 55 times for 581 yards and seven scores. Second-team AISA All-State.
RB: Brandon Reid, 5-10, 185, Sr., Lowndes Academy
Amassed 2,587 all-purpose yards, 63 percent of Lowndes’ team total, and scored 29 touchdowns. Had 210 rushes for 1,703 yards and 22 touchdowns. Averaged 8.1 yards per carry and almost 155 yards per game. Caught 16 passes for 287 yards and three scores. Returned three kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns. Finished with a team-high 100 tackles and intercepted two passes. First-team AISA All-State. Two-time All-Metro. AISA All-Star.
RB: Derrick Dunigan, 5-11, 190, Sr., Autauga Academy
Ran for 1,641 yards and 27 touchdowns on 210 carries. Had 11 games of at least 100 yards. Caught 12 passes for 163 yards and a score. Second-team AISA All-State. Was second-team Class 1A All-State last year at Billingsley. AISA All-Star. Two-time All-Metro.
RB: Dee Smith, 5-11, 185, Jr., Evangel Christian
Had 1,424 yards and 16 touchdowns on 181 carries. Averaged almost 130 yards per game. AISA All-State honorable mention.
RB: K.J. Hall, 5-10, 180, So., SMCA
Contributor on both offense and defense, helping the Raiders, who had won four games combined the previous four years, finish 4-6. Ran for 1,013 yards on 127 carries with 12 touchdowns. Caught 12 passes for 240 yards and a score. Had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. Finished with 55 tackles and two interceptions at linebacker. First-team AISA All-State.
WR: Drew Baker, 6-0, 165, Jr., Macon-East
Caught 40 passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns. AISA All-State honorable mention.
WR: Tanner Payton, 6-0, 170, Sr., Autauga Academy
Finished with 34 catches for 672 yards with a team-high nine touchdown receptions. Second-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star.
OL: Jakerrius Wyatt, 6-3, 290, Sr., Autauga Academy
Was the leading force on an offense that averaged almost 439 yards and 47.7 points per game. Led the Generals with 66 tackles and had three sacks. First-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star. Was West team’s most outstanding offensive lineman at AISA All-Star Game.
OL: Gabe Sexton, 5-10, 255, Sr., Evangel Christian
Second-team AISA All-State. Skilled as a long snapper and has a walk-on invitation from Troy. Two-time All-Metro.
OL: Jackson Patton, 6-1, 250, Jr., Lowndes Academy
Also played linebacker for the Rebels and finished with 49 tackles and five forced fumbles.
OL: Zac Till, 5-8, 160, Sr., Lowndes Academy
Graded out at 80 percent at center. Also made 33 tackles as a defensive end.
OL: Blake Walters, 6-1, 240, Sr., Edgewood
Recorded 23 pancake blocks. On the defensive line, had 30 tackles, including five for loss. Edgewood’s only senior and one of just four underclassmen from last year that returned this season. AISA All-Star.
PK: John Taylor, 5-9, 160, Sr., Lowndes Academy
Scored 44 points as a kicker. Was 4-of-4 on field goals with a long of 31 yards. Also was 32-of-36 on extra points. At receiver, caught 13 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. AISA All-Star.
ATH: Kendrick Rogers, 5-10, 160, Fr., Autauga Academy
Had 50 receptions for 840 yards -- both team highs -- with eight touchdown catches. Totaled 1,169 all-purpose yards. Also made 21 tackles with two interceptions. Had 11 total touchdowns with two via rush and one via kickoff return. First-team AISA All-State.
ALL-METRO DEFENSE
DL: Jeffery Lee, 6-2, 220, Sr., Autauga Academy
Had 25 tackles, including eight for loss with six sacks. First-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star. Was West team’s most outstanding defensive lineman at AISA All-Star Game.
DL: Daniel Callaway, 6-2, 170, So., Lowndes Academy
Finished with 11 tackles for loss among his 53 tackles. As an offensive lineman, graded out at 80 percent.
DL: Buddy Johnson, 6-0, 225, Jr., SMCA
Totaled 84 tackles with 19 for loss and five sacks. Also recovered three fumbles. On offense, had 46 carries for 147 yards. Second-team AISA All-State.
DL: Jimbo Wheeler, 6-0, 250, Sr., Lowndes Academy
Made 56 tackles with three sacks. As an offensive lineman, graded out at 84 percent. Second-team AISA All-State.
LB: Oaklee Williams, 6-1, 215, Sr., Evangel Christian
Had 95 tackles with 13 for loss and two sacks. Team captain. AISA All-Star.
LB: Bishop Holcomb, 6-2, 170, Sr., Hooper
Blocked six field goals and totaled 86 tackles with eight for loss and four sacks. Second-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star.
LB: Djay Gardner, 5-9, 220, Jr., Autauga Academy
Finished with 33 tackles, including four for loss, and two interceptions. AISA All-State honorable mention.
LB: Zac Pope, 5-10, 200, Sr., Hooper
Made 76 tackles, including 19 in a win over Crenshaw Christian. Had four tackles for loss with two sacks. AISA All-Star.
DB: Grant Tyson, 5-9, 170, Fr., Hooper
Finished with 62 tackles and four interceptions. Second-team AISA All-State.
DB: Zack Peacock, 6-0, 150, Jr., Macon-East
Had 24 tackles and two interceptions. AISA All-State honorable mention.
DB: Aaron Paige, 5-9, 170, Sr., SMCA
Intercepted four passes with five pass breakups. Had 54 tackles, including four for loss, with two fumble recoveries. As a receiver, caught 14 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. First-team AISA All-State.
DB: River Barber, 6-0, 190, Sr., Autauga Academy
Made 34 tackles, including a season-high seven in a win over perennial power Bessemer Academy. Intercepted three passes. First-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star.
P: Jon Johnson, 5-10, 170, Jr., Lowndes Academy
Averaged 30.4 yards per punt plus made a major contribution on offense. As quarterback, completed 56 percent of his passes for 1,483 yards and 15 touchdowns against eight interceptions. As a defensive back, finished with 53 tackles and three interceptions. Second-team AISA All-State. Two-time All-Metro.
ATH: Greg Taylor, 5-9, 212, Sr., Evangel Christian
At linebacker, posted 110 tackles, including seven for loss. At running back, averaged 6.3 yards per carry and finished with 724 yards and six touchdowns. Second-team AISA All-State. AISA All-Star. Was East team’s most outstanding defensive lineman at AISA All-Star Game. Two-time All-Metro.
HONORABLE MENTION
Edgewood: QB/DB Drez Crawford; Evangel Chr.: QB/WR/DB Anthony Gill, DL Ethan Johnson; Hooper: LB Lane Sides; Lowndes Aca.: WR Brian Rayburn, LB Mason McCurdy; Macon-East: LB Conner Davis, LB Jackson Hicks; SMCA: QB Anthony Swinning, LB Ryan Furr, LB A.J. Stewart.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bob Taylor, Lowndes Academy
AISA All-State coach of the year. Helped Rebels recover from a preseason accident that involved four players, including one who faced life-threatening injuries. Guided Lowndes to an 8-3 season and the Class A semifinals. Aided the Rebels’ rise to as high as fifth in the state rankings, their highest poll perch since 2006. Two-time All-Metro coach of the year. Has a 13-8 record in two seasons at Lowndes and is 62-75 in 13 years as a head coach.
Team compiled by A. Stacy Long in consultation with area coaches. The All-Metro area covers Autauga, Elmore, Lowndes and Montgomery counties. East Memorial and Eastwood did not have AISA-eligible varsity teams this year.