A midseason position switch did little to contain the brilliance of Jennings star Trevor Etienne, who moved from running back to quarterback without missing a beat.
Surrounded by other stars, Lake Charles College Prep linebacker Daylon Sibley stood out with his ability to make plays all over the field, particularly in big-game situations.
Etienne and Sibley are the Most Outstanding Players on the American Press All-Southwest Louisiana high school football team.
Etienne ran for 1,913 yards, threw for 646 yards, caught 12 passes for 87 yards, returned five kicks for touchdowns and accounted for 38 touchdowns. Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, started the first four games of the season at running back before taking over at quarterback after an injury to starter Austin Ewing.
Sibley led the Trailblazers with 122 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hurries, two blocked kicks and an interception.
The Coach of the Year is Lake Charles College Prep’s Erick Franklin, who led the Blazers to an undefeated run through District 4-3A.
Bulldogs head coach Rusty Phelps said Etienne was selfless in making the move.
“It was a situation where he had lots of success at running back and could have wanted to stay there, but he made the move because it was best for the team,” Phelps said.
“He did a tremendous job for us. He ran the offense to perfection. He had a lot of experience on the other side of the option after playing with (former quarterback Lawrence Wilridge) and made the change with ease. He did everything — running back, quarterback, kick returns, defense and even punted for us.”
Phelps said Etienne was a great leader for younger players.
“He always sets the example for younger guys, whether it was on the field, in the classroom or in the hallways at school,” Phelps said.
Franklin said Sibley’s combination of mental sharpness, instincts and attitude makes him a special player.
“He has natural instincts for the game and is a sharp kid with a great football IQ,” he said.
Sibley has a knack for being at his best in big games. In Prep’s district-clinching win over Iowa, he made a sack to end a drive and a tipped pass on the final drive.
“He loves those big settings,” Franklin said. “He wants to be in big pressure moments. Some players just want to make plays in normal settings, but he wants to step up when the pressure is on.”
Franklin said Sibley is a tone-setter in practice.
“He is a hard worker, a relentless player,” Franklin said. “He never takes a play off, even in practice.”
AMERICAN PRESS ALL-SW LOUISIANA FOOTBALL TEAM
Big Schools
Offense
Pos. Player, School Ht. Wt. Cl. Statistics
WR Jamaal Levi, Barbe Jr. 5-8 155 66 rec., 1,538 yards, 19 TDs
WR Keshlon Jackson, LC College Prep Sr. 6-0 170 27-715 yds, 9 TDs
WR Curtis Deville, Iowa Sr. 6-2 190 2,186 all-purpose yds, 23 total TDs
OL Reginald Burks, LC College Prep Sr. 6-2 290 Blocked for a 1,000-yd RB and QB
OL Coby Bertrand, Sam Houston Sr. 6-1 250 Broncos averaged 311 ypg
OL Jacob Kershaw, Iowa Sr. 6-3 210 Iowa averaged 41.8 ppg
OL Jesse Williams, DeRidder Jr. 6-2 290 DeRidder ran for more than 3,500 yds
OL Jalen Guidry, St. Louis Catholic Sr. 6-0 260 StL threw for more than 2,000 yds
QB Jamaal Guillory, Westlake Sr. 5-11 170 1,836 rush/1,010 pass yds, 36 total TDs
RB Devonte Guidroz, LC College Prep Sr. 5-8 170 91 car., 1,128 yds, 12 TDs
RB Caleb Gallashaw, Leesville Sr. 5-9 177 2,270 all-purpose yds, 21 total TDs
RB Ronnie Crosby, DeRidder Jr. 5-9 190 212 car., 1,805 yds, 18 TDs
ATH Trevor Etienne, Jennings Sr. 5-9 218 1,913 rush/646 pass, 37 total TDs
K Spencer Briley, St. Louis Catholic Sr. 5-9 150 34-39 PAT, 8-12 FG long 40
Defense
Pos. Player, School Ht. Wt. Cl. Statistics
DL Ian Richard, LC College Prep Sr. 5-7 200 65 tackles, 12 TFL, 2 sacks
DL Ja’Qualon Pettieway, Westlake Jr. 6-4 280 44 tackles, TFL, 2 sacks
DL JayShawn Mabry, Leesville Jr. 5-8 232 58 tackles, 16 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FR, 1 INT
DL RayKeithan Thomas, W-Marion Jr. 6-0 235 63 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 15 TFL, 1 FF
LB Daylon Sibley, LC College Prep Jr. 5-10 210 120 tackles, 20 TFL, 3.5 sacks
LB Ethan Koonce, Westlake Jr. 5-11 198 148 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 INTs
LB Ross Denison, Iowa Sr. 6-1 210 121 tackles, 8 TFL
LB Kevon Freeman, LC College Prep Jr. 6-0 230 94 tackles, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 11 hurries
DB Brycen Leblanc, Iowa Sr. 6-0 175 71 tackles, 6 pd
DB Kevin Thomas, LC College Prep Sr. 6-0 175 80 tackles, 3 TFL, 6 pd
DB Marcus Duhon, St. Louis Catholic Sr. 5-8 170 57 tackles, 3 INTs
DB Luke Duhon, Iota Jr. 6-0 155 69 tackles, 2 TFL, 5 INTs
P Ethan Piaz, Sulphur Jr. 5-10 185 37.4 avg, long 60
KR Tyree Brown, W-Marion Sr. 6-0 168 560 return yards, 3 TDs
OFFENSIVE MVP — Trevor Etienne, Jennings
DEFENSIVE MVP — Daylon Sibley, Lake Charles College Prep
COACH OF THE YEAR — Erick Franklin, Lake Charles College Prep