by Rusty Ellis
Though it feels like it began yesterday, the 2023 high school football regular season has come and gone, and with it came several outstanding performers that put up big games week in and week out.
As with every season, it’s Mr. Football time in Tennessee and UCR was left with no shortage of excellent seasons to review for our ballot.
Decided by Noah McKay, Jacob Vinson, Michael Lindsay and Rusty Ellis, here is who UCR has on our Mr. Football ballot.
Class A
Nate Adams – Clay County QB/DB
The list of places on the field that Adams has taken snaps at is significantly longer than the list of positions he’s not, as the first-year quarterback has steadily improved with each passing week. This was evident in the Bulldogs’ six-game winning streak from week three to week eight, where they averaged 39.7 points per game. This includes a remarkable against Monroe County (Ky.) where he accounted for four of the team’s five touchdowns. None of this includes his play on the defensive side of the ball, where he led the team in both interceptions and defensive touchdowns. For the season, Adams has 1,739 passing yards, 317 rushing yards and 28 (16 passing, 12 rushing) total touchdowns offensively. He also has a school-record 10 interceptions and two of those were returned for scores.
Class 2A
Myle Leffew – York Institute QB/DB
Naturally when a team goes undefeated in the regular season, the first player you look at is the one running the show and Myles Leffew is one of the many stars for the 10-0 Dragons. Leffew accounted for 19 total offensive touchdowns (13 rushing, six passing), and was a turnover machine defensively as well. His three interceptions and two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) either tied for the team-lead or led the team. The Dragons appear poised to make a deep playoff run, and Leffew is at the center of it.
Class 4A
Tripp Pinion – White County QB
Pinion quickly put to bed any doubts on what kind of season he would have as the main weapon in Sparta’s offense, as he sits with 1,867 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns at the end of his junior season. That’s 262 more rushing yards and five more touchdowns than he had last season with two additional games played in the playoffs. We also saw an evolution of the passing game as well, as he threw for 901 yards and 11 more touchdowns, and more importantly, zero interceptions. His leadership was impressive as White County came within one game of the playoffs, and 2024 is certainly looking like it could be a big year in Sparta, Tennessee.
Clayton Harris – Upperman DL
Harris was a game-wrecker in every sense of the word this season, as he racked up 19.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks to lead a Bees defense that only gave up an average of 8.3 points per game and shut out opposing teams three times. His most impressive single-game performance came against Livingston Academy, where he accounted for four tackles for loss and three sacks in a 35-14 win. Harris also finished with four TFLs against Smith County and three more against Stone Memorial.