VALDOSTA –– Team honors began to pour in for the GISA Class 3A State Champion Valwood Valiants on Tuesday.

Last year’s GISA Region 3-3A Player of the Year Cam Walker and junior quarterback Caleb Burns headline a group of 14 Valiants to make All-Region and All-State teams. 

As a newcomer to the team in 2017, Burns emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the GISA. Burns completed 69.4 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,246 yards and 30 touchdowns while being picked off only six times all year.

All-Region: Cole McLendon, Cam Walker, Isaiah Bristol, JD Scurry, Colby Thomas, Caleb Burns, Jaharie Boone, Sam Martin, Eli Joyner, John Miller and Ray Gordon.

All-State: Cam Walker, Isaiah Bristol, JD Scurry, Caleb Burns, Sam Martin, John Miller.

Honorable mention: Grant McLendon (All-Region), Ashton Moorman (All-Region), Trae Samford (All-Region).

With 14 selections, the Valiants, according to head coach Ashley Henderson, showed that they got better every game to earn recognition, not by falling back on reputation. Henderson also suggested that the turning point for his team was a heart-wrenching 16-6 loss to Southland Academy on their home field––a game marred by controversy after a go-ahead touchdown was wiped away.

“They really did,” Henderson said. “Probably the best thing that happened to this football team was the Southland game. I’ve always said and I’ve read it somewhere before that there are two types of people––you have losers and you have learners. And, the Southland game, we came up short and we chose to be learners.”

“We simplified things offensively. I think maybe we were trying to be too cute and we kind of got behind our offensive line and simplifying helped our playmakers get in space and make more plays. Defensively, I think we were very solid all year after the (season-opening) Autauga game. We said at the beginning of the year that we had a number of guys––Cam Walker, Cole McLendon, JD Scurry, Grant McLendon, Sam Martin, John Miller––these guys that are multi-year starters coming back and you can’t measure that experience.”

In addition to Valiants players being honored, Henderson was named GISA State Coach of the Year for the third time in his six years at the school. When asked what his third Coach of the Year award means, Henderson was sure to give his staff and the players equal credit for the award.

“It’s humbling but I accept that award on behalf of our entire coaching staff and football team,” Henderson said. “Without having the team of the year, you can’t be the Coach of the Year.”

Valiants team manager Danterius Brown was also recognized by the state as GISA State Manager of the Year.

Though the season ended with a state championship, six Valiants will play in Friday’s GISA All-Star game: Walker, Scurry, Martin, Boone, Bristol and Miller.

Walker, who caught 10 passes for 93 yards in the state championship game, headlines the Valiants’ offensive selections after a stellar senior season. Walker finished the season with 62 catches for 917 yards and 20 touchdowns while tallying 1,139 all-purpose yards.

Scurry, Walker’s running mate at receiver and corner back, was knocked out of the state championship game on the team’s first defensive play from scrimmage. However, Scurry caught 23 passes for 388 yards and a touchdown this season in addition to being regarded as one of the top corners in the state.

Martin, the Valiants’ Swiss Army knife, was a steady source of production on both sides of the ball. At running back, Martin carried the ball 43 times for 212 yards and seven touchdowns. As a pass-catcher, Martin caught 28 balls for 405 yards and six more touchdowns.

Perhaps even more so than his offensive skills, Martin led the Valiants’ defense at linebacker. Martin’s 99 tackles led the team by a wide margin, while also registering three sacks and a pick-6 in a 42-7 victory against John Milledge Academy in the GISA state playoffs.

A newcomer to the team as a senior, Boone made his presence felt for the Valiants all season leading to his All-Star selection. Boone played linebacker predominantly for the Valiants but also saw time at wide receiver, coming up with critical grabs for big yardage throughout the regular season and playoffs.

As a receiver, Boone caught 13 passes for 234 yards. Boone shined at linebacker, finishing second on the team in tackles with 77 while recording a sack, recovering three fumbles, blocking a punt and like Martin, added a pick-6 against John Milledge Academy in the state playoffs.

Bristol was an X-factor on the Valwood defensive line as the team allowed just 8.8 points per game. The senior defensive tackle finished third behind Martin and Boone with 75 tackles, but led the team with nine sacks and blocked a field goal for good measure.

Miller, the Valiants’ kicking specialist, was a key cog in the Valiants’ dominance on special teams. The senior kicker and punter spearheaded the Valiants’ special teams unit and ensured the Valiants’ opposition worked with a long field against the stingy defense.

Miller made 65 kickoffs for 3,907 yards in 13 games this season, recording 32 touchbacks. As a scorer, Miller converted 95.6 percent of his extra point attempts and made 4-of-8 field goals, including a season-long of 41 yards in a 27-0 win against Brookwood.

A diligent worker on his technique, Miller also loomed large in the punting game. The 6-foot-1 Miller boomed 38 punts for 1,567 yards, booting 15 of them inside the opposing team’s 20-yard line.

Among the coaching staff, Henderson will serve as head coach in the GISA All-Star Game for the first time after serving as an offensive coordinator in his two previous selections. Valwood defensive coordinator Justin Henderson also carries his title into the all-star festivities on Friday.

“It’s an honor for sure,” Henderson said. “I think they kind of go by your past success and see whose teams are consistently performing and our guys have done just that and our kids have done it. And I’m representing Valwood, this is hardly about just me, this is about Valwood and the job these kids have done not only this year, but the previous five years.”