By Dave Morrison, For the WVSWA
The Donut Man’s final run was a history maker.
And in a season of record-setting achievements, that’s saying something. After breaking a 100-year record for scoring in a season – and rewriting the school’s rushing records set the previous season by Kennedy Award winner Atticus Goodson, Independence’s Judah Price was named the captain of the Class AA first team all-state offense, released Thursday by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
Price, who was given his Donut Man moniker for his penchant for rewarding his offensive linemen with donuts after games, ran into the record books with a Super Six record-setting 376-yard, four-touchdown performance in the Patriots’ 42-7 Class AA state championship victory against Herbert Hoover. His 94-yard run also set a new standard at the Super Six.
Price ran to the record books in the Class AA semifinals against North Marion when he erased a 100-year record for points in a season, which had been held by Elkins’ Albert “Big Sleepy” Glenn who scored 359 points in 1922. Price finished the season with 396, which placed him in the Top 20 all-time nationally. He had previously broken the regular season record of 276 points set by Poca’s Ethan Payne in the final regular season game and finished his one-game regular season with 300.
Price scored at least two touchdowns in all but one game, three or more in 11 of 13 and he had what is believed to be a state-record 42 two-point conversions although no official record exists for that
statistic.
He also rushed for a state-leading 2,587 yards and 49 touchdowns and caught nine passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns a year after starting in the slot and backing up Kennedy Award winner Atticus Goodson.
“I’ve been at this for 30 years, and I don’t think I’ve had a kid that works as hard as Judah did,” Independence coach John H. Lilly said. “There are two things that set Judah apart. One is his work ethic, it’s second to none. I know a lot of people say they have it, this kid does. He will get up at 5:30 a.m. to get a
workout in for wrestling or lift weights. He was at the school Sunday morning helping raise money for Project Graduation. He is also one of the most competitive players I’ve been around. You can be sitting at a table drinking a Coke and he will challenge you to see who can drink it the fastest.”
Price’s record-smashing season didn’t shock Lilly. He saw it all of last season with Goodson. And that same line returned intact.
Two members of that line, Logan Isom, an all-stater last year, and Brady Grimmett were named to the first team offense.
“Isom is more of a technician, Grimmett is more of a brawler,” Lilly said. “We do these one-on-one drills in practice and Grimmett has lost once in four years.”
Those two linemen led an offensive front that paved the way for 4,493 rushing yards and 76 touchdowns, 6.252 yards of total offense and 89 touchdowns, blocked for a Kennedy Award winner in Goodson, two first-team all-state captains, a state record setter and the school’s back-to-back passing record setters.
This year’s quarterback Trey Bowers, a first-team defensive utility in 2021, was selected as a first-team offensive utility this year. He set the new standard for passing yards in a season with 1,622 yards and 11 downs and rushed for 899 yards and 15 touchdowns. He had 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the championship game.
Speaking of Goodson, Independence’s Cyrus Goodson was a repeat pick at defensive back. He had four interceptions, a number hurt by the fact that no teams had success airing it out against the Patriots in the regular season. He had three interceptions in the postseason, and finished his career never allowing a touchdown scored by a player he was guarding in three years as a starter.
Jordan Harvey captains the defense and is a repeat first-team pick at linebacker.
He was the epitome of the Patriots moniker “Coal Camp Tough.”
“Harvey was our captain on defense, he called our defenses,” Lilly said. “He was injured for part of the season with a torn meniscus, but he kept playing, never complaining about it.”
At full strength in the playoffs, he had three sacks against Fairmont Senior, a fumble recovery for a touchdown against North Marion and eight tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss against Herbert Hoover.
Independence had a total of 10 players named to the Class AA offense after a season that saw the Patriots outscore opponents by a margin of 46.7, including 29.3 in the postseason. Only Bluefield came within single
digits in the first round of the playoffs.
The first-team quarterback is Scott junior Matt Frye, who threw for 2,542 yards and 33 touchdowns, completed 60.5 percent of his passes, and rushed for seven touchdowns.
The other running backs were Roane County’s Skyler Delk who rushed for 1,402 yards and 23 touchdowns and Caden Beam of Winfield, which finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in Class AA.
The receivers were Sissonville junior Jake Wiseman who finished the season with 80 receptions, 1,056 yards and 10 touchdowns and Bluefield junior R.J. Hairston who had 35 receptions for 683 yards and six
touchdowns.
Herbert Hoover’s Dane Hatfield, a dual-threat sophomore signal caller, was a first-team utility pick. He had 1,609 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns and 1,468 yards passing and 21 touchdowns, including a touchdown
pass to Andrew Rollyson in the state championship game.
Clay County’s B.J. Williams was the other utility with 84 receptions for 1,055 yards and nine touchdowns, 515 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, he threw for a touchdown and returned a kick for a touchdown.
Other offensive linemen on the first team were Nicholas County senior Roman Milam, Winfield senior Jaxson Cunningham and Weir senior Cameron Jones.
Levi Paxton of Herbert Hoover, who had 63 PATs and a field goal, was the first-team kicker.
Defensively, Clay County’s Jacob “Salty” Morton, who was severely injured in an automobile accident on Halloween and missed the Panthers playoff game with Hoover, led the defensive line all-state picks with 84
tackles, 34.5 tackles for a loss of yardage, 8.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Along with Salty Morton, Keyser’s Gabe Ryan (63 tackles, six TFL, a sack and two forced fumbles), North Marion’s Harley Sickles (88 tackles, 17 TFL, six sacks, two forced fumbles and a safety) and Frankfort’s Chase Snyder (64 tackles, 20 TFL, nine sacks and a fumble recovery) were defensive
line choices.
In addition to Harvey, the linebackers were Fairmont Senior’s Dylan Ours (62 tackles, 6 TFL, four forced fumbles), North Marion’s Tyler Curry (93 solo tackles, 90 assists, eight TFL, two fumble recoveries, an interception and two safeties) and Roane County’s Colton Paxton (116 tackles, 17 TFL and seven sacks).
Along with Goodson, defensive backs included East Fairmont’s Alex Culp (72.5 tackles, five TFL and three interceptions) and Frankfort’s Luke Robinette (70 tackles, three interceptions, one fumble recovery).
Defensive utility players include Logan’s Aiden Slack, a true utility player who had 902 total yards, 13 touchdowns, 60 tackles, four field goals and 25-27 PATs, Chapmanville’s Brody Dalton, Winfield’s Bray Boggs and the punter is Poca’s Jordan Wolfe.
Roane County running back Briar Begler (1,259 yards rushing) captains the second-team offense and Herbert Hoover defensive lineman Isaiah Chapman captains the all-state defense.
Class AA All-State Football Team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Assocation
FIRST TEAM
Offense
QB – Matt Frye, Scott, Jr.
RB – Judah Price, Independence, Sr. (captain)
RB – Skyler Delk, Roane County, Sr.
RB – Caden Beam, Winfield, Sr.
WR – Jake Wiseman, Sissonville, Jr.
WR – RJ Hairston, Bluefield, Jr
OL – Logan Isom, Independence, Sr.
OL – Brady Grimmett, Independence, Sr.
OL – Roman Milam, Nicholas County, Sr.
OL – Jaxson Cunningham, Winfield, Sr.
OL – Cameron Jones, Weir, Sr.
U – Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover, Soph.
U – BJ Williams, Clay County, Jr.
U – Trey Bowers, Independence, Jr
K – Levi Paxton, Herbert Hoover, Sr.
Defense
DL – Jacob Morton, Clay County, Sr.
DL – Gabe Ryan, Keyser, Sr.
DL – Harley Sickles, North Marion, Sr.
DL – Chase Snyder, Frankfort, Sr.
LB – Jordan Harvey, Independence, Sr. (Captain)
LB – Tyler Curry, North Marion, Sr.
LB – Dylan Ours, Fairmont Senior, Jr.
LB – Colton Paxton, Roane County, Sr.
DB – Alex Culp, East Fairmont,,Sr.
DB – Luke Robinette, Frankfort, Sr.
DB – Cyrus Goodson, Independence, Sr.
U – Aiden Slack, Logan, Sr.
U – Brody Dalton, Chapmanville, Sr.
U – Bray Boggs, Winfield, Sr.
P – Jordan Wolfe, Poca – Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
QB – Caleb Fuller, Bluefield, Sr.
RB – Briar Begler, Roane County, Sr. (Captain)
RB – Kohl Farmer, Chapmanville, Sr.
RB – Kaleb Clark, Nicholas County, Sr.
WR – Jayden Sharps, Scott, Sr.
WR – Landon Frey, North Marion, Jr.
OL – Kobi O’Dell, Lincoln, Sr.
OL – Christian Jarvis, Roane County, Sr.
OL – Parker Withrow, Independence, Sr.
OL – Logan Howell, Winfield, Sr.
OL – Connor Brinckman, Herbert Hoover, Sr.
U – Nick George, RCB, Sr.
U – Ian Crookshanks, East Fairmont, Jr.
U – Casey Minor, North Marion, Jr.
K – Alex Shrader, Point Pleasant, Soph.
Defense
DL – AJ Dunbar, Poca, Sr.
DL – Braxton McKinney, Independence, Sr.
DL – Isaiah Chapman, Herbert Hoover, Sr. (Captain)
DL – Evan Helm, East Fairmont, Sr.
LB – Jaxson Damron, Wayne, Jr.
LB – Levi Moore, Lincoln, Sr.
LB – Mike Kruzel, Fairmont Senior, Sr.
LB – Bryce Davis, Logan. Sr.
LB – Parker VanMeter, Frankfort, Sr.
DB – Shay Harper, Roane County, Soph.
DB – Gavin Michael, Fairmont Senior, Sr.
DB – Garrett Williamson, Logan, Sr.
U – Dashawn Webster, Philip Barbour, Sr.
U – Mateo McKinney, Clay County, Sr.
P – Nate Flower, Fairmont Senior, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Gaven Allison, Herbert Hoover; John Anderson III, Frankfort; Austin Altizer, Nicholas County; Jamari Bass, Weir; Trevor Bigelow, Fairmont Senior; Luke Boggs, Nitro; Landon Boone, North Marion; Connor Bradford, Liberty Raleigh; Carson Brinegar, Scott; Jacob Bunner, Roane County; Jacob Burns, Herbert Hoover; Avery Brown, East Fairmont; Isaiah Brown, Scott; Isaiah Bush, Scott; Bryce Byrd, Robert C. Byrd; Brayden Carder, Lewis County; Noah Casto, Clay County; Cody Clevenger, North Marion; Jaxon Cogar, Logan; Noah Collins, Clay County; Blake Cook, Wyoming East; Jackson Danielson, Wyoming East; Gage Dean, East Fairmont; Caden Dotson, Herbert Hoover; Ty Drake, Robert C. Byrd; Braydon Edgell, Lincoln; Sencere Fields, Bluefield; Cam Foley, Grafton; Kholton Goodin, Oak Glen; Michael Greenlief, Oak Glen; Connor Hayes, North Marion; Wes Hill, Nicholas County; Antwan Hilliard, Lincoln; Brian Huggins, PikeView; Conner Hughes, Scott; Derrick Hypes, Independence; Matthew Jackson, Frankfort; Chandler Johnson, Independence; RJ Jones, Chapmanville; Nick Kellar, Lincoln; Braydon Keller, Keyser; Parker Kincell, North Marion; Caleb Kuhl, Winfield; Cameron Layton, Frankfort; Germaine Lewis, Fairmont Senior; Nate Lhotsky, Robert C. Byrd; Kemper Longwell, Philip Barbour; Trey Longwell, Fairmont Senior; Laz Marquez, Sissonville; Conner Marshall, Wayne; Colton Mathis, Wayne; Dakota Martin, Westside; Marcus Matney, PikeView; Ory May, Roane County; Anthony Mele, Keyser; Bralyn Michael, Fairmont Senior; Zane Minger, Clay County; Wyatt Minor, Robert C. Byrd; Tyler Parrish, East Fairmont; Adam Richmond, Shady Spring; Evan Roach, Point Pleasant; Andrew Rollyson, Herbert Hoover; Tristen Root, Keyser; Andrew Schoon, Point Pleasant; James Sellards, Shady Spring; Jack Stanislawczyk, Keyser; Landen Tasker, Fairmont Senior; Nick Todd, Liberty Harrison; Dylan Vance, Mingo Central; Chaz Waine, Mingo Central; Kolton Weaver, Point Pleasant; Fisher Williams, Independence; Michael Wines, Nitro
