Five more receive honorable mention
Fifteen Gilmer High Bobcats were recognized by Region 7-3A coaches to cap the football season.
Gilmer’s first-team all-region selections included quarterback Seth Darling, halfback Kobe Stonecipher and defensive back Dominic Tarantino.
Earning a spot on the second team were fullback Brock Titus, offensive linemen Hershel Defoor and Wyatt Ledford, defensive lineman Tony Olea, linebacker Blake Reece and defensive backs Will Kiker and Hunter Watkins.
Receiving an honorable mention were offensive linemen Aaron Walker and Blane Banks, defensive lineman Hunter Brown, defensive back Kyle Cowart and linebacker Aspen Hataway.
Darling operated Gilmer’s triple-option offense and rushed 91 times for 311 yards and five touchdowns. He completed 17/58 passes for 379 more yards and five more touchdowns.
Stonecipher ran for 857 yards on 136 carries and led the Bobcats with 12 rushing touchdowns. He made three receptions on the season for 70 yards and two more scores.
Tarantino recorded 80 total tackles, which included five for a loss. He also intercepted a pass, forced a fumble and had one quarterback sack in nine games.
Titus accounted for 632 ground yards on 148 attempts and reached the end zone seven times, and caught one pass for 14 yards.
Olea played in nine games and had eight total tackles and recovered a fumble. Kiker finished the season with 44 total tackles and an interception, while Watkins made 17 total stops. Both Kiker and Watkins played in seven of 10 games.
Reece was there for 16 tackles, two for a loss, an interception and sack in eight games.
Hataway played in nine games, recorded 54 total tackles, one for a loss, a sack and an interception. Cowart played in six games and tallied 16 tackles. In seven games, Brown totaled 15 tackles, which included one for a loss.
Offensive linemen Defoor, Ledford, Walker and Banks helped pave the way for 2,466 rushing yards at 5.53 yards per carry and 31 rushing touchdowns.
Cherokee Bluff running back Jayquan Smith was voted region player of the year, and teammate Mateo Guevera was named lineman of the year. Dawson’s Zach Holtzclaw took home the offensive player of the year award, and North Hall’s Jeremiah Telander was the region’s top defender.
Darius Cannon of White County was voted athlete of the year, and North Hall’s Luke Brown was voted special teams player of the year.
Including individual superlatives, Cherokee Bluff led all teams with 16 all-region nods, which included 10 on the first team. Seven North Hall players made the first team, Dawson was next with six selections, and five White County Warriors landed on the first team.
All GHS statistics were provided by the football program.