Five area athletes selected for Six-Man All-State Game
One more chance to pad up and hit somebody. That’s an opportunity that has been afforded to five athletes from the area, as they were selected to play in Saturday’s Six-man All-State Football Game at 10 a.m. in Hugo.
Idalia leads the way with three players who were picked by the coaches across the six-man landscape in Colorado.
Yahir Enriquez capped an outstanding high school career for the Wolves with an extremely productive senior campaign. Enriquez rushed for 1,621 yards and an eye-popping 33 touchdowns this past season. He added 17 catches for 346 yards and seven more touchdowns.
Those offensive numbers alone would have been enough to garner a spot on the end of season all-state roster. But, he added 65 tackles with four for loss, including two sacks, along with an interception and four fumble recoveries (one TD return). He also forced three fumbles.
If that wasn’t enough, Enriquez averaged 47.9 yards on 70 kickoffs, and 38 yards on 10 punts. Throw in 13 successful PAT kicks and it all added up to first team all-state recognition.
It’s tough to rack up impressive stats as a center, but Koy Smith still turned in a solid season for the Wolves. Smith ran the ball five times for 35 yards and a touchdown, while also snagging seven receptions for 116 yards and one more TD.
On the opposite side of the ball, Smith recorded 88 tackles, third on the team, with 50 being solo. Three of his tackles went for loss, including a sack. The linebacker collected one interception, to go with seven passes defended and two blocked kicks.
The final member of the team who made the all-state game roster is another lineman, Titus Glanz. Glanz, who just won the 1A state title in the discus, got to carry the ball twice during the season, rumbling for 51 yards and a score. He also caught five passes for 31 yards and recorded two pancake blocks during the season.
On defense, the big 220-pounder was a run-stuffer, racking up 29 tackles on the year. He also proved that he could get to opposing QBs twice. Glanz was responsible for one takeaway, as he recovered a fumble.
Stratton’s Riggin Williams will join the Idalia trio in the contest. While proving himself as a productive runner during his career, Williams made his name by stopping opposing running backs.
Due to the fact that the Eagles were in a number of games with the running clock, Williams, and the other starters on both sides of the ball, did not put up numbers as impressive as many others around the state.
However, he still finished with a team-high 66 tackles, 13.5 for loss. He pounced on a pair of fumbles as well.
Offensively, when called upon, Williams was the lead blocker and short yardage back. In those roles, he ran for 121 yards on 11 carries, scoring five touchdowns. As a receiver, he caught two passes for 12 yards.
Williams earned second team all-state honors at the end of the season. He and his senior teammates played for a state title in every year of their high school careers. They won the title as freshmen.
The final local player selected for the game is Cody Banks from Hi-Plains. Banks recently had surgery to fix an injured shoulder, but his final season for the Patriots definitely was all-state worthy.
Banks led the Patriots in passing, completing 23 of 47 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns. He was also the leading rusher with 1,121 yards and 19 touchdowns on 102 carries. Oh, and he also caught six passes for 169 yards and four scores.
Flipping to the defensive side of the ball, Banks led the team with 78 tackles on the season. His five fumble recoveries were nearly as many as the rest of the team combined (six).
He was also a key contributor on special teams, averaging 31.3 yards per kickoff, returning 14 kicks for 363 yards, and two punts for 35 yards, and also kicking five PATs.
All five locals are part of the North Team, coached by Flagler’s Doyle Lout-zenhizer and his staff.
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