2022 Large School All-Area Football: Musketeers keep moving forward: Sammons, Moore capture All-Area honors

Jan. 11—CANNONSBURG — It hit Tyson Sammons all of a sudden.

Greenup County had been so busy going about its business that it didn't really occur to the Musketeers' sophomore quarterback/linebacker how historically remarkable that was until the Eastern Kentucky Conference banquet.

At that point, between the second and third rounds of the postseason, Sammons realized Greenup County was one of just two EKC teams still playing.

That got the Musketeers' attention that, "Wow, we really made it to the third round of the playoffs," Sammons said.

That rated as a major accomplishment for Greenup County, which had gone winless on the field just the year before.

Sammons played an outsized role in the shift. Virtually unstoppable carrying the ball in short-yardage situations, he accounted for more than 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns between his rushing and passing totals. He added 49 tackles.

Sammons and Musketeers coach Zack Moore were recognized for their role in that turnaround by being named The Daily Independent All-Area Large School Football Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.

Moore told the Musketeers in the preseason and let it be known publicly it would be his last season as coach. He had been promoted to assistant principal at Greenup County High School, and per district policy, administrators can't be coaches. Due to the lateness of the hour of that move in relation to kickoff, Moore was able to finish out one more season.

It ended deeper in the playoffs than the Musketeers had advanced in 15 years, and Greenup County's eight wins were its most in 24 seasons.

The Musketeers made that leap with essentially the same roster and largely the same staff. It became apparent early things would be different: Greenup County won its first three games, the third of which was an eye-opening 17-14 win at Lawrence County secured on a goal-line stand in the final moments.

"I think that's when everybody said, man, we might have a pretty good team here, and maybe some of us coaches (realized it then too)," Moore said. "You don't ever know until you're truly tested on the road against a really good team, and I think that spurred confidence."

The Musketeers reprised that win in the postseason, knocking off the Bulldogs 28-7 in Louisa in the second round. Greenup County's season ended a week later with a 27-14 loss at then-undefeated Mason County, but the Musketeers had by then done far more than anyone outside Lloyd, Load or South Shore might've expected.

"I think if you'd asked any of us in July, or this time last year, 'Hey, you're gonna go 8-5 next year and play in the region final,' I think we would've been OK with that," Moore said at the All-Area photo shoot at Boyd County. "The players' ability to make things happen and do what they did made things a lot easier, there's no doubt about that."

Moore was tabbed the Class 3A Coach of the Year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association.

"They might have polled my mother, or something like that," he cracked. "I think people realize when you have a big turnaround, no matter what team or where it is in the state, that's a big deal."

Four Musketeers were voted All-Area, led by Sammons. Though he rushed for 1,672 yards and 25 touchdowns and threw for 1,395 yards and nine scores, he made the team as a linebacker. Sammons came up with 36 solo tackles, 49 total stops and a pick-six.

Moore was impressed with the leadership Sammons shouldered as a sophomore.

"He never really has shied away from anything," Moore said. "If he's not a candidate for Mr. Football, then I'm not sure what the award means."

Sammons pointed to his growth this season as a quarterback but doesn't consider himself a finished product.

"I think my sophomore year was definitely proving to everyone I can throw it, but obviously there's always room for improvement on that," he said.

Mason Sammons, Tyson's older brother, was also selected All-Area as a defensive lineman. He made 38 solo tackles, 57 total stops, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

Carson Wireman made the team as an all-purpose player. He produced 37 solo tackles, 56 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and a pick-six. He converted 39 of 47 extra points, punted and picked up 191 receiving yards. As the punter, Wireman threw for the completion on a late fourth-down fake to lock up Greenup County's season-opening 34-33 win over Fleming County — a play that signaled early on this wasn't last year's Musketeers.

"I think that that might've been a point to where we just weren't used to winning, and we had to manufacture a play that helped us understand that to find a way we're gonna have to do some unorthodox things occasionally," Moore said, "which we definitely did at that point because I'd say if you asked my present self if I would do that again, I don't know.

"In the moment, I thought it was the best decision to make to prove to our kids that we were gonna play to win, no matter what."

Jack Gullett represented the Musketeers on the All-Area offensive line.

Ashland, Boyd County, East Carter, Greenup County, Johnson Central and Rowan County comprised an All-Area Large School division of high achievement. Each except the Vikings compiled winning seasons.

The Tomcats authored a stirring turnaround from a 2-4 start to advance to the Class 3A state semifinals. Ashland, the Lions and the Golden Eagles each won district titles.

Boyd County's Rhett Holbrook and Ashland's LaBryant Strader were voted All-Area quarterbacks.

Holbrook threw for 1,577 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 515 yards and nine TDs. Strader tossed for 2,153 yards, 18 scores and five picks and rushed for 670 yards and six touchdowns.

East Carter's Isaac Boggs, Johnson Central's Zack McCoart and Malachi Wheeler of Boyd County cracked the club as running backs.

Boggs ran for 1,286 yards and 17 scores, McCoart totaled 1,721 yards and 26 TDs on the ground and Wheeler picked up 1,311 yards and eight TDs and chipped in 52 tackles.

East Carter's Evan Goodman, Boyd County's Trey Holbrook, Ashland's Brandon Houston and Boyd County's Josh Thornton were voted on as receivers/tight ends.

Goodman had 390 receiving yards and 43 tackles. Holbrook — older brother of the Lions' QB — collected 622 receiving yards, six touchdowns, 40 tackles and three interceptions.

Houston snagged 920 receiving yards and nine TDs, and Thornton compiled 555 receiving yards, six TDs, 67 tackles and 25 tackles for loss.

Johnson Central's Dylan Boner and Cole Campbell, Ashland's Cole Christian and Adam Frame and Rowan County's Zach Watson joined Gullett on the All-Area offensive line.

Sawyer Crum claimed kicker All-Area honors. The Johnson Central senior converted 55 of the 56 extra points he tried.

Ashland's Landon Himes, Rowan County's Byron May, Johnson Central's Jesse McCoy and Izack Messer of East Carter got onto the team as defensive linemen, joining Mason Sammons.

Himes made 43 solo tackles, 64 overall and five for a loss. May turned in 41 solo tackles, 62 stops, 24 tackles for a loss, 17 sacks and two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

McCoy made 61 tackles, 13.5 for a loss, and five sacks and a pick-six. Messer turned in 63 tackles — six for a loss.

Ashland's Sawyer Edens, Rowan County's Jackson Hamilton, the Tomcats' Isaiah Ingram, Boyd County's Dakota Thompson and East Carter's Rylan Yoak join Tyson Sammons in the All-Area linebacking corps.

Edens made 70 solo tackles, 111 total, seven for loss and recovered three fumbles. Hamilton had 45 solo tackles, 74 total stops and four for loss.

Ingram posted 61 solo tackles and 98 overall. Thompson made 81 tackles, 20 for a loss, and ran for seven touchdowns.

Yoak collected 94 tackles for the Raiders.

Rowan County's Louis Hayes, Ashland's Braxton Jennings, Boyd County's Jacob Meade and Johnson Central's Chandler Spradlin make up the All-Area secondary.

Hayes made 25 tackles. Offensively, he ran for 666 yards and seven scores and hauled in 497 receiving yards and six TDs.

Jennings picked up 24 solo tackles. He also rushed for 1,202 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Meade collected 99 tackles — 24 for a loss. Spradlin made 60 stops and three interceptions.

Cole Thompson of Boyd County was voted onto the team as punter. He made 37 of 40 extra points and four of seven field goals as the Lions' placekicker.

Ashland's Terell Jordan and Johnson Central's Chase Price were selected as all-purpose players to go along with Wireman.

Jordan netted 513 receiving yards and three TDs and a 42-yard pick-six.

Price ran for 1,070 yards and 11 touchdowns and made 55 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Coaches' votes built the All-Area team. The newspaper's sports department determined Player and Coach of the Year.

2022 Large School All-Area Football Team

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACKS

Rhett Holbrook (Boyd County)

LaBryant Strader (Ashland)

RUNNING BACKS

Isaac Boggs (East Carter)

Zack McCoart (Johnson Central)

Malachi Wheeler (Boyd County)

RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

Evan Goodman (East Carter)

Trey Holbrook (Boyd County)

Brandon Houston (Ashland)

Josh Thornton (Boyd County)

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Dylan Boner (Johnson Central)

Cole Campbell (Johnson Central)

Cole Christian (Ashland)

Adam Frame (Ashland)

Jack Gullett (Greenup County)

Zach Watson (Rowan County)

KICKER

Sawyer Crum (Johnson Central)

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Landon Himes (Ashland)

Byron May (Rowan County)

Jesse McCoy (Johnson Central)

Izack Messer (East Carter)

Mason Sammons (Greenup County)

LINEBACKERS

Sawyer Edens (Ashland)

Jackson Hamilton (Rowan County)

Isaiah Ingram (Ashland)

Tyson Sammons (Greenup County)

Dakota Thompson (Boyd County)

Rylan Yoak (East Carter)

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Louis Hayes (Rowan County)

Braxton Jennings (Ashland)

Jacob Meade (Boyd County)

Chandler Spradlin (Johnson Central)

PUNTER

Cole Thompson (Boyd County)

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYERS

Terell Jordan (Ashland)

Chase Price (Johnson Central)

Carson Wireman (Greenup County)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tyson Sammons (Greenup County)

COACH OF THE YEAR

Zack Moore (Greenup County)

Honorable mention: Asher Adkins (Ashland), Jarod Brown (Ashland), Hunter Clevenger (Greenup County), Cameron Davis (Ashland), Josh Drake (Rowan County), Eli Estepp (East Carter), Jayce Griffith (Greenup County), Dustin Hall (East Carter), Ike Henderson (Greenup County), Jack Hogsten (Boyd County), Brady Howard (Greenup County), Ian Justice (Ashland), Mason Lawson (Johnson Central), Logan Lemaster (Johnson Central), Hudson Lewandoski (Johnson Central), Nate Manning (Boyd County), Zach Menard (Rowan County), Logan Music (Johnson Central), Braden Reed (East Carter), Connor Skaggs (East Carter), Brock Thomas (Greenup County), Tay Thomas (Ashland), Kahlil Vaughn (Ashland)

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zklemme@dailyindependent.com