This year's top talent on the football field has been collected into the annual Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team. A total 23 athletes from across Baldwin County were named to the …
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This year's top talent on the football field has been collected into the annual Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team. A total 23 athletes from across Baldwin County were named to the lists, including six to the first team.
Football in Baldwin County isn't going anywhere soon, as only two of the six are seniors. St. Michael Catholic leads at the top with three players on the first team, sophomore QB Gunner Rivers, junior WR Brody Jones and junior K Patricio Garcia. Two from Gulf Shores were named to first team, senior RB Kolin Wilson and junior LB Landon Everett, with Spanish Fort senior LB Bishop Burkhalter rounding out Baldwin County's first team representation.
As a sophomore, Rivers was third in passing yards in the state this year, notching 2,802 yards on 191-of-281 passing with 27 touchdowns.
Jones caught 78 passes for 1,206 receiving yards for a 37-yard advantage to register the Cardinal the state's leading receiver for 2024.
Garcia was perfect in point-after tries this year, connecting on all 44 to rank sixth in the state. His 59 kicking points with an additional 5 field goals ranked ninth in Alabama.
Wilson will attend Mississippi State next year, closing his final season out as a Dolphin as the state's 10th-leading rusher, according to MaxPreps and previous GCM reporting, including 1,672 yards on 219 carries with 17 touchdowns, adding 118 passing yards, 199 receiving yards and 335 kickoff return yards.
Everett finished the season as the state's leading tackler by 6 with 178 tackles, including 116 solos and 62 assists, adding 20.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack without a postseason.
For the Toros, Burkhalter registered 125 total tackles between 50 solos and 75 assists with 8 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
St. Michael has the most players represented across the board with six named to All-State teams. After a season that saw the Cardinals' deepest playoff run in program history, they also had three players named to the second team's offense.
Eastern Shore's high-classification teams had the next largest All-State representations, with Spanish Fort seeing four players named, Daphne having three and Fairhope two. Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Baldwin County High each had two players named, while Bayside Academy and Bayshore Christian each had one player named to a team.
Here is a breakdown of all the high school football players in Baldwin County who were named to an All-State team for 2024.
7A
SECOND-TEAM
Offense
OL: Wesley Sandefur, Fairhope, Jr., 6-3, 245
Defense
DL: Talib Graham, Daphne, Sr., 6-2, 245
LB: Cayden Williams, Daphne, Sr., 6-2, 205
Honorable Mention
DL: Rock Gearhart, Fairhope, Sr., 6-0, 225
DL: Marquaes Lambert, Daphne, Sr., 6-0, 280
6A
FIRST-TEAM
Offense
RB: Kolin Wilson, Gulf Shores, Sr., 5-10, 185
Defense
LB: Bishop Burkhalter, Spanish Fort, Sr., 6-2, 215
LB: Landon Everett, Gulf Shores, Jr., 5-11, 200
SECOND TEAM
Defense
DL: Trent Sellers, Spanish Fort, Sr., 6-6, 237
P: Newton Gardner, Spanish Fort, Sr., 6-3, 225
Athlete
EJ King, Spanish Fort, Sr., 5-10, 220
Ti Mims, Baldwin Co., Sr., 5-10, 170
Honorable Mention
DL: Elisha Jones, Baldwin Co., Sr., 6-2, 245
4A
FIRST-TEAM
Offense
QB: Gunner Rivers, St. Michael, So., 6-3, 195
WR: Brody Jones, St. Michael, Jr., 5-10, 165
K: Patricio Garcia, St. Michael, Jr., 5-8, 155
SECOND-TEAM
Offense
RB: Noah Moss, St. Michael, Jr., 6-1, 190
WR: Tucker Tomlinson, St. Michael, Jr., 6-2, 160
OL: Rocco Faiupu, St. Michael, Sr., 6-3, 265
Honorable Mention
K: Sanders Semiklose, Orange Beach, Sr., 5-10, 170
ATH: Austin Beck, Orange Beach, Sr., 6-3, 260
3A
SECOND-TEAM
Defense
LB: Monroe Partin, Bayside Academy, Jr., 6-4, 215
2A
SECOND-TEAM
Honorable Mention
ATH: Nate Crooms, Bayshore Christian, Sr., 6-2, 218