The Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association announced its Top 26 award, comprised of the top players in the area. The players will be recognized at a banquet on Wednesday night.
The Top 26 is an annual award where each of the 20 teams in the association choose one player to receive an award and the coaches vote on six additional players to be honored.
The teams that had an additional player selected were Conner, Cooper, Covington Catholic, Highlands, Ludlow and Ryle.
Here is a look at the players that were selected to the Top 26:
Clay Hayden, Beechwood: Hayden broke the record for passing touchdowns in the area in a game against Bracken County near the end of the season, finishing the year with 46 passing touchdowns, 2,981 yards and 169 rushing yards. He helped lead the team to a 14-1 record and a Class 2A State Championship. Â He finished his career with 8,823 passing yards, 117 touchdown passes and three state titles
Brayden Sizemore, Bellevue: Sizemore was a factor on both sides of the ball, with 182 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, while being the team’s top receiver with 17 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns. He complimented it with a forced fumble, 76 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack on defense.
Jayden Jackson, Boone County: Jackson was a bright spot for the Rebels as the team’s leading rusher with 908 yards and nine touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for 196 yards and two scores.
Cam Mandel, Bishop Brossart: Mandel did it all. The senior ran for 1,241 yards, 17 touchdowns, along with seven receptions for 184 yards and a receiving touchdown. Defensively, he had three fumble recoveries, one for a score, 75 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks.
Garyn Jackson, Campbell County: A star on the hardwood as well, Jackson’s efforts on the gridiron included 169 passing yards and two touchdowns, 67 rushing yards, 36 receptions for 614 yards and seven touchdowns. He also had a interception on defense.
Dylan Stewart, Conner: Stewart anchored the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. He helped the Cougar offense go for 2,619 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns. On defense, he totaled 24 tackles and three tackles for a loss
Wyatt Hatfield, Conner: Hatfield did a little bit of everything under center. He threw for 517 yards and six touchdowns, on the ground accumulating 1,463 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. He also had 12 tackles, four interceptions, one a pick-six.
Austin Alexander, Cooper: The University of North Carolina commit helped the Jaguars go 14-1 and to the Class 5A State Championship game. He produced 45 catches for 706 yards and 13 touchdowns. On the other side, he had three forced fumbles, two recovered, one resulting in a touchdown, 52 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks.
Isaiah Johnson, Cooper: As the go-to guy through the air for Cooper, Johnson pulled in 64 catches that went for 1,298 yards and 24 trips to the endzone. His career totals add up to 173 catches, 3,343 yards and 53 receiving touchdowns.
Tate Kruer, Covington Catholic: At linebacker and tight-end, Kruer made his presence known. He had 14 catches for 153 yards, with two forced fumbles and recoveries, leading the team in tackles with 96 and bringing in three interceptions.
Mason Dietz, Covington Catholic: Dietz was crucial in the Colonels rushing attack on the offensive line. The team had 3,563 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns, two players with over 1,000 rushing yards. He also had a fumble recovery.
Peyton Young, Dayton: A member of both the offensive and defensive line the last four years, Young has 37 starts and 16 tackles, 11 this season. Running behind Young, the Greendevils ran for 1,258 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Armani Gregg, Dixie Heights: Moving over to running back from the quarterback spot, Gregg ran for 1,321 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, to go with 10 catches for 154 yards and even a touchdown pass.
Max Merz, Highlands: The junior University of Louisville commit controlled the line of scrimmage as the Bluebirds ran for 2,182 yards and 30 touchdowns. On the varsity roster since he was a freshman, Merz has helped the team go 32-8 and make to Class 5A state semifinal appearances. He also has four total tackles on defense.
Adam Surrey, Highlands: Surrey was the Bluebirds leading receiver with 975 yards, also hauling in 58 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 25 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively he picked off three passes, forced two fumbles, recovered one and returned an interception for a touchdown.
Quincy Huling, Holmes: The 6-foot-1 offensive tackle picked up offers from Judson University and McDougle Technical Institute out of Florida due to his play. Since he was a freshman, Huling has played in 24 games, collecting 0.5 sacks and 21 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one fumble recovery.
Litello Johnson, Holy Cross: Just a sophomore, Johnson played in 11 games this season forcing two fumbles, pulling in one fumble recovery, while leading the team with 73 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and tied for the most in sacks with three.
Isaiah Sebastian, Lloyd Memorial: Sebastian was the Swiss-Army knife for the Juggernauts. On offense he ran for 302 yards and five touchdowns while also catching a team-high 39 passes for 704 yards and nine touchdowns. Defensively, the Lloyd senior collected 40 tackles and intercepted two passes. Sebastian also returned a punt for a touchdown.
Matt Brock, Ludlow: Brock was one of the main cogs on defense for the Panthers with 75 tackles, 11 of them for loss, both ranking third on the team. He also picked off two passes, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.
Dameyn Anness, Ludlow: The KFCA Class 1A, District 4 Player of the Year cleared the 3,000-yard rushing mark for his career this season. In his senior campaign, Anness rushed for 1,472 yards and 16 touchdowns while also snagging 16 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Anness collected 64 tackles, 16 of them for loss and 5.5 sacks to go with three fumble recoveries, an interception and two defensive touchdowns scored. Anness also returned two punts and one kickoff for a touchdown.
Kyle Lee, Newport: Newport’s gunslinger threw for 2,145 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 65% of his passes this season. Lee also ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns to help guide a Wildcats offense that averaged 27.2 points per game.
Kaleb Cole, Newport Central Catholic: Cole was the workhorse for the Thoroughbreds this season. He ran for 1,150 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging nearly eight yards per carry in doing so. He also brought in 11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, he led NewCath in tackles with 84, four of them for loss with three sacks. He intercepted three passes, recovered three fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns.
Dillon Smith, Ryle: The University of Louisville signee was one of the most feared defensive ends in the state by the opponent. He finished his senior season with 59 tackles and team highs of 20.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
Jacob Savage, Ryle: Without Jacob Savage, not sure where Ryle would be…Where to start…Savage led the Raiders in rushing with 1,085 yards and 22 touchdowns and led in defense with 141 tackles. He also tallied 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and caught 29 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns in his junior campaign.
Kaymon Coleman, Scott: Coleman was the Eagles leading rusher and found the end zone five times.
Aven Bohms, Simon Kenton: Bohms was a tackling machine for the Pioneers, finishing with 110 tackles, seven of them for loss and four sacks.
Here are other awards that were given out:
Owen Hauck CLIFF award: Chad Montgomery, Bellevue
Bob Schneider Coach of the Year: Randy Borchers, Cooper
Tom Potter Assistant Coach of the Year: Steve Burns, Simon Kenton; Ben Brown, Cooper
John Schlarman Lineman of the Year: Dylan Stewart, Conner