By Gaylen Duskey
realfang@citlink.net
An 8-3 record in high school football means that some people had to play
very well.
Such was the case for Calhoun County's football team this fall.
Now that the season is over the accolades for those players start.
First up is the All-Little Kanawha Conference football team where four Red
Devils were named to the first unit - two on offense and two on defense.
Senior Paul Goodrich was a returning first team all-state linebacker and he
played well enough to be a first team linebacker again.
But his defensive
exploits were overshadowed by his offensive exploits.
He made the First Team All-LKC list as a running back after finishing the
season as the leading rusher (2,050 yards), scorer (166 points) and
touchdown maker (25) in the conference.
He was joined on the First Team Offense by tackle Justin Whipkey. Whipkey is
a returning All-LKC performer and special honorable mention all-state
selection.
The 6-5, 255-pound senior could easily move up on the all-state list this
season.
Defensively Steven Cunningham led the LKC in interceptions and was one of
the leading interceptors in the state despite missing much of the latter
part of the season with a leg fracture and then a broken clavicle.
The 6-2 senior was also the Red Devils starting tight end and leading
kickoff return specialist, scoring a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the
season against Gilmer County.
The other All-LKC defensive player was linebacker Justin Ramsey.
Ramsey spearheaded a Red Devils defense that tossed a couple of shutouts
early in the season and was one of the best in the LKC before being
decimated by injuries late.
Ramsey was one of the leading tacklers in the LKC and was also one of the
team's leaders in tackles for loss.
Ironically Ramsey was the only one of the four Red Devils making the first
team All-LKC that did not miss time during the season because of injury as
Whipkey and Cunningham suffered leg fractures while Goodrich was severely
hampered in playoff game by a hip pointer suffered in the second half of
Calhoun's season-ending loss to St. Marys.
The Red Devils are well represented on the Second Team All-LKC with five
players - two on offense and three on defense.
The offensive representatives included senior wide receiver Tyler Shartiger
and sophomore guard Caleb Hart.
Defensively sophomore linebacker Zack
Yeager, senior utility player Chad Conley and senior defensive back Jason
Cunningham represented the Red Devils.
Calhoun had two players on the special honorable mention list. They were
sophomore punter Jeff Goodrich and sophomore lineman Stephen Wagoner.
Matt Whipkey and Matt Houchin made the honorable mention list.
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