Winning just one game, and none in region play, didn’t stop the Pioneers from garnering a slew of recognition when Region 3-6A coaches gathered to decide on top players. Warren County had 10 players receive honors, including three seniors getting coveted Player of the Year titles.
Braylon Grayson was the Region 3-6A Defensive Player of the Year, Nate Elrod was the region’s Athlete of the Year and Beckham Scott was the Kicker of the Year after strong performances in their final years as Pioneers. Also garnering recognition as first-team, All-Region 3-6A were Grayson, Elrod, Scott, Dawson Haley, Dayton Jernigan, Alex van Vuuren, Creed Adams and Silas Martin. Linebacker PJ Truax and freshman nose guard Jr Mares were honorable mention selections.
“We’re very proud of our guys for earning the recognition from our region,” said coach Matt Turner. “It may not have been the season we wanted as a team, but we had guys who stood out. They are very deserving.”
Grayson was Linebacker of the Year last season in Region 3-6A, but he took his game to another level this fall. Grayson finished with 168 tackles, believed to be one of the highest numbers in the state and country. He had his best night against Lebanon in his final game, making 26 stops against the Blue Devils.
As an all-around performer, few players in the region could tout better numbers than Nate Elrod. He did a little bit of everything for the Pioneers, including leading the team in receiving despite starting eight games at quarterback. Elrod finished the season with 361 passing yards, 408 yards rushing, 364 yards receiving, 202 return yards and accounted for 11 touchdowns. He was also second on the team in tackles with 65 stops.
Scott, who just took up football as a junior in 2021, completed a perfect season kicking the ball for the Pioneers this season. Scott was 17-for-17 on PATs and connected on all three of his field goal tries, including a long of 37 yards. He also had a pair of touchbacks on kickoffs.
As all-region honorees, Jernigan and Martin did the dirty work in the trenches. Before a knee injury cost him a chance to suit up in the final game, Jernigan was seeing constant double teams on defense and blowing open holes for the Pioneer running game as well.
Martin came on as the season progressed, turning into a dependable defensive linemen. Martin was fourth on the team with 33 stops this season.
Adams and van Vuuren battled injuries this fall, but were still big-time players when the lights came on. Adams finished his sophomore campaign with 38 tackles (third on the team) and knocked down a pair of passes despite playing with a brace on his hand most of the year. Van Vuuren worked his way into being the team’s starting QB during the season, ultimately throwing for a team-high 473 yards.
Van Vuuren was also an effective runner (128 yards, including one 100-yard game and a TD) and finished second on the team with 185 yards receiving and two scores.
Martin, Adams and van Vuuren should form a solid core next year that also features Mares and Truax, a pair of defensive starters who got steadily better in their first years of varsity football this fall.
Lebanon’s Anthony Crowell was named the Region MVP for the second straight year, while Coffee County QB Cole Pippenger was the Offensive MVP. Coffee County’s Doug Greene was named Coach of the Year.
The Red Raiders, who went undefeated in Region 3-6A play, led all teams with 11 players honored as all-region this season.
