Nt's Mosley Smith Award Candidate

[DeepGreen]

Smith Awards presented tonight

By RUSH WOOD, The Enterprise

02/15/2007

Updated 02/14/2007 11:46:13 PM CST

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BEAUMONT - What a backfield.

They combined for 7,344 rushing yards and 99 touchdowns. That's an average of 1,838 yards and 24.8 TDs for each of the four.

As if that's not impressive enough, they also passed for over 2,700 yards and another 20 TDs, and only two of them were quarterbacks.

This foursome - Tramain Thomas of East Chambers, Justin Williams of Deweyville, Brandon Williams of Central and Micah Mosley of Nederland - are finalists for the Willie Ray Smith Award for the best offensive player in Southeast Texas for the 2006 high school season.

One - as voted by a panel of area sports journalists - will receive the honor at the 15th Annual Willie Ray Smith Sr. Awards Banquet set for 7 p.m. today in the ballroom of the Elegante Hotel.

Defensive finalists are Memorial defensive back Barry Valcin, West Orange-Stark cornerback Earl Thomas and linebackers Andre August of Central, Paul Trammell of East Chambers and Jacody Coleman of West Brook.

The Smith Awards are named in memory of Willie Ray Smith Sr., the legendary coach who compiled a 251-99-10 record and won two state championships in 33 seasons at Charlton-Pollard, Orange Wallace and Lufkin Dunbar high schools.

This year's nine finalists are already well-decorated for their 2006 accomplishments.

Mosley was a first-team Class 4A All-State selection by The Associated Press after rushing for a school-record 2,403 yards and 29 TDs and scoring three other TDs on receptions. Tramain Thomas, the only underclassman among the finalists, was voted the District 24-2A most valuable player after rushing for 1,249 yards and 22 TDs and passing for an additional 1,381 yards and nine TDs.

Justin Williams, who ran from 2,298 yards and 32 TDs, was the District 24-2A offensive MVP, and Brandon Williams, who accumulated 2,699 yards of total offense (1,394 rushing and 1,305 passing) and accounted for 27 TDs, was the Offensive Player of the Year on The Enterprise's 2006 Super Gold Team as well as the District 22-4A MVP.

Despite missing some time with a knee injury, Coleman logged 117 tackles and 7.5 sacks for West Brook and was The Enterprise's Super Gold Defensive Player of the Year. Trammell had 119 tackles, two sacks, five hurries, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries and earned Defensive MVP honors in District 24-2A.

August's defensive line read 65 solo tackles (14 behind the line of scrimmage), 35 assists, nine sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one deflected pass. He was a first-team All-District 22-4A performer and a member of The Enterprise's Super Gold Team.

Earl Thomas, a do-it-all type on both sides of the line for WO-S, had 67 tackles, three interceptions, two kickoff returns for TDs and averages of 33.0 yards on kickoff returns and 15.3 yards on punt returns. He was the District 21-3A MVP and a Super Golf Team member.

Valcin had 73 solo tackles, 52 assists, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 12 deflected passes, and was a unanimous pick to the All-District 21-5A Team and also a Super Gold selection.

The performances of tonight's finalists did not go unnoticed by the college scouts.

Just last week, Brandon Williams followed through on his commitment to Texas A&M as did Earl Thomas on his commitment to the University of Texas. Mosley chose the University of North Texas, while Valcin is headed to Baylor, Coleman to Iowa and August to Blinn College.

Also, Tramain Thomas is already considered a blue-chip prospect in the recruiting class for 2008.

David Castles, the director of athletics at Kilgore Junior College, will be the featured speaker for tonight's banquet.

Last year's Smith Awards winners were WO-S' Kenneth Beasley for offense and Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon for defense.

BREAKOUT:

2007 SMITH AWARDS FINALISTS

Offense

Tramain Thomas, Jr., QB, East Chambers

Justin Williams, Sr., RB, Deweyville

Brandon Williams, Sr., QB, Central

Micah Mosley, Sr., RB, Nederland

Defense

Jacody Coleman, Sr., LB, West Brook

Paul Trammell, Sr., LB, East Chambers

Barry Valcin, Sr. DB, Memorial

Andre August, Sr., LB, Central

Earl Thomas, Sr., DB, West Orange-Stark

Smith Award

Edited February 16, 2007 by DeepGreen

[PlummMeanGreen]

Beamont--Port Arthur--Orange and the Golden Triangle & surrounding areas! Deep Green Country (if you will)! What a tremedous hot-bed of our Texas Friday Night Lights, ie, Texas HS football hero's many of whom would later be future college football stars during most of us 'boomer and older lives.

Start with a rather extensive list of names of these former Texas HS football greats such as Bubba Smith, Toby Smith, Ernie Ladd, the Farr brothers, Jerrry Levias, Kenny Hebert, Joe and Kenny Washington, Burks Washington, Steve Worster (Bridge City); and who else have I left off this list because I know I've missed some?

Coach Hayden Fry always recruited that area very effectively when he was both at SMU and UNT. U of H also seemed to do quite well in that area, too.

Before Texas finally joined the rest of our nation last millinium and integrated (beginning with U of North Texas great Abner Haynes and his rommate, one Dr. Leon King, most of the black football players from the Beaumont/Port Arthur area seemed to mostly land in the Big 10 or the old PAC 8 (if memory serves me correct and with me just the other calling Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks "Natalie Wood" I can't always depend on keeping that memory sharp as to prevent such senior moments.

I know it will be all of our hopes that new UNT Mean Green Coach Todd Dodge and his coaching staff will be just as successful in their recruiting efforts beginning with the Golden Triange area of Texas and even moreso, the Bayou City, ie, Space City USA----Houston, Texas, America.

Edited February 16, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[DeepGreen]

Mosley won the Smith Award for Offensive Player of the Year. Congratulations Micah!

[DeepGreen]

Plummer, Buck Buchannan, Warren Wells, the big NFL noseguard Jerry Ball (didn't he play for SMUt?), Louie Kelcher, and NT's very own Bo Harrisson to name a few more from the Golden Triangle.

Edited February 16, 2007 by DeepGreen

[NTPhiKap99]

Two recruits with big awards this class just keeps looking better.

[GreenBat]

Mosley won the Smith Award for Offensive Player of the Year. Congratulations Micah!

Mosley, Thomas capture Smith Awards

By Dave Rogers

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT – Kilgore College athletic director David Castles, the featured speaker at the 15th annual Willie Ray Smith Awards Banquet,

spoke Thursday night about the inevitable need for successful people to face and overcome adversity.

If ever a person practiced what Castles preached it has been Nederland’s Micah Mosley.

He overcame one serious injury after another in high school to rush for more than 4,500 yards in his career, earn all-state honors and a Division I football

scholarship at the University of North Texas.

Thursday night at the Elegante Hotel, the Beaumont Founders Lions Club added the Willie Ray Smith Award for the best offensive player to Mosley’s honors.

Cornerback Earl Thomas of West Orange-Stark, a University of Texas signee, won the Willie Ray Smith Award for the best defensive player as the awarding

of the so-called Southeast Texas Heisman Trophies put a lid on the 2006 football season.

Mosley, a 6-1, 200-pound tailback for the Bulldogs, made Nederland’s varsity as a ninth-grader, but he suffered a broken leg after two games.

He missed games with a broken jaw as a junior and had various other ankle and leg problems that slowed him down.

“God knows what his numbers would have been if he’d been completely healthy all the time,” Nederland coach Larry Neumann said.

As it was, Mosley set a school record with 2,432 yards rushing as a senior and was named District 22-4A Offensive MVP and earned a spot on the Port

Arthur News’ 35th annual Super Team. His 4,557 career rushing yards also established a school record.

“I remember him from junior high at C.O. Wilson,” Neumann said. “You could see he had tremendous ability then. But his numbers astound me.

I don’t think anybody expects someone to have the kind of numbers Micah had for his career or his senior year.

“He overcame lots of adversity. I’m just really proud of him.”

The son of James and Phyllis Mosley told a sold-out ballroom crowd that he was nervous as he gave a short acceptance speech.

“I’ve talked to a lot of newspeople and I always kept my cool,” Mosley said later. “But I was a little jittery up there. When you look at the list of

people that have won that thing, this is really something.”

Mosley is the second Willie Ray Smith Award winner from Nederland, following Sean Yoder, who was offensive winner in 2001.

Thomas, a 5-11, 185-pounder, was the second Mustang player to win in as many years, following Kenneth Beasley, who was offensive award winner for 2005.

In all, WO-S has had five Willie Ray Smith winners, with the other three on defense: Charles Sias in 1998, Gayron Allen in 2000, and Jermaine Hope in 2001.

“He (Beasley) kind of made fun of me,” said Thomas, the son of Earl and Debbie Thomas. “He told me I’ve got to take it (the award) home.

“My heart dropped when I heard my name (called). I’m just grateful I got picked. It feels good to take it back home.”

Thomas was the District 21-3A MVP and played on both sides of the ball for WO-S. He had 67 tackles, three interceptions, two kickoff returns for TDs

and averaged 33.0 yards on kickoff returns and 15.3 yards on punt returns.

“I knew the competition (for the award) was tough, but I felt like he was deserving,” WO-S coach Dan Hooks said. “He does so many things well.

He’s multi-talented.

“He also starts on the basketball team, plays baseball and run track. You don’t find kids like that every day.”

Coaches at 25 area schools nominated a total of 47 players for the Willie Ray Smith Awards. Four offensive and five defensive finalists were selected and

those top nine had a seat at the head table for Thursday’s banquet.

Other offensive finalists included Beaumont Central quarterback Brandon Williams, East Chambers quarterback Tramain Thomas and Deweyville running back

Justin Williams.

Other defensive finalists included Port Arthur Memorial cornerback Barry Valcin, Central linebacker Andre August, East Chambers linebacker Paul Trammell

and West Brook linebacker Jacody Coleman.

Deweyville’s Williams and the East Chambers duo of Thomas and Trammell are juniors. All other finalists are seniors.

[DeepGreen]

[Mean Green 93-98]

Way to go, Micah!

[scotty474]

Outside of Vizza, I am really excited about this kid. Congrats Micah and welcome to Mean Green Country!

[PlummMeanGreen]

Plummer, Buck Buchannan, Warren Wells, the big NFL noseguard Jerry Ball (didn't he play for SMUt?), Louie Kelcher, and NT's very own Bo Harrisson to name a few more from the Golden Triangle.

Phil, I knew you'd be able to add some more names from your Golden Triangle home area.

Jeez, how could I ever forget about our own Bo Harrison.

And yes, Jerry Ball did play for SMU as well as did Louie Kelcher (when Hayden Fry was HFC on the Hilltop as I recall).

[DeepGreen]

Plummer there are a couple of other Fb Greats from down here, but their names escape me. Once in particular was a WR that played for the Miami Dolphis during their heyday ('80's and early '90's, I think).