The on-field dominance by the McCallie and Baylor football teams this past season has carried over to the postseason honors.
A total of 13 players from those two programs have been named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's all-state team for TSSAA Division II-AAA, more than a third of the 29 total selected in that classification.
The honorees for all of Division II were revealed Wednesday night, and the Chattanooga area had seven selections in DII-AA, with those players representing Boyd Buchanan, Chattanooga Christian, Notre Dame and Silverdale Baptist Academy. The area did not have any DII-A football teams this past season.
McCallie, which won its fourth state title in five years, had eight selections — four on defense and four on offense for the Blue Tornado — while runner-up Baylor had five.
Among the McCallie contingent were quarterback Jay St-Hilaire, who was also named MVP of the BlueCross Bowl title game, as well as linebacker Carson Gentle, a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football finalist.
Joining St-Hilaire on the offense from McCallie were running back Ja'Von McMahan, receiver Enrique Jaimes-Leclair and lineman Olivier Camerlain. Defensive back Marcellus Barnes, who committed to Syracuse while playing in last weekend's All-America Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, was joined by McCallie's Carson Lawrence in the secondary, along with linebacker and team-leading tackler Bear Cortes.
Baylor's selections were receiver Amari Jefferson, who was selected DII-AAA's Mr. Football, quarterback Whit Muschamp, who is committed to Vanderbilt, tight end Max LeBlanc, who is committed to Ohio State, running back Shekai Mills-Knight and linebacker Nelson McKnight.
Cortes and Lawrence are the only two juniors who made the list for McCallie, and Mills-Knight was the lone junior representative for the Red Raiders.
"Having juniors who make that list is always a good thing because it means they're coming back for another season," said Ralph Potter, who stepped down as McCallie's head coach less than a week after the state title game but will remain on staff as defensive coordinator. "We had a really good senior class, a lot of really talented guys and some who were really talented but didn't make this list.
"It was a great team to go out with. Just the whole story, starting last year with the loss to Baylor and to MBA in the (2022) playoffs, and how our kids came back from Christmas break with an incredible commitment to getting better and having a particular goal in mind.
"The standard they set was really high, and they never really wavered in meeting the challenge in our league every week and then reaching down to find even more effort that was needed in the playoffs, and particularly the second Baylor game for the championship. It was really satisfying, and this is a nice way to recognize not just the guys who made all-state, but really the whole team's accomplishment."
Leading the way in DII-AA was Boyd Buchanan, which finished runner-up to Nashville's Christ Presbyterian Academy in Gary Rankin's second season as head coach. The Buccaneers had four honorees, including three from a defense that held eight of 14 opponents to 10 points or less.
Boyd Buchanan's group is made up of defensive lineman Kaiden Bates, linebacker Alto Moore, defensive back Asher Keck and athlete Jaylon Sanderfer. Also on the DII-AA team are Chattanooga Christian running back Da'Rell Brown, Notre Dame junior running back E.J. Carter and Silverdale junior offensive lineman Harris Jenne.
The all-state teams for Classes 1A-3A will be released late Thursday night and the 4A-6A teams will follow late Friday.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.
Staff file photo by Olivia Ross / Amari Jefferson, a senior this past season, was one of five Baylor players selected to the TSWA all-state football team for TSSAA Division II-AAA.TSWA ALL-STATE FOOTBALL
Division II-A
OFFENSE
QB – Connor Rosson (Columbia Academy), Jared Curtis (Nashville Christian); RB – Tyson Wolcott (Friendship Christian), Brian Shields (First Assembly Christian), Montae Baldwin (Columbia Academy), Eli Wilson (Middle Tennessee Christian); WR – Harrison Brownlee (Columbia Academy), Carter Hackman (Donelson Christian Academy); OL – Harrison Vance (Trinity Christian Academy), Daniel Cepicky (Columbia Academy), Jesse Perry (Middle Tennessee Christian), Aaron Lane (Friendship Christian), Eli Gay (Jackson Christian); ATH – Jay'Len Mosley (Jackson Christian); K – Landon Williams (Friendship Christian).
DEFENSE
DL – Car'Lando Barton (Friendship Christian), Andy Griffith (Mt. Juliet Christian), Kaleb Newsome (Jackson Christian), Joshua Vinson (Trinity Christian Academy), LB – Eli Craig (Jackson Christian), Zeb Pulliam (Fayette Academy), Brooks Jones (Middle Tennessee Christian), Cade Jackson (Columbia Academy); DB – C.J. Durrough (Columbia Academy), Dontae Parker (Friendship Christian), Easton Jones (Jackson Christian), Charlie Goss (First Assembly Christian); P – Zach Pierce (Clarksville Academy).
Division II-AA
OFFENSE
QB – Jack Patterson (Northpoint Christian), Knox Roberts (Davidson Academy); RB – Ty Clark (Franklin Road Academy), E.J. Carter (Notre Dame), Da'Rell Brown (Chattanooga Christian), Tyler Wilson (Lausanne Collegiate); WR – Markeis Barrett (Knoxville Webb), Arnett Hayes (Battle Ground Academy); OL – Luke Work (Lausanne Collegiate), John Wayne Oliver (Christ Presbyterian Academy), Harris Jenne (Silverdale Baptist), Chris Soriano (Northpoint Christian), Mario Figueroa (University School of Jackson); ATH – Jaylon Sanderfer (Boyd Buchanan); K – Roman Mathis (Davidson Academy).
DEFENSE
DL – Jeremiah Morrow (Lausanne Collegiate), Xavier Hickman (Knoxville Webb), Glenn Seabrooks (Davidson Academy), Parker McClain (St. George's), Kaiden Bates (Boyd Buchanan); LB – Crews Law (Christ Presbyterian Academy), Cooper Cameron (Knoxville Webb), Alto Moore (Boyd Buchanan); DB – Shajai Jackson (Lakeway Christian), C.J. Jordan (Lausanne Collegiate), Jackson Mathews (Christ Presbyterian Academy), Asher Keck (Boyd Buchanan); P – Lucas Hollifield (Knoxville Grace).
Division II-AAA
OFFENSE
QB – Jay St-Hilaire (McCallie), Whit Muschamp (Baylor), George MacIntyre (Brentwood Academy); RB – Brooklen Davis (Montgomery Bell Academy), Ja'Von McMahan (McCallie), Shekai Mills-Knight (Baylor); WR – Amari Jefferson (Baylor), Tyreek King (Knoxville Catholic), Enrique Jaimes-Leclair (McCallie); OL – Will French (Christian Brothers), Max Kidd (Father Ryan), Chauncey Gooden (Lipscomb Academy), Olivier Camerlain (McCallie), Max LeBlanc (Baylor); ATH – Braylon Harmon (Knoxville Catholic); K – Andrew Tancredi (Memphis University School).
DEFENSE
DL – Carson Gentle (McCallie), Ethan Utley (Ensworth), Mekaih Collins (Father Ryan), Catcher Miller (Memphis University School); LB – Hudson Shoaf (Memphis University School), Edwin Spillman (Lipscomb Academy), Bear Cortes (McCallie), Nelson McKnight (Baylor); DB – Kaleb Beasley (Lipscomb Academy), Brandon Nicholson (Memphis University School), Marcellus Barnes (McCallie), Carson Lawrence (McCallie); P – Jack Gleason (Briarcrest Christian).