Winning a state championship was not a requirement for being a finalist for this year's Scrappy Moore Best of Preps Male Athlete of the Year, but it certainly didn't hurt.
Half of the six finalists for the award claimed state titles, with another helping his team reach a state championship game. The winner will be announced during Thursday's Best of Preps banquet which, due to COVID-19 concerns, will again be a virtual event, airing on timesfreepress.com at 7 p.m.
This year's finalists are McMinn County's Jalen Hunt, Baylor's Cooper Kinney, Gordon Lee's Cade Peterson, and the trio of McCallie's Eric Rivers, Gui Vivaldini and Alex Whitworth.
Hunt became the first Mr. Football finalist in Cherokees program history after leading the state with 2,451 rushing yards and scoring 27 touchdowns. The Tennessee State University signee helped his team to 10 wins, the second round of the Class 6A playoffs and owns program records for career rushing yards (5,464) and all-purpose yards (6,149).
Kinney, a senior catcher, won the Tennessee Mr. Baseball award for Division II-AA after batting .480 with 19 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. A South Carolina signee, he had 50 RBIs and helped the Red Raiders claim their third consecutive state championship.
Photo Gallery
Mardi Gras at the Governor's Mansion
Celebrating Fat Tuesday at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Entertainment was by pianist Louis Heard. Attendees grabbed beads, masks and New Orleans state of mind for a grand evening of fun.
Peterson, a Motlow State signee, batted .444 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 51 RBIs and 48 runs scored as Gordon Lee finished state runners-up. In football, he also led the Trojans to 11 wins, including a playoff victory, by rushing for 1,711 yards and 26 TDs.
Rivers, a three-sport all-state star, proved once again to be one of the most versatile local athletes in many years. After helping the Blue Tornado football team win a second straight Division II-AAA state championship by totaling more than 800 yards, he led the basketball team by averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The Memphis University football signee then helped McCallie's track and field team win its first TSSAA state title when he won an individual championship in the triple jump and was part of the first-place 4x100 relay team. He also tied for second in the high jump.
Vivaldini, a senior forward and University of North Carolina signee, scored 14 goals and had four assists in nine games. He was the Division II-AA East Region's most outstanding player and was named Tennessee's player of the year by Gatorade after helping the Blue Tornado reach the state semifinals.
Whitworth, a senior 170-pounder, became the third wrestler in TSSAA history to win five state championships, and he also won his third straight Division II most outstanding wrestler award.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.