Making the all-star game from Winona Christian are Hayden Self, Blake Cooper, Dalton Wiggins and Reese Oliver. Also making the game is Central Holmes utility player Jace Dean.
“I’m extremely proud of these young men, they have represented Winona Christian well and had a great season,” WCS head coach Junior Graham said. “Three of the four kids have started for us for four years. They have been really good football players for us. We will go into next year trying to replace those guys and it won’t be easy.”
Dean played multiple roles for the Trojans, getting time at tight end, wide receiver, quarterback and linebacker on defense.
“We really liked the Dean kid from Central Holmes,” all-star coach Bo Milton said. “He’s a big, tall kid who can do a lot of things. He got better as the year went on and we were glad to get him on our team.”
Cooper had a monster year for the Stars after transferring from Winona High, rushing for 1,616 yards on 156 carries with 19 touchdowns. He had 21 catches for 236 yards and 52 tackles on defense.
“Blake was an extremely explosive player for us on offense,” Graham said. “He ended up with more than 1,800 yards of total offense and can run with anyone. He is one of those kids that doesn’t say a lot but he is a game. He was a difference maker for us and allowed us to change the way we used Dalton.”
Senior Dalton Wiggins had more than 1,400 yards of total offense for the Stars. He had 56 catches for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 378 yards on 32 carries. He also had 40 tackles on defense.
“Dalton ended his career with almost 3,500 yards of offense in his career,” Graham said. “On defense, we would put him at cornerback and put him on their best receiver. He has done a heck of a job doing that and he got so much better as a tackler.”
Another player Graham will miss will be Self, who played multiple positions on offense but anchored the Winona Christian defense with 125 tackles.
“Hayden is that guy that is going to be hard to replace,” Graham said. “He started for us for three years and had over 100 tackles the last two years. He’s a very diverse kid and sets a good example in the weight room. He’s definitely an all-star guy.”
The last to make the squad from Winona Christian is Oliver, a 5-foot-11, 250-pound offensive linemen.
“Reese is a good football player and has started for us for the last three years,” Graham said. “We had to use him as more of a two-way player this year. He is very explosive off the ball and has a streak in him. He can move really well and is really strong in the weight room. He’s a really good player.”
