Last week, we unveiled our impressive list of the 2017 Football Player of the Year Nominees & Honorable Mentions. As tough as it was, we then narrowed down to our seven finalists for the prestigious award!

We present to you the finalists, in alphabetical order, including why they deserve to win. Our voting panel (not a public vote) is currently voting as of Monday, November 13 morning.

Sevaughn Clark (Dawson JR RB #3)

STATS: 1,806 rush yds, 15 TD (316 ATT, 5.7 YPC) | 135 rec yds, TD
Why Does Sevaughn Clark deserve POY? Clark seemingly came out of nowhere to lead Dawson County this season in the ground game. With an early season knee injury keeping Coey Watson off the field for one game, Clark even stepped in at QB. His most recent performance against Hart County in the first round of state saw him rush for 276 yards and three TDs, pushing him into the top-10 in the state in rushing yards. One of our two finalists who will return next season to wow us some more.

Kaleb Crane (White SR RB #22)

STATS: 1,616 rush yds, 23 TD (245 ATT, 6.6 YPC) | 185 rec yds, 2 TD | 25 TKL, 2 SACKS, 2 TFL, FUM REC
Why does Kaleb Crane deserve POY? Just look at the numbers. Consistently, all season long, he was a workhorse for a team that went 1-9 a year ago to make an unprecedented turnaround, making state with seven wins this year. The senior is about to get plenty of attention at the next level, and if he had played more on defense, his numbers would be astounding there, too. However, White County needed him more to put up 22 carries per game on average, and often times even 30. He rewarded them with 25 total scores in 2017!

AJ Curry (Habersham SR QB #4)

STATS: 2,495 pass yds, 18 TD, 6 INT (149/298; 50%) | 672 rush yds, 13 TD (147 ATT, 4.6 YPC)
Why does AJ Curry deserve POY? His numbers don’t lie, for one. But more impressive is the fact that this was AJ’s first and only season at the QB position. He previously was a WR at Stephens County before coming to Hab Central, and head coach Benji Harrison helped Curry develop into a Division-I talent. Auburn is among those looking at him. Just think if he had had at least one more year at the position how much better he’d be than he already is! Over 3,000 yards of offense and 31 TD while learning the intricacies of perhaps the most difficult position.

 

 

 

Bailey Fisher (Rabun SR QB #14)

STATS: 3,341 pass yds, 43 TD, 6 INT (211/297; 71%) | 1,283 rush yds, 27 TD (221 ATT, 5.8 YPC)
Why does Bailey Fisher deserve POY? Simple…our panel picked him each of the past two seasons as BLITZ Player of the Year, and he’s better than ever in 2017. One of the most selfless young men you’ll meet, and as coach Lee Shaw puts it, “he wills wins.” He’s 34-3 as a starter, with two losses coming in the quarterfinals. Two straight undefeated regular seasons and a part of four straight region crowns. Fisher is one of five in state history with 100 passing touchdowns (152 total) and is closing in on 9,000 passing yards, currently sitting in the top-10 all-time in state history in passing yards. Fisher throws the long ball often, yet still has a 71% completion percentage, and an 8/1 TD-to-INT ratio…ridiculous!

 

 

Austin Jones (Rabun JR WR/S #7)

STATS: 36 rec, 696 yds, 7 TD | 49 rush yds, TD | 137 TKL, 8.5 TFL, 5 INT, TD | 35 KR yds, 488 PR yds, 3 TD
Why does Austin Jones deserve POY? Easily, Austin Jones is one of the state’s top players all-around. EASILY! The problem is, he flies under the radar. But try to name the last local player to eclipse 100 tackles in a season and 1,000 all-purpose yards…the best we can remember it was White County’s Ashely Lowery in 2010-2011. His recent Army offer is the first of many he’ll start to rack up, and thank goodness he’s a junior; which means we get treated with more highlights next season. If Rabun needed him to be, Jones would be a 1,000-yard running back or wide receiver. However, his play at safety is unmatched, and he’s the most dangerous in 2017 in Northeast Georgia (if not the whole state) on punt returns, with nearly 500 yards returning and three scores.

 

 

Coey Watson (Dawson SR QB #14)

STATS: 1,731 pass yds, 16 TD, 6 INT (119/187; 64%) | 705 rush yds, 14 TD (128 ATT, 5.5 YPC) | INT
Why does Coey Watson deserve POY? Watson has more heart than any player we’ve ever seen — and that says a lot. In four years as QB, he has entered the state all-time TD passes leaderboard (64 to date), and is a true dual threat. He’s played through shoulder injuries that have prevented him from even throwing the ball (2016) and knee injuries that have taken him away from being able to get those yards on the ground (2017). Nevertheless, he plays, and gives everything he’s got on the field. He eclipsed 100 career touchdowns this season between passing and rushing, and has been a vocal and emotional leader for Dawson that all his teammates rally upon. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for Watson.

Cole Wright (Union SR QB #8)

STATS: 1,938 pass yds, 19 TD, 3 INT (136/237; 57%) | 1,140 rush yds, 14 TD (109 ATT, 10.5 YPC)
Why does Cole Wright deserve POY? Wright had the unfortunate, yet fortunate, opportunity of being a backup for two years…to Joseph Mancuso, one of the state’s all-time top dual threat quarterbacks. That surely made Wright a better quarterback, however, as he followed in Mancuso’s footsteps to be a clone of sorts for the past two seasons. Had he gotten a couple more years, or even one more as a starter, he’d be among the state’s all-time leaders as well. Wright is an Army commit. He posted incredible numbers in a season that didn’t end the way he wanted it to, and perhaps the most impressive was his 6.3 TD/INT ratio and 10.5 yds/carry average.