Big Red dominates all-district accolades
Published 7:39 pm Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Southampton High School Head Coach Travis Parker, right of center, and his staff celebrate as junior quarterback Zayden Pope scores on a long touchdown run. Parker and Pope were among the Tri-Rivers District's top 2024 honorees. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton High School Varsity Football Head Coach Travis Parker, with the assistance of his staff, earned the title of 2024 Tri-Rivers District Coach of the Year for football. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton High School junior quarterback Zayden Pope was crowned as the 2024 Tri-Rivers District Offensive Player of the Year. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Senior defensive back Laurence Wallace, No. 16 of Southampton High School, was crowned the 2024 Tri-Rivers District Defensive Player of the Year. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Senior defensive back Laurence Wallace, No. 16 of Southampton High School, was crowned the 2024 Tri-Rivers District Defensive Player of the Year. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton High School senior Steven McClenny, No. 2, made the 2024 all-district first team as both a wide receiver and punt returner. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Southampton High School senior Timmy Jones, No. 58, was selected to the 2024 all-district first team as both an offensive and defensive lineman. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
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Southampton High School’s varsity football team was the 2024 undefeated champion of the Tri-Rivers District, winning its six district games by an average of 41 points. Big Red’s representation in reference to all-district honors naturally reflected its dominance on the gridiron.
Indians Head Coach Travis Parker was named Tri-Rivers District Coach of the Year, Indians junior quarterback Zayden Pope was named district Offensive Player of the Year, and Indians senior defensive back Laurence Wallace was named district Defensive Player of the Year.
Southampton garnered 16 all-district first-team selections, four second-team selections and one honorable mention.
All 2024 all-district selections were made by the head coaches of the seven teams in the district.
Big Red players selected to the all-district first team included Pope at quarterback; Wallace at defensive back, kicker and punter; senior Steven McClenny at wide receiver and punt returner; senior Timmy Jones on both the offensive and defensive lines; senior JaVontae Lynch at running back; senior Tyler Duke on the offensive line; senior Lavon Lashley at linebacker; senior Quatrez Bynum at defensive back; junior Miguel Bradshaw at wide receiver; junior Kelin Benjamin at linebacker; sophomore Michael Dubovsky at center; and sophomore Qmarai Allen on the defensive line.
Big Red players selected to the all-district second team included Bradshaw at both kick returner and defensive back; senior Zykeim Murrell as defensive all-purpose player; and junior Ivan Golden on the defensive line.
Big Red senior wide receiver Xavier Tyler received all-district honorable mention.
“I am very pleased with the all-district selections,” Southampton Head Coach Travis Parker said. “Our players earned the awards with their hard work and dedication. They represented Southampton Football very well. I and the coaches are very happy for all of them. The players are deserving.”
Parker guided Big Red to a 9-2 overall record in 2024, including its first home playoff game in 18 years and a 6-0 mark in the Tri-Rivers District.
He said that receiving the district Coach of the Year honor “meant that we, as a coaching staff, did an excellent job with this year’s student-athletes. Even though it says ‘Coach of the Year,’ it really means ‘Coaching Staff of the Year.’ I would not be able to accomplish the things we have without the coaching staff that we have been blessed with.”
Parker’s staff includes Eric Benton, Vernon Bryant, Charles Cooper, Timothy Dawson, Lavelle Evans, Greg Scott, Xavier Scott, Ray Tucker and Anthony Wiggins.
Parker identified four chief factors apiece for why Pope and Wallace were selected to their respective Player of the Year honors.
For Pope, Parker first noted that Zayden ran track last year to become faster, leading to an improvement that allowed him to rush for yards and touchdowns that Big Red greatly needed.
“Zayden attended football camps in the offseason to become a better quarterback and athlete for the team,” Parker said. “Zayden lifted weights hard to become stronger. He gained at least 15 pounds of muscle over last season.”
The coach noted that Pope also improved his performance every day he came to practice.
“Zayden was very coachable throughout the season and learned the offense at a level that enabled us to be very successful,” Parker said.
Pope was responsible for 2,818 total offensive yards and 41 touchdowns over 11 games this year. He completed 74% of his passes.
For Wallace, Parker first said, “Laurence made a conscious decision at the beginning of the season to work towards earning District Defensive Player of the Year.”
The coach noted that Wallace worked to become stronger by holding a high standard in his offseason and in-season weight-lifting regimen.
“Laurence practiced very hard to learn the defense and studied film of the opponent to be knowledgeable on the field,” Parker said.
Lastly, the coach put a spotlight on Wallace’s intelligence.
“Laurence has a very high ‘Sports IQ,’” Parker said. “He also has a 4.2 academic GPA.”
From the free safety position over the course of 11 games, Wallace recorded nine interceptions, 74 tackles and caused and recovered two fumbles.
