ALL-CCC: McCreary, Catholic lead all-conference selections
Catholic coach Kirk Johnson and quarterback Caleb McCreary, seen here at the Class 4A state championship game, lead the All-Capital City Conference team recently announced. (File photo)
By TIM GAYLE
KJ Jackson or Caleb McCreary?
If you’ve watched the two quarterbacks over their four-year careers at their respective schools, it’s difficult to choose one over the other, which is exactly what Capital City Conference coaches had to do in choosing a player of the year.
“I think you can’t go wrong picking either one of them,” Catholic coach Kirk Johnson said, “but this year you have to go with Caleb McCreary. KJ had his year where he went and won. The game was on his back and what did he do? He went and showcased his ability and led his team to a 3A state championship. It was a tossup last year and the deciding factor was he led his team to a state championship. I think it’s the same thing this year. When the game was on the line and you needed somebody, Caleb McCreary took it home for you.”
His fellow Capital City Conference coaches agreed, choosing McCreary as the Capital City Conference Player of the Year after the senior led the Knights to the Class 4A state championship.
Five years ago, Jackson and McCreary were on the same St. James’ middle school team, both playing the same position.
“When I was there, it wasn’t really spoken (about which was better),” McCreary said. “We were brothers from when we first started playing travel ball as little kids, around 9, 10, 11 years old. Once I came to St. James, it was never about what position I was going to play because whoever was going to win the job, the other was going to have to make the plays when they threw it to him.”
Two years ago, and again last year, McCreary’s team lost in the semifinals. He was a different player in 2021 when the Knights lost to Montgomery Academy in the semifinals, said Montgomery Academy coach Ethan McBride, who was the defensive coordinator in that semifinal meeting.
“He’s got the ability to turn a negative 5-yard sack into a 45-yard play,” McBride said. “At all times. And sometimes you can tell when he’s good, like ‘I’m going to pop out of bounds now.’ He’s very intelligent with what he does. He’s just been playing for so long.”
The problem with trying to stop a 15-0 Catholic team led by McCreary is you have to have a defense with better athletes.
“You saw this with Alabama-Georgia, right? We’ve got to spy this guy,” McBride said. “Well, the spy has to be as fast and as athletic as the quarterback. Otherwise, you’re not going to get him. So you have to have somebody who can match him in athleticism to spy him, but that would probably be one of your better coverage guys. So when you get to talented players like him or KJ, I don’t think you ever stop them, it’s can you force them to do the thing they’re not as good at.
“I could tell you how to stop him two years, but I don’t know how you would do it nowadays. You have to have a pretty talented defense so that you don’t have to devote so many people to coverage.”
McCreary completed 100 of 159 passes for 1,602 yards and 17 touchdowns while being intercepted just four times this season. He did more with his legs in the final two playoff games, finishing the season with 1,171 yards and 24 touchdowns on 119 carries, an average of 9.8 yards per carry.
In his career, he rushed for 2,607 yards and 39 touchdowns on 295 carries, while completing 489 of 816 passes for 9,549 yards and 125 touchdowns with 22 interceptions.
McCreary and his fellow seniors finished their careers as the winningest senior class in River Region history, compiling a 53-5 record in four years, including a 15-3 record in playoff games. They reached the semifinals twice and the finals twice, beating Cherokee County earlier this month for the 4A state title.
The CCC coaches were unanimous in their choice of Johnson for CCC Coach of the Year honors.
“It was rewarding,” Johnson said of the 2023 season. “It’s something you dream of. Everybody’s chasing that one goal. When you finally get there, it’s amazing. The season brings many ups and downs. I thought the turning point was when Caleb hurt his foot at Demopolis and we go score 21 more points (in that game), then we have to start JJ (Williams) against MA and the team rallied behind him. That’s the first time, in a long time, that No. 1 wasn’t catching the snap.”
McCreary said this season felt different in his fourth year as the starting quarterback.
“I feel like I’m more poised, more cautious with the decisions I make,” McCreary said. “I really know how to play the position. I think I was a kid out there playing football (a couple of years ago), just knew I could throw the football. Now I’ve molded into a real quarterback and I’m better with my decision making.”
McCreary committed to Troy before its head coach, Jon Sumrall, left for Tulane, but stayed with his commitment and signed with the Trojans and new coach Gerad Parker.
“Coach Sumrall’s a great coach, a great person to be around, a real winner,” McCreary said. “It’s a big loss. But I committed to the school, I never committed to a person, and I’m ready to go in and work.”
McCreary and Jackson were both on the all-Capital City Conference first team a year ago, along with Montgomery Academy’s DJ Vinson and Chance Wilson, Trinity’s Webber McClinton and Catholic defensive lineman KJ Washington.
Catholic led the way with nine players on the first team, followed by St. James with seven, Trinity with six, Montgomery Academy with five and Alabama Christian with three.
2023 ALL-CAPITAL CITY CONFERENCE TEAM
OFFENSE
WR -- DJ Vinson, 6-4, 190, Jr., Montgomery Academy
WR -- Webber McClinton, 6-0, 170, Sr., Trinity
WR -- Tabor Offord, 6-0, 175, Jr., St. James
TE -- Will Hardin, 6-2, 220, Sr., Montgomery Academy
QB -- KJ Jackson, 6-3, 215, Sr., St. James
RB -- Ross Sanders, 5-11, 180, Sr., Trinity
RB -- Josh Griffin, 6-0, 190, Jr., Catholic
RB -- David Ortiz-Ramirez, 5-7, 160, Jr., Alabama Christian
OL -- Carson Brown, 6-2, 215, Sr., Trinity
OL -- Blake Shaw, 6-1, 215, Sr., Alabama Christian
OL -- Harrison Allen, 6-1, 220, Sr., St. James
OL -- Aaron Taylor, 5-11, 290, Jr., Catholic
OL -- Cayden Dees, 6-1, 250, So., Catholic
PK -- Jake Huff, 6-0, 170, Sr., St. James
Ath -- Caleb McCreary, 5-11, 190, Sr., Catholic
DEFENSE
DL -- McClain Brown, 6-1, 220, Jr., Trinity
DL -- Graham Martin, 6-3, 205, Jr., Montgomery Academy
DL -- KJ Washington, 6-2, 230, Jr., Catholic
DL -- CJ Edwards, 5-7, 210, Jr., St. James
LB -- Kam Miller, 6-0, 210, Jr., Catholic
LB -- Wils Johnson, 5-10, 190, Jr., St. James
LB -- William Milner, 5-8, 170, Sr., Alabama Christian
LB -- Miles Kharti, 6-0, 186, So., Catholic
DB -- Clint Houser, 5-9, 165, Sr., St. James
DB -- Jo Pierce, 6-2, 195, Jr., Catholic
DB -- Rickie Williams, 5-9, 150, Jr., Catholic
DB -- Xavier Boswell, 6-2, 165, Jr., Trinity
P -- Parker Cook, 6-1, 165, Sr., Montgomery Academy
Ath -- Dalton Gaston, 6-1, 195, Sr., Trinity
RS -- Chance Wilson, 6-0, 185, Sr., Montgomery Academy
Player of the Year: Caleb McCreary, Catholic
Coach of the Year: Kirk Johnson, Catholic
Honorable mention: Caden Anderson, DB, 5-8, 160, Sr., St. James; Cole Anderson, RB, 5-8, 155, Sr., St. James; Ryan Basile, PK, 5-7, 152, So., Trinity; Mac Benefield, OLB-WR, 5-8, 155, So., Montgomery Academy; Braxton Berrey, P, 5-11, 180, Sr., St. James; Ari Bowman, DB, 6-0, 170, Sr., Alabama Christian; Daniel Burns, OL, 6-3, 295, So., Catholic; Pruitt Conner, LB, 5-11, 195, Jr., St. James; Jalen Flowers, OL, 6-1, 320, Sr., Alabama Christian; Connor Foucault, C, 6-1, 220, Jr., Alabama Christian; Jarrett Friendly, WR-CB, 6-5, 165, Fr., Montgomery Academy; Ariyn Gilbert, OL, 6-1, 250, Sr., Catholic; Wilson Hodges, TE, 6-5, 225, So., Catholic; Juan Kirkland, OL-DL, 6-2, 305, So., Montgomery Academy; Jonathan Livingston, DL, 6-2, 235, Sr., St. James; Walker McClinton, QB, 6-0, 170, Sr., Trinity; Dalton Nickles, LB, 5-11, 210, Sr., St. James; Owen Penney, OL, 6-2, 240, Sr., St. James; Jayden Phifer, 5-11, 165, Sr., Catholic; Dylan Rogers, 5-9, 260, Jr., Catholic; Zay Rudolph, 6-0, 180, Sr., Catholic; Garrett Sanford, DL, 6-4, 215, Jr., Catholic; Bo Stewart, DB, 5-11, 175, Jr., Trinity; Coleman Till, LB, 6-0, 190, Sr., Trinity; AC Walters, RB, Alabama Christian; JJ Williams, WR, 5-11, 180, So., Jr., Catholic; Knox Wingate, LB, 5-11, 155, So., Montgomery Academy.