2006 All-Texas High School Team

2006 ALL-TEXAS OFFENSE
QB: Lee McClendon, Mart — Like William Cole, McClendon moved from wide receiver to quarterback for his final year of prep football. And like Cole, his season ended with a ring. McClendon threw for 2,845 yards and 38 touchdowns. Even more impressive was the fact the first-year QB only threw 4 INTs. He added 855 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns.
RB: Bradley Stephens, McAllen Memorial — Critics of the best player ever to come out of the Valley use that as their argument. The fact Stephens came out of that region, some say, helped spike his numbers. Our feelings: that's completely bogus. Proof: in his final game, a one-point loss to SA MacArthur, Stephens ran for 247 yards and three TDs. He helped Memorial to the third round for the first time, and also guided Memorial to its only 10-win season in program history. Stephens' glorious career concluded with 7,803 rushing yards, 98 TDs, and over 10,000 all-purpose yards. He got help from teammates -- he'll be the first to tell you that -- but Stephens' was beyond invaluable to Memorial.
RB: Antowaine Smith, Paris North Lamar — This guy never seemed to get any press, but playing in a district with Ryan Mallett will do that. Smith rushed for 2,640 yards and 30 TDs in the regular season and helped North Lamar, a 3A team four years ago, reach the 4A playoffs for the third straight year.
RB: Foswhitt Whitaker, Pearland — Had Pearland gone a step or two farther than the state semifinals, he might've taken the Offensive or overall MVP award. Whitaker finished a stellar career (6th all-time rusher in 5A history) with 2,774 rushing yards and 24 TDs.
WR: Evan Walker, Colleyville Heritage — Walker was one catch away from 100 on the season, a number few reach at the high school level. He also averaged more than 1 TD catch per game.
WR: Dez Bryant, Lufkin — He might be the most electrifying player in the state, a player who routinely makes one-handed catches. His stats aren't bad either: 67-1,270, 21 TDs.
WR: Jesse Hodge, Springtown — Few were happier around town than Hodge when Springtown welcomed transfer QB Logan Turner. And the two struck up quite a connection: Hodge caught 74 passes for 1,538 yards and 22 TDs, averaging over 20 yards per catch.
TE: Andre Thomas, Gilmer Union Hill — There are blocking tight ends, there are receiving tight ends, and then there is Thomas. This Class 1A standout had receiver-like numbers -- 37 catches for 575 yards and 10 TDs -- while blocking like a lineman, grading out at 88 percent and picking up 48 pancake blocks.
OL: Trey Allen, South Grand Prairie — He's a recruit worthy of his massive hype. The UT recruit didn't allow a sack for the second consecutive season, and he hasn't ever graded below 85 percent in a game.
OL: Kyle Ness, Decatur — One of the best passing offenses in 3A in recent years wouldn't be so good with a solid OL, and Ness is a big reason why the front five has been so good. Ness graded out at 98 percent, pancaked 80 defenders, and didn't allow a sack.
OL: Eli Crawford, Groveton — Throwing some love down to the 1A level, Crawford, an all-state pick, graded out at 98 percent and was credited with 68 pancake blocks.
OL: Brady Fletcher, Perryton — I'm wondering what play during the year prevented Fletcher from being perfect, because the senior graded out at 99 percent during the season. He finished the season with 49 pancake blocks and didn't surrender a sack.
OL: Jamie Blatnick, Celina — Celina's seamless transition from 2A to 3A was part coaching, part tradition, and part talent. For the latter, look no further than Blatnick, an OSU pledge who graded 96 percent this season, had 44 pancakes, and was all-state for the second straight season.
U: Luke Roberts, Comfort — He was the William Cole of 2A, doing it all for his team. He passed for 2,581 yards and rushed for 1,749 yards and had a total of 63 offensive touchdowns. With numbers like those, we had to find a place for him, and utility made the most sense.
K: Justin Putnam, Round Rock Westwood — In the high school game, where extra points can be a shaky proposition, Putnam was a solid rock. He didn't miss any of his 46 attempts. He was 9-of-12 on FGs, including four from 40-plus, and had two game-winners during the regular season. He was a big part of Westwood's turnaround season from 2-8 to a 9-3 season.

2006 ALL-TEXAS DEFENSE
DL: Russell Carter, Houston Westbury — Carter's team came well short of the playoffs, but don't blame him. The first-team Super Teamer had 117 tackles, 14 sacks, 12 quarterback hurries and 23 tackles for loss.
DL: Antonio Johnson, Waco — Though some might think Waco was a no-name unit, Johnson was a name known and prepared for by the opposition. He had 76 tackles, 16.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles for a loss, earning him the Super CenTex Defensive MVP.
DL: Dustin McClure, Bangs — This pass-rushing nightmare for 2A opponents had 95 tackles, 32 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, 14 sacks, and caused and recovered four fumbles.
DL: Joey Nunez, San Benito — The encore senior season was even better than Nunez's all-state junior year. Nunez finished 2006 with 136 tackles, 16 sacks, 55 pressures, six forced fumbles, and was named the 5A Defensive MVP by the AP.
LB: Youri Yenga, Euless Trinity — A hybrid defensive player in the DeMarcus Ware mold, Yenga played the defensive line like a linebacker, as his numbers suggest: 111 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, seven passes broken up, two interceptions, five fumbles caused, one fumble recovered. He was named the most outstanding defensive player by the Dallas Morning News.
LB: Tracy Morgan, Clarksville — In baseball, 40 home runs (at least pre- and post-steroids era) is the number sluggers chase. In football, 200 tackles is an equally distinguished, highly sought-after mark. Morgan got there -- plus 16 more. He also forced eight fumbles, recovered six (one for a TD), had 8 sacks and an INT.
LB: Alan Dock, Giddings — He was the Brock Fitzhenry of Giddings' defense (or was Fitzhenry the Alan Dock of the offense?), quarterbacking the unit and making things happen. Dock, who will return for his senior year in 2007, has done so much already. He finished the regular season -- where he was named the 3A Defensive MVP by the AP -- with 167 tackles and five sacks.
DB: Cody Davis, Stephenville — Stephenville is known for passing the ball, but Davis was stellar against the pass (and the run, too). He had 9 INTs and broke up 21 more passes while collecting 99 tackles. The junior also scored three defensive TDs.
DB: Travis Slaughter, Crawford — An upset in the playoffs shouldn't diminish any of Slaughter's personal achievements this season: 9 interceptions, five more pass breakups and 53 tackles.
DB: Sherman Rosborough, Longview — In his first and only year to start, Rosborough came up with an impressive stat line that helped him earn all-state recognition: 9 INTs, 43 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He helped a defense that came into the year with zero returning starters find its form.
DB: Chris West, Devine — Though the state record for INTs in a season will never be broken (35, set by Brenham's Jim Linnstaeder in 1956), reaching double figures is an enormous feat. West got there this season, intercepting 10 passes.
P: Will Middlebrooks, Texarkana Liberty-Eylau — Known to most as the QB of the 3A DI state champs, Middlebrooks was perhaps the best punter in the state. He averaged 47.9 yards per punt, including a long of 78 yards.