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Mr. Football Alex "Bubba" Matlock, Tiger
Coach Tim Gilmer, and Chad Jordan from
Central.
NASHVILLE (December 3) Hollow Rock-Bruceton
Central High School lineman Alex “Bubba”
Matlock won the Division I-IA Mr. Football
lineman during the 2007 Tennessee Titans Mr.
Football Awards presentation held at the
Nashville Airport Marriott.
Vying for the prestigious award with Matlock
were South Pittsburgh’s Robert Robinson and
Jo Byrn’s Aaron Yates.
In winning the award, Matlock, a 6’ 5”,
250-pound senior lineman and fullback for
Central, joins former Tiger Mr. Football
Award recipients Joe Longmire (back-1985),
James Hartsfield (lineman-1996), Adrian
Jamison (back-2001), Patrick Willis
(lineman-2002) and Russell Noles
(lineman-2006).
Matlock, a division I college prospect
currently being recruited by Army, stated
moments after the conclusion of the awards
ceremony, “I feel great about winning Mr.
Football, but it would have been impossible
for me to have achieved this honor without
the rushing of Chad Jordan, the Tiger
linebackers, defensive backs, fellow
linemen, and all of my teammates.”
Class 1A - Former Tennessee Titan Kevin
Dyson, Alex Matlock of Central, Marco Dailey
of Mt. Pleasant, Former Titan Chris Sanders,
Derek Carr, and Chad Jordan.
He added, “I also owe a great deal to the
Tiger coaching staff for selecting the right
plays to put me in a position to be
effective.”
Regarding his initial emotions upon hearing
“Voice of the Titans” Mike Keith announce
his name as Mr. Football winner, Matlock
grinned, “I was excited but also shocked. I
had always hoped I could win this award, but
I wasn’t expecting this.”
Clutching the huge and heavy award symbolic
of the best in Tennessee football, Matlock
concluded, “I just wish Chad had won too…he
deserved to.”
Tiger Head Football Coach Tim Gilmer stated,
“I am proud of Chad and Alex. It is a great
honor to be selected as a finalist for this
award. I wish Chad had won, but to be
selected as a finalist for two years in a
row certainly speaks volumes about his
consistency and value as a player.”
He continued, “To have two players from the
same team selected for this award is a
testament to our entire team and shows what
other schools and state sports media think
of our football program. This is the seventh
Mr. Football award for Central, and it
allows younger children coming up in our
program to realize that winning an award of
this stature is not a pipedream-it can
happen. It also helps to build upon the
tradition of Central football.”
He concluded, “The one thing I want to
emphasize is that our coaching staff strives
to teach more than football to our players.
Our desire is to give our young men tools
and building blocks that will aid them in
their adult lives.”
Mt. Pleasant quarterback Marco Dailey, was
selected Division I-IA Mr. Football Back.
Vying against Dailey for the award were
Carroll County finalists Chad Jordan of
Central and Derek Carr of McKenzie.
McKenzie Head Football
Coach Wade Comer and Division I-IA Mr.
Football Back finalist Derek Carr.
Jordan, a 2006 finalist for the Mr. Football
Award, said, “I feel good about being
nominated for this award for two years in a
row. Even though I didn’t win, I am very
proud that Bubba did.”
Carr, accompanied by his family, fellow
teammates, Rebel Head Coach Wade Comer and
members of the Rebel coaching staff and
school administration, left immediately at
event’s conclusion to return to McKenzie to
prepare with his team for the school’s
first-ever state championship game against
South Pittsburgh on Friday at MTSU.
Additional Tennessee Titans Mr. Football
Award winners included:
Division 2A Lineman-Dakota Crews (Lewis
County); Back-Randall Cobb (Alcoa); Division
3A Lineman-Dont’a Hightower (Marshall
County); Back-Deaunte Mason (Pearl Cohn); 4A
Lineman-Aaron Douglas (Maryville);
Back-Brent Burnette (Maryville); 5A Lineman-LaDarrius
Verge (Riverside); Back-Rodriguez Wilks
(Smyrna); Division II-A Lineman-Ben Popeck
(St. George’s); Back-Grant Jessen (St.
George’s)’ Division II-AA Lineman-Preston
Bailey (MBA); Back-Ben Bartholomew (MBA).
Kicker of the Year, selected from all
classifications, was awarded to Mike Hammons
(Polk County).
Finalists from West Tennessee who also vied
for the coveted award included Division IA
lineman-Chase Horton (Camden) and Elijah
Epperson (Humboldt); Division IA backs
Kendal Harper (Trenton Peabody) and Harrison
Moore (Martin Westview). Division I-3A
lineman Beau Liljenquist (Dyersburg);
Division I-5A Back-Jeff Link (Memphis White
Station); Division II-A Back-Marlon Brown
(Harding) and H.R. Greer (SBEC-Southhaven,
MS); Division II-AA Lineman-Barrett Jones (ECS-Cordova)
and DeAndre Jones (MUS-Memphis); Back-Adam
Currie (ECS-Cordova) and Kicker of the year
finalist Cody Jones of Jackson Christian
School. |
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