Sheppard, Byers earn district MVP honors; Tindol named Coach of the Year

Image: It takes a town to raise a champion! — Congratulations to the 2013 Italy Gladiator Football program on rising to the top in district and defending their title while accumulating 32 all-district accolades, including Head Coach and Staff of the Year!

It takes a town to raise a champion! — Congratulations to the 2013 Italy Gladiator Football program on rising to the top in district and defending their title while accumulating 32 all-district accolades, including Head Coach and Staff of the Year! (Barry Byers)

It was a season well played for the Italy Gladiators with first-year athletic director and football head coach, Charles Tindol, guiding his players to a 6-5 winning record. In addition, Italy went 5-0 in district play to claim the championship outright and earned an automatic bi-district championship for their efforts.

Along the way, the Gladiators provided us with many memorable moments. Remember how Italy defeated their arch rival, the Maypearl Panthers, in the season opener? Senior defensive lineman, Bailey Walton, had a standout game and senior safety, Trevon Robertson, picked off the pass to preserve Italy’s 13-7 victory. And what a special night it was for senior QB TaMarcus Sheppard who defeated his old team, the Itasca Wampus Cats, on their own field to begin district play, 46-6. Sheppard emerged victorious with help from junior linebacker Coby Bland, senior receiver Trevon Robertson and senior fullback Shad Newman who scored his first touchdown ever. Sophomore Clayton Miller had an interception to punctuate the win.

How great was it when Italy shocked the district with a resounding 42-14 homecoming victory over the visiting Cayuga Wildcats. Cayuga entered the fray undefeated but limped all the way home after the _cat_astrophe at Willis Field. Senior defensive end Zain Byers highlighted the win with a fumble recovery which he returned 20-yards. And not soon to be forgotten, Italy’s 28-24 comeback win over Dallas Gateway after trailing 24-7 at halftime. Sophomore Levi McBride was the savior in that one, thanks to his two fourth-quarter touchdown receptions and the second one with less than a minute to play.

And how ‘bout that 275 yard rushing night by sophomore Hunter Merimon to help Italy hold off Crossroads, 41-30. Oh, and when Italy won the mud fight 33-7 against Kerens to claim the district title outright, classic! Our JV players even got dirty that night. Senior special teams ace, Cody Medrano, even recovered an on-side kick that night thanks to kicker Kevin “The Toe” Roldan. Fun stuff! The combination of Roldan, holder Tyler Anderson and snapper Kyle Fortenberry had a streak of 13 made point-after kicks during Italy’s undefeated district run.

And the victory bath given to Coach Tindol after the win over Kerens to seal the championship for Italy. Darol Mayberry, Robertson and Sheppard timed the sneak attack perfectly to douse their head honcho with the water jug.

There was Just so many wonderful moments and lasting memories that this year’s team provided for their fans and, as a result, the Gladiators dominated the all-district voting earning a staggering 32 awards in all, 8 more than Cayuga:

District 6-1A-D1 – 2013 Football Honors

District Teams:

  • Italy (5-0) — 32 All-District selections
  • Cayuga (1-4) — 24 All-District selections
  • Kerens (3-2) — 21 All-District selections
  • Crossroads (2-3) — 15 All-District selections
  • Dallas Gateway (1-4) — 11 All-District selections
  • Itasca (0-5) — 11 All-District selections

District Superlatives:

Most Valuable Player:

  • Tamarcus Sheppard, Italy, #10, SR, QB/OLB

Offensive Most Valuable Player:

  • Keshawn Jackson, Cayuga

Defensive Most Valuable Player:

  • Zain Byers, Italy, #50, SR, DE

Newcomer of the Year:

  • Wayne Arellano, Itasca

Coach of the Year:

  • Charles Tindol and Staff — Italy / Staff: Wayne Rowe, Bobby Campbell, Brandon Ganske, Jon Cady, Larry Mayberry, Sr.

1st Team Offensive Awards:

1st Team Quarterback:

Player School
Nate Betts Kerens

1st Team Running Back:

Player School
John Venable Cayuga
Dontarius Bryant Kerens

1st Team Tight End:

Player School
Brett Whitten Cayuga

1st Team Receivers:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Raleigh Scilhiemer Crossroads
Tre Robertson Italy 3 SR REC
Brett Anderson Kerens
Shelton Sayles Kerens

1st Team Linemen:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Breck Alexander Cayuga
Jayson Johnson Cayuga
Zain Byers Italy 50 SR OG
Darol Mayberry Italy 58 SR OT
Kevin Roldan Italy 60 SR OT
Hunter Green Kerens
Mason Glasgow Kerens

1st Team Kicker:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Kevin Roldan Italy 60 SR K
Stephen Slater Cayuga

1st Team Punter:

Player School
Aaron Ardon Crossroads

2nd Team Offensive Awards:

2nd Team Quarterback:

Player School
Aaron Ardon Crossroads

2nd Team Running Back:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Chaylon Bowman Dallas Gateway
Hunter Merimon Italy 9 Soph RB
Coby Bland Italy 40 JR RB

2nd Team Tight End:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Cody Boyd Italy 15 JR TE

2nd Team Receivers:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Colten Hearrell Cayuga
Cota Wilburn Cayuga
Trey Hazelip Crossroads
Levi McBride Italy 1 Soph REC

2nd Team Linemen:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Ja’Shaun Epps Cayuga
Seth McGlavin Crossroads
Avery Harris Dallas Gateway
Cody Medrano Italy 75 SR OT
Kyle Fortenberry Italy 66 JR C
Bryer Duke Kerens

2nd Team Kicker:

Player School
Jovani Coranado Kerens

1st Team Defensive Awards:

1st Team Defensive Linemen:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Jayson Johnson Cayuga
Waylon Culpepper Crossroads
Bailey Walton Italy 54 SR DT
Kevin Roldan Italy 60 SR DE
Bryer Duke Kerens

1st Team Inside Linebacker:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Brett Whitten Cayuga
Justin Vaughan Crossroads
Shad Newman Italy 25 SR ILB
Aaron Foxworth Kerens

1st Team Outside Linebackers:

Player School
Dylan Schuman Itasca
Jovani Coronado Kerens
Payton Wallace Cayuga

1st Team Defensive Backs:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Raleigh Scilheimer Crossroads
Jaquin Bluitt Dallas Gateway
Tre Robertson Italy 3 SR S
Brett Anderson Kerens
Nate Betts Kerens

2nd Team Defensive Awards:

2nd Team Defensive Lineman:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
John Venable Cayuga
Jovan Toni Dallas Gateway
Colin Newman Italy 76 JR DT
Scott Williams Itasca
Quadre Duncan Kerens

2nd Team Inside Linebacker:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Jaylyn Wilson Cayuga
Chase Lopez Crossroads
Kevin Williams Dallas Gateway
Coby Bland Italy 40 JR ILB
Ben Maddox Itasca

2nd Team Outside Linebacker:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Blake Guldjord Cayuga
Cody Medrano Italy 75 SR OLB
Dylan Schuman Itasca
Jovani Coronado Kerens

2nd Team Defensive Backs:

Player School Jersey # Class Position
Colten Hearrell Cayuga
Cota Wilburn Cayuga
Trey Hazelip Crossroads
Cody Boyd Italy 15 JR CB
Ryan Connor Italy 7 Soph S/CB

2nd Team Punter:

Player School
Japuivon Bluitt Dallas Gateway

Honorable Mention All-District:

Italy:

Player Jersey # Class Position
Justin Wood 4 SR REC/LB
Clayton Miller 6 Soph REC
Ryan Connor 7 Soph REC
Tyler Anderson 11 SR QB
Shad Newman 25 SR RB
Tyler Vencill 65 JR OL/DL
Colin Newman 76 JR OL
Levi McBride 1 Soph DB
John Byers 56 JR DL
Kyle Fortenberry 66 JR LB

Cayuga:

Player Jersey # Class Position
John Vickery 12 SR QB
Kolby Radford 72 JR OL
Payton Wallace 11 SR WR
Bryson Shaw 77 Soph OL
Jimmy Pitts 1 JR DB
Keshawn Jackson 3 JR DB
Kegan Hollimon 4 JR DB

Kerens:

Player Jersey # Class Position
Jeremy Gould 4 JR WR
Dustin Jock 25 SR Punter
Samuel Williams 60 Soph DL
Logan Gordon 6 Soph LB
Tavian Hall 3 JR DT
Dakota Deheart 50 JR Deep Snap

Crossroads:

Player Jersey # Class Position
Chase Lopez 11 SR RB
Ty Jenkins 78 SR OL
Taylor McKenzie 44 Fresh REC
Garrett McCurley 22 SR DT
Tyler Johnson 23 Fresh LB

Gateway Charter:

Player Jersey # Class Position
Johnathan Allen 10 Soph WR
Kentrell Morrow 88 Soph WR
Mark Walker 72 JR OL
Isaac Bollin 73 JR OL
Nathaniel Bray 22 JR DB

Itasca:

Player Jersey # Class Position
Gabriel Macias #33 JR WR/DB
Darion Diggs 50 SR DL
Noah Karr 54 SR OL/DL
Sam Orr 55 SR OL/DL
Ben Maddoy 63 SR OL
Taylor Minyard 5 SR QB/DB

Congratulations to Coach Tindol, his staff, players and especially our seniors who put everything they had into this season and were well deserving of the all-district honors bestowed them.

Italy Pride!