The First Team All-Western Kentucky Conference Football Team was recognized at its annual banquet Wednesday at Christian County Middle School.
Coaches voted on players at each position based on regular season play regardless of school size.
Mayfield led the way with five selections, and Union County had four.
FIRST TEAM ALL-WKC OFFENSE
QB – Union County junior Cannon Sheffer threw for 1,762 yards and 20 interceptions against only three interceptions in leading the Braves to a 10-2 record. He also added five rushing touchdowns. Although not factored into his nod as All-WKC quarterback, Sheffer led Union County with 114 tackles on defense, including 13.5 for loss. He also recovered three fumbles.
RB – Mayfield senior Kylan Galbreath ran for 1,660 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Cardinals, capping a career that saw him rush for 4,261 yards and 53 touchdowns. Galbreath, who has signed with Murray State University, also caught 10 passes for 184 yards in the 2021 season with three touchdowns.
RB – Clint McKee racked up 1,634 rushing yards for Graves County in 2021 and ran for 32 touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 200 yards and a score. For his Eagle career, McKee ran for 4,945 yards and 62 touchdowns.
WR – Hopkinsville junior Daisjaun Mercer had over 40-percent of the Tigers’ receptions in 2021. He hauled in 44 passes for 1.127 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 108 yards and a touchdown.
WR – Brian Thomas took full advantage of his fifth year at Paducah Tilghman with a team-leading 56 catches for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns in helping lead the Blue Tornado to the Class 3A state championship game.
WR – Union County junior Kris Hughes led the Braves with 49 catches for 910 yards and 12 touchdowns – averaging 82 receiving yards a game.
OL – Union County senior Davis Pike led an offensive line that averaged 32 points, 174 yards passing, and 147 passing yards a game for the 10-2 Braves.
OL – Murray High implemented a new offense under coach Darren Bowling with senior Mekhi Hudspeth leading the way. Murray averaged 37 points and 315 rushing yards a game in 2021.
OL – Caldwell County junior Drew Davis was part of an offensive line that helped the balanced Tiger offense average 21 points and 246 yards of offense a night.
OL – Kaleb Butler, a senior at Mayfield High, anchored the line for a Cardinal offense that averaged 42 points a game. Mayfield averaged 189 rushing yards, 165 passing yards, and 354 yards a night.
OL – Paducah Tilghman’s Melvin Puckett is the lone sophomore named to the All-WKC First Team. He was part of a unit that helped the Blue Tornado average 33 points, 123 rushing yards, and 210 passing yards per game as Tilghman advanced to the Class 3A state title game.
K – Caldwell County senior Blake Vivrette was 22 of 26 on extra points and seven of 10 on field goals, with two of his FGs from 40 yards or longer. Vivrette also averaged 53 yards per kickoff.
FIRST TEAM ALL-WKC DEFENSE
DL – Senior Leandre Bolen Jr. of McCracken County tied for the team lead in tackles and led the Mustangs with eight sacks and eight tackles for loss. He also had four takeaways – two fumble recoveries and two interceptions – from his defensive line position.
DL – Elijah Shaheen, a senior from Caldwell County, led the Tigers in tackles and sacks with seven. He also had 20 tackles for loss which was second on the team.
DL – A two-way starter for Crittenden County, senior Dylan Yates was among the team leader in tackles. His 21 tackles for loss in 12 games led the Rockets and his six sacks were second on the team.
DL – Senior Iverson King of Union County face double teams most of the year. He still managed 86 tackles, a team-best 14 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He also forced four fumbles and recovered three.
LB – Nathan Watkins led Mayfield in tackles with 76, with 40 of them solo tackles. He also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss
LB – McCracken County senior Isaiah Keys was among the Mustang team leaders in tackles and recorded two sacks during the season.
LB – Trigg County senior Kendric Adams was in the top-three on the team in tackles and had two sacks along with five tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles.
DB – Daisjaun Mercer of Hopkinsville is the only player to earn First Team All-WKC honors on both sides of the football. He added to his school-record total of interceptions with six more in 2021, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Mercer has 18 career picks. The state record is 34 by Steve Shaw of Iroquois from 1979-81. However, he ranks fourth for career interceptions in WKC history.
DB – Cam Marshall led Paducah Tilghman with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. His 74 tackles were third-most for the Blue Tornado in 2021.
DB – Mayfield senior Daniel Coles led the Cardinals in takeaways with eight. He had four interceptions, with two of them pick-sixes. He also recovered four fumbles and had four tackles for loss.
DB – Tre Barnes, a senior for Mayfield, had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He also recorded 19 tackles in 12 games.
P – Zander Mayes split time for McCracken County as a receiver and punter but still managed to put up one of the top punting averages in western Kentucky in 2021.
