2015 Herald All-Area Football Teams | Offense
Position: Quarterback
To his credit: Operating the Pirates' brutally efficient offense, Huesman got to show off his accuracy, completing 67.8 percent of his passes to lead all QBs in Manatee County while throwing for 14 TDs to only three interceptions. But the FIU commit didn't only connect on the short and intermediate passes, which defined Braden River's offense -- he also led the county with 10.3 yards per attempt and piloted a second straight undefeated regular season.
Lorenz Allen, sr., Manatee
Position: Running back
To his credit: At the end of the 2014 season, Allen seemed poised to be the Hurricanes' No. 3 running back for his senior season. Then Octavious James transferred to Palmetto and Johnnie Lang, last year's All-Area Offensive Player of the Year, was booted from the team. Allen ascended to the starting role and ran for 1,108 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was one of only three Manatee County running backs with 1,000 yards on the ground this season.
Raymond Thomas, jr., Braden River
Position: Running back
To his credit: Limited to only eight games by a torn ACL, Thomas still scored 16 TDs and compiled 954 yards of total offense. When Thomas was healthy there wasn't a more explosive running back in Manatee County. The junior ran for 755 yards on 91 carries, an average of 8.3.
Tarique Milton, jr., Manatee
Position: Wide receiver
To his credit: Milton came on strong during the second half for the Hurricanes, racking up at least 145 receiving yards in two of the Canes' last three games to finish with 595 yards despite only having six yards through his first two games. The junior, who battled an ankle injury early in the year, still finished with eight receiving touchdowns, tied with teammate Kavious Price for the most in Manatee County.
Reggie Carter, sr., Manatee
Position: Wide receiver
To his credit: Carter was the inverse of teammate Tarique Milton, starting the year strong to finish with 583 receiving yards and three TDs. The senior opened the season with 136- and 142-yard games, and went over 80 yards twice more. The Hurricanes had the three leading regular-season receivers in Manatee County.
Kavious Price, sr., Manatee
Position: Athlete
To his credit: Price led Manatee County with 40 catches, 738 yards and tied with teammate Tarique Milton for most receiving touchdowns in the county with eight. He was the only player to record a passing, rushing, receiving and kick-return TD this year, and he finished with 883 yards from scrimmage.
Ryan Neuzil, sr., Braden River
Position: Tight end
To his credit: Neuzil's best work for the Pirates came during their run to the Class 7A semifinal, but he was still far and away the most productive tight end in Manatee County during the regular season. The senior caught 13 passes for 256 yards and six TDs.
Josh Carden, sr., Manatee
Position: Offensive line
To his credit: The Hurricanes had the most productive offense in Manatee County and for the second straight year Carden was in the center of it. The senior center helped pave the way for a 1,000-yard rusher and a dual-threat quarterback who led the county in passing yards.
Alex Salguero, sr., Braden River
Position: Offensive line
To his credit: Anchoring the best offensive line in Manatee County from right tackle, Salguero mauled his way to a scholarship with Marshall, and the Pirates to a perfect regular season and spot in the Class 7A semifinals. BRHS finished second among all public schools in total offense and rushing yards despite missing its top running back for the final two games of the year.
Joshua Williams, sr., Braden River
Position: Offensive line
To his credit: The smallest of the Pirates' five starting offensive linemen, Farley was still one of BRHS' most reliable. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound guard was one of four senior starters on Braden River's offensive line which helped pave the way for 1,860 rushing yards during the regular season. Four different running backs had games with at least 75 yards for the Pirates this season.
Brett Farley, sr., Braden River
Position: Offensive line
To his credit: One of four senior starters on the Pirates' offensive line, Farley helped guide BRHS to the best season in program history. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound tackle protected Jacob Huesman's blind side all season and the quarterback was only sacked seven times in 10 games during the regular season.
Sam Jackson, jr., Lakewood Ranch
Position: Offensive line
To his credit: Despite a shaky quarterback situation, the Mustangs still produced a 1,000-yard rusher in Justin Fischer thanks largely to a solid offensive line. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound junior broke out at left tackle for Ranch this season and has picked up offers from Miami and South Florida.
Nickolas Null, sr., Manatee
Position: Kicker
To his credit: The senior was perfect on 44 extra points this season and made 4-of-7 field-goal attempts, including a game-winner against rival Palmetto. In the Class 8A-Region 2 quarterfinal against Orlando Oak Ridge, Null sunk a career-long 52-yarder for one of his four field goals.
Second team:
QB -- A.J. Colagiovanni, jr., Manatee
RB -- Justin Fischer, sr., Lakewood Ranch
RB -- Octavious James, sr., Palmetto
WR -- Brandon Luckett, sr., Palmetto
WR -- Kevin Etienne, soph., Bradenton Christian
TE -- Owen Han, sr., Out-of-Door Academy
ATH -- Fred Billy, soph., Saint Stephen's
OL -- Seth Walter, jr., Manatee
OL -- James Kinley, sr., Palmetto
OL -- Christian Kalish, jr., Palmetto
OL -- Blake Greene, sr., Southeast
OL -- Gabe Overmeyer, sr., Lakewood Ranch
K -- Kyle Thoma, sr., Braden River
Honorable mentions:
MANATEE -- Sam Cuva, sr., OL
BRADEN RIVER -- Deshaun Fenwick, soph., RB; Jaylin Austin, sr., RB/WR; Dexter Hodo, sr., RB/WR; Travis Williams, sr., WR
PALMETTO -- Jack Allison, sr., QB; Azavion Smith, sr., WR
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Trevor Losada, sr., WR; Mickey Koczersut, soph., TE
SOUTHEAST -- Tyler Stevenson, soph., RB/WR, Michael Davis, sr., OL
BAYSHORE -- A'Shawn Angell, sr., RB
BRADENTON CHRISTIAN -- Dominick Otteni, jr., QB; Josh Ingram, soph., OL
SAINT STEPHEN'S -- Demetrius Davis, soph., RB; Alex Virgilio, sr., RB/K; Jake Westberry, sr., OL
OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY -- Austin Brinling, fr., WR; Kendall Johnson, soph., WR; Todd Humphrey, sr., OL
CARDINAL MOONEY -- Vinny Conetta, jr., RB/WR
This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "2015 Herald All-Area Football Teams | Offense ."