2015 Herald All-Area Football Team | Defense
Herald All-Area football team: Defense
David Belvin, sr., Palmetto
Position: Defensive line
To his credit: A repeat selection, the defensive end has been one of the area's most disruptive forces. He had 21 tackles for loss to give him 35 for the past two years and registered a team high 5.5 sacks to give him 10 total. The FAU commit was second on the team with 63 tackles, including 18 solos. He had two blocked kicks, one forced fumble and a TD catch.
Teriq Houston, soph., Southeast
Position: Defensive line
To his credit: The 5-10, 220 pound sophomore was a terror off the edge ranking second for the Seminoles with 20 tackles for loss and tied for third with 5.5 sacks. He was third with 65 tackles overall that included 36 solos, was credited with eight quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one pass defended.
Tony Collins, sr., Manatee
Position: Defensive line
To his credit: The 6-0, 268 pound defensive tackle was uncanny with his ability to cause havoc. He finished with 19 tackles for losses. Overall he had 57 tackles and one interception. Collins played an instrumental role in Manatee's 36-35 victory over Palmetto racking up four tackles for loss and 11 solo tackles.
Matt Mackey, sr., Manatee
Position: Defensive line
To his credit: The 6-0, 225 pound defensive end led the Hurricanes with seven sacks and was tied for the team lead with 19 tackles for loss. He amassed 48 tackles including 41 solos and had some of his best games against the best competition, getting four tackles for loss against Palmetto and two sacks against Oak Ridge in the playoffs.
Matt Kissell, sr., Manatee
Position: Linebacker
To his credit: The 6-1, 205-pound senior led Manatee with 74 tackles, including 50 solos. He had nine tackles for loss, two sacks, three QB hurries and a fumble recovery. He reached double-digit tackles in four games with a season-high 13 against Newsome and had 10 each against Palmetto and Tallahassee Lincoln.
Dequan Williams, jr., Southeast
Position: Linebacker
To his credit: The 6-0, 192 pounder excelled at disrupting offenses. He led the Seminoles with 28 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hurries while forcing two fumbles, getting five pass deflections, an interception and one fumble recovery. He finished the season with 61 tackles, including 44 solos. In the Noles' district clinching win over Booker had four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Ronnie McClellan, sr. Braden River
Position: Linebacker
To his credit: A repeat first teamer, the 5-10, 190-pound senior exceeded his performance last year when he helped lead Braden River to its first undefeated regular season. Always around the ball, he led the Pirates with 102 tackles, including 66 solos surpassing last year's 80 tackles and 50 solos. He had 14 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, including a pick six and one forced fumble.
Henry Bradley, jr. Palmetto
Position: Linebacker
To his credit: At 5-9, 222 pounds, Bradley might not serem imposing, but on the football field things change drastically. The junior led Palmetto with 87 tackles and 31 solos and was second with 15 tackles for loss. He recorded 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and had one fumble recovery and one interception. He had 11 or more tackles in five games, including 12 tackles and a sack against Braden River.
Paul Mobley, sr., Manatee
Position: Defensive back
To his credit: The 5-10, 160 cornerback was a ball hawk, who combined good coverage skills with his physical style of play. He led the Hurricanes with three blocked punts, had two fumble recoveries, two pass deflections and one interception. He was solid in the open field with 33 solo tackles and finished with 35 tackles.
Derrick Bradley, soph, Southeast
Position: Defensive back
To his credit: One of the most disruptive defensive backs in the area, Bradley led the Noles with 11 pass deflections and tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles. He blocked two field goal attempts, picked off three passes, which he returned for a total of 55 yards, had one sack and one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery. He led Southeast's group of defensive backs with 52 total tackles and had four tackles for loss.
Tyrone Collins, soph., Braden River
Position: Defensive back
To his credit: The 6-0, 170-pound sophomore spearheaded a Braden River defensive unit that picked off 27 total passes and had an additional 53 pass breakups. Collins was the focal point with six interceptions for 81 yards, including a touchdown. He had an astonishing 21 pass breakups, recorded one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and had 61 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Demetrius Lawson, jr. Braden River
Position: Defensive back
To his credit: Tall, long and quick with a big wingspan, the 6-1, 170-pound junior was a quarterback's nightmare for Braden River. He led the Pirates ball-hawking defense with a team-high seven total interceptions that he returned for a combined 103 yards. He was credited with four pass breakups, had one fumble recovery and notched 30 tackles.
SECOND TEAM:
DB: Bobby Harrison, jr., Saint Stephens'
DB: Isyah Funk, sr. Palmetto
DB: Travon Rumph, sr., Manatee
DB: Jo Jo Louis, sr., Braden River
LB: Jon Locke, jr., Southeast
LB: Emilio Gonzalez, sr., Manatee
LB: Josh Tarwoe, sr., Bayshore
LB: Brett Gerber, soph., Bradenton Christian
DL: Mahlik Mills, sr., Manatee
DL: Deqwunn McCobb, jr., Braden River
DL: Jake Westberry, sr., Saint Stephens
DL: Dylan Tyson, sr., Braden River
DL: Cameron Koehler, sr., Lakewood Ranch
HONORABLE MENTION:
BRADENTON CHRISTIAN- Jake Geis, sr., DL
BAYSHORE- Larry Williams, sr., DL, Jackie Garvin, sr., DL
BRADEN RIVER- Noah Arce, jr., LB, Anthony Moore, sr., DB, Paul Wiggins, jr., LB, Chase Kopf, soph., LB.
MANATEE- Jacob Main, jr., DB, Garrett Ware, jr., LB, Nelson Domingue, sr., LB, Sir Williams, soph., DB.
OUT-OF-DOOR-ACADEMY- Chris McCarthy, jr. DL, Todd Humphrey, sr., DL
PALMETTO- Ian Pittman, sr., DL, Alonzo Houston soph., DL, Maka Matelau, sr., LB, Zach Wyatt, jr., DL, Deandre Washington, sr., DL, Thaddeus Johnson, sr., DB
SAINT STEPHENS- Lethario Jones, jr., DB, Jett Gillum, soph., LB
SOUTHEAST- Ricardo Rodriguez, sr. K, Zach Hughes, sr., LB, Blake Green, sr., DL, Lee Martin, soph., DB.
This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "2015 Herald All-Area Football Team | Defense ."