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Jayden McNabb, Goshen

Dalton Jordan, Pike Lib

Khalil Foster, Pike County

Every football season, The Messenger’s coverage area is chock full of talented athletes and 2024 was no different as the All-Messenger Football Team demonstrates.

The 2024 Coach of the Year is Goshen High School’s Don Moore, who guided his Eagles to an 8-3 record and its first home first round playoff game in a decade. Moore took over Goshen in 2021 with the Eagles coming off an 0-9 record the previous year, the first winless season for GHS since 1972. Goshen went 1-9 in Moore’s first season but improved the 6-4 in 2022, 9-3 in 2023 and 8-3 in 2024. Goshen has also won at least one playoff game in each of the last two seasons.

Jayden McNabb, Goshen

One of the leaders of Moore’s Eagles is quarterback/defensive back Jayden McNabb, the 2024 All-Messenger Most Valuable Player. McNabb also earned All-State honors as an athlete this season. He threw for 752 yards and eight touchdowns on 42-of-68 passing with just three interceptions but was deadly in the running game. McNabb led The Messenger coverage area with 1,668 yards and 24 touchdowns on 165 rushing attempts.

McNabb is joined on the All-Messenger offense by Goshen running back Szemerick Andrews, offensive lineman Jacoby Brunson and receiver Tyler McLendon. Andrews finished his senior campaign with 1,096 yards and 18 touchdowns with an area-leading 12.5 yards per carry. McLendon caught 21 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Brunson graded at 94 percent as a blocker in 2024 with 54 pancakes on the season.

The All-Messenger Offensive Player of the Year is Pike Liberal Arts running back Dalton Jordan, who finished the season with 1,464 yards and 17 touchdowns on 199 carries. Jordan, who also earned All-State honors, is joined on the All-Messenger offense by Pike Lib offensive linemen Coy Bell and Brayden Pyron. Bell finished the season with 45 pancakes and a 90 percent blocking grade, while Pyron earned 55 pancakes with a 92 grade and just two sacks allowed.

Dalton Jordan, Pike Lib

The All-Messenger offense is rounded out by Charles Henderson offensive lineman Bubba Williams, Zion Chapel offensive lineman Gage Wambles, Pike County receiver Braylin Jackson, Charles Henderson tight end Noah Greene and Charles Henderson athlete Nemo Williams.

Jackson tallied 63 carries for 423 yards and five touchdowns along with 418 yards and five touchdowns on 24 catches. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. He earned 1,153 all-purpose yards on the season. Greene led Charles Henderson with 15 catches for 268 yards and a touchdown, while Williams was a force on both offense and defense. He rushed for 600 yards and nine touchdowns on 83 carries on offense, while recording 65 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Pike County senior defensive back Khalil Foster headlines the All-Messenger defense as the Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 69 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, an area-leading seven interceptions and eight pass breakups. Foster is joined on the All-Messenger defense by Pike County linebacker Quentavian Carter. Carter finished the season with 65 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss and four sacks.

Khalil Foster, Pike County

Representing Pike Lib on the All-Messenger defense is defensive lineman Rhodes Baker and linebacker Pruitt Vaughan. Baker tallied 130 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, and four sacks, while Vaughan led the area with 158 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, three sacks and one interception.

Representing Charles Henderson on the All-Messenger defense is defensive linemen Bubba Williams and Zarion Mack and defensive backs Terrence Thomas and Kameron Christian. Williams recorded 51 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks, while Mack earned 50 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. Thomas earned 25 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, a forced fumble and six pass breakups, while Christian totaled 35 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, six pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Brunson and linebacker Landon Chandler represent Goshen on the All-Messenger defense. Brunson earned 48 tackles, 10 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one safety from his defensive line position, while Chandler totaled 120 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss, one sack and three forced fumbles.

Representing Zion Chapel on the All-Messenger defense is defensive lineman Jackson Dowdy, linebacker Brayden Benbow, defensive back Joseph LeGear and athlete John Foster Hamm. Dowdy earned 109 tackles, an area-leading 15.5 tackles-for-loss, an area-high 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one touchdown and a safety. Benbow totaled 123 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and one interception, while LeGear earned 45 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups. Hamm was a leader in all three phases of the game for ZCHS. He earned 17 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, an interception and a fumble recovery on defense along with 719 yards passing and nine touchdowns passing and 386 yards and nine touchdowns rushing. He also connected on 7-of-8 PATs and averaged 33.1 yards per punt.

On the All-Messenger special teams, Goshen sophomore Zion Picatoste is the kicker, Pike County’s Arturo Perez-Hernandez is the punter and LeGear is the kick returner. Picatoste connected on 3-of-6 field goals and was 50-of-53 on PATs with 59 points on the season. He was also Goshen’s kickoff specialist and averaged 40 yards per punt. Perez-Hernandez also earned All-State honors as he averaged 40.5 yards per punt on 34 punts with 1,378 yards in total punt yardage. LeGear led the area with 713 yards and three touchdowns on kickoff returns.

2024 All-Messenger Football Team

OFFENSE
QB: Jayden McNabb, Sr., Goshen
RB: Szemerick Andrews, Sr., Goshen
RB: Dalton Jordan, Sr., Pike Lib
OL: Bubba Williams, Sr., Charles Henderson
OL: Gage Wambles, Jr., Zion Chapel
OL: Jacoby Brunson, Jr., Goshen
OL: Coy Bell, Sr., Pike Lib
OL: Brayden Pyron, Jr., Pike Lib
WR: Tyler McLendon, Sr., Goshen
WR: Braylin Jackson, Jr., Pike County
TE: Noah Greene, Sr., Charles Henderson
ATH: Nemo Williams, Sr., Charles Henderson

DEFENSE
DL: Rhodes Barker, Sr., Pike Lib
DL: Zarion Mack, Sr., Charles Henderson
DL: Bubba Williams, Sr., Charles Henderson
DL: Jacoby Brunson, Jr., Goshen
DL: Jackson Dowdy, Sr., Zion Chapel
LB: Pruitt Vaughan, Sr., Pike Lib
LB: Brayden Benbow, Jr., Zion Chapel
LB: Quentavian Carter, Sr., Pike County
LB: Landon Chandler, Sr., Goshen
DB: Khalil Foster, Sr., Pike County
DB: Terrence Thomas, Jr., Charles Henderson
DB: Joseph LeGear, Sr., Zion Chapel
DB: Kameron Christian, Sr., Charles Henderson
ATH: John Foster Hamm, Jr., Zion Chapel

SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Zion Picatoste, So., Goshen
P: Arturo Hernandez-Perez, Sr., Pike County
KR: Joseph LeGear, Sr., Zion Chapel

Coach of the Year: Don Moore, Goshen
Most Valuable Player: Jayden McNabb, Goshen
Offensive Player of the Year: Dalton Jordan, Pike Lib
Defensive Player of the Year: Khalil Foster, Pike County

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