10 Favorites for Mr. Football Just past the midpoint of the season, the race for Mr. Football is still wide open although some candidates have begun to separate themselves from the field. One common misconception is that players headed to the University of Kentucky have an inside track to the award. However, just one of the last seven winners has gone on to play for the Wildcats (Patrick Towles, 2011). Conner quarterback Drew Barker has committed to play at UK and appears to be the early favorite, but there is still a long way to go before they hand out the award. Here is a look at the top 10 candidates for Mr. Football – 10. Dylan Byrd (DeSales) – Byrd became the school’s all-time leading rusher earlier this year against Shawnee when he topped the 3,000-yard mark. Through six games, Byrd has rushed for 878 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also leads the Colts in catches and has returned a punt for a touchdown. Byrd averages 17 points a game, which is more than some teams. Byrd doesn’t get the publicity the other Louisville players may get, but he is easily one of Class 2A’s top players. 9. Jake Guhy (Mayfield) – Another player overshadowed by other players is Mayfield’s Jake Guhy. Many consider Caldwell County junior quarterback Elijah Sindelar to be the best quarterback in western Kentucky, but it’s Guhy who owns the hardware. In leading the Cardinals to the Class 1A state title last year, he threw for 2,852 yards and 34 touchdowns while throwing just one interception in 259 attempts. “He is truly a leader on and off the field,” said Mayfield head coach Joe Morris. “He knows our offense as well as anyone I’ve ever coached. He is like having an offensive coordinator on the field.” Guhy is having another stellar season, throwing for 1,388 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 69-percent of his passes. Off the field, Guhy is a 4.0 student. 8. Devin Taylor (West Jessamine) – Perhaps the most prolific rushers in the state is West Jessamine’s Devin Taylor. He led the state in rushing during the 2012 regular season and again tops the heap on 2013. Through six games, Taylor has rushed for 1,581 yards (264 per game) and 19 touchdowns. In a win over rival East Jessamine, Taylor rushed for 341 yards and three scores. He followed that up with 326 yards and three scores against Franklin County Sept. 27. With an absence of a leading Mr. Football contender in central Kentucky, Taylor should get enough votes to finish in the top five. 7. Charles Walker (St. Xavier) – Walker and West Jessamine’s Taylor are considered the state’s top rushers. While Walker hasn’t put up the monster numbers Taylor has, he has been a consistent cog in the Tiger offense, rushing for nearly 800 yards and 10 touchdowns. Walker rushed for 250 yards in a loss to Moeller, OH earlier this year and had 145 yards and two touchdowns in their season-opening win over Ballard. One thing hurting Walker’s chances to win Mr. Football is that he gets less than 20 touches a game on offense. 6. Tyler Guffey (Wayne County) – The dark horse of the bunch is Wayne County’s Tyler Guffey, who has the Cardinals off to one of their best starts in school history. “Tyler is a great kid with an amazing work ethic,” said head coach Shawn Thompson. “He will be the record holder in several different categories when his playing days are done.” Guffey is a dual-threat quarterback who has thrown for 1,514 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 61-percent of his passes. Guffey is also the team’s leading rusher with 374 yards and 11 touchdowns. He displayed uncanny accuracy in Wayne County’s 41-6 district win over Bell County, completing 9-of-12 passes for 274 yards and two scores while adding two more scores on the ground. In his career, Guffey has thrown for 5,273 yards and 52 touchdowns, while adding 1,600 rushing yards and 30 more TDs. “He is a great leader for our program, school, and community, and really gets involved with our youth here in Wayne County,” Thompson said. Guffey is also a top-10 performer at the state track meet in the shot put and discus throw. For 5 through 1 please visit us at: bluegrasspreps/ky-football-high/10-favorites-mr-262541.html
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 18:22:09 +0000
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