Unprecedented would be a good way to describe the top honorees on the Class 1A All-South Plains football team, both in what they accomplished personally and as a team.

Three 1A team — Olton, New Deal and Springlake-Earth — played at least three rounds deep in the postseason in 2009, with the Lions going one round further. To do so, each team had to have its share of top talent, and the best of the best from those teams highlight this year’s postseason honors.

Gunslinging quarterback Bobby Wayne Workman earns the nod as the 1A Offensive Player of the year after finishing in the top three in the state in Class 1A in passing yards (2, 120), touchdown passes (21) and total offense (2,699).

New Deal safety Stephen Bryant, a TCU commitment, is the Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Lions to the Division I regional final. Playing much of the year with an injured shoulder, Bryant still recorded 78 tackles, six interceptions, four pass deflections, three caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

In terms of surprise, however, no team went further than the Springlake-Earth Wolverines, who, while expected to fight for a playoff spot, zoomed past the competition to dominated District 5-1A and earn the league crown. That earns head coach Stan Caffey this year’s honor as 1A Coach of the Year.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bobby Wayne Workman, QB, Olton
6-0, 150, Sr.
Workman ranked in the top three in the state among Class 1A QBs in passing touchdowns (21), yards (2,120) and total offense (2,699) while leading the Mustangs to a third-round appearance in the playoffs.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Stephen Bryant, S, New Deal
6-5, 220, Sr.
Despite dealing with a shoulder injury the latter half of the season, Bryant was still the most dominant defensive force on the field. The TCU commitment recorded 78 tackles, six interceptions, four pass deflections, caused three fumbles and recovered two others.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Stan Caffey, Springlake-Earth
It wasn’t completely out of nowhere, but Springlake-Earth exceeded many experts’ expectations to run away wit the District 5-1A crown and go three rounds deep in the playoffs. Caffey molded a solid roster of talent into a cohesive unit.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback
Blake Betz, Springlake-Earth
5-10, 175, Jr.
If not for Workman at Olton, Betz might have been player of the year after his effort in leading the Wolverines to the postseason. Bets completed 149 of 232 passes for 2,185 yards and 21 touchdowns, and also rushed for 505 yards.

Running back
Jirus Davis, Seagraves
5-10, 215, Sr.
Seagraves had, without a doubt, the best rushing offense in the area in Class 1A, and Davis was the main cog in that unit. He rushed for 1,591 yards on 150 carries and scored 23 touchdowns for a group that averaged 351 rushing yards per game.

Larry Dennis, New Deal
5-9, 145, Sr.
A year after it was running back by committee, Dennis picked up the bulk of the rushing yardage for the Lions, which averaged 311 yards per game. Dennis finished the regular season with 1,272 yards on 100 carries with 20 touchdowns.

Receiver
Ryan Nieto, Olton
5-7, 155, Sr.
Olton’s air-it-out approach required the service of a talented receiver, and Nieto fit the bill perfectly. He caught 57 passes for 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 18.0 yards per catch.

Mason Elam, Sundown
6-1, 170, Sr.
In terms of on-field success, it was a down season for the Roughnecks, but they still boasted some solid players. Elam was one of the top pass-catchers in the area, finishing with 35 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns.

Isaya Garcia, Springlake-Earth
5-10, 160, Sr.
Betz’s success at quarterback also meant that Garcia would be at the top of most leaderboards. Garcia caught 32 passes for 618 yards and six touchdowns for a unit that averaged 162.4 passing yards per night.

Offensive line
Spencer Scott, New Deal
6-2, 300, Jr.
New Deal’s offensive dominance on a nightly basis can be directly attributed to a solid offensive line, led by the junior Scott. He graded at 98 percent on the year with 53 pancake blocks.

Dyllon Smith, Olton
6-3, 280, Sr.
Smith anchored an offensive line that provided Workman a solid pocket to work from most of the season. That unit averaged 330 yards and 31 points per game and allowed just four sacks in 265 passing attempts.

Joey Pena, Seagraves
5-10, 205, Sr.
Seagraves’ powerful rushing attack meant a solid group of front, and Pena was the anchor of an offensive line that averaged 363 yards per game.

Mitchell James, Ralls
5-11, 190, Sr.
Ralls’ run-oriented offense under coach Tim James took some solid strides in 2009, and Mitchell James helped lead a group that averaged 240 yards per game by grading at 93 percent at tackle.

Jacob Brink, Plains
5-11, 235, Sr.
Plains had one of the top offenses in the area and finished with a trip to the playoffs. Brink was the anchor of an offensive line that averaged 298 yards per game by grading at 90 percent with 30 pancake blocks.

Kicker
Javier Villanueva, Olton
5-7, 150, Soph.
It wasn’t often that Olton’s scoring drives ended short of touchdowns, but when they did, Villanueva was there, hitting on three of 5 field goals with a long of 34 while connecting on 35 of 40 PAT kicks.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Linemen
Hunter Berry, Sundown
5-11, 175, Jr.
Berry was a standout two-way player for the Roughnecks and really made his presence felt on defense, where he recorded 83 tackles, 38 solo, eight for losses, four sacks, eight QB hurries, three caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Patrick Martinez, Sr., Seagraves
6-3, 300, Sr.
As good as the Eagles were on offense, they were just as good on defense, allowing just 199.9 yards per game. Martinez led the unit up front, recording 40 solo tackles, 30 solo, with two fumble recoveries, two caused fumbles and six tackles for losses.

Ends
Mathew Russell, New Deal
6-2, 185, Jr.
The two-time District 6-1A MVP didn’t disappoint as a junior, leading the Lions to the district title and guiding a group that allowed under 100 yards per game in the regular season. He had 88 tackles, 16 sacks, caused seven fumbles and recovered three.

Seth Pinkerton, Olton
6-1, 170, Jr.
With all the numbers the offense put up, the Olton defense was sometimes overlooked, even though it gave up only 264 yards per game. Pinkerton was one of the leaders of the defense, finishing with 34 solo tackles, 15 for losses, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries.

Linebackers
Devin Johnson, Springlake-Earth
5-11, 173, Jr.
One of the more dominant defensive forces on the South Plains, Johnson was a huge reason behind the Wolverines’ allowing just 202 yards per game. Johnson recorded 116 solo tackles, 78 assists, with an interception, a fumble recovery, a sack and four fumbles caused.

BJ Davis, Sudan
6-8, 215, Sr.
Davis backed up his physical presence and size with physical play from his spot in the Hornets’ defense, finishing with 72 solo tackles and 43 assists with a sack, an interception, two fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles.

Garrett Mayo, New Deal
6-4, 185, Jr.
Mayo was one of the driving forces for a defensive unit that allowed just 93.6 yards per game during the regular season. He finished with 113 tackles, seven sacks, three caused fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three passes deflected.

Secondary
Hunter Haley, Lubbock Christian
6-3, 190, Sr.
In addition to being an outstanding offensive player, Haley was a force on defense as well, finishing with 63 tackles and leading a group that allowed just 164.8 rushing yards per game.

Hector Perez, Seagraves
6-1, 165, Sr.
Perez was one of the better run stoppers in the area in addition to shutting down opponents passing games. He finished with 70 solo tackles, 20 assists, two fumble recoveries, five tackles for losses, five interceptions and four passes knocked down.

Jeremy Barnes, Sundown
6-0, 165, Sr.
Barnes was a ball hawk in the secondary for the Roughnecks, who allowed just 236 yards per game. Barnes finished the year with 86 tackles, 37 solo, with four tackles for losses, 11 passes knocked down, three interceptions, four fumbles caused and one recovered.

Hunter Green, Olton
6-1, 160, Jr.
Green was just as much a force in the running game as he was stopping the pass. He had just one interception but finished the year with 51 total tackles, including 31 solo, on a unit that allowed just over 100 passing yards per game.

Punter
Edwin Duarte, Springlake-Earth
6-3, 180, Sr.
Duarte was a solid offensive weapon for the Wolverines. On the year he hit on five of six field goals with along of 40 and was a stellar 34 of 35 on PAT kicks while consistently kicking the ball off inside the 5-yard line.

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Jason Durham, Sr., Sundown
Running back: Michael Sanders, Jr., LCHS; Miguel Velasquez, Jr., Ralls
Receivers: Pecos Martin, Soph., Olton; Tim Rodriguez, Sr., Sundown; Jalen Moore, Soph., LCHS
Offensive line: Brice Benge, Soph., LCHS; JJ Nunez, Jr., New Deal; Colby Conner, Soph., Springlake-Earth; Travis Thompson, Sr., Seagraves; Walter Kemp, Sr., Lockney
Kicker: Edwin Duarte, Sr., Springlake-Earth
DEFENSE
Linemen: Tanner Thomason, Jr., Plains; Robert Uballe, Jr., New Deal
Ends: Cale McCray, Jr., New Deal; Ben Gresham, Sr., Springlake-Earth
Linebacker: Tanner Neinast, Sr., Olton; Jonathan Madrigal, Sr., Hale Center; Garrett Carter, Soph., Sundown
Secondary: Chase McAlpin, Jr., Sundown; Ryan Nieto, Sr., Olton; Louis Peralez, Sr., Lockney; Neiko Garcia, Jr., Tahoka
Punter: Jonathan Madrigal, Sr., Hale Center