The Franklin Free Press announces its 2025 All-Franklin County Football Team
The Franklin Free Press is pleased to announce its 2025 All-Franklin County Football Team:
First Team Offense
QB: Hayston Scott, Jr., Phil Campbell
RB: Jaxon Vinson, Sr., Red Bay
RB: Braxton Downey, Soph., Phil Campbell
OL: Tyrese Wilson, Sr., Russellville
OL: Jeremy Velez, Sr., Russellville
OL: Rhett Lockhart, Sr., Red Bay
OL: Carson McGee, Jr., Red Bay
OL: Brady Williams, Jr., Phil Campbell
WR: Davien Colburn, Soph., Red Bay
WR: Connor Devaney, Sr., Russellville
WR: Austin Elliott, Jr., Phil Campbell
TE: Hagen Raper, Sr., Phil Campbell
First Team Defense
DL: Dylan Barber, Sr., Belgreen
DL: Daniel Aycock, Jr., Russellville
DL: Patrick Johnson, Jr., Russellville
LB: Keifer Hallmark, Jr., Russellville
LB: Braxton Duncan, Soph., Russellville
LB: Ethan Hallman, Sr., Phil Campbell
LB: Jaxon Vinson, Sr., Red Bay
DB: Chandler Benford, Jr., Phil Campbell
DB: Jaxon Swann, Jr., Red Bay
DB: Ben Pounders, Sr., Russellville
DB: Darron Jones, Soph., Russellville
First Team Special Teams
K/P: Carson McGee, Jr., Red Bay
KR/PR: Jaxon Swann, Jr., Red Bay
Second Team Offense
QB: Whit Goodwin, Soph., Russellville
RB: Tarus Davis, Jr., Russellville
RB: Cody McCluskey, Soph., Tharptown
FB: Logan Cooper, Sr., Phil Campbell
OL: Angel Morales, Jr., Belgreen
OL: Ty Hamilton, Soph., Belgreen
OL: Colton Patterson, Soph., Red Bay
OL: Lucia Dircia, Sr., Tharptown
OL: Zach Sparks, Sr., Vina
WR: Bryson Cooper, Sr., Russellville
WR: Jaxon Swann, Jr., Red Bay
TE: Daniel Aycock, Jr., Russellville
Second Team Defense
DL: Lucia Dircia, Sr., Tharptown
DL: Rhett Lockhart, Sr., Red Bay
DL: Hayden Sartain, Soph., Red Bay
LB: Logan Alexander, Soph., Belgreen
LB: Cody Sneed, Jr., Phil Campbell
LB: Aiden Pruitt, Sr., Red Bay
LB: Hagen Raper, Sr., Phil Campbell
DB: Branson Vick, Soph., Vina
DB: Davien Colburn, Soph., Red Bay
DB: Zed Wilson, 8th, Belgreen
DB: Miguel Willingham, Sr., Belgreen
Honorable Mentions
QB: Jeremiah Thorne, Sr., Red Bay
QB: Rush Berryman, Soph., Belgreen
RB: Joshua Thorne, Soph., Red Bay
OL: Jackson Cooper, Soph., Phil Campbell
TE: Aiden Pruitt, Sr., Red Bay
KR/PR: Ben Pounders, Sr., Russellville
KR/PR: Chandler Benford, Jr., Phil Campbell
Franklin County Coach of the Year: Tyler Jeffreys, Red Bay (1st season)
The 2025 Franklin Free Press All-Franklin County Football Team was selected by the FFP staff based on nominations made by the head coaches from each school. The Coach of the Year award was voted on by the coaches.
This year’s First Team Offense was led by Phil Campbell junior quarterback Hayston Scott, who threw for 1,784 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns over the course of 11 games giving him 2,833 total yards of offense. At the end of the regular season, Scott had the fifth-most total yards in all classifications, 1A-7A, in Alabama.
At the running back position it is Red Bay senior Jaxon Vinson and PCHS sophomore Braxton Downey who landed on the First Team.
Vinson was the Tigers’ most productive player scoring 26 rushing touchdowns, the most in the county by a large margin. The senior, who lost just one fumble all season, finished his final campaign with the Tigers with 2,038 yards on 222 carries, good for a 9.2 average. He also added a receiving touchdown, giving him 27 total.
Downey, behind his quarterback, was second on his team in rushing yards with 887 and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 13—that total only surpassed by Vinson among backs. His average of 6.8 yards per carry was second-best among running backs in the county, as well.
On the First Team offensive line are a pair of Russellville seniors, Tyrese Wilson and Jeremy Velez, who graded out in the 90s in both run blocking and pass protection for the Golden Tigers this season.
A duo of Red Bay linemen, senior Rhett Lockhart and junior Carson McGee, also made it. Lockhart and McGee paved the way for their running back Vinson and the Tigers’ other rushers—RBHS ended the season with 3,270 yards on the ground and averaged 8.1 yards per rush.
Rounding out the First Team offensive line is Phil Campbell junior Brady Williams, who led the Bobcats in pancake blocks. He was a team captain and led the unit that paved the way for 2,419 rushing yards this season.
Three wide receivers and a tight end round out the First Team offense.
Red Bay’s Davien Colburn, a sophomore, was the Tigers’ top offensive threat in the passing game. Colburn finished the season with 35 catches for 652 yards (18.1 yards per catch) and eight receiving touchdowns. He also did his part with the rushing attack, carrying the ball 18 times for 256 yards and a touchdown.
Russellville senior Connor Devaney was his quarterback’s top target. Devaney, who finished with a team-high 60 receptions—nearly triple that of any other target—had 643 yards receiving and five touchdowns for the Golden Tigers.
Phil Campbell sophomore Austin Elliott finished with 57 receptions and led all county receivers with 925 yards receiving this season and a team-high 10 touchdown catches. At the end of the regular season, Elliott had the third-most receiving yards in Class 3A.
PCHS tight end Hagen Raper finished the year with 19 receptions for 414 yards and six touchdowns.
On the First Team defense are three defensive linemen, four linebackers, and four defensive backs.
Belgreen senior defensive lineman Dylan Barber was the lone Bulldog to land on the First Team. Barber led BHS’ defensive efforts with the team-high in sacks and averaged seven tackles per game.
Russellville juniors Patrick Johnson and Daniel Aycock were the First Team’s other two DL selections with Aycock playing a hybrid role. Johnson led the Golden Tigers with 4.5 sacks and finished the year with 43 total tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Aycock recorded 63 total tackles, two sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and one interception.
RHS also had two players earn First Team spots at the linebacker position. Sophomore Braxton Duncan and junior Keifer Hallmark were tackling machines with 147 and 141 total tackles, respectively; easily the two most tackles in Franklin County. Duncan also added 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions. Hallmark had 4.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.
Phil Campbell’s Ethan Hallman was the third of the four linebackers chosen for the First Team. The senior recorded 76 total tackles—37 were solo—a forced fumble, two sacks, and nine tackles for loss.
Red Bay’s Jaxon Vinson, the only player to make the First Team offense and defense this season, finished with 88 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
At defensive back, the Golden Tigers had two more players land on the First Team, giving them six total on the First Team defense. Senior Ben Pounders recorded 70 total tackles, including 43 solo tackles, from his spot in the secondary and also had an interception. His teammate, sophomore Darron Jones, led the team in interceptions with four and returned two of those for touchdowns. Jones also added 28 total tackles and a tackle for loss.
Chandler Benford was Phil Campbell’s pick on the First Team defense. The junior defensive back recorded 50 solo tackles and 22 assists for 72 total tackles. Benford added a scoop-and-score, three interceptions, a tackle for loss, and six pass breakups to his resume, as well.
Rounding out the First Team defense is Red Bay junior Jaxon Swann, who finished with 53 total tackles, three TFLs, and two caused fumbles.
This year’s First Team Special Teams unit consisted of Red Bay punter Carson McGee and the Tigers’ returner, Jaxon Swann.
The Franklin Free Press County Coach of the Year, Tyler Jeffreys, selected by his fellow coaches, orchestrated a complete turnaround of the Red Bay football program in his first season in charge, taking the Tigers from 2-9 last year to a 9-3 season in 2025. Under Jeffreys, RBHS went undefeated in region play to win its first region title since 2019, went unbeaten at home in the regular season, and hosted and won its first playoff game at Fred Bostick Jr. Stadium in five years.