HIGH-SCHOOL

Aledo standout Gray named player of year

Staff Writer
Amarillo Globe-News

DALLAS — Aledo’s Johnathan Gray probably won’t break the most hallowed record in Texas high school football. He’s leaving his mark on the sport anyway.

Gray was named the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Player of the Year on Friday, a day before he was to play his final prep game assured of being at least the second-most prolific running back in state history.

The Texas-bound Gray enters Saturday’s Class 4A Division II championship game with 10,648 career yards. That trails only Kenneth Hall, dubbed the Sugar Land Express when he rushed for 11,232 yards for his Houston-area school from 1950-53.

Aledo and Gray ended Randall’s season in the regional round, 42-14.

Gray would need 585 yards against Manvel at Cowboys Stadium to beat Hall’s record, but he has quite a few standards of his own, including a championship game mark of eight touchdowns when Aledo won its second straight state title in a 69-34 victory against La Marque last year.

The nominees for the player of the year award come from the 10 offensive and defensive players of the year on the five APSE all-state teams, which are voted on by sportswriters statewide.

“It’s one of those things that you have to give it to your teammates,” Gray said. “Without those guys, we couldn’t do it and I couldn’t do it.”

Earlier this year, Gray surpassed Hall as the highest-scoring player in state history. Now, he’s more than 300 points clear of Hall and has more than 200 career touchdowns.

He needs four touchdowns to break the state’s single-season scoring record set earlier this year by Devine’s Joseph Sadler.

“Not many kids have done what this kid’s done in high school,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said.

“He’s playing in I believe his 58th game, and he’s lost three of them.”

Other finalists this year were: Lake Travis defensive back Dane Balazs; Tenaha quarterback Reginald Davis; Ben Bolt linebacker Ivan Gonzalez; Longview linebacker DeMarkus Lathan; Dallas Roosevelt defensive back Patrick Levels; Refugio quarterback Travis Quintanilla; Devine running back Joseph Sadler; Refugio defensive lineman Donald Trevino; and Spring Dekaney running back Trey Williams.