Six Webbers Falls football players make All-District B-5 Team; QB named an All-Star, with lineman an alternate All-Star

Six Webbers Falls Warriors football players were named to the All-District B-5 Team for 2023.

Quarterback Maddux Shelby was not only named to the All-District Team, but he also was named an 8-Man All-Star — which makes him eligible to be named to the 2024 8-Man All-Star Football Game next summer.

Defensive back Dylan Young, linebacker Aiden Turley, offensive linemen Ryan Cowan and Ben Ward and place-kicker/allpurpose player Spencer Thao also made the first-team all-district. Ward also was named an alternate 8-Man All-Star, which would make him a candidate to play in next summer’s 8-Man All-Star Game should someone selected to play be unable to due to an injury or a prior engagement.

Shelby rushed for 2,589 yards and 43 touchdowns, while passing for 907 yards and 11 TDs. Defensively, he had 99 tackles, 62 solo, and 13 tackles for loss to go with a quarterback sack, three interceptions, two caused fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Young had 47 tackles, 35 of which were solo, and two tackles for loss to go with five INTs and a fumble recovery. On offense, he had six catches for 226 yards and three touchdowns.

Turley recorded 58 tackles, 33 solo, and had three tackles for loss to go with one-half of a QB sack, two INTs and a caused fumble. Offensively, he rushed for 461 yards and scored seven touchdowns, while catching four passes for 22 yards.

While Cowan was named to the All-District B-5 Team as an offensive lineman, Cowan had 17 tackles, nine solo, with a tackle for loss to go with a QB sack and a fumble recovery on defense.

Ward had one carry on offense this season for nine yards, but he recorded 33 tackles, with 26 of those solo, and eight tackles for loss to go with a QB sack.

Thao rushed for four yards and two carries and a TD and hit 90 kickoffs with eight of those going for touchbacks. He hit six extra points and a field goal. All total, he scored 15 points. On defense, he amassed 30 tackles, with 16 of those solo, and three tackles for loss to go with a QB sack.

The Warriors were 9-3 on the season and made it to the second round of the Class B playoffs before being eliminated by Weleetka, who knocked out the Warriors with a 64-18 victory Nov. 17 in Weleetka.