Lamb is coach of the year, a dozen other players honored

CELINA-A Bulldog sweep of the conference’s MVP awards highlighted a long list of Clay County football players honored when the All-Region 4-A Football Team was announced last week.

Senior quarterback Nolan Adams was anointed as the best player in the league when he was named the unanimous Region 4-A MVP, while two of his classmates joined him with superlative honors.

Reece Adams was named the Offensive MVP and Kolton Brown was awarded the Defensive MVP.

In addition to the MVP trio, senior Bryson Sharp was named the Defensive Lineman of the Year and junior Rolan Holaway the Offensive Lineman of the Year.

The team also received a total of 10 more all-region selections.

Seniors Waylon Cherry, Cole Eads, and Ethan Hayes, along with junior Cage Ashley and freshman Nehemiah Hamilton, were a part of the first team, while sophomore starters Isaiah Burnette, Cole Ledbetter, Jackson Ritter, Fletcher Strong, and Tucker Walker were named to the second team.

In addition to the players, Bulldog head coach Bruce Lamb was named the region’s Coach of the Year, after leading his team to an 11-2 record this season.

Nolan Adams set a new Bulldog single-season rushing record with 1,849 yards (18TDs) in 2025 and he scored a combined 30 touchdowns this season.  He also threw for 686 yards (10TDs), made 29 tackles, and had five defensive interceptions—including two he returned for touchdowns.

Reece Adams wasn’t far behind Nolan with a total of 1,446 yards (20TDs) rushing and he also became the program’s all-time leading tackler this season.  After setting the single-season tackle record as a junior, he recorded 104 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and two sacks, in his final campaign as a Bulldog.

Brown led Clay County in sacks with four, and he was the team’s second leading tackler with 64 stops, including 10 tackles for loss.  He also helped anchor an impressive Bulldog offensive line.

Sharp made 57 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and three sacks, and he also caught two touchdown passes this season.

Besides leading the way in the offensive line, Holaway also made 34 tackles on defense, including five tackles for loss and a sack.

Cherry was his team’s leading receiver with 21 catches for 319 yards and four touchdowns.  He also recorded a rushing score and had two kick off return touchdowns.

Eads also scored a receiving touchdown, made 39 tackles, and had three interceptions on defense, while Hayes triggered the Clay County offense from his center position throughout the season.

Ashley made 47 tackles (6TFL, 3 Sacks, 2INT) from his linebacker position, and Hamilton had an impact on both sides of the ball with 23 tackles and both receiving and rushing touchdowns.

Burnette started at outside linebacker on defense, Ledbetter saw significant action on both sides of the ball, Strong was a starting wide receiver, and both Ritter and Walker started in the offensive line.