WHITMIRE — Five Whitmire High School seniors — Daquan Agnew, Noah Armstrong, Colton Evans, Culan Means and Devin Vo — have been named to the 2016 Class A Region I All Region Football Team.
The All Region team is chosen by the coaches within the Region, which includes Calhoun Falls Charter, Dixie High School, McCormick High School, Ware Shoals High School and Whitmire High School.
The coaches met in Greenwood where they voted the All Region team as well as Region Coach of the Year and Player of the Year.
“For a player or a coach, I hold the All Region Team in high regard,” said Whitmire Head Coach Charlie Jenkins. “The coaches in your region, the men who watch all your games in person as they play you, and on video as they prepare to play you, have selected you as one of the best that they have seen this year.”
Last year the Wolverines had four players make All Region. The only team with more recognitions than Whitmire was McCormick — the Region champion. They had six players make the team, including the Region Player of the Year, Mateo Durant.
“Statewide teams picked by the media often have people picking the teams who have not even seen all the players play. They go by word of mouth and by a school’s history and reputation sometimes,” Jenkins said. “All Region is more personal and more legitimate. I like that. All of our Wolverine guys are certainly worthy of the honor and we are super proud of how hard they have worked and how they have represented our program on and off the field.”
Whitmire’s All Region Players
Daquan Agnew is a defensive tackle/offensive lineman and has been a starter for the Wolverines for the past three years.
Outside of football, Agnew represented Whitmire High School at Boys State for 2016 and is a member of BETA Club. He currently holds a 3.861 GPA. After he graduates Agnew plans on attending the University of South Carolina where he will major in sports science.
“I am really honored because this was one of my goals for the season, knowing all the work in the weight room, in the classroom and on the field paid off. It just makes me feel so grateful that I gave it my all,” Agnew said.
Noah Armstrong is an offensive lineman/defensive tackle, and was elected team captain. He was also an All County selection.
Coach Jenkins said Armstrong has been a steady and dependable team leader as a center and right tackle for his three seasons as a starter on the offensive line. Armstrong also represented Whitmire High School at Boys State for 2016.
He is a member of BETA Club and maintains a 3.875 GPA. After he graduates, Armstrong plans on majoring in education at a four-year college.
“It means a lot to me because the Region coaches we played against picked us,” Armstrong said.
Colton Evans is a linebacker and a four year Letterman for the Wolverines. He was also an All County selection. Jenkins said Evans is the team’s leading tackler. After graduating Evans plans on becoming a physical therapist.
“This is an honor to me because I have been working and hoping for this all year,” Evans said.
Culan Means, a defensive end/offensive lineman, was also a member of the All County Academic Team. Means represented Whitmire at Boys State in 2016, and was elected BETA Club secretary. He currently holds a 4.065 GPA. After he graduates he plans on becoming an electrical engineer.
“I am really surprised,” Means said. “I never really looked for an award. I was just trying to do my best.”
Devin Vo is a wingback/linebacker and was elected team captain by his teammates. He was also nominated for Newberry Touchdown Club Player of the Year by the Whitmire coaching staff.
This is the second time he has been named to All Region and he has been named to All County twice. Vo, who has been a starter for the Wolverines for the last three years, has amassed 3,082 all purpose yards and 17 touchdowns in his career as a runner, receiver and kick returner. Vo has enlisted in the U.S. Army and will train to become a Ranger.
“This award means a lot to me because it represents all of the hard work I have put in over the years,” Vo said.
“These five guys were all freshmen when I first met them in the spring of 2014,” Jenkins said. “They played for me as sophomores that fall. They have become the consistent leaders on our team. It is fun for our guys to get noticed for their efforts. The underclassmen see that these type of honors are within reach, if they want to work for it.”
Tonight the Wolverines host Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School in the first round of the playoffs.
Jenkins believes the recognitions will help with team morale and motivate all of the players.
“I hope that the guys who made the All Region Team will play to the standard in our playoff games, and I hope that a few of our other players who maybe think that they should have made the team will have a chip on their shoulders and have something to prove when we play,” he said.
