By JOSH FRYE
News Sportswriter
Five Escambia Academy football players and one Escambia County High School player were recently named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association 2021 All-State Football Team. Senior players Landon Sims, Tomorrion Knight, Bubba Nettles, Chris Long and J.J. Stevens were the EA players named, and ECHS’s junior offensive lineman Kaiden Arnold was named to the ASWA Class 4A honorable mention team.
Offensive lineman Tomorrion Knight was named to the AISA First Team All-State Offense. Bubba Nettles and Landon Sims gained First Team All-State Athlete honors. Offensive lineman Chris Long and defensive linebacker J.J. Stevens gained Second Team All-State honors.
In addition to being named as an AISA First Team All-State Athlete, Sims was also selected as a finalist for the ASWA AISA Back of the Year award. Sims, a quarterback and defensive back, joins A.J. Harris (Glenwood) and Karl Ligon (Autauga Academy) who are also in the running as ASWA AISA Back of the Year finalists.
Sims carried the ball 123 times this season, gained over 1,000 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. In addition, Sims completed 66 of 117 pass attempts for 1,201 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, Sims had 73 tackles and intercepted the ball 6 times.
The Player of the Year Banquet will be held Thursday, January 13, 2022, in Montgomery.