Two local high school football players have been announced as finalists for the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards by the TSSAA.
Oakland's Duane (duh-WAH-nuh) Morris and Riverdale's Braden Graham make up two-thirds of the Class 6A finalists. They're joined by Boo Carter of Bradley Central, Oakland's semifinal opponent Friday night.
Morris has 1,739 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns. Combine that with his 501-yards receiving and three touchdowns, he has over 22-hundred all purpose yards through 13 games. The Patriots are playing in their 10th consecutive semifinal against Bradley Central Friday night as they look to get to the Blue Cross Bowl for their fourth straight state championship. Hear the semifinal game on WGNS and streaming at WGNSRadio.com.
Graham, a senior quarterback, ended his season in a quarterfinal loss to Oakland last week. For the season, he passed for 3,380 yards with a 73-percent completion rate. He threw for 42 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Senior MTCS running back Eli Wilson was a semifinalist this year in Division II Class Single A. His team is playing for their first ever state championship against Friendship Christian November 30th. He's rushed for 1,940 yards and 33 touchdowns.
The Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards will be presented to the top football players in nine classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association on Wednesday, December 5, 2023, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The top kicker in the state will be recognized with a Mr. Football Award, regardless of classification.
Five semifinalists in each classification were announced on November 2. There are six classifications in Division I and three in Division II. Three finalists for each category were announced by Mike Keith and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel at 7:30pm ET/6:30pm CT. The three finalists for each award that were announced today will be the ones invited to attend the awards luncheon at Nissan Stadium, where the winner of each award will be announced.
A committee of statewide sports writers selected winners based on performance in the 2023 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. High school head coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists.
"We are very appreciative of the Tennessee Titans for their continued support of these awards,” stated Mark Reeves, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “Having the awards presented at Nissan Stadium will provide a very special atmosphere for these outstanding student-athletes.”
This is the 39th year that the Mr. Football Awards have been presented to Tennessee’s best high school football players. A Mr. Football trophy will be presented to the winners of each category. A Mr. Football plaque will be presented to the other two finalists in each category. The other semi-finalists will each receive a certificate.
Mike Keith, play-by-play voice of the Tennessee Titans, will emcee the awards presentation. A live videostream of the awards will be provided on the Tennessee Titans website.
2023 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Finalists
DIVISION I, CLASS 1A
Ben Franklin, Cornersville High School
Cameron Schlicht, Dresden High School
Dawson White, Moore County High School
DIVISION I, CLASS 2A
Isaiah Groves, East Robertson High School
Darien Meza, Mt. Pleasant High School
Stone Wallace, Riverside High School
DIVISION I, CLASS 3A
Radarious Jackson, Sheffield High School
Skylan Smith, Covington High School
Brandon Winton, Jr., Alcoa High School
DIVISION I, CLASS 4A
Gabe Borders, Macon County High School
Zeion-LaFrederick Simpson, Pearl Cohn High School
KeShawn S. Tarleton, Pearl Cohn High School
DIVISION I, CLASS 5A
Eric Hazzard, Page High School
Kelvin Perkins, Southwind High School
Dominic Reed, Centennial High School
DIVISION I, CLASS 6A
Boo Carter, Bradley Central High School
Braden Graham, Riverdale High School
Daune Morris, Oakland High School
DIVISION II, CLASS A
Jay’Len Mosley, Jackson Christian School
Brian Shields, First Assembly Christian School
Tyson Wolcott, Friendship Christian School
DIVISION II, CLASS AA
Markeis Barrett, Webb School of Knoxville
Ty Clark, Franklin Road Academy
Crews Law, Christ Presbyterian Academy
DIVISION II, CLASS AAA
Kaleb Beasley, Lipscomb Academy
Carson Gentle, McCallie School
Amari Jefferson, Baylor School
KICKER OF THE YEAR
Grant Chadwick, Tullahoma High School
Daniel Echeverria, Mt. Juliet High School
Owen Taylor, Knoxville Halls High School
