Making the decisions for all-county teams is pretty fun. That’s where all the critical analysis of players comes in tact.

I’m fortunate enough to extensively remember life’s details and store them away in a mental file cabinet, which is why determining who deserves to be on the list is fun for me.

Not only does the fun begin with digging through that file cabinet to pull out a random fact to qualify my selection of a player, but also the most fun I have when determining the list is reliving the season.

Typically, the selections include a “Player of the Year” and “Coach of the Year” articles, followed by a list of thumbnail pictures announcing the athlete’s accomplishments.

After a general brainstorm of names from the area schools across football, soccer and basketball, there is always a second session to make sure no one was overlooked.

For example, after careful consideration and revision, also with input from coaches, Ja’Mon O’Neal’s Defensive Player of the Year selection was made. O’Neal was up against another Warren Central underclassman who also had a great season.

The factors that went into the final decision was which player meant more to their respective team, which one dominated their respective position and which player had the better season.

Ultimately, the decision was made to award O’Neal, however, making those picks don’t require a second guess.

Take this year’s “Player of the Year” selection for basketball. Karry Callahan was the centerpiece of the Missy Gators team and dominated their rebounding efforts all season. She also worked to get her teammates involved with the game, which is a sign of maturity and intelligence to not always think she has to take a contested shot.

The same logic applies to Shaun Walton’s selection. Walton is easily recognizable on the court and his performance speaks for itself.

For me, the highlight of the whole all-county process is writing the feature stories associated with the athletes receiving the superlatives. Hearing the humility from an athlete who is appreciative of the recognition but is aware enough to realize what they could’ve done better for their team is the big takeaway from writing those stories. It helps readers understand the student-athlete in a more personal manner and allows the athlete to open themselves up to their community.

There are still a few weeks left before the release of the all-county baseball and softball selections are released and I hope this is list as enjoyable as the previous three that have been voted on already.