Seven Warren Central players make Class 6A All-State team
Published 2:52 pm Sunday, December 3, 2023
- Warren Central captains Julien Demby (5), Zack Evans (0), Garrett Orgas (15) and Beau Davis (77) walk onto the field for the coin toss before the Red Carpet Bowl game against Clinton in August. All four players, as well as their teammates Maddox Lynch, Ronnie Blossom and Claude King, were named to the MHSAA Class 6A All-State team. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)
Warren Central added to its reputation of being one of the best high school football teams in Mississippi by putting a pack of players on the All-State team.
Four Vikings were selected to the first team, and three others to the second team, of the Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 6A All-State team.
Making the first team were wide receiver Zack Evans, tight end Maddox Lynch, linebacker Julien Demby, and safety Garrett Orgas.
Offensive linemen Claude King and Beau Davis, both seniors, and junior defensive end Ronnie Blossom made the second team.
Evans, Lynch, King and Davis were the only players from MHSAA Region 2-6A who were on the All-State offense.
Evans was the Region 2-6A MVP after helping Warren Central (9-3) win its first league championship since 2004. The senior scored 12 total touchdowns — eight receiving, one rushing, and three on punt returns — and had 1,108 all-purpose yards. He caught 33 passes for 589 yards, both team highs.
Evans also played defensive back and had one interception and one fumble recovery.
Lynch, a junior, was second on the team with 27 catches for 346 yards and one touchdown. He also scored three rushing touchdowns as an occasional wildcat quarterback.
King, a tackle, and Davis, a center, helped power a balanced offense that had 1,448 rushing yards and 1,485 passing yards. Davis was selected to play in the Bernard Blackwell Mississippi All-Star Game Dec. 9 in Gulfport.
Demby, Orgas and Blossom were all outstanding players on a defense that allowed 14.3 points per game. Demby and Orgas, both seniors, were selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game Dec. 16 in Hattiesburg.
Demby led the Vikings with 117 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss and three sacks. He also showed a remarkable playmaking ability with a team-high five interceptions. He returned one of the picks for a touchdown.
Orgas anchored the back end, with 89 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four interceptions. He also took one of his interceptions back for a touchdown.
Blossom, meanwhile, was a force on the defensive line. The junior finished with 88 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and two sacks. He batted down eight passes at the line and recovered two fumbles.
Blossom also saw time on offense as a goal line running back and scored two rushing touchdowns.