By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

MONTGOMERY – Tae Diamond had no idea what he was going to say.

For two years, the Cherokee County Warrior lineman fell short of coming away with the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 4A Lineman of the Year honor, but Tuesday afternoon at the Montgomery Renaissance was different.

Emcee Ben Thomas from AL.com announced his name as the winner.

When Diamond made his way to the podium, he simply spoke from the heart.

“Out of 30,000 kids, there’s only 48 of us that get to come here,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to come here, to just witness it and be in the moment of this kind of experience.

“A lot of kids won’t get to do this in their lifetimes. It’s just an honor for me and (senior linebacker teammate) Tristan (Brown) and for all of us just to enjoy the moment and be in the moment of this situation. It’s really a blessing.”

Not only was Warrior head coach Jacob Kelley proud Diamond got his moment to shine, he was also proud of what he said.

“Tae, I thought, gave a great speech up there,” Kelley said. “I always worry about what my guys are going to say. They’re good at a lot of things, but their public speaking may not be the best, but I thought Tae spoke from the heart. It was great. It was a good moment for him, for us, for this team and for Cherokee County.”

Diamond posted 102 total tackles last season, including 17 for loss with 22 sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception in helping the Warriors (13-2) earn their third straight state runner-up. He is the first Warrior to win the Class 4A Lineman of the Year since linebacker Riley Russell earned the honor in 2018.

“I’m really super excited,” Diamond said. “I really worked hard for this award. I’ve been working for it since the start of the off-season. It’s just been a hard grind and I finally got it.”

Diamond was chosen by the ASWA as the 4A Lineman of the Year over Brown and Madison Academy senior linebacker AJ Rice.

Brown led the Warriors in total tackles with 166, including 25 for loss. He also had five sacks, forced two fumbles and had an interception.

Rice, a Mississippi State commitment, registered 141 total tackles with 64 solo stops, including four for loss. He also had a sack and an interception for the Mustangs (7-5).

Brown said he was proud Diamond won this year’s 4A Lineman honor.

“I didn’t take it as a loss. I took it as a ‘W’ seeing my brother win,” Brown said. “It just made me happy. I’m probably more happy he won it than I did because I feel like he’s more deserving of it since he’s been here three years in a row. I’m just glad I just get to come up here, me and him together, for our last year. We’ve been playing together for so long, since we were five. I love to see him succeed.”

Kelley said everything with Diamond and Brown is “team-driven.”

“It’s the work they’ve done since they’ve come on campus,” Kelley said. “Getting to Friday, they did the things we asked them to do and did it well. We’re definitely going to miss them. I just can’t speak enough on the precedent and the standard and the example they’ve set year in and year out. I’m really, really happy for them.”

And so, too, is Warrior defensive coordinator Bret Henderson.

Henderson also recently earned the Alabama Football Coaches Association Class 4A Assistant Coach of the Year. The Warrior defense gave up just over 15 points per game last season, which included three shutouts and four other games in which the unit gave up seven points or less.

In addition to CCHS secondary coach Britt Chandler, Henderson gave credit to Diamond and Brown as big reasons for the Warriors’ defensive production.

“In my opinion there’s nobody more deserving than Tae,” Henderson said. “He’s been here three years in a row. The stats have been there. I’m just glad he didn’t give up hope. He just kept grinding, kept performing ever year. He told me two years ago ‘I’m going to win this.’ I said ‘There’s no doubt in my mind. You go get it.’ I’m just super happy for him.”

Henderson is also happy to see Brown get the recognition he deserves this year as well.

“They’ve both left a legacy for everybody to look forward to, to inspire to become,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough for giving everything they’ve got every single day, setting the example, pushing the younger ones to want to be here one day as well.

“We’re blessed. We’ve had some really great players to trust the process and commit everything they have at practice. They’ve left a legacy for everybody to look forward to, to inspire to become. I can’t thank them enough for giving everything they’ve got every single day, setting the example, and pushing the younger ones to want to be here one day as well.”

One other area athlete was honored during Tuesday’s banquet: Piedmont junior receiver Rollie Pinto.

Pinto, a Class 3A Back of the Year finalist, set a new Alabama High School Athletic Association single-season receiving record with 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns on 108 catches for the Bulldogs (13-1).

Houston Academy senior quarterback Kadyn Mitchell won the 3A Back of the Year. Mitchell threw for over 2,764 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also ran for over 345 yards and four scores for the state runner-up Raiders (13-2).

Saraland quarterback KJ Lacey took home the ASWA’s top honor of Mr. Football. It marked the Spartans’ third straight Mr. Football winner.

Though he missed two games due to injury, Lacey – also the Class 6A Back of the Year – completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,042 yards and 40 touchdowns in leading the Spartans to a third straight title game.

The complete list of Tuesday’s winners, as well as the ASWA’s Super All-State Team, are listed below.

MR. FOOTBALL

KJ Lacey, Saraland

SUPER ALL-STATE

(top 12 players regardless of school’s classification)

KJ Lacey, Saraland

Alvin Henderson, Elba

Landon Duckworth, Jackson

Na’eem Offord, Parker

Jourdin Crawford, Parker

Anquon Fegans, Thompson

Trent Seaborn, Thompson

Tae Diamond, Cherokee Co.

Cam Phinizee, Russellville

Preston Lancaster, Tuscaloosa Academy

EJ Crowell, Jackson

Gunner Rivers, St. Michael

BACKS OF THE YEAR

7A: Anquon Fegans, Thompson

6A: KJ Lacey, Saraland

5A: Cam Phinizee, Russellville

4A: Landon Duckworth, Jackson

3A: Kadyn Mitchell, Houston Academy

2A: Preston Lancaster, Tuscaloosa Academy

1A: Alvin Henderson, Elba

AISA: Luke Tarver, Chambers Academy

LINEMEN OF THE YEAR

7A: Jared Smith, Thompson

6A: Jourdin Crawford, Parker

5A: Jabarrius Garror, Vigor

4A: Tae Diamond, Cherokee Co.

3A: Tucker Wilks, Fyffe

2A: JJ Faulk, Highland Home

1A: Hayes Farrell, Donoho

AISA: Ashton Yelder, Lowndes Academy