The West Virginia Sports Writers Association released its 2013 Class A All-State Football roster on Monday and two Pocahontas County High School Warriors are among the honorees.
Senior Devin Rose, who played fullback, linebacker and punter for the Warriors, was named to the All-State First Team as punter. Rose, the son of Chris Rose and Corey Rose, was an impact player on both offense and defense. His disciplined and powerful blocking was instrumental in running back Judd Walther’s ability to rush for more than 1,000 yards in the season. On defense, Rose and fellow linebacker Brandon Hamons made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, and anchored a solid Warrior defense that gave up a respectable 22 points per game average.
PCHS Head Coach Doug Burns has been watching Rose a long time.
“He’s been a four-year starter at Pocahontas County High School,” said Burns. “He’s a big part of our team and he has been over his whole career. From early on, Devin was one of these young guys – I watched him through youth football and junior high and all the way through his high school career – he’s just a kid that has a lot of heart. He’s hard-nosed and he understands the game. He’s a great student of the game. He understands what’s going on and he helps motivate his teammates. He’s a good all-around athlete.”
The Sports Writers named Hamons to the Honorable Mention list for his performance as a Warrior tight end, linebacker and long snapper this season. Throughout the season, Hamons, the son of Rusty and Missy Hamons, impressed observers with his toughness and aggressiveness. Hamons’ blocks and tackles were often audible, inspiring “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd.
“I’m really proud of Brandon,” said the coach. “He’s come so far. This was an outstanding year for Brandon. I speak for all of our coaches – we all said the same thing – Brandon was probably our best defensive player, by far. He made so many tackles, had a few interceptions, just did a lot of real good things for our team. He gives you everything he’s got on every play.
“Brandon does a lot of things that people don’t recognize. He long-snaps for us. He has done that the last couple years and you never have a bad snap from Brandon. He’s money every time. He works hard at it. He’s a great athlete. He’s also a great pitcher for the baseball team.”
The Warriors lose a talented crop of seniors to graduation. Along with Rose and Hamons, the football team loses QB/DB Wesley Felton, WR/DB Andrew Morrison, RB/DE Judd Walther, OL/LB Anson Hatfield and WR/DB Dustin Dilley. Burns expects to return all five of this season’s juniors, including Travis Taylor, Chad Burns, Jimmy Campbell, Nash Rose and Logan Mann.
