It all seems a little boring by now.

For the second-straight year, Elton senior running back Marcus Lemoine and Kinder senior linebacker Bryce Baker were honored as offensive and defensive MVPs in the American Press All-Southwest football team, as selected by the newspaper’s sports staff.

Hamilton Christian head coach Tim Sensley was named the Coach of the Year after guiding the Warriors to a District 4-1A championship.

The monotony for the repeat award winners is for good reason.

Like last year, Baker headlined a Kinder team that placed an area-high five players on the small schools team. This year, he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 14-1 record and a second-consecutive trip to the Class 2A state championship game, where they finished as runner-up.

Individually, he was named the District 4-2A MVP, Class 2A’s defensive MVP and finished the season with 148 tackles.

“It’s great to see him get that and be honored in that way,” Kinder head coach Bret Fuselier said. “He’s a guy that was the quarterback of our defense but he also brought some attitude. He’s a guy that was a lead-by-example type of guy.”

Baker is one of only three defensive players to be named the All-Southwest small schools defensive MVP in consecutive years in this century. The last player to do so was Hamilton Christian’s Jace Peterson in 2006 and 2007.

Baker’s second time winning the award represents the third time in four years a Kinder player has won it. Seth Langley was named the American Press’ defensive MVP in 2011.

“It’s something we take great pride in,” Fuselier said. “We want to be known as a team that is physical.”

Lemoine, who rushed for 2,515 yards and 40 total touchdowns on 301 carries.

Lemoine scored in all fashions this season. He had 30 rushing touchdowns, four receiving, three punt returns, two kickoff returns and an interception return.

He finished off his high school football career in style by being named Class 1A’s offensive MVP while leading his team to the second round of the playoffs for the second-straight year.

In only two years as Elton’s starting running back, Lemoine became the school’s all-time leading rusher.

“His greatest asset was his hard work and love for the game,” Elton coach Doyle Carter said. “For two years, he might be the only one I saw on a regular basis doing extra running and lifting. He’s just overall a joy to coach.”

Sensley’s Warriors went 9-1 in the regular season and unbeaten in district play to upset Basile for the district title before falling in the quarterfinals of the Division IV playoffs. Hamilton placed four players on the team, all on defense, in defensive linemen Easton Massey and Brandon Blackwell and defensive backs Kenan Fontenot and Chris Elly.

Joining Lemoine on the small schools offense is Vinton receiver Anfernee Dixon (1,119 yards, 12 TDs), Oakdale receiver Darion Dunn (1,235 yards, 15 TDs) and Pickering receiver Dontay Hargrove (923 yards, 11 TDs)

The offensive line is comprised of Kinder’s Casey Edwards, DeQuincy’s Ashton Hollie, Lake Arthur’s Zane Garcia, East Beauregard’s Joe Gray and Basile’s Daren Fontenot.

Oakdale’s Mason Jordan is the team’s quarterback after passing for 2,487 yards and 25 TDs.

In the backfield, Welsh’s Keshon Bell and Lake Arthur’s Trey Hargrave join Lemoine. Bell ran for 1,242 yards and 16 TDs while Hargrave had 2,023 yards and 15 TDs.

Welsh’s Coby Sammis is the kicker and Kinder’s Welles Cooley was named the team’s athlete.

On defense, Hamilton’s Massey and Blackwell are joined by Welsh’s Mason Hebert, an all-SWLA returnee, and East Beauregard’s Coleton Guidry.

Baker is joined by teammate D.C. Arceneaux, East Beauregard’s Thad Schecher and Vinton’s James Planchard at linebacker.

The secondary is comprised of Kinder’s Zach Rider, the team’s most outstanding player in the state title game, Welsh’s Garrick Gray and HCA’s duo of Fontenot and Elly.

Elton’s Dylan Landry is the punter and Basile’s Kendrick Ceaser was named the kick returner.(Rick Hickman/American Press)

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