Five Commanders named All-State

Five players from Class 1A state runner-up Friendship Christian have been named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State Football team while Mt. Juliet Christian is represented on the team for the first time.
Running back Jeremy Rickaway, offensive lineman G.L. Waynick, defensive end Michael Teeter, linebacker Wade Mitchell and cornerback John Doak were picked off Friendship's roster by the TSWA, the most of any 1A school on the team. Mitchell and Rickaway are on the team for the second straight year.
Tight end Victor Underwood is the first Mt. Juliet Christian player to be recognized by the statewide organization.
Rickaway, a 5-10, 175-pound junior running back, raced for 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns on 241 carries as Friendship reached the BlueCross Bowl with a 14-0 record before losing to Jackson Christian in the state championship game. He also caught 12 passes for 252 yards and three scores.
Waynick, a 5-9, 300-pound junior, helped pave the way for Rickaway and protected quarterback Jon Miller during the season. As a team, the Commanders rushed for over 3,300 yards and passed for just over 1,600.
Teeter, a 6-3, 195-pound senior, was recognized for his defensive work in which he registered 72 tackles and a team-leading six sacks. As a tight end, he caught 18 passes for 411 yards and six touchdowns.
Mitchell, a 5-10, 205-pound senior, was the leader of a strong defense at middle linebacker with a team-leading 149 tackles, a pair of sacks and an interception. He was a finalist for 1A Mr. Football Lineman.
Doak, a 5-10, 165-pound senior, led the Midstate in interceptions with nine. Often locked up on the opposition's top receiver, he supplied 69 tackles. He was a finalist for the Nick Coutras Award, named in memory of the longtime Nashville high school coach who revived football at Cumberland University in 1990.
"It says a lot about the three seniors who have been a big part of our team the last few years," Commander coach John McNeal said of Teeter, Mitchell and Doak. "The underclassmen (Rickaway and Waynick), they played together as eighth-graders...that's about like being seniors (now).
"We had a good group of seniors. Most of them had had been with us since the fifth grade. Most of them started as sophomores... Everything they did to lead the team, they did very well."
His team finished 1-9, but Underwood put up big numbers at tight end for Mt. Juliet Christian. The 6-4, 215-pounder caught 56 passes for 900 yards and five touchdowns as a junior.
"Victor is very deserving of this award," Mt. Juliet Christian coach Paul Townsend said. "He is a very hard-working individual. He stays late after practice catching balls to make himself a better football player.
"He was our go-to guy at the beginning of the season and he has lived up to every bit of that. The best thing about Victor is that he is only a junior, so he'll be back with us next year."
Other area players named to the 1A team were offensive lineman Robert Halfacre and athlete (quarterback) Justin Smith of Gordonsville and Trousdale County kicker Jared White.
The 1A and Division II teams were released today. The 2A and 3A teams will be announced Thursday and the 4A and 5A honorees Friday.
Mt. Juliet News Sports Editor George Page contributed to this story.
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.