Five Tolar Rattlers named TSWA All-State in football

To the victors go the spoils — and the Tolar Rattlers spoiled a lot of Friday nights for their opponents on the football field this past season.

The Rattlers posted the best season in school history in 2022. They spent the entire season ranked in the state’s top 10, and reached the quarterfinal round of the Class 2A Division I playoffs, and finished with a 13-1 record.

As a result five members of the team were honored recently by the Texas Sports Writers Association voters in being named to the Bluebell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Team.

Leading the Tolar selections is sophomore running back Peyton Brown on the first-team offense. Senior lineman Mason Berry was named to the second-team defense.

Honorable mentions for Tolar on the TSWA team went to senior wide receiver Wyatt Jones, senior defensive lineman Luke Willmon and junior linebacker Isaac Blessing.

“Each one of these guys is very deserving of being recognized in the Sports Writers All-State team,” said Tolar head coach Jeremy Mullins. “It's a great honor to them and their teammates and really serves as a reminder to the year this group had.”

Brown was not only one of the top running backs in Class 2A, but in all of the state’s classifications. In fact, he was among the best in the nation.

Brown rushed for 2,777 yards on 322 carries, an average of 198.4 yards per game, ranking third among all state classifications and 21st nationally. His 49 touchdowns and 296 points scored both led the state in all classifications. In addition, he was 10th nationally in touchdowns and 11th in points.

In his two varsity seasons, Brown has rushed for 4,171 yards with 77 touchdowns.

Berry was a force on the Rattlers defense that surrendered an average of just 7.8 points per game, posted four shutouts, and held nine opponents to a touchdown or less. He had 78 tackles, including 14 for a loss, with three quarterback sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

Jones caught a team-best 35 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a multi-threat, with three interceptions on defense and 165 points scored — 87 of which came from kicking.

Blessing led all Rattler defenders with 135 tackles, including nine for loss.

Willmon had 57 tackles, a third (19) of which were for loss. He also had a team-leading five sacks.