Football players honored at banquet
After receiving All County honors last fall, five Columbia County football players were recognized Thursday at The Augusta Chronicle All-Area Football Awards Banquet at the Augusta Towers Hotel and Convention Center.
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Augusta Christian quarterback Lee Banks was named to the Independent Schools All-Area Team as a punter. He was one of four Augusta Christian players named to the team.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Lakeside safety Chris Drayton was the county's lone public school representative, landing on the Georgia First Team.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound junior intercepted four passes on the season to go along with 84 tackles. He averaged more than 20 yards on both kickoff and punt returns.
"Drayton has a lot of potential," Lakeside offensive coordinator Drew Shelton said recently. "He has real good size and makes big plays."
Drayton finished the season at quarterback after Jimmy Johnson went down with a season-ending concussion. He will be the leading candidate to replace Johnson as quarterback next fall.
Four Augusta Christian players also were named to the Independent Schools All-Area Team. Offensive lineman Frank Morris, linebacker Toby Brown, quarterback Lee Banks and lineman William Lyon were honored.
"This banquet is great," Lions coach Bruce Lane said. "It is really great that the area's best players are honored and can all be together the same night. All my guys are excited."
Morris led the Lions on the offensive line. An All-County and All-Region performer, Morris anchors the team at center.
Lakeside's Chris Drayton breaks up a pass intended for Greenbrier's Eugene Rogers during a game in Evans. Drayton was honored as Columbia County's only public-school player on The Augusta Chronicle's All-Area Football Team at a banquet Thursday.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Brown led the county in tackles with 141. He added two sacks and two forced fumbles. An inaugural member of The Columbia County News-Times "Super Nine," Brown was selected to play in the South Carolina/Georgia Independent Schools Association All-Star Game.
Banks made the All Area team as a punter, although he led the Lions as a quarterback. His punt average was 36.9 yards. Banks added 1,553 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns. He was named All-County as an athlete, but will contend for those honors as a quarterback next fall.
Lyon was arguably the Lions' best player in 2004. He led the county with nine sacks and 10 forced fumbles. He also had more than 100 tackles and was named All-State.