Devon Voorhies article..... Had a huge year!

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"It was like Superman," Wilkinson County coach Kenneth Brown said of LSU commitment Devin Voorhies said. "He just took us on his shoulders and willed us to win in some games." That wave of momentum served Wilkinson well in a 34-28 home victory over Seminary - setting the stage for another crack at Hazlehurst - where the Wildcats' magical run toward the overall state championship game fell short in a 36-22 setback. Regardless, though, Wilkinson's finish did little to dampen the overriding sentiment that Voorhies' final season for the Wildcats would always be a memorable one. "All the summer work we put in really helped and helped me become a better player," said Voorhies, who is 6-foot-2, 197 pounds. "The only goal I had was to get my team a state championship and then a ring." Wilkinson County had to settle for an 11-4 record but gained a bit of solace in bringing big-time football to the tiny town of Woodville with three home playoff games including the finale against Hazlehurst. "We knew from the start of the season we had something special when we put it all together," Voorhies said. "There were certain games when we didn't do that."

In the weeks since the conclusion of the season both Voorhies and those around him to bring perspective to one of the greatest individual seasons in school history. Voorhies wound up 4,401 total yards of offense and combined for 34 touchdowns on offense and added 67 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries while playing both safety and outside linebacker. "When you run for over 2,000 and throw for over 2,000 what else could you ask from any kid," Brown said. "You have to put him up with some of the best." For his efforts, Voorhies earned the four-star recruit the state's Gatorade Player of the Year, the Class 3A All-State Player of the Year and a spot in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game. "It's a great feeling," Voorhies said of all the above postseason honors. "I was excited when I found out about them."

Voorhies completed 62 percent of his passes (138 of 221) for 2,374 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 187 times for 2,027 yards and 15 touchdowns. "I think some people didn't think he was as good an athlete as he is," Brown said. "Then all of a sudden you flush him from the pocket and he goes down the sideline 50-60 yards for a touchdown. Then they have to re-examine themselves and say, 'he does have what they say'. They said he was the real deal."

Trying to single out any one performance was difficult when you glancing at the monster numbers Voorhies constantly amassed. Twice during the regular season Voorhies topped the 400-yard mark for total offense with a high of 463 - 279 rushing, 184 passing - a 58-40 loss to Hazlehurst in which he combined for four touchdowns. Voorhies' season highs were 236 passing in a 44-7 win over Wesson and 279 passing in the first game against Hazlehurst. "When we first got here and moved him to quarterback people didn't think he was a quarterback, but we saw some things in him," Brown said. "The first thing you noticed was that he was an athlete. His throwing mechanics weren't ideal but he could deliver the ball."

Because of the strength of his early-season schedule Brown wasn't at liberty to rest Voorhies as much as he would have liked on defense. He played him at both outside linebacker and safety where Voorhies rolled up a season-high 10 tackles in a 20-18 playoff win over Seminary. "Him playing outside linebacker for us and gives you some idea about his toughness and physicality," Brown said. "A lot of those tackles probably came from playing linebacker."

Practice for the 27th Annual Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game began earlier this week where Voorhies was selected to play safety but did work out at wide receiver on Wednesday. The game is scheduled for Saturday at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. "I'll have a lot of energy just going one way," Voorhies said. "I'm playing for my town. We're finally getting some recognition. It's a great honor. It means I did a good job."

With his final appearance in a high school game set for the weekend Voorhies has started looking at his future at LSU where he expects to begin his career at safety. During the past season Voorhies was able to check in on the Tigers three times at Tiger Stadium, including a 35-21 win over BCS title game participant Auburn, and came away with a great amount of anticipation for his opportunity in purple and gold.

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