South MS lineman honored by Region 4-5A coaches as district’s top player
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- Stone clinched the Region 4-5A championship and dominated coaches’ All‑MVP selections.
- Colton Ladner led defensive stats with 86 tackles, 17 TFLs and four sacks.
- Wayne County’s Steve Morgan fueled a comeback, rushing 240 yards and six TDs.
The Mississippi Coast’s 5A region proved to be one of the more competitive around the state.
None of the district’s six teams had been eliminated heading into the final game and just one game separated the two through four seeds.
Stone came out unscathed to secure its first region championship since 2022 and is aptly honored by the coaches in the annual release of the All-MVP team.
The Tomcats have the region’s Player of the Year and Co-Defensive MVP as well as eight more All-MVP selections.
Here’s the full All-MVP team as chosen by the R4-5A coaches.
Player of the Year
Colton Ladner, Stone
The senior lineman has put together the best season of his career. Ladner has logged 86 tackles, made 17 of them behind the line and has a career-high four sacks.
Offensive MVP
Steve Morgan, Wayne County
Wayne County’s electric running back was integral in the War Eagles’ run to a two-seed in the region after an 0-6 start to the year. Morgan carried WCHS to its first win with a 240-yard outburst against Vancleave in which the senior scored six times.
Defensive MVP
Percy Taylor, Northeast Jones and Brayden Williams, Stone
Taylor lived in his opponent’s backfield, making 18 stops behind the line. The senior finishes his four-year varsity career with 63 tackles for loss. Williams’ is one of the top tacklers on the Coast with 123 tackles and counting.
All-MVP Offense
OL Dalton Toothman, Vancleave
OL Spencer Martin, Stone
OL Jaron Davis, Wayne County
OL Cannon Milner, Northeast Jones
OL Will Cochran, Purvis
OL Myles Shirley, Stone
OL Jeff Jackson, East Central
TE Marquise Leverette, Wayne County
Hip/Flex/FB Hayden Fowler, East Central
RB Kyle Capers, Vancleave
RB Maddox Dunn, East Central
RB Ayden Green, Stone
RB AJ Pugh, Northeast Jones WR Kaden Peterson, Vancleave
WR Jayden Collins, Stone
WR, Pat Hamilton, Wayne County
WR Jerimiah Daniels, Purvis
QB Zander Howard, Stone ATH Paxton Cooper, Purvis
K Migueal Perez, Purvis
All-MVP Defense
DL Tariq Noel, Stone
DL Carson Lions, Northeast Jones
DL Brandon Broadhead, Northeast Jones
DL Cortez McDonald, Wayne County
LB Aiden Hall, Vancleave
LB Trevor Wall, East Central
LB Cole Ladner, Purvis
LB Tedja Evans, Wayne County
LB Tevin Johnson, Northeast Jones
DB Jhairus Todd, Vancleave
DB Parker Yawn, Purvis
DB Jacoby Jones, Stone
DB Kyron Gray, Wayne County
Returner Dyhlan Barajas, East Central
P Ren Hendrix, Stone
LS Lawson Soberoski, Purvis
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM.
