High school football All-Area awards: Offensive, Defensive Players of the Year, more
The Texas high school football season saw many players seize opportunities and thrive under the Friday night lights.
Here are the Star-Telegram individual award winners for the 2024 season. The Player of the Year will be announced on Saturday, Jan. 8, and the Star-Telegram All-Area Super Team will be announced on Sunday, Jan. 9.
Offensive Player of the Year: Alvarado QB Cardea Collier
Alvarado senior quarterback Cardea Collier had a historic season with some of the most ridiculous individual stats you’ll ever see in Texas high school football.
Collier tallied 3,801 passing yards and threw 43 touchdown passes with 12 interceptions. He also had 1,478 rushing yards and 32 rushing scores.
Collier put his team on his back, leading the Indians to three playoff wins and finishing the season with 75 total touchdowns and 5,279 total yards. He accounted for a whopping 450 total points while averaging 271.5 passing yards and 105.5 rushing yards per game.
His elite play was the driving force of an Alvarado offense that averaged 54.4 points, which was the sixth-most nationwide and the second-most in Texas behind North Crowley.
Collier’s best game arguably came on Sept. 29, when he recorded 10 total touchdowns against Glen Rose, an elite Class 4A squad.
He was a nominee for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s Mr. Texas Football Player of the Year Award and was also named the unanimous District 6-4A Division I Most Valuable Player. Collier holds offers from college programs such as Tarleton, East Texas Baptist, Hendrix, Navarro, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Midwestern State and Hardin-Simmons.
Defensive Player of the Year: North Crowley LB Ja’Brelle Asberry
When it comes to North Crowley football, many talented players have flown under the recruiting radar.
A fantastic example is linebacker Ja’Brelle Asberry, a staple in a dangerous North Crowley defense that allowed 17.6 points per game while facing some of Texas’ best programs. He tallied 100 solo tackles, 24 assisted tackles, 38 tackles for a loss, six sacks, nine broken-up passes, 21 QB pressures, and three forced fumbles to help power North Crowley to a state championship in Texas’ largest classification.
Asberry’s instincts, intensity and physical play and speed were game-changers for the Panthers. After a stellar senior season, he was named the District 3-6A Most Valuable Player.
Although North Crowley’s offense stole the show with viral highlights, eye-popping plays and more, the defense deserves just as much credit for the title run and perfect season. Asberry, one of North Crowley’s senior leaders, played a monumental role in containing elite offenses such as DeSoto, Duncanville and Westlake.
Statistically, Asberry had a very similar season to his teammate, three-star Texas signee Jonathan Cunningham. Asberry, however, has not received the same recruiting attention from power conferences.
He is uncommitted with offers from Murray State, Towson, Navarro, Texas A&M Commerce, Prairie View A&M, Northeastern State, Mississippi Valley State, Lamar and Grambling State.
Newcomer of the Year: Southlake Carroll WR Blake Gunter
In 2024, Southlake Carroll had a young team and plenty of opportunities to seize, and sophomore wide receiver Blake Gunter definitely capitalized on it.
Gunter tallied 759 yards and eight touchdowns on 48 receptions, averaging 15.8 yards per catch. He was named the District 4-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year, playing a prominent role in his first varsity season and helping power Carroll to the Class 6A Division II state championship.
Gunter averaged 50.6 yards per game in the regular season and increased his production in the playoffs to average 74 yards per game. He also contributed on special teams with a blocked punt and an onside kick recovery.
Gunter shared touches with star wide receiver and TCU commit Brock Boyd as well as sophomore wide receiver Brody Knowles, who was also in contention for the Star-Telegram Newcomer of the Year.
In 2023, Carroll running back Davis Penn was the Star-Telegram Newcomer of the Year.
The 2024 Star-Telegram Player of the Year will be announced on Saturday on Star-Telegram.com. The All-Area Super Team will be released on Sunday in print and on Star-Telegram.com.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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