S-C's Byrd, six other area players earn all-state nods

Seven players from The Democrat’s coverage area were named to two all-state football teams.

Smith-Cotton running back Andrew Byrd was a first-team selection on the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association Class 4 squad.

He was a second-teamer on the Missouri Football Coaches Association team.

“He was a pleasant surprise for us,” Smith-Cotton coach Mark Johnson said. “We knew he’d be a good football player, but he exceeded our expectations.”

Byrd averaged 197.9 yards rushing in 10 games. He scored 34 touchdowns, including four or more in each of his last five games, as the Tigers finished 8-2 and won the West Central Conference title.

Byrd ran behind lineman William Stathem the majority of the time. While Stathem didn’t make the media’s all-state team, he was a first-team selection by the coaches.

“He was a three-year starter, and  we ran behind him  predominately the last two years when we needed some yardage,” Johnson said.

Evan Schnicker was a first-team pick on the coaches’ unit.

“The Harrisonville coach told me that whenever they played Smith-Cotton, they always needed to know where Evan was, so they could run away from him,” Johnson said. “He was a great run-stopper.”

Schnicker broke the school record for most tackles in a game when he had 21 against Marshall.

He averaged a team-high 11.6 tackles a game.

Cody Beyers, Chris Bracht and Cub Reckner represented Tipton on both squads.

Bracht, a defensive back, made the first team on both squads.

Bracht had nine interceptions this season, helping the Cardinals reach the state semifinals for a third straight year.

Beyers, an offensive lineman, was a first-teamer on the media squad and a third-teamer on the coaches unit.

Beyers was a key figure in the Cardinals’ rushing attack that ran for around 2,000 yards during the regular season.

Reckner, a defensive lineman, was a second-team pick by both groups.

Adam Cowherd and John Ward, both of Warsaw, made both postseason teams.

Cowherd, an offensive lineman, made the second team on the media’s squad and the third team on the coaches’ team.

Cowherd made 63 tackles including six for loss and he had 4.5 sacks.

Ward, who made a team-high 111 tackles including 14 for loss with three sacks and one interception, was a second-team linebacker pick by the media and a third-team selection by the coaches.