West Point’s Hunter Persall (top left) was selected this year’s Overall MVP from the All-County Football Team. Good Hope’s Matthew Dixon (top right), Good Hope’s Kyle Carlton (bottom left) and West Point’s Don Farley (bottom right) were chosen Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP and Coach of the Year, respectively. The All-County Football Team was handpicked by the county’s seven football coaches early this week.

It didn’t take the county’s seven football coaches long to reach a consensus regarding this year’s top honor.

After all, one look at Hunter Persall’s eye-popping stats was all it took.

They certainly jump out.

West Point’s junior running back blazed for 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns on 245 carries — he surpassed the 200-yard mark five times and eclipsed the 300-yard threshold once — to go along with 14 receptions for 206 yards and four touchdowns. He also racked up 259 return yards and a touchdown in addition to several tackles in a brief but successful stint on defense.

Add it all up, and it’s no wonder Persall was the comfy selection for the Overall MVP of the 2017 All-County Football Team. He’s the fourth straight Maroon and White standout to pick up the award — Alex Hernandez (2016), Kobe Smith (2015) and Bryant Farley (2014) — and he’s accompanied meritoriously by Good Hope phenoms Matthew Dixon (Offensive MVP) and Kyle Carlton (Defensive MVP), and West Point’s Don Farley (Coach of the Year) in the top four All-County slots as voted on annually.

Aside from his phenomenal vision and athletic ability, Persall’s willingness to do whatever it took to help the Warriors succeed caught the attention of his coaches and teammates.

Because of that attribute, he was able to secure extraordinary performances — he ran for 274 yards and four touchdowns against Corner and 316 yards and three touchdowns against Fairview in back-to-back matchups for starters — throughout the rigorous season.

“Hunter always did what we asked him to do,” Farley said. “If we needed him to play left guard, he would’ve played left guard and not complained once. Our opener against Hamilton is when he stood out to me if I am being honest. They keyed in on some things, and Hunter reeled off some big runs for us in the fullback spot. From that point on, we knew we could put the ball in his hands, and we wanted to give him a lot of touches.”

Persall’s relentless drive didn’t hurt his cause, either.

“He just wanted to make plays,” added Farley. “It was always his effort … wanting to win, wanting to compete … that helped him stand out above everyone else. He was the first one to come to work, and he credited that success he had to his offensive line and teammates. A very humble kid you love to coach.”

Farley, meanwhile, was chosen by his peers as the best coach in the county after leading West Point to a 6-5 record and fourth straight Class 5A playoff appearance. The fifth-year head man went 2-0 versus county foes this season and is 7-1 against county competition since taking over in 2013.

Consistent.

That’s the word that comes to mind for Fairview coach George Redding when discussing his 5A counterpart.

“I’ve had the privilege to work in the same league with Don over the past few years,” he said. “He’s put such great products on the field. Takes pride in character and doing things the right way, which means a lot to me. He’s been able to have success consistently in 5A. That’s a tremendous feat. His teams always carry terrific size and a great running game. They bring it to the table week in and week out.”

For the first time in a while, Dixon remained healthy for most of the season and produced stellar numbers in nine matchups for the Red and White.

The talented two-way star rushed for 807 yards and seven touchdowns — he also amassed nine catches for 143 yards and a score — in addition to 58 tackles, two interceptions, a pass breakup and a forced fumble on defense.

Despite all that, coach Alan Scott was far more impressed with something else in Dixon’s arsenal.

“The most important thing I want people to know about Matthew Dixon is his attitude,” he said. “How he goes about life and approaches practice. He’s always upbeat and always wants to be the best he can be. He’s just one of those guys you love to have in the locker room. As far as being an athlete, he’s definitely explosive on the field, and he plays the game with that reckless abandon you need. That’s what I notice about him.”

Defensively, there wasn’t a play Carlton couldn’t make.

The senior safety led the Raiders — who recorded three shutouts and allowed a respectable 20 points per tilt — with 81 tackles and had four tackles for loss and seven pass breakups.

Carlton, who weighs just 145 pounds, was never the biggest player on the field, but that didn’t matter a single bit to Scott, who watched his defensive star record 10 or more stops in three different outings.

“If there was ever a tackle that needed to be made or a pile that needed to be cleaned up, Kyle was there and making the play,” the coach said. “He was our veteran and made all our calls in the secondary. He’s a kid who was always around the football as well. We found a place for him, and he really developed. He put in such big work during the summer, and that paid off for him this season.”

Holly Pond led the county with nine first-team honorees — Jacob Ring (OL), Alex Corneglio (WR), Jeremiah Holmes (RB), Tyler Boatright (TE), Kyler Chaney (ATH), Colyn Cofield (DL), Gabe Fortner (LB), Kyle Sellers (LB) and Luis Garcia (DB).

West Point was next with eight first-team selections. Joining Persall were Deven Jenkins (OL), Trey Kilpatrick (OL), Rylan Jones (QB), Deakon Hembree (DL), Matthew McDonald (DL), Austin Dubberly (LB) and Brandon Woods (DB).

Dixon and Carlton were accompanied on the first team by five other Good Hope players — Jackson Hancock (OL), Tucker Putman (OL), Colton Bagwell (DL), Riley Kilpatrick (LB) and Will Dickerson (DB).

Fairview and Hanceville each garnered four first-team picks.

The Aggies were defined by Jared Bachelor (OL), Scoot Bennett (WR), Garrett Dunn (WR) and Jeremy Could (LB), while the Bulldogs were represented by RJ Evans (WR), Romael Simmons (RB), Brendan Flanigan (DB) and Micah Sarget (P).

Seth Edgeworth (OL), Calvin McNabb (TE) and Francisco Ayala (DB) made the first-team cut for Cold Springs, as did Dustin Moore (RB), Oistin Cornelius (DL) and Austin Sparks (K) for Vinemont.

Jenkins was selected to the first team for a third consecutive season, while Bennett, Dubberly, Dunn, Flanigan and Edgeworth were repeat picks from a year ago.

The All-County Team is handpicked by Cullman County’s seven football coaches. All-State will be released by by the Alabama Sports Writers Association on Dec. 24. All-Area, which is determined by The Times and is set to include players from Addison and Cullman, will be released after the New Year.

See below for this year’s complete All-County Team, including second-team players and honorable mentions.

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Overall MVP: Hunter Persall, West Point

Offensive MVP: Matthew Dixon, Good Hope

Defensive MVP: Kyle Carlton, Good Hope

Coach of the Year: Don Farley, West Point

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First Team

Offense

Quarterback: Rylan Jones, West Point

Running Back: Romael Simmons, Hanceville; Jeremiah Holmes, Holly Pond; Dustin Moore, Vinemont

Wide Receiver: Scoot Bennett, Fairview; Garrett Dunn, Fairview; RJ Evans, Hanceville; Alex Corneglio, Holly Pond

Offensive Line: Seth Edgeworth, Cold Springs; Jared Bachelor, Fairview; Jackson Hancock, Good Hope; Tucker Putman, Good Hope; Jacob Ring, Holly Pond; Deven Jenkins, West Point; Trey Kilpatrick, West Point

Tight End: Calvin McNabb, Cold Springs; Tyler Boatright, Holly Pond

Athlete: Kyler Chaney, Holly Pond

Kicker: Austin Sparks, Vinemont

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Defense

Defensive Line: Colton Bagwell, Good Hope; Colyn Cofield, Holly Pond; Oistin Cornelius, Vinemont; Deakon Hembree, West Point; Matthew McDonald, West Point

Linebacker: Jeremy Cloud, Fairview; Riley Kilpatrick, Good Hope; Gabe Fortner, Holly Pond; Kyle Sellers, Holly Pond; Austin Dubberly, West Point

Defensive Back: Francisco Ayala, Cold Springs; Will Dickerson, Good Hope; Brendan Flanigan, Hanceville; Luis Garcia, Holly Pond; Brandon Woods, West Point

Punter: Micah Sarget, Hanceville

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Second Team

Offense

Quarterback: Bailey Quick, Good Hope

Running Back: Tyvn Ellis, Fairview; Brody Rowell, Holly Pond

Wide Receiver: Ethan Holland, Fairview; Preston Bagwell, Good Hope; Isaac Ludwig, Holly Pond; Raylon Moore, West Point

Offensive Line: Will Swann, Cold Springs; Dylan Garner, Fairview; Will Akin, Hanceville; Brandon Armstrong, Holly Pond; Isaac Schwaiger, Holly Pond; Nick Mann, Vinemont; Carson Moon, West Point

Athlete: Kolton Easterwood, West Point

Kicker: Jaxxon Swann, Fairview

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Defense

Defensive Line: Jon Campbell, Cold Springs; Isaiah Green, Good Hope; Ethan Rasco, Good Hope; George Oden, Hanceville; Jordan Quick, Holly Pond; Derrick Ransom, Vinemont; Dalton White, West Point

Linebacker: Dayne Black, Fairview; Dylan McDonald, Good Hope; Isaac Holmes, Hanceville; Jordan McCormick, Holly Pond; Dalton Hamby, West Point

Defensive Back: Mason Black, Fairview; Rip McBee, Holly Pond; Levi Farley, West Point; Steven Rodriguez, West Point

Punter: Brayden Martin, West Point

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Honorable Mentions

Cold Springs: Mason Harris, Brian McAnnally

Fairview: Levi Garner, Grant Howard, Clay Jeffers, Klay Knop, Ethan Satterfield, Eli Speegle, Eric Taylor

Good Hope: Matt Hancock, Peyton Hill, Hudson Leverett, Mason Moniz, Trevor Pace, Matt Schwaiger, Dawson Speegle

Hanceville: Tristin Cornelius, Greyson Jones, Colin Long, Logan McKee

Holly Pond: Levi Boatright, Riley Gillilan, Caleb Lambert

Vinemont: Cameron Carter, Dakota McGraw, Teague Whatley, Hudson Wood

West Point: Connor Aldridge, Cam Bates, Will Brown, Whitt Laney, Jaiden Philyaw