Three from county named first-team All-State

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
Franklin County was once again well-represented when the Alabama Sports Writers Association recently revealed its 2004 All-State football selections.
Senior offensive lineman Torrey Groce and junior quarterback Jeremy Helms of Russellville were first-team selections in Class 5A, and Red Bay senior Kurt Kennedy was named to the first team in Class 2A as a defensive back.
Helms and Groce helped lead Russellville to a 13-2 record, the No. 1 ranking in Class 5A, and a third consecutive appearance in the state championship game.
Groce, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound tackle, anchored a stellar offensive line that helped the Golden Tigers average more than 400 yards of offense and 40 points per game.
Groce was equally effective opening holes for the ground game or protecting Helms, who completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,275 yards and 37 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
The 6-foot-0, 178-pound Helms was also a threat as a runner, rushing for 598 yards and 12 touchdowns on 127 carries.
Helms is the second Golden Tiger signal-caller to be named All-State in the past three years, joining Jake Tompkins in 2002.
Kennedy accumulated more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns as a quarterback and kick returner for Red Bay, but he received All-State honors for his standout performance in the Tiger secondary.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pound safety registered 86 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions in leading Red Bay to a 12-1 record and a berth in the Class 2A quarterfinals.
Kennedy was also recently named this year's Mizeman Trophy winner.
Five other players from Franklin County also received All-State honors.
Senior running back Maurice McCulloch, junior defensive back Tone Suggs and freshman fullback Michael Abernathy of Russellville were selected for honorable mention, as were senior wide receiver Randy Lowery and senior offensive lineman Matt Hester of Red Bay.
McCulloch finished as Russellville's leading rusher with 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns on 136 carries. He also caught a team-high 62 passes for 674 yards and five scores.
Abernathy led the Golden Tigers with 760 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on 61 catches. He also rushed for 608 yards and six scores on 86 carries.
Suggs was one of Russellville's leading tacklers with 81 solo stops.
Lowery was named All-State for the second straight season after catching a team-high 44 passes for 696 yards and six touchdowns.
Hester spearheaded an offensive line that helped Red Bay average more than 250 rushing yards per game this season.