West named KJCCC Offensive Player of the Year; Sims Coach of the Year
By Mike Pilosof
Garden City, KS-Garden City received plenty of recognition on Monday.
17 players were selected to the All-Conference team, headlined by running back Charles West, who was named the Jayhawk Offensive Player of the Year. Jeff Sims was tabbed coach of the year.
West finished the regular-season as the nation's top rusher, becoming the first Broncbuster to win the title since Dwayne Crutchfield did so in 1979. He's carried the ball 229 times for 1,387 yards and nine touchdowns. He has eight 100-yard rushing games this season, and was also a second teamer on special teams, averaging 30 yards per return. He's seventh in the nation in average.
His backfield mate, Dedrick Mills was also a first-team selection, totaling 1,358 yards. He is the nation's second leading rusher, marking the first time in program history that Garden City sports the No. 1 and No. 2 yardage gainers.
Maybe most impressive was that four of the five starting offensive lineman garnered first-team honors. Left tackle Lacolby Tucker, guard Idris Patterson, center Howard Watkins and right tackle Bamidele Olaseni were named to the roster with guard Labrentae Davis earning honorable-mention all-conference.
David Moore, who Sims called the best quarterback in the conference, made the first-team. He engineered a season-saving drive vs. No. 4 Hutchinson, marching the Broncbusters 84 yards in 14 plays before delivering the game-winning touchdown pass to West with 18 seconds to play. One-time Nebraska-commit Dominick Watt, who leads the team with 15 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown, was an honorable mention, with fullback Billy Mance, someone Sims has repeatedly said is the best kept secret in the Jayhawk, was selected to the second team.
On defense, linebacker Heston Lameta, who is currently second on the team with 60 tackles, including 12 for loss, was a second teamer, while linebacker Joe Jay Smith and Dillon Williams were honorable mentions. Williams is 17th in the nation in tackles.
Defensive back and North Carolina State transfer Trae Meadows was named an honorable mention. He has 29 tackles and a team-best 11 pass breakups.
Punter James Dall was an honorable mention and kicker Ben Raybon was picked to the second team. Raybon had his own late-game heroics, drilling two field goals in the final minute to knock off then No. 2 Iowa Western.
Of note, Sims has coached the player of the year in each of his four seasons. Jeremy Faulk (2015 defensive player of the year); Mike Hughes (2016 defensive player of the year); Terry Wilson (2017 offensive player of the year).