Mustangs' Dallas tops All-Orange County team

For The Record

Talk about some pressure.

Jack Dallas faced it by the ton and, like Taylor Swift, he shook it off.

That’s why the West Orange-Stark quarterback, leader of back-to-back state championship squads and winner of back-to-back title game Offensive Player of the Game awards, is the Most Valuable Player for The Record’s 2016 All-Orange County football team.

That’s back-to-back he’s been the Record’s all-county MVP.

Natch.

As a mere sophomore, Dallas quarterbacked a West Orange-Stark team that made it all the way to the state championship game, but came up short.

He and his Mustangs got ’er done Jack’s junior year, thumping Celina 22-3 as Dallas took home MVP honors from the state game.

Then, for a full year, West Orange-Stark faced the heat to repeat, what with 18 lettermen and 17 starters returning from that 13-3 season.

But the QB is the man in the pressure bubble and the Mustang back did not crack.

Dallas passed for 38 touchdowns and ran for 11 more, making him responsible for more than half of the 97 touchdowns scored by the WO-S offense in a season the Mustangs outscored their opposition 811-69.

The 16-0 campaign ended in a 24-6 win over Sweetwater for the Class 4A Division II state crown.

In his three season at quarterback, WO-S was 44-4, winning 40 of its last 42 games.

Two-way tackle Morris Joseph led the Mustangs “Chain Gang” defense that had a net give-up of zero points in 2016, scoring as many touchdowns (8 on interception and fumble returns) as it grudgingly surrendered to opposing offenses.

He is the All-Orange County Defensive Player of the Year.

Joseph was the leading tackler on a defense that gave up only 125.4 yards per game, 2.4 yards per play and 4.3 points per game.

The Chain Gang chalked up eight shutouts in 16 games and allowed only field goals and safeties in two others.

Behind it all was Cornel Thompson, whose success has been nothing short of amazing since he stepped up from the ranks of long-time defensive coordinator to take the head coaching job in 2011.

The All-Orange County Coach of the Year for 2016, a member of the WO-S coaching staff when the school opened in 1977, Thompson has led his teams to an overall record of 78-11, an 87.6 winning percentage.

In his six seasons, Mustang teams have never failed to win district and advance at least four rounds deep in the playoffs.

WO-S was the most successful of the five Orange County high schools in 2016 football competition, but all of them advanced to the postseason.

Vidor captured its first district championship since 1978 and signal caller Maverick Quirante earned the All-Orange County Offensive Player of the Year award.

His brother, Montana Quirante, was Offensive MVP on the same honors team in 2012.

Bridge City, under the direction of second-year head coach Dwayne DuBois, won the District 10-4A Division I title, the school’s first league championship since 2002.

Both Little Cypress-Mauriceville and Orangefield advance to the playoffs as district runners-up. It was a school-record fourth straight postseason appearance for Orangefield’s Bobcats while LC-M’s Battlin’ Bears were in the tournament for the third time in four years.

2016 All-Orange County Football

MVP – Jack Dallas, Sr., WO-S

Offensive Player of the Year – Maverick Quirante, Sr., Vidor

Defensive Player of the Year – Morris Joseph, Sr., WOS

Coach of the Year – Cornel Thompson, WOS

First team offense

QB – Beau Bickham, Sr., LCM

RB – Cayce Draper, Sr., Bridge City

RB – Jeremiah Shaw, Sr., WOS

RB – Christopher McGee, Sr., Orangefield

WR – Katon Brown, Jr., LCM

WR – Keion Hancock, Sr., WOS

OL – Zayne Trahan, Bridge City

OL – Donovan Leonard, Sr., Vidor

OL – Ryan Ragsdale, Sr., WOS

OL – Joseph Adams, Sr., Bridge City

OL – Luis Zuniga, Sr., LCM

OL – Te’Ron Brown, Sr., WOS

TE – Michael Teeples, Jr., Orangefield

K – Joseph Rainey, Jr., Orangefield

KR – Kentavious “K.J.” Miller, Sr., WOS

First team defense

DL – Mandel Turner-King, Sr., WOS

DL – Jesus Lopez, Sr., Vidor

DL – Ronald Carter, Sr., WOS

DL – Seth Green, Sr., Bridge City

LB – Justin Brown, Sr., WOS

LB – Cory Skinner, Sr., WOS

LB – Blake DiChiara, Jr., Bridge City

DB –Trey Guillory, Sr., LCM

DB – Justyn Romero, Jr., Bridge City

DB – Malick Phillips, Sr., WOS

DB – Zach Dischler, Jr., Orangefield

P – Brett Guy, 23, Sr., LCM

PR – Jarron Morris, Jr., WOS

Second team offense

QB – Byron Trahan, Sr., Bridge City

RB – Patrick Morris, Sr., Bridge City

RB – Chris Winters, Jr., LCM

RB – Haylon Leckelt, Sr., Vidor

WR – Hunter Denton, Bridge City

WR – Keegan Sonnier, Sr., LCM

OL – Brett Nunez, Sr., Vidor

OL – Brandon Jenkins, Sr., LCM

OL – Paul Ivory, Jr., WOS

OL – Seth Smith, Sr., Vidor

TE – Chase Boneau, Sr., Bridge City

Second team defense

DL – Hunter Fontenot, Sr., LCM

DL – Jalen Powdrill, Sr., WOS

DL – Te’Ron Brown, Sr., WOS

DL – Tony Cicio, Jr., Vidor

LB – Blake Bradley, Soph., Orangefield

LB – Kayne Williams, Sr., LCM

LB – Joey Cicio, Jr., Vidor

DB – DeMorris Thibodeaux, Jr, WOS

DB -- Payton Berg, Sr., Vidor

DB – Brock Vincent, Sr., Vidor

DB – Zack Honeycutt, Sr., Bridge City