LITTLE ROCK — Farm Bureau Insurance announced the finalists for the 2018 Farm Bureau Insurance Awards today and they include Bryant Hornets head coach Buck James and senior defensive tackle Kajuan Robinson.
James is among three finalists for Coach of the Year in Class 7A/6A along with Benton’s Brad Harris and Greenwood’s Rick Jones.
Robinson is among the finalist for 7A/6A Defensive Player of the Year along with Kelby Caffrey of Benton and Dwain Hunt of North Little Rock
The Farm Bureau Insurance Awards honor Arkansas’ top offensive player, defensive player and coach of the year for each classification. The veteran staff at Hooten’s Arkansas Football selects three finalists for each category, and those 45 finalists and their families are invited to attend the Farm Bureau Awards in North Little Rock.
Farm Bureau Insurance Executive Vice President and General Manager David L. Moore said, “These 45 finalists represent some of the best coaches and student-athletes in our state. Farm Bureau is proud to honor excellence as the title sponsor of this outstanding event.”
Farm Bureau Insurance has supported education and community involvement in Arkansas for more than 65 years.
The finalists also include former Hornet offensive coordinator Robert Hooks, now head coach at Osceola, and Daryl Patton, former Hornets head coach, now head coach at Bauxite.
Here are the finalists in each classification:
2A Offensive Player of the Year
Jacob Wood, Conway Christian
Kyren Batey, Foreman
Jordan Turner, Salem
2A Defensive of the Year
Cade Jackson, Mount Ida
Kade Perry, Hazen
Semaj Livingston, Junction City
2A Coach of the Year
Micheal White, Mount Ida
Joe Besancon, Hazen
Steven Jones, Junction City
3A Offensive Player of the Year
Cash Forrester, Newport
Ryan Johnson, Prescott
Keon Simmons, Mayflower
3A Defensive Player of the Year
D.J. Watson, Rison
Noah Reyes, Booneville
Jariq Scales, Osceola
3A Coach of the Year
Scott Hyatt, Booneville
Robert Hooks, Osceola
Clay Totty, Rison
4A Offensive Player of the Year
Mekel Kentle, Joe T. Robinson
Keemontrae McKnight, Warren
Jaret Russ, Shiloh Christian
4A Defensive Player of the Year
Kentavious Robinson, Rivercrest
David Walker, Stuttgart
Marcus Miller, Warren
4A Coach of the Year
Todd Eskola, Joe T. Robinson
Daryl Patton, Bauxite
J.R. Eldridge, Arkadelphia
5A Offensive Player of the Year
Hudson Henry, Pulaski Academy
Justice Hill, LR Christian
John David White, Pulaski Academy
5A Defensive Player of the Year
Cameron Collier, Texarkana
Grant McElmurry, LR Christian
Blake Titus, Pulaski Academy
5A Coach of the Year
Joel Wells, Harrison
Kevin Kelley, Pulaski Academy
Eric Cohu, LR Christian
7A/6A Offensive Player of the Year
Samy Johnson, LR Catholic
Peyton Holt, Greenwood
Darius Bowers, Fayetteville
7A/6A Defensive Player of the Year
Kelby Caffrey, Benton
Kajuan Robinson, Bryant
Dwain Hunt, North Little Rock
7A/6A Coach of the Year
Rick Jones, Greenwood
Buck James, Bryant
Brad Harris, Benton
