When Demetric Jackson first took over as Columbia’s head coach in July, one name people kept telling him to watch was Tray Tolliver.
Jackson didn’t buy it at first.
From what Jackson saw in practice, he wasn’t impressed with the junior receiver. It wasn’t until the Tigers suited up for their first game of the season against American Heritage-Delray that Jackson knew he had a special talent.
That night changed his mind for good.
“Tray is just different than what I was thinking of a guy that’s special would look like,” Jackson said. “And he doesn’t practice really hard, so my first impression was ‘this dude isn’t what they say he is.’ Then all of a sudden you put him in a game and it’s like, ‘whoa.’”
Tolliver returned two punts for touchdowns and caught a pass for a score in Columbia’s 46-23 season-opening win over Heritage. That was just the beginning of a stellar season for the talented wideout, who caught 28 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns in addition to 17 carries for 106 yards and two more scores.
Add in Tolliver’s kick return numbers and he finished with over 1,000 all-purpose yards, taking three punts to the house and scoring another TD on a kickoff return. That wasn’t it for Tolliver either as he also had a pick-6 on defense to finish with nine touchdowns on the year while helping the Tigers win their first district title since 2018.
His game-breaking ability is why he’s the LCR’s Offensive Player of the Year.
“This means I was working hard and I wasn’t working for no reason,” Tolliver said.
Anytime Tolliver touched the ball, defenses had to hold their breath. He was the definition of an X-factor for Columbia, which seemed prime for a playoff run before Tolliver tore his ACL late in the season against Madison County.
With Tolliver sidelined, the Tigers lost their final three games, including to rival Riverside in the regional quarterfinals. That hasn’t sat well with Tolliver, who believes he could have been even more productive this fall.
“I could’ve played better and stopped taking off on some plays,” Tolliver said. “I didn’t play as good as I wanted to, but it was a good season. I just didn’t want it to end on an injury. But I’ll be back harder next year.”
Tolliver took a leap as a kick returner this season, stepping into the role left behind by Shyheim Brown. While Brown was the team’s main kick returner in 2020, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns, Tolliver watched his mentor live and on film to be ready for his time in 2021.
Brown gave Tolliver plenty of advice as well, and Tolliver listened. He took all that knowledge and used it this season whenever he touched the ball.
“When I caught the ball I’d feel it and look to see if I had an open field,” Tolliver said. “But I used my speed. Last year when I was with Shyheim, I had it but I was kind of scared. This year, all eyes were on me.”
Tolliver was so explosive that Jackson was finding any way to get the ball in his hands. Aside from returning kicks and catching passes, the Tigers were handing the ball off to Tolliver on sweeps and even using him as a wildcat quarterback.
Or a defensive back. Tolliver was inserted in the secondary right before halftime in a game against Trinity Christian and intercepted a pass that he returned 97 yards for a touchdown.
He could do it all.
“He was a guy where you had to know he was at on offense, defense and obviously on special teams,” Jackson said. “He was definitely an X-factor and a guy that could change a game in all three phases. That’s what separated him from everybody else.”
Jackson also went to Tolliver at quarterback with Columbia down 21-0 to Madison County at Boot Hill and in need of a spark. Tolliver was delivering one too, leading two drives out of the wildcat that ended with touchdown runs by himself.
The Tigers added a safety too to make it 21-16. Then Tolliver tore his ACL on the ensuing drive, and all hope was lost.
It was an injury that altered the fate of Columbia’s season, one Tolliver believes could have gone as far as the regional finals or beyond. Tolliver, who is a 3-star rated recruit by 247Sports, plans to be there for one last playoff run next year before choosing from several Division I college offers.
“The injury motivates me a lot because if I was working harder it probably wouldn’t have happened,” Tolliver said. “If my legs were stronger and I was in the weight room, it probably wouldn’t have happened. But it’ll make me work harder because it’s an ACL and it’s hard to come back from it.
“I want to be one of the best receivers to come through Lake City.”
ALL-OFFENSE TEAM
QB: Kyson Johnson
Branford, senior
Accounted for an area-best 24 touchdowns, hurting defenses with his arm and his legs. He threw for an area-high 1,407 yards and 13 scores, while running for 11 more TDs and 487 yards.
RB: Malachi Graham
Suwannee, senior
Rushed for a team-best 682 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and caught 19 passes for 119 yards and another TD. He also played some quarterback, throwing for 233 yards and three scores.
RB: Bodhi White
Branford, senior
Rushed for an area-best 690 yards on a 4.1 average in just eight games while scoring six touchdowns. He also caught 12 passes for 115 yards and another score, and made 21 tackles playing defense.
RB/WR: Kamarion Griffin
Fort White, junior
Led the Indians on the ground with 356 yards and three touchdowns while also catching 11 passes for a team-high 247 yards and three more scores. He contributed defensively too at linebacker, making 46 tackles with one sack and one fumble recovery.
WR: Tray Tolliver
Columbia, junior
The LCR’s Offensive Player of the Year was dangerous every time he touched the ball, whether it was on offense, special teams or even defense before a knee injury ended his season after nine games. He had 28 receptions for 378 yards and two touchdowns, carried it 17 times for 106 yards and two more TDs, returned three punts for TDs and took a kickoff back for another score to help the Tigers win their first district title since 2018. Oh, and he had a pick-6 on defense too. He finished the year over 1,000 all-purpose yards and is currently being coveted by several Power 5 colleges as a 3-star prospect.
WR: Marcus Peterson
Columbia, senior
Caught an area-best 41 passes for an area-best 556 yards and six touchdowns. The Cincinnati signee also ran it 19 times for 83 yards.
OL: Devyn Mosley
Branford, senior
Blocked for the top offense in the area, which accounted for 3,191 in 10 games. Also had 46 tackles and two sacks on defense.
OL: Tanner Miller
Branford, senior
Blocked for an offense that found the end zone an area-best 37 times.
OL: Jesse Thompson
Fort White, senior
Blocked for a run-dominant offense that rushed for more than 1,200 yards.
OL: Jaycob Jones
Columbia, senior
Was the top lineman for the district champion Tigers.
OL: Braxton Thompson
Suwannee, senior
Led the way for top rusher Malachi Graham.
K/P Braxtyn Green
Suwannee, junior
Made 29 of 30 extra points and seven of 12 field goals, with a long of 54 yards. Also averaged 38.1 yards per punt with a long of 54, pinning 11 kicks inside the 20-yard line.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Roy Harden & Ken Snider, Fort White
When Demetric Jackson left for Columbia in July after starting quarterback Tyler Jefferson transferred out, hopes weren’t high for the Indians. The school even moved forward with two interim coaches for the season, promoting assistants Roy Harden and Ken Snider to co-head coaches. It was unorthodox but it worked, with Harden acting as offensive coordinator and Snider as the defensive coordinator. While some from the outside were just hoping to see a win or two, Harden and Snider got the most out of a roster that wasn’t always the most talented but certainly played hard. The Indians won not just one or two games but five to qualify for the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. Although Fort White lost in the Region 3-1A quarterfinals to Lafayette, it was a season that far exceeded expectations.