Published: December 27, 2008 09:39 pm            

Column: Add all-state to Haynes' honors

Dean Haynes’ credentials were already impressive. But he’ll now play in Monday’s Georgia Athletic Coaches Association’s All-Star football game at 2 p.m. in Columbus with all-state tacked onto his resum�.

Haynes, The Daily Citizen’s 2008 All-Area Football Team Player of the Year, has been selected to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class 4A All-State team.

It’s a nice way for Haynes to showcase his skills in his final high school-related football game before heading off to play collegiately at North Carolina State. Haynes, who verbally committed to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Wolfback back in early August, will sign scholarship papers on Feb. 4 on National Signing Day.

Haynes arrived in Columbus on Friday afternoon and by Saturday evening had gone through three practice sessions. He’s hoping to lead the North past the South in Monday’s game at Memorial Stadium.

“It’s going real good,” said Haynes, who went to a movie with his teammates Saturday night. “We look great. There are a lot of athletes, we’ve got a lot of speed and a lot of size. I’ve never played on a team stacked like this. It’s pretty exciting.”

The Bruins’ standout said he didn’t want to play quarterback in the all-star game, but once he found out he would be playing free safety there was no hesitation on his part to participate.

Some players and their future college coaches are not keen on all-star games due to the risk of injury. Haynes is eager to play because “a lot of these guys will play in college and I want to see how I stack up with them.”

He was not aware of his selection to the AJC All-State team.

“That’s good,” he said. “I’ll have to tell my mom.”

Haynes was one of just two players from Region 7-4A to earn a first-team spot on the AJC All-State squad. Rome running back P.J. Green, who had a big hand in the Wolves’ 24-6 victory over Northwest on Oct. 17 in Tunnel Hill, was the other one.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 222-pound Green was also named the Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta newspaper, leading Rome to the Class 4A semifinals where it lost 19-17 to eventual runner-up Marist.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Haynes would be near the head of the class when it comes to versatility on the football field. In 2006 and ’07 Haynes earned spots on The Daily Citizen’s All-Area teams as a defensive back.

He was named the quarterback on this year’s team, but could have just as easily been selected as a defensive back again or as an athlete. His impact on the Bruins’ team — offensively and defensively — was obvious.

Haynes was the area’s leading rusher with 878 yards and 18 touchdowns. He passed for 782 yards and three scores. He led the area with 110 points. As a free safety, Haynes had 61 tackles and recovered a fumble.

Haynes is ranked among the state’s top 150 prospects as a defensive back by the AJC, receiving a B+ grade.

� Leslie Kerns, who lives in Chatsworth and is a second-grade teacher at Calhoun Primary School, recently competed — quite successfully, I might add — in the Elite Classic Figure Show in Greensboro, N.C., and placed first in the tall class, third in the 35-plus age group and qualified for berths in the nationals for the next two years.

Kerns works out at Global Fitness in Dalton and her husband, Douglas, is a a firefighter with the Dalton Fire Depart-ment.

� There was a time over a span of far too many years that I spent an inordinate amount of energy tracking down high school football prospects in a quest to determine where they would play collegiately.

It was, without question, the most arduous assignment in my entire career. for the month of January, for instance, I would begin calling prep players around 7 a.m. on the East Coast and work my way west until shutting down around 12:30 a.m., sometimes pushing the cutoff point to 1 a.m.

I once talked to a running back — for the life of me the name escapes me — from Miami for weeks and weeks.

He took five official visits and committed to each school on the Sunday he left campus for home. He wound up at Michigan State and his high school coach was suspected of taking money for getting the player to sign with the Spartans.

There was the time my phone call woke Deon Grant from a sound sleep at his Augusta home, but when told the call was to confirm his commitment to Tennessee, he perked up and talked for about an hour about why he chose the Vols.

What jostled my memory of such an unpleasant period in my journalistic career, was browsing through the current rankings of Tom Lemming, out of Schaumburg, Ill., with whom I used to work closely, and Rivals.com.

Dealing with high school-aged football players trying to make what is the most important decisions of their life is, at best, mind-boggling.

If they all were like Haynes, who committed to N.C. State and has not wavered the slightest bit since, the task would not be nearly as difficult.

In scanning Lemming’s ratings, he’s got five Georgians in his top 100 — linebacker Jarvis Jones, Carver-Columbus (No. 9), athlete Donovan Tate, Cartersville (No. 54), running back Washaun Ealey, Emanuel County Institute (No. 68), linebacker Kevin Minter, Peachtree Ridge (No. 72), and wide receiver Jamal Patterson, Henry County (No. 73).

Waley is committed to Georgia; Minter to LSU. Jones, Tate and Patterson have not committed, according to Lemming.

As for Rivals.com, the top-rated Georgian on that list is Branden Smith, a defensive back from Washington-Atlanta, at No. 31.

He has not made a commitment either. Carver-Columbus’ Jones comes in at No. 45. Tate is No. 81, Carter-Atlanta defensive back Darren Myles is No. 87, offensive lineman Chris Burnette of LaGrange is No. 93 and defensive tackle Abry Jones of Northside-Warner Robins is No. 94.

Rivals.com says Tate has committed to North Carolina while Georgia has gotten non-binding commitments from Burnette and Abry Jones. Rivals.com says Jarvis Jones and Myles have not made their decisions.

But, if the past is any indication, if you don’t like the schools these guys have committed to, just wait a few days. They could change their minds.

        

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