Merced’s Byrd named conference MVP
When the Merced High School football team needed a big play this year, Jabar Byrd delivered.
With the Bears trailing 7-0 against Buhach Colony on Oct. 24, Byrd turned the game around with a 54-yard touchdown run and a 29-yard touchdown catch on back-to-back plays.
With Merced again trailing 7-0 the following week against Turlock, Byrd broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first half.
Whether it was offense, defense or special teams, Byrd made an impact on the game and the Central California Conference coaches noticed, selecting the senior as the conference MVP.
“If ever there was somebody willing to play, it’s this guy,” said Merced coach Rob Scheidt, who was named Coach of the Year. “He just gives so much effort on both sides of the ball. We had high expectations for him, and he played to that level of expectation and it’s nice the rest of the league recognized it.”
Byrd ran for 568 yards and five touchdowns in Merced’s five CCC games. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider he had only 20 carries combined against Atwater, Pitman and Golden Valley because the games were decided by halftime.
“This has kind of been a goal of mine since my freshman year, so it’s almost a dream come true,” Byrd said. “I was only able to achieve it because of my coaches and my team.”
The Bears also took some of the top awards with quarterback Tyrone Williams earning the Best Offensive Player award and middle linebacker Jermon Cook collecting the Best Defensive Player honor.
Williams completed 41 of 71 passes for 688 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions in CCC play.
“At some point as a coach, I have to pull back and just admire some of the things Tyrone has done with the football,” Scheidt said. “I haven’t seen anyone in our program throw the football like him, and we’ve had some great quarterbacks.”
Cook missed the first three games because of an ankle injury, but recorded 60 tackles in Merced’s five CCC games.
“He’s still not 100 percent,” Scheidt said. “I’m proud of his effort. He’s been willing to play at a high level even when the ankle has been a chore. If we had him all year, we might be undefeated.”
The Bears also landed eight players on the All-CCC first team: offensive linemen Tyler Davis and Christian Lopez, receiver Josh Taylor, defensive linemen Robby Huddleston, Kenneth Hamel and John Becerra, defensive back Ulonzo Gilliam and linebacker Rafael Magdaleno.
Turlock’s Robert Martinez was named the Lineman of the Year, and the Bulldogs placed eight players on the first team.
Other local players earning first-team honors were Buhach Colony’s Justin Stefani (running back) and Aundre Sherman (defensive back) and Atwater’s Isaac Perez (offensive line) and Josh Rogers (defensive line).
This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 7:31 PM with the headline "Merced’s Byrd named conference MVP."