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Caleb Short of Verbena High School was selected as the 2024 The Clanton Advertiser Defensive Player of the Year after leading Class 1A in interceptions during the 2024 season. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

Malachi Allgood of Thorsby High School was named an honorable mention for the award in 2024 after winning it in 2023. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

Isabella High School’s Kaden Tuttle was selected to the 2024 All-Advertiser Team as a defensive back with 126 tackles. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

Chilton County High School’s Nyzaiah Dejarnett was selected to the 2024 All-Advertiser Team as a linebacker. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

Jemison High School’s Dalten Moore was selected to the 2024 All-Advertiser Team as an athlete on the defensive side of the ball. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

Maplesville High School’s Dee Elliott was selected to the 2024 All-Advertiser Team as a linebacker with over 60 tackles. (BRANDON SUMRALL | SPECIAL)

By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Verbena High School’s Caleb Short made the most of his opportunities in the defensive backfield of the Red Devils in 2024. Short’s ability to be a versatile corner took away a large portion of the field for offenses, and when they did throw his way, he normally made them pay. Short’s seven interceptions led all Class 1A schools, and earned him the 2024 The Clanton Advertiser Defensive Player of the Year.

“He had a phenomenal season and he has played cornerback and safety for five years, and we locked him into safety as a senior,” Verbena head coach Allen Brothers said. “He has a great eye for the ball, and numerous times was able to anticipate what the quarterback was going to do for some of those picks. There were a couple times he went way high and outjumped the receiver.”

Short’s ball skills are arguably the best in the county, and some of the best in the state. Many of his interceptions came far down the field, leaving him to track the ball for many yards before finishing the play with a pick. Short nearly doubled his turnover output from 2023 going from four to seven interceptions. Two of his interceptions in 2024 came off the 2024 The Clanton Advertiser Offensive Player of the Year — Maplesville High School’s Pearce Yeargan. Only one of Short’s seven interceptions came off a tip — the others were pure ball skills on display.

Brothers and the Verbena coaching staff were able to keep him back off the line of scrimmage and not down for run support as much with the front seven doing their job throughout much of the season. This allowed Short to sit back and attack the long throws downfield.

“He is one of the smartest football players I have ever coached,” Brothers said. “His football IQ was so high, he studied the game and he was quiet on the field a lot of times, but showed through example. A lot of our young defensive backs would ask him questions … Oftentimes he had educated football answers for them.”

Shorts added 20 tackles, 10 pass breakups and one fumble recovery to his 2024 totals. But it was his turnover ability that separated himself in his final year in the Verbena program.

Honorable mention: Malachi Allgood, Thorsby High School

Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year Malachi Allgood backed up his great 2023 with a solid 2024 that earned him an honorable mention for the award. Allgood’s total tackle numbers went down just slightly from his incredible 163 tackles in 2023 to 134 tackles in 2024. However, his solo tackles went up in 2024 to 71, up from 64 in 2023. He also tallied 15 tackles for loss, six more than 2023.

“He is an outstanding player, prepares well and is a very coachable kid that has great instincts, which you need to play the middle linebacker position,” Thorsby head coach Daryl Davis said. “From film work and just knowing, he reads the play well and is there by the time the running back is there.”

Allgood added six and a half sacks, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles to his 2024 totals. He will end his career at Thorsby as one of the school’s all-time leading tacklers, and also ranks in the upper echelon of tacklers in AHSAA history across all classifications.

2024 All-Advertiser Team, Defense

-Defensive Line: SO Bam Parker, Chilton County

-Defensive Line: SR Brooks Barnett, Thorsby — 64 tackles, nine sacks, 11 TFL

-Defensive Line: JR Lane Mims, Isabella — 90 tackles

-Defensive Line: SO Von Woods, Maplesville — 70 tackles, 7.5 sacks

-Linebacker: JR Nyzaiah Dejarnett, Chilton County

-Linebacker: SR Malachi Allgood, Thorsby — 134 tackles, 71 solo tackles, 15 TFL, 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles

-Linebacker: SR Dee Elliott, Maplesville — 63.5 tackles, 6.5 sacks

-Linebacker: SO Isaac Stoudemire, Verbena — 70 tackles, 6 sacks, four fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, one fumble return touchdown

-Linebacker: SR Davion Slaughter, Jemison

-Athlete: SR Tyler Lockhart, Thorsby — 84 tackles, 39 solo

-Athlete: SR Jacob Morris, Verbena — 83 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one sack, one interception

-Athlete: SR Dalten Moore, Jemison

-Defensive Back: JR Kaden Tuttle, Isabella — 126 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, one fumble recovery

-Defensive Back: SR Caleb Short, Verbena — 20 tackles, seven interceptions (led Class 1A), 10 pass breakups, one fumble recovery

-Defensive Back: SR Chaz Melton, Jemison

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