South Shelby’s Hammond headlines seven area players receiving Class 2 all-state honors

SHELBINA, Mo. — One of the most powerful running backs in Class 2 led a brigade of seven area players earning all-state honors from the Missouri Football Coaches Association.

South Shelby senior Kendal Hammond, who led the Cardinals to 10 consecutive victories before losing in a shootout with Bowling Green in the district championship game, received first-team all-state honors.

The Cardinals had a pair of second-team selections on defense, while four players from four different schools grabbed third-team plaudits.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Hammond led the Cardinals to an undefeated regular season and their first Clarence Cannon Conference title since 2005 as he rushed for 2,079 yards and averaged 12.6 yards per carry with 34 touchdowns. He was named the CCC Offensive Player of the Year.

Earning second-team honors were South Shelby’s Chance Rainey, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior defensive end, and Aadon Magruder, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior defensive lineman. Rainey finished with 80 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and four sacks, while Magruder had 78 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and six sacks.

Third-team honors went to South Shelby’s Cameron Wiseman, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound return specialist; Palmyra’s Gideon Bogue, a 6-foot, 190-pound linebacker; Monroe City’s Wyatt DeGrave, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound wide receiver; and Mark Twain’s Wyatt Evans, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound offensive lineman.

Wiseman had 22 touchdowns, including one kick return and one interception return for touchdowns. He averaged 10.9 yards per carry and 25 yards per reception, finishing with 20 touchdowns offensively.

Bogue racked up 94 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. Evans was an All-CCC offensive and defensive lineman, while DeGrave earned all-state honors for the third time.