Brock and fellow Cove seniors Josh Kasten and Chris Miller were first-team picks on the Sports Editors Class 5A all-state high school football team, and Temple senior center Brett Gunn and Wildcats junior running back Lache Seastrunk received honorable mentions.
Senior receivers Josh Boyce of Cove and M.J. Porter of Killeen Shoemaker also earned honorable mentions.
The APSE all-state teams were chosen in statewide voting by sports writers, based on regular-season statistics and accomplishments.
Overall, 19 players from area schools were voted to the APSE all-state squads, including five first-teamers - Cove’s trio of Brock, tight end Kasten and cornerback Miller, Killeen senior offensive lineman Rhontae Scales and Salado senior offensive lineman Chase Stuckey.
The 5A Offensive Player of the Year was Houston Cypress Ridge senior quarterback Russell Shepard. A Louisiana State commitment, he passed for 1,458 yards, rushed for 1,111 and accounted for 33 touchdowns in nine games.
Senior lineman Nikita Whitlock of Division II state finalist Wylie was the Defensive Player of the Year. His 101 tackles included 14 sacks, and he returned two of his seven blocked kicks for touchdowns.
Gunn, a unanimous All-District 12-5A selection, was the leading blocker for a Temple Wing-T offense that averaged 288.8 rushing yards and 31.4 points per game as the Wildcats gained their second straight playoff berth.
Seastrunk received an APSE honorable mention for the second straight season. He rushed for 1,452 yards (9.2 per carry) and 14 touchdowns, adding three scoring receptions and a kickoff return for a TD.
Brock made 209 tackles as a sophomore and 225 as a junior to help lead Cove to consecutive 12-3 seasons and 4A Division I state title games, and he was a Texas Sports Writers Association first-team all-state selection both years.
This year, Texas Christian commitment Brock racked up 155 regular-season tackles - 101 unassisted and 13 for loss - in capturing his first APSE first-team all-state honor. He went on to surpass 200 tackles for the third straight season and helped power the 12-5A-champion Bulldawgs to a 13-2 record and a trip to the Division II state semifinals.
His defensive mate Miller was a ball-hawking presence for Cove, making 11 interceptions and returning four for touchdowns. Miller also made 63 tackles.
Kasten was the highest-grading player on the Bulldawgs’ offensive line and also a receiving threat, making seven catches for 112 yards.
Boyce, another TCU commitment, had 34 receptions for 728 yards and eight scores. He also averaged 14.7 yards on 15 punt returns.
Porter was a crucial part of Shoemaker’s first playoff team in its nine-season history. He caught 46 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.
A first-team all-state player with a familiar name is Plano West junior defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat.
West coach Mike Hughes says Jackson Jeffcoat was “like a duck out of water” when he played linebacker as a freshman. Two years after a return to his dad’s position, the younger Jeffcoat was named to the all-state first team.
“It was natural for him there,” said Hughes, whose team lost to Cedar Hill 52-49 in three overtimes in the first round of the playoffs.
Jackson Jeffcoat was a starter midway through his freshman year, but only after careful consideration of the burden on a young player already carrying around a famous football father’s name.
It worked out fine. A standout sophomore season was followed by a junior year plagued by aches and pains but notable nonetheless with 94 tackles, seven sacks and 20 quarterback pressures.
“I felt that Jackson was mature enough to understand and physically mature enough that he could handle it,” said Jim Jeffcoat, a college assistant coach at Houston. “I thought that he would be all right playing varsity as a freshman.”
There’s no guarantee the son will be a football player first, though. He loves basketball, and that sport figures to factor into his decisions as he starts to get serious about college choices this summer. At 6-4 and 230 pounds, he’s more slender and faster than his dad.
If football becomes the priority, Jim Jeffcoat said not to rule out a return to linebacker. He points to the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware, a pass-rushing linebacker who could set the NFL season sack record.
