Ayden Pouncey, Marceles Carey, Jesse Barker Jr. are football players of the year
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When it came to selecting the Sentinel’s 2025 football players of the year, it wasn’t easy. There were numerous worthy players in each category, but in the end we came up with those we have decided are best representatives for the positions.
Winter Park’s Ayden Pouncey is the Sentinel’s Iron Man of the Year, which goes to the area’s top all-around player. DeLand’s Marceles Carey is the Offensive Player of the Year. And South Lake’s Jesse Barker Jr. is the Defensive Player of the Year.
The choice for Iron Man came down to picking between Pouncey and Carey, as both players were relied upon heavily by their teams. It was a tough choice between the two, but Pouncey got the nod based on the fact that five of his seven interceptions this season were returned for touchdowns, quite an impressive feat.
Iron Man of the Year
Ayden Pouncey, 6-3, 180, senior, safety/receiver, Winter Park
Pouncey did it all for the Wildcats, but his star position was in the defensive backfield, where, as mentioned above, he had seven interceptions, which tied him for 13th in the state. He was fourth on the team in tackles with 54 stops, for an average of 5.4 per game. Offensively, he was also a key component for Winter Park at wide receiver. Pouncey, whose two older brothers also played for the Wildcats, led the team with 35 receptions for 684 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran the ball 23 times for 202 yards and two more TDs. In total, he had 16 touchdowns, including two on kick returns.
“In my 19 years as the head coach at Winter Park I’ve never coached a player who did so much so well in a 48-minute game,” Winter Park head coach Tim Shifflet said. “His ability to effect a game from so many positions on the field and decide the outcome of so many games for us all year long was truly amazing .
“I’ve coached thousands of players and have helped hundreds get to play college football, he might be the best all around player I’ve ever coached.”
Pouncey will now head off to Notre Dame to start his college football career.
Offensive Player of the Year
Marceles Carey, 5-11, 165, senior, receiver/running back/cornerback, DeLand
Carey did for DeLand what Pouncey did at Winter Park. He caught the ball, ran the ball, and tackled ball carriers. On defense, he had six interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, and he also had 40 tackles. On offense, he ran the ball 113 times for 1.479 yards and an area-leading 31 touchdowns. He had an impressive average yards per carry of 13 yards. He also led DeLand in receiving, catching 27 balls for 693 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging a whopping 26 yards per catch. He had 31 total touchdowns, including two Pick-6s and a punt return.
“His numbers were unreal: 1,400 yards rushing, 13 yards per carry, 25 yards per reception, six interceptions, two pick 6’s, 31 total TD’s including special teams,” DeLand coach Rick Darlington said. “No player meant more to his team and had more dominant production than Marceles. He impacted every game on both sides of the ball.”
It’s quite baffling, but Carey is not getting much recruiting attention. He finally got an FBS scholarship offer from Bowling Green in December.
Defensive Player of the Year
Jesse Barker Jr., 6-1, 240, senior, defensive tackle, South Lake
Barker was our choice in an extremely close decision over Lake Nona’s DeAnthony Lafayette and Edgewater’s JJ Edwards. We went with Barker because of his motor. He a non-stop defensive wrecking ball, carving up offenses this past season to the tune of 19 sacks. He was third on the team in tackles with 104 stops for an average of eight tackles per game, and he had an area-leading 34 tackles for loss. He got the South Lake crowd fired up with his momentous sacks.
His size has held back college football recruiters, but he’ll find a spot. He is currently leaning toward West Florida, an NCAA Division II school in Pensacola.
“Jesse Barker is relentless and outworks everyone. Wherever he goes he will compete every rep,” South Lake coach Brad Lord said. “He was our heart and soul and he drove the whole team to be better, and when games were tight, he took over.”
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
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