Schools 
The recognition keeps coming for the Belton Tigers, whose football team posted its first winning season and won its first district title since 2003.
For Belton’s success, five Tigers earned six selections Saturday with the release of the 48th Annual Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A all-state team.
Belton earned selections on two of the three teams, with defensive lineman Zac Sakaria leading the way with his first-team pick. Tim Bower was a third-team defensive lineman. David Ash earned honorable-mention honors as both a quarterback and punter, while linebacker Tyler Vail was a honorable-mention honoree as well. Kevin Thornton made it as a wide receiver.
“Hopefully it shows that we did have some talented football players,” Belton coach Rodney Southern said. “You make a lot of these teams based off of talent, but also the success your team had.
“The ability to win 10 games and win our district was good, but hopefully this is a step in what continues to be growth in our program.”
Sakaria’s other honors this season include his unanimous selection as the District 12-5A most valuable player and the Daily Herald’s Defensive MVP. The 6-foot, 245-pound lineman was Belton’s second-leading tackler (87) and led a defense that only surrendered 14.3 points a game.
“This poll, to me, is a little different because sportswriters seen them play,” Southern said. “I think people that saw Zac play know that, regardless of how tall he is or how tall he isn’t, he’s a really good football player because of the company he’s in on this team — from what I’ve been told — is pretty good.”
The other first-team defensive lineman include Plano West’s Jackson Jeffcoat (signed with Texas), Aldine Eisenhower’s Jay Guy (Nebraska) and Amarillo junior James Castleman (2-5A Defensive MVP).
Abilene running back Herschel Sims, who led the Eagles to the 5A Division II title, was named the offensive player of the year honors while the top-coaching honor went to Abilene’s Steve Warren. Dallas Skyline linebacker Corey Nelson was the defensive player of the year.
