Five finalists announced for state's top prep football honor

By Barry Byers - bbyers@heraldonline.com

The South Carolina High Schools Athletic Association has released the finalists for this year's South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association's Mr. Football of South Carolina.

The nominees for 2009 are: Bruce Ellington, Berkeley; DeAndre Hopkins, Daniel; Malcolm Howard, Goose Creek; Marcus Lattimore, Byrnes; and Dylan Thompson, Boiling Springs.

Last year's winner was South Pointe's Stephon Gilmore, a starting defensive back at South Carolina this season. Rock Hill High's Chris Hope won the award in 1998. Hope played at Florida State and was a defensive back on the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2006 Super Bowl championship team. He now plays for the Tennessee Titans.

The awards banquet will be held at the Myrtle Beach Performing Arts Auditorium at 7 p.m. Dec. 11.

The banquet is part of the SCADA North-South All-Star Football Game, which will be played the following day at noon at Myrtle Beach High School's Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.

Game tickets are $15 at the gate. For more information, visit northsouthallstarfootball.com.