Cloudland's Byrd top scholarship winner

from staff reports

   JOHNSON CITY -- Cloudland's Mark Byrd, a 2003 Mr. Football award winner and three-time all-state performer, captured the top scholarship award at the 12th annual Scholar-Athlete awards banquet held on Monday night.
   The banquet, which is sponsored by the Tri-Cities chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, honored players from 22 high schools and one from ETSU.
   Scholarships were given to five of these athletes, who were awarded for their excellence in playing ability (40 percent grade), academics (40 percent) and leadership and citizenship (20 percent).
   Byrd, who served as the Highlanders' quarterback, defensive back and kick returner deluxe, received a $2,000 award. He holds a 3.9 grade-point average.
   Jake Jenkins, standout lineman at Elizabethton, seized a $750 scholarship. Other winners included Sullivan Central's Zach Frye ($1,500), Tennessee High's Doug McIlwain ($1,250) and Science Hill's Tom Vanthornout ($500).
   Hampton's Mitchell Morton, Unaka's Andrew Richardson, Happy Valley's Michael Everhardt and Johnson County's Daniel Cranford were included among the list of honorees.
   Others honorees were North Greene's Cody Parks, Sullivan East's Blake Morgan, David Crockett's Josh Cloyd, South's Grady Moore, Cherokee's Brian McMillan, Daniel Boone's Brian Green, Dobyns-Bennett's John Lunan, Unicoi County's Stephen Thomas, Volunteer's Bart Berry, Greeneville's Andy McCall, North's Aaron Hartley, Virginia High's Andrew Carico, Jeremy Cureton of West Greene and ETSU's Brandon Calton.
   Former ETSU coach Paul Hamilton, now the coach at Elon, received the Contribution to Football award.