Russellville’s Phinizee wins major All-State award

Russellville running back Cam Phinizee didn’t come home empty-handed Tuesday.

Phinizee won the Class 5A back of the year award at the annual All-State luncheon banquet in Montgomery.

The junior averaged almost 212 yards per game this season, despite having one game where he carried three times for 10 yards due to sickness.

Phinizee ran for 2,331 yards and 28 touchdowns on 231 carries.

He was a finalist for 5A back of the year as a sophomore when he totaled 2,389 yards with 40 touchdowns.

Phinizee, according to AHSAA records, is already Russellville’s all-time leading rusher. He has 4,720 yards with 68 touchdown runs.

He’s the fourth Russellville player to win a major ASWA All-State football award. Chad Sears was the 5A player of the year in 1994, Aaron Sears the 5A lineman of the year in 2002 and Brent Calloway the top 5A back in 2010.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association, in which the TimesDaily is an All-State voting member, presents the awards.

The banquet, which was at the Montgomery Renaissance, was sponsored by ALFA Insurance and the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association.