Paris is still rebuilding with a 2022 season that finished 1-9 but had some leaders this season and pieces for the future.

Seniors Owen Totten and Gunnar Fountain each garnered spots on the Lewis and Clark Conference team, with Totten earning third-team defensive end and Fountain being a second-team defensive lineman. Gunnar’s brother, sophomore Gatlin Fountain, was honored twice with second-team defensive back and third-team running back selections.

Totten began his season in a big way with five sacks at home against Grandview and finished with a team high 97 tackles and 11 sacks and two fumble recoveries. 

“That first game when he had five sacks against Grandview was just awesome,” Paris head coach Joseph Utterback said. “I think after that teams started to figure out they needed to make sure to block him.”

Gunnar Fountain had 55 tackles, four sacks and a fumble recovery while serving as “the anchor’ of the interior defensive line.

“Getting any spot on the defensive line for the conference is tough because there are so many good defensive linemen, but Gunnar certainly belonged on that list,” Utterback said. 

Gatlin Fountain was second on the team with 94 tackles and had an interception on defense and ran for 410 yards and two touchdowns behind an offensive line led by Totten, Gunnar Fountain and senior Donald Jones.

“We line him up at receiver some too and he is a very athletic kid,” Utterback said. “The kid is all about football. I think if you give him an off season of development in the weight room and things like that you could see him end up higher on this list next year.”

Utterback said Paris not having much success certainly factored into the selections as Jones had a good year leading the offensive line, having only 11 hurries on 234 pass plays and not allowing a sack in a conference game. 

Senior Alex Williams didn’t start punting until the final three or four weeks of the season, Utterback said, but would have led the conference in average yards per punt if he began the season in the role. He finished with a 26.7 average, a longest punt of 44 yards and three punts inside the 20-yard line.

Junior Colton Kendrick playing only five games also prevented him from appearing on offensive and defensive sides of the team, Utterback said, as the offense “revolved around him” and he was a “leader of our defense.” Kendrick finished as the team leader with 43 receiving yards per game, tied for the most touchdowns on the team with three, 10th on the team in total tackles and a team-high two interceptions.

“We play in a great conference with great players,” Utterback said. “The goal is that next year we get a few more. We know we lose quite a bit of talent with our seniors but I think our young guys are ready to pick up the ball and run with it.”