Like many people, Peyton Daughtery put on a few pounds during COVID.
But when football training began, the Charleston senior trained hard, lifted intensely and shed nearly 30 pounds.
That work ethic paid off Monday when Daughtery (5 feet 11, 200 pounds) was selected to the Apollo All-Conference as both a defensive and offensive lineman – unanimously for his play at center.
Daughtery was among a few Charleston players who lifted 1,200 pounds from the combined weight of squats, bench press, dead lift and clean lift.
“He’s very strong,” said Charleston football coach Jerry Payne. “He made very few mistakes. He could handle defenses and he would help our guards by picking a linebacker up. He also had three tackles for loss on defense.”
Two other Charleston players were named all-conference on both sides of the ball. Cory Spour was a first-team selection at running back and defensive back while Sam Schuette earned first team at defensive back and second team for wide receiver.
Spour averaged 8.2 yards per carry, rushing 72 times for 594 yards and eight touchdowns across six games. The 5-11, 175-pound senior also led the team in tackles with 57 and intercepted one pass. In addition, Spour caught a team-high 18 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns for the 4-2 Trojans.
Schuette earned first-team status for his play at defensive back, where he intercepted six passes, forced three fumbles and recorded 34 tackles. Schuette (6-1, 180) also caught 15 passes for a team-high 354 yards and five touchdowns.
“He (Sam) did a great job of just watching the quarterback,” Payne said. “Cory was always the guy not in coverage and attacking the run. These guys were football smart. During timeouts, we would discuss (options), and I would not just tell them what to do. There were times that Sam would see them (opposing offense) change a play and he would call an audible.”
Mattoon’s Zach Schick (6-0, 190) also earned a first-team status for his play on defense.
The following local players earned second-team status on the all-Apollo Conference team.
| Name | Pos | School | Ht/Wt |
| Drew Matheny | OL | Charleston | 5-11, 190 |
| Jakai Johnson | RB | Mattoon | 5-7, 130 |
| Brody Rankin | DL | Charleston | 6-3, 280 |
| Dakota Spencer | DL | Mattoon | 6-0, 205 |
| Ty Coartney | LB | Charleston | 6-3, 200 |
| Aiden Spurgeon | LB | Mattoon | 5-9, 200 |
| Brayden Rennels | DB | Charleston | 6-1, 180 |
