The 2005 Demopolis High football season football officially came to a close Thursday night as the Tiger team was honored at their annual banquet.

The Demopolis High cafeteria was packed with Tiger supporters as DHS head coach Doug Goodwin thanked those who had backed and participated in the football program. He finished by offering his gratitude to the team itself.

“I’d like to thank our players for doing such a good job,” said. “Not many people at this time last year thought we’d have the kind of season we had. Any time you can finish 12-1, you’ve had a great season. I thought they got better and better as the season went along, and that’s all we can ask of them.”

Goodwin had special praise for his graduating seniors, which he called the “winningest class in the history of Demopolis High School.”

“Not too many people who play four years of high school football,” he said, “can say that they won 53 games and lost 3.”

Of the honored seniors, none made more trips to the podium than quarterback Dontrell Miller. The 4A Back of the Year finalist and one-time All-State defensive back was named Demopolis’s Offensive Player of the Year, the Pince Holliman Defensive Player of the Year, Best Offensive Back, Best Defensive Back, and a team captain alongside fellow senior Rock Jones, the Tigers’ leading rusher.

“These two worked hard and set a great example of the rest of the team,” Goodwin said of the captains, awarded for showing the most leadership. “When things went bad, they were the first ones to speak up.”

The players weren’t the only team members that received compliments during the banquet, as DHS principal Dr. Isaac Espy had high praise for the Tiger coaching staff.

“I don’t know if you realize,” he told the team,” that you have the best coaching staff in the state of Alabama, bar none.”

The full list of award winners is follows: Best Offensive Lineman-Zach Landerfelt, Best Offensive Back-Dontrell Miller, Best Receiver-Dwiuan White, Best Defensive Lineman-Perry Little, Best Linebacker-Jacob Smelley, Best Defensive Back-Dontrell Miller, Best Special Teams Player-Shontrell Braxton, Rusty Yeager Practice Player of the Year-Marlo Smith, Pince Holliman Defensive Player of the Year-Dontrell Miller, Offensive Player of the Year-Dontrell Miller, Captains-Dontrell Miller, Rock Jones. A complete list of the “Iron Bunch,” the players who did not miss a practice during the 2005 season, is at right.