NATCHEZ &8212; In a year filled with great players throughout the Miss-Lou, one player stood above the rest.

Stevan Ridley, the do-it-all Trinity Episcopal

senior, racked up 3,089 yards rushing, 627 yards passing and accounted for 46 touchdowns &8212; and that doesn&8217;t include returns of punts and interceptions.

In a year in which he led the Saints to the MPSA Class A state championship, Ridley is unquestionably The Democrat&8217;s Player of the Year.

Entering the season having already committed to LSU, Ridley knew he would be a marked man, and he said the key was preparing himself for the challenge.

&8220;It&8217;s hard to hide,&8221; he said. &8220;You have to mentally prepare yourself. You can&8217;t try to do too much. Last year I found myself trying to do too much &8212; trying to make something out of nothing. This year was kind of different. I love to hit and I love big hits, but you have to go out there and be prepared.

&8220;I just had to trust Coach (David) King. Our bread and butter play was the quarterback draw, and a lot of times it was open to the left but I didn&8217;t want to go there. He kept telling me to trust him.&8221;

In the span of Ridley&8217;s remarkable season, he found himself on the sideline for the second half of nine games, leaving many to wonder how many yards he may have put up. The fact that Ridley was happy to accept that role is what King feels sets him apart from other players.

&8220;He&8217;s so totally unselfish,&8221; King said. &8220;Stevan and I have almost like a father and son relationship, and sometimes I&8217;m like a big brother to him. He understood that there were going to be some games where he was not going to play more than a half. There were games he had to have this team ready. Some of those weeks were the weeks he really stepped up and helped this team get ready.

&8220;The big thing was his leadership. He&8217;s only 17 still, but he&8217;s a natural leader. He had that ability. I get on to him at times, just like any other 17-year-old. There were times he didn&8217;t bring his A-game in the leadership role, and Coach (Matt) Mason and I got onto him about it, but he understood that.&8221;

In a season in which Ridley became only the third back in the history of Mississippi to rush for 3,000 yards and led his team to a state title, it was difficult to find a negative.

&8220;I wanted to go undefeated,&8221; he said, referring to Trinity&8217;s two last minute losses to Central Private and Porters Chapel, both Class AA teams. &8220;But that wasn&8217;t a big thing to me. If we had gone undefeated I don&8217;t know how the state title game would have gone. I don&8217;t know if we could&8217;ve won that kind of close game. God has a reason for everything, and he had a reason for us to lose those two close games.&8221;

Having spent the last four years coaching Ridley, King got to know his player well, and after his senior season, he feels this city may not have seen a better player.

&8220;In today&8217;s time and age with the Internet and these Web sites, he&8217;s probably the most scrutinized athlete this city&8217;s ever had,&8221; King said. &8220;There are just people that question him. Every day you would hear somebody say he can&8217;t play at LSU, or he wouldn&8217;t be a star in 5A. You hardly hear that (about) any kid except for Stevan. He has taken that so well. We&8217;ve used it as motivation so many times. I thank people for putting this stuff on these boards.

&8220;I&8217;ll say this: There is not anybody in the history of this town that kicked, threw, ran or tackled all in one game any better than Stevan Ridley did &8212; in the history of this town. As controversial as that may sound that&8217;s a fact.&8221;

With his high school career now in the books, Ridley is ready to tackle what lays ahead, and he hopes that can include being a running back at LSU.

&8220;My goal is to get faster. My heart&8217;s at running back,&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s the position I&8217;d most like to play, and if I don&8217;t get faster I won&8217;t be playing running back. My fastest time right now is a 4.55, and that was on a good day. I&8217;m going to have to get my 40 time up to play at LSU.

&8220;It&8217;s going to be tough going from getting all the attention to getting no attention. I&8217;m ready for the chewing out. You have to be mentally prepared. You have to be ready to take the bad with the good. It&8217;s not going to be all gold.&8221;

While skills are required to play at the next level, King said Ridley&8217;s other qualities should help him get where he wants to be.

&8220;Just like (LSU head coach) Les Miles told me three times &8212; he&8217;s not just recruiting Stevan because he&8217;s a good player. He&8217;s recruiting him because he&8217;s got character.&8221;