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The 2023 Windsor High School varsity football team drew 13 All-Tri-Rivers District honors, led by senior Jamari King, who was named to the first team as an offensive all-purpose player and also received two second-team accolades.

King was selected to the second team as a wide receiver and as a defensive back. He was joined on that team by two other Dukes — senior Demond Smith, who was honored as a defensive all-purpose player and as an offensive lineman, and senior Aiden Micciche, who was selected as a punter.

Windsor players receiving all-district honorable mention included quarterback Jeremy King, running back Javion Collins, offensive linemen Crishon Smith and Criss Mosley, kicker Gavin Marshall, kick returner Hudson Williams and defensive lineman Peyton Fowler.

Dukes Head Coach Benjamin DuBois went to the all-district meeting where the coaches from all the Tri-Rivers teams voted to determine the 2023 honorees, and he fought for his players to receive recognition alongside those from teams that may have had better win-loss records.

“It’s a challenge when you go into those meetings when you have a record that’s not comparable to theirs,” he said.

This year, Windsor finished with an overall record of 2-8 but produced highlights and had some notable individual standouts.

“I felt pretty good going in there defending the guys that I defended,” DuBois said.

The coach cited the qualities that describe an offensive all-purpose player like Jamari King.

“They didn’t specialize at wide receiver, they didn’t specialize at running back or quarterback — they were everywhere on the field,” he said. Referencing King directly, DuBois added, “That was our go-to guy.”

King finished the year with 91 carries for 460 yards and a touchdown, and he recorded 24 catches for 367 yards and five touchdowns.

DuBois noted that King is quiet and laid back and not someone that people would anticipate as being such a force on the gridiron, but he highlighted King’s impressive development that was showcased during his senior season.

“He only had maybe 10 catches last year,” DuBois said. “I know last year he was like the third or fourth guy we would throw the ball to. And this year he came into it, and from day one, he wanted the ball.”

DuBois said that at the all-district meeting, other coaches praised King by saying that “we knew he was going to get the ball, and we knew he was going to catch it or what, and we just didn’t know when.”

Micciche punted for only four games during the season, DuBois said, but he was so impressive that he not only was named to the all-district second team, he also has some interest from college football programs.

DuBois indicated that the competition for spots on the all-district first and second teams was tremendous, and some of the Windsor players he was hoping would make the second team were pushed to honorable mention in the voting. But two of Windsor’s most prominent seniors had notable support from coaches around the district and did not budge.

“When we got to Demond Smith and Jamari King,” DuBois said, “I told the (district coaches), I said, ‘Y’all knew who we had. We didn’t really have too much,’ I said, ‘and y’all still couldn’t stop these two.’ And they all voted for them. They all voted for them to say, ‘Yep, sure couldn’t.’”