Andalusia junior quarterback Ethan Wilson had the type of season that most only get to dream about as he passed his way into the Andalusia High School and AHSAA record books with his 2016 performance.

“Ethan did an outstanding job distributing the ball for us this season,” Andalusia head coach Trent Taylor said. “Coming into the summer, we felt like passing was going to be something that we would be able to do more of this year. Not just because of Ethan, but because of the athletic receivers that we had, as well as those five guys blocking up front.”

Wilson recorded the best passing season by anyone who’s worn the Bulldog uniform. In 15 games, Wilson passed for 2,107 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 2,107 yards is the 111th best season for a quarterback in AHSAA history.

Along with staggering passing numbers, Wilson showed his dual-threat capabilities by rushing for 704 yards and six touchdowns.

“It’s very special to be a part of this team,” Wilson said. “It was a great year, and one that I’ll never forget. It hurt to lose in the fourth round, but I’m very happy for the seniors to go out with the season that we had.”

Taylor said that in the Bulldogs’ option-style offense, Wilson played a crucial role.

“Even though we passed more, we are still an option-type football team,” Taylor said. “You have to have a guy that can make decisions and make them accurately, and Ethan did that for us. He did a lot of different things to keep us moving.”

It didn’t take long into the season for Wilson to realize just how good the Bulldogs could be.

“I knew right after the Champions Challenge that this was going to be a special year,” Wilson said. “The most memorable moment of the season came when we beat Tallassee because we knew that meant we would get a chance to practice on Thanksgiving.”

Wilson said despite the way the fourth round went, he was pleased with the way the season went.

“It hurt to lose in the fourth round for sure,” Wilson said. “Deep down I somewhat feel like we let we let the city down, and that’s never a good feeling. Overall, the team had a good run and I’ll never forget the bond we created throughout the year.”