Adrian Combs, Colby Ellis and Lafe McCurdy enjoyed outstanding seasons on the football field this fall.

They also showed they can excel in the classroom, too. 

All three players represented the Montgomery County Wildcats on the Class 2 Missouri Football Coaches Association Academic All-State team. Ellis earned academic all-state for the third year in a row, while McCurdy and Combs received their first academic all-state selections.

There were 135 football players who were named on the all-state team. Blair Oaks, which won the Class 2 state championship, had the most selections with eight. Neighboring schools North Callaway and Hermann had four and two, respectively.

To be selected on the academic all-state team, players must be a sophomore, junior or senior, must be nominated by their head coach and must be a starter on both sides of the ball or play on special teams in 70 percent of the games. After being selected, players must meet two of the three criteria – must score a 25 or higher on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT, have a 3.5 grade point average or higher and rank in the top 20 percent in their class.

Combs, Ellis and McCurdy are currently three of the top students academically at MCHS. Ellis earned a medal at the school’s Academic Honors Brunch in each of the last three years. McCurdy picked up a medal for the second year in a row and Combs received his first academic medal this year.

It’s the fifth year in a row that a Montgomery County player was named to the academic all-state football team. Ellis joined Jacob Hogue as the only MCHS players within the last five years to be named academic all-state three times. Hogue, who graduated in 2025, was named to the academic all-state team from 2022-2024.

Ellis, McCurdy and Combs helped the Wildcats finish with a banner 2025 season that included nine wins and their first district championship title. MCHS bounced back from a 3-7 season from the previous year. 

Both Ellis and Combs played their fourth and final seasons with the Wildcats. McCurdy returned to the team this fall after missing most of ‘24 due to a season-ending ankle injury in a Week 2 game against Monroe City.

A month ago, Ellis and McCurdy were named to the MFCA all-state team for the first time. Both earned third-team honors on defense. Ellis was a linebacker and McCurdy was a defensive back. They were also named to the all-Eastern Missouri Conference and Class 2, District 2 teams.

Combs was named an all-district performer after turning in a strong season as MCHS quarterback. He scored four touchdowns to lift the Wildcats to a 26-20 overtime win over Wright City in a Week 8 game.