FANTASTIC FIFTEEN: Monroe’s Janorris Winkfield a rising star

Editor’s note: This is the 10th installment of a series highlighting some of the top high school football players in Albany and Lee County. In the past, it has been the “Dynamite Dozen” but this season it will be the “Fantastic Fifteen.”

ALBANY — The Monroe Golden Tornadoes will open their regular season Thursday night at Hugh Mills Stadium against Mitchell County and the Green and Gold faithful will be looking to improve on last year’s season. One of those who could play a big part for Monroe is junior Janorris Winkfield.

Winkfield, at 6-foot, 185 pounds, will be playing both ways for the Golden Tornadoes, lining up as a wide receiver on offense and as strong safety on defense. And head coach Lacey Herring is counting on Winkfield to be a playmaker.

“Janorris hasn’t realized his potential yet,” said Herring. “He has so much ability that it is unreal. The sky is the limit for him. He is one of the best players at any position on the field.”

Winkfield, the son of Rontresia Winkfield, got his start in football at 6 years old.

“When I was eight years old, I won my first trophy,” he said. “We won state and went to nationals. Ever since I have wanted to play football.”

His coach counts the defensive backfield as Monroe’s strongest area on defense and said he believed there were three Division I defensive backs, including Winkfield.

“It doesn’t matter to me if I am playing offense or defense,” Winkfield says. “I just want to be on the field to help my team.”

Winkfield is also a speedster on the track team, running the 100-meter and 200-meter races for the Golden Tornadoes.

His favorite high school football memory so far came in the Shaw game last year. That could explain why he counts Kam Chancellor of the Seattle Seahawks as his favorite NFL player because he likes the big hits Chancellor dishes.

“I made a really big block in that game,” he said. “That just gave me some more fire, more motivation to keep playing.”

Heading into his junior season he has already earned a scholarship offer from Austin Peay University but he said he is going to wait until after the season to make any decisions. If he does go to college, he will likely study biology because science is his favorite subject in high school.

“I’m not sure what I will do,” he said. “If I don’t think I will have the opportunity to go pro, I may go into the military.”

Joe Whitfield