7 Southview players named D-II all-district

11/14/2008

Seven players from the Northern Lakes League champion garnered first-team honors yesterday in Division II, four on offense and three on defense, with linebacker Greg Isley selected as defensive player of the year and Jim Mayzes tabbed as coach of the year.

Joining Isley on the first-team defense are lineman Eric Brown and defensive back Jimmy Hall. Southview's first-team offensive picks include quarterback Alex Pidcock, receiver Shaun Joplin, and linemen Jim McMahon and T.J. Gibbs. Cougar DB Bernard Pickney made the second-team defense.

Pidcock, who passed for 1,723 yards and 20 TDs to go with 895 yards and 15 TDs rushing, shares first-team quarterback honors with D-II offensive player of the year Eric Page of Springfield.

On the heels of a junior season in which he ran for 2,039 yards and passed for 1,137, Page proved it was no fluke this year. He rushed for 2,381 yards, scored 34 touchdowns, and passed for 1,102 yards and 11 scores. Including his placekicking output, Page scored 251 points in 10 games.

Four-time defending City League champion Central Catholic (10-1) had five first-team selections.

They are sophomore offensive lineman Kyle Cameron, running back Michael Marrow, junior defensive lineman Jamaal Tarrent, linebacker David Pickerel and defensive back Eric Bates.

Also on the D-II first team are junior receiver Damon Contat and placekicker Jamie Brower of Maumee, Rogers offensive lineman Dalante Heard and St. Francis de Sales punter Patrick Dyer.

The Division I team has strong representation from the City League and NLL, as St. John's Jesuit and Whitmer each have four first-team selections and Start has three. Perrysburg of the NLL also has three first-teamers.

The Whitmer contingent includes receiver Jordan Brown, offensive lineman Zak Teel, running back Julian Nash and sophomore defensive lineman Kenny Hayes.

Making up the St. John's foursome are district lineman of the year Jack Mewhort, who made the offensive team, defensive lineman Tim Kynard, linebacker Cody Riffle and defensive back Hunter Lent, who shared defensive player-of-the-year honors with Findlay linebacker Joey Powell.

The offensive player of the year is Start running back Troy Bell, who rushed for 1,658 yards and scored 24 TDs to follow up a similarly productive junior season. Joining him on the first team are fellow Spartans Terry Mitchell at linebacker and junior Parrish Wimberly at defensive line.

For Perrysburg, first-teamers include offensive lineman Mac Knisley, defensive lineman T.J. Fatinikun and linebacker Brandon Butler.

Findlay's Mark Ritzler was named D-I coach of the year.

Top honors in Division III went to Clyde quarterback Alex Gillett, who was selected as offensive player of the year, Tiffin Columbian defensive back Ethan Kagy, who was picked as defensive player of the year, and Clyde's Jarad Stransky, who shared lineman-of-the-year honors with Michael Breland of St. Marys Memorial. Columbian's Steve Gilbert is the D-III coach of the year.

In Division IV, Suburban Lakes League champion Genoa (12-0), which will face Ottawa-Glandorf in a regional final, collected six first-team spots.

The honored Comets on offense include receiver Zach Apel, lineman Callan Bialorucki and running back Blair Skilliter. On the defensive side are lineman Ryan Bless, linebacker Marcus Vicars and back Connor Wendt.

Vicars shares defensive player-of-the-year honors with Coldwater's Adam Homan, Bless shares lineman of the year with the Cavaliers' Brock Pleiman, and Coldwater's John Reed is the D-IV coach of the year.

Rounding out the top D-IV honors is Fostoria's quarterback Micah Hyde, who is the offensive player of the year. Hyde passed for 2,050 yards and 21 TDs during the regular season, added 1,112 rushing yards, and scored 24 TDs.

Joining the D-IV first-team are three Eastwood defensive players - lineman Clay Rolf, linebacker Ashton Brown and back Mark Schult.

The Division V first team includes four players from Patrick Henry (12-0), which has won or shared seven straight Northwest Ohio Athletic League titles, and has a regional final showdown Saturday with Liberty-Benton (12-0).

The honorees for PH are receiver Mitch Leonard, offensive lineman Mike Gobrogge, junior running back Justin Buenger and defensive lineman Cody Pettit, who shared defensive player-of-the-year status with Liberty-Benton linebacker Jacob Miller.

L-B's junior quarterback Aaron Craft shared first-team honors at QB with Fairview's James Elchinger, but Craft stands alone as the Division V offensive player of the year.

Craft, one of eight Eagles named to the all-district first team, passed for 2,150 yards and 27 TDs with just one interception during the regular season. He completed an impressive 84 per cent of his passes (141 of 168), and led L-B in rushing with 748 yards, including 15 TDs.

In Fairview's pass-dominated spread offense, Elchinger was 234 of 344 on the season for 4,097 yards and 52 TDs with just three interceptions for the 9-1 Apaches. Elchinger also rushed for 759 yards and 10 TDs.

PH's Bill Inselmann and L-B's Tim Nichols were co-coaches of the year.

Also included on the D-V first team are running back Jake Fidler, linebacker Jared Leininger and defensive back David Rupp of Archbold, punter Jacob Howard of Liberty Center, and offensive lineman Charles Artino of Toledo Area Athletic Conference champion Northwood (9-1).

In Division VI, offensive player of the year honors are shared by quarterbacks Tyler Brown of Hopewell-Loudon and Eric Schwieterman of Norwalk St. Paul.

Linebacker Hudson Smith of Hopewell-Loudon shares D-VI defensive player of the year honors with Pandora-Gilboa lineman Josh Lee, and St. Paul's Jacob Rhoad is co-lineman of the year along with Brandon Dysert of Ada.

Carey Arthur of Pandora-Gilboa and Todd Schulte of Delphos St. John's are co-coaches of the year.

Contact Steve Junga at:

sjunga@theblade.com

or 419-724-6461.