3 Comets, 3 Wildcats make All-Ohio first team in Division III, Division IV

Bryan's Poncsak joins honor squad along with Napoleon coach Strock

Napoleon head coach Tory Strock was named coach of the year in Division III.

Napoleon and Genoa each had three players named to the 2012 Associated Press All-Ohio first team for Divisions III and IV on Tuesday.

The Wildcats reached the Division III regional final under coach Tory Strock, who shared the D-III coach-of-the-year honors with Craig Clarke of Zanesville Maysville.

Napoleon also had two senior offensive players named to the first team. Senior tight end Jordan Lauf and lineman Lucas Kolbe earned the honors.

On the defensive side, Napoleon junior Bryant Schlade was selected as a first-team lineman.

Lauf, who will play basketball at the University of Toledo, played football for the first time since his freshman year. The 6-foot-5 wideout finished with 33 catches for 721 yard and 16 touchdown receptions. Lauf also handled the punting chores and averaged 38.9 yards per kick.

Kolbe, who is 6-3 and 235 pounds, helped the Wildcats roll up 2,627 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns on the ground. Kolbe led the Wildcats to the Northern Lakes League title and a 11-1-1 record.

Schlade finished second on the team in tackles with 89. The 6-0, 191 pounder also had 9.5 tackles for loss. Schlade, also a running back, finished second on the team with 745 yards on 117 attempts and scored five touchdowns.

Napoleon linebacker Max Westhoven earned All-Ohio second team honors while senior quarterback David Yunker earned honorable mention.

Bryan defensive back Brandon Poncsak also earned first team honors in Division III. The 6-foot-2, 163-pound junior helped lead the Golden Bears to an 11-1 season and a spot in the regional semifinals. Poncsak earned all-state second team honors last year.

Bryan also had three players named to the D-III third team. Senior linemen Alex Daoust, junior quarterback Austin Schimmoeller and junior linebacker Jake Jones were selected.

Also in Division III, Rossford's Kyle Robbins and Ian Stolar earned special mention.

In Division IV, Genoa's Nick Keller, Kyle Nutter, and Cody Pickard all were selected as All-Ohio first teamers.

Keller, a 6-0, 235 pound senior lineman, helped lead the Comets to the regional semifinals. Keller led the team with 76 knockdown blocks. At linebacker, he led Genoa in tackling for the second consecutive year (53 solos and 80 assists in 2012). He also had six sacks, recovered two fumbles, and also had one interception. He earned second team honors last year.

Nutter (5-11, 214), a running back, shattered school records in rushing yards in a season (2,322), and rushing yards in a career (5,835). This season he had 274 carries and 37 touchdowns. The linebacker also had 41 solo tackles, 68 assists five tackles for loss, two interceptions, five fumble recoveries and one defensive TD. Nutter, who was named to the all-state third team last year, also holds the school record for most yards rushing in a game (412 versus Huron in last season's playoffs).

Pickard, who is a sophomore kicker, connected on 57 of 59 extra points and made 12 for 15 on field goal attempts.

Genoa junior lineman Michael Dieter (6-4, 278) was selected to the all-state second team, while Jake Young earned honorable mention.

Otsego senior quarterback Ryan Smoyer (6-4, 195) earned a spot on the D-IV second team. His teammate Nate Hackworth earned special mention along with Cobi Brough of Oak Harbor.