Henry County receives 11 All-GTNS football selections

BY AARON VINER

Golden Triangle News Service

It was a season of surprises for many of the football teams in the Golden Triangle coverage area, as well as heartbreak at the end of the season.

The regular season saw Winfield Mt.-Union go undefeated, only to lose on a last-second field goal in the second round of the playoffs, while a strong Washington team exceeded expectations this season, but fell in overtime in the first round of the playoffs.

Both teams were well represented on this season?s All-GTNS football team, as well as numerous stellar athletes from the area.

Coach Scott McCarty, Winfield-Mt. Union: Coach McCarty led the Winfield-Mt. Union football team to a perfect regular season, and advanced to the Class A round of 16. The Wolves outscored their opponents 452-102 this season, and went 7-0 in district play including big wins over Lone Tree and Pekin.

During the playoffs, McCarty?s dominant defensive team shut down North Linn, 38-0 in the first round, before falling to Lynnville-Sully on a late field goal in the second round.

Captain Ryan Reighard, Washington: There were a number of question marks surrounding the Washington football team heading into the season, and one of the biggest was at the quarterback position.

Stepping in as a sophomore, Ryan Reighard proved to be one of the top athletes in the district, helping lead the Demons to a 7-3 season. In his first season as the Demon quarterback, Reighard completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,252 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Reighard?s biggest contribution, which gave him the edge for the All-GTNS football team captain selection, was his ability as a runner, finishing the season with a district-high 1,526 rushing yards (6.2 yards per carry) and 21 rushing touchdowns.

As a sophomore, Reighard will be giving opposing defenses headaches for another two years, as he continues to improve his game.

QB: Trever Northup, Pekin: The Panthers? starting quarterback didn?t have to throw the ball often. In fact, in some games for Pekin, he didn?t need to throw at all. But, he maximized his opportunities and rarely threw incomplete passes, converting many passing plays into touchdowns for Pekin this season.

And if the lanes weren?t open to throw, the junior quarterback didn?t hesitate to take off running to pick up the first down. It will be interesting to see how Northup reacts next season with the loss of his top receiving threats, but he projects to be the type of signal caller who can make plays regardless of who is on the receiving end of the pass.

RB: Peyton Crawford, Sigourney-Keota: Sigourney-Keota: Leading the charge as the top All-GTNS running back is Sigourney-Keota senior Peyton Crawford.

Helping the Cobras to a second-place finish in a tough district that features state-finalist Regina, Crawford finished the season with 1,747 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground, helping him earn his second-straight All-GTNS nomination.

RB: Bryce Achen, WACO: As a senior leader for the WACO football team, Bryce Achen earned nomination as the second All-GTNS running back.

Achen finished off a strong career with his biggest season totals, posting 1,396 yards and 19 touchdowns. Both of those marks put Achen at second in the district, behind Lone Tree?s Jared Hudson.

Although Achen was chosen to represent the offense, he also made a big impact for the Warriors defensively. The WACO senior posted 49.5 tackles on the year to lead the team, incluing three going for a loss and one sack.

WR: Keaton Winn, Pekin: There?s a reason that Winn gets honored consistently in every season. The tall senior for the Panthers and top receiving threat is a supreme athlete and was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. Another facet of Winn?s game is his ability to sense his quarterback under duress and find open space.

A master of running after the catch, Winn rarely hesitated with the ball and loved to break tackles to turn a simple post route into a long touchdown. His ability to make plays would draw double and sometimes triple coverage, drawing defenders away from Pekin?s dynamic rushing game and leading to wins. In Pekin?s final drive of the playoff game against Lynnville-Sully, Winn caught a 20-yard pass on fourth and 15 and drew the defense to cover him outside the numbers as Chase Copeland caught an easy touchdown over the middle to bring Pekin within two points of tying it.

WR: Jaivonn Willis, Washington: Willis was another stellar sophomore for the Washington football team this season, earning a spot as a wide receiver for the All-GTNS team.

In his first full season on varsity, Willis led the district 785 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns, while making a large impact as one of Washington?s top defensive backs.

Willis led the team with four interceptions, after routinely defending the opposition?s best receivers.

WR: Alex Crile, Fairfield: Standing at 6?2?, Crile was a big target for Cameron Baumann this season for the Trojans. He?s deceptively fast for his size and expands his catch radius with an impressive ability to leap and catch the ball at its highest point. Crile made a couple particularly gorgeous catches this season, including a lunging grab against Clear Creek-Amana.

Crile caught 11 passes for 123 yards against Ft. Madison and also threw a 51-yard touchdown to Jordan Reid on a flea-flicker to tie the game in the first quarter. Teams learned quickly not to focus too much attention on the Trojans? top receiving threat because he could still make plays with his size.

OL: Michael Fritz, Fairfield: The captain of the Fairfield offensive line, Fritz, a junior, is an all-conference blocker and will only get better as the youth continues to grow around him. A natural leader at the position, he can identify blitzes and solve what defenses will throw at him and has the power and skill to neutralize potential threats and open holes for his running backs.

The Trojans? line had its share of growing pains this season due to youth, inexperience and being undersized, but knowing that Fritz is returning should give Baumann and coach Mike Schenck something to feel safe about next season as the line continues to grow.

OL: Seth Townsend, Washington: One of the biggest parts of the success for Washington this season was the play of the offensive line.

Anchoring that line is junior All-District selection Seth Townsend, who is earning his second straight All-GTNS recognition. Townsend helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 244 rushing yards per game. Overall, Washington averaged 383.6 yards per game this season, and with only one of the starting five linemen graduating for the Demons, the success should remain intact.

OL: Max Huston, Winfield-Mt. Union: WMU senior Max Huston was a big part of a very big offensive line that created holes all year for running backs Darren Hunter and Bryce Robison.

Huston, and the rest of the Wolves? line, allowed both running backs to finish the year with over 900 yards, and they protected quarterback Kolt Rossiter all year, allowing him to make big plays downfield.

OL: Kaden Baker, Pekin: As a sophomore, Baker?s a big kid who will only continue to get bigger and stronger over the next two seasons. The Pekin line struggled in a game against Sigourney-Keota, allowing several sacks of Northup, but recovered nicely to open lanes for their rushing offense and keep Northup upright on passing downs.

Baker?s success as a young player gives head coach Tyler Hotz and the Pekin running game a leader for the next two years and a guy who will be a nightmare for opposing defensive linemen and linebackers.

OL: Keegan Pullis, Mt. Pleasant: The Panthers knew the offensive line would be a strength for them this season, and against some of the best defenses in the area, senior leader Keegan Pullis continually stood strong.

Pullis, and the rest of the bullies on the Mt. Pleasant line, helped the Panthers establish a power running game this season with Pat Canby and Zac Ebeling, and the pass blocking allowed quarterback Joe Hess enough time in the pocket to throw for multiple 50-plus yard touchdown passes this year.

On the defensive side of the ball, the panel decided to opt for a 3-4 base look, after a strong year from the area?s defensive backs this season.

DL: Warren Kreiger-Coble, Winfield-Mt. Union: The W-MU defensive line was extremely large and powerful this year, but still there was one guy who always stuck out. Krieger-Coble made running the ball between the tackles nearly impossible for opposing running backs.

Krieger-Cobles strength and leadership on the defensive line was one of the major reasons the Wolves recorded four shutouts on the season, and didn?t give up more than 20 points in a game until the final game of the year.

DL: Ryan Swanson, Pekin: A senior lineman for Pekin, Swanson?s a big kid with long arms and an uncanny ability to deduce plays and stop teams in their tracks. He?s able to shrug blockers aside when they try to get too cute in their schemes and leave them grabbing air if they try to overpower him.

Offensive linemen around the SEISC won?t be shedding any tears with Swanson?s graduation, but Pekin will have some more players ready to follow in his footsteps and keep that tough defense intact.

DL: Jackson Gerot, WACO: A big part of the WACO defense, senior Jackson Gerot earned his way onto the All-GTNS list as a defensive lineman.

Gerot finished second on the team with 41 tackles, but led the team with nine tackles for a loss (tied for first in the district) and six sacks (second in the district).

Gerot also finished the year with 12 catches for 161 yards to finish second on the team in both categories.

LB: Zach Martin, Fairfield: The captain of the defense, Martin?s the eyes and ears of the Fairfield linebacking crew. He makes the calls on the field, diagnoses the play and pursues effectively to keep runners from breaking off big gains. He?s also got a nose for the ball any time it finds its way onto the ground.

Listed at 5?11? and 185 pounds, the Trojans? senior is a sideline to sideline defender who rarely gets fooled on a play. His leadership and ability to make plays will be missed next year in the Fairfield defense.

LB: Tanner Murphy, Washington: Washington was once again led by a stout defense, and with an infusion of young talent, the Demons appear to be set for a number of years.

Leading the Demon defense this season was sophomore Tanner Murphy, who finished the year with a team-high 92 tackles. Murphy added three tackles for a loss and three sacks for the Demons, and figures to be a fixture in the middle of the Demon linebacking corps for the next years to come.

LB: Sam Jennings, Winfield-Mt. Union: There is perhaps nobody more intimidating on defense than WMU linebacker Sam Jennings. The Wolves? senior wreaked havoc all season. Jennings can always be found at the top of the tackle numbers, and had his share of big plays all year.

Jennings had a lot of memorable games in the district this season. He scooped up a fumble and returned it to the end zone for a touchdown against Danville, and picked off two balls in the homecoming game against Van Buren, one of which went for a score.

LB: Fejon Redd, Fairfield: Another senior linebacker who was a pain in opposing offense?s necks is Redd. Known more for his running ability and contributions on offense, he?s no slacker on the other side of the ball. At 5?10? and 185 pounds, Redd?s a hard guy to get a block on and if you miss him, he?ll make your running back pay behind the line of scrimmage.

With Redd and Martin partrolling behind the line, backs sometimes struggled to find open space and even when they did, good luck winning the race with Redd to the end zone.

DB: Jack Giardino, Washington: One of the emotional leaders for the Demons, senior Jack Giardino made his presence felt on the field for Washington.

As a safety, Giardino put together a 50 tackle season, despite missing one game of the season, but was also a key part of the Demon?s offensive strengths as well. The senior averaged six yards per carry, en route to a 722 yard rushing year and 10 rushing scores.

Giardino?s production and leadership will be especially missed for the Demons next season.

DB: Jordan Reid, Fairfield: Fairfield head coach Mike Schenck said on many occasions that he had the best tandem of defensive backs in the conference and it?s tough to argue otherwise. Between Reid?s feistiness and ability to get his hands on the ball and Alex Crile?s height on the other side, teams didn?t particularly like to throw the ball against the Trojans.

One area where Reid shines is his ability to swing his head around and find the ball in the air. Despite being an aggressive corner, Reid rarely drew penalty flags for his play and had no trouble stepping up to make a tackle if the situation called for it. A highlight of his season was a blocked punt he returned for a touchdown during the homecoming game against Keokuk.

DB: Zach Davis, Winfield-Mt. Union: It was difficult to choose between the defensive standouts for WMU this year, but earning the All-GTNS nod was senior Zach Davis. Davis was the eldest of the Wolves? defensive backs who shut down almost every passing game they faced.

Davis had a particularly hot streak at the beginning of District play. He picked off a pass in three of the first four district games, harassing Cardinal, Danville and New London with interceptions.

DB: Will Mertens, Van Buren: The lone Warrior to make the list, Mertens is another Winn-type of player who is a supremely talented athlete. He was a second-team all-state receiver last year and struggled to find targets this year as a quarterback, even though he had a game where he threw for over 500 yards.

That didn?t affect him defensively though. Mertens was an island for Van Buren, effectively forcing teams to play a half-field style of offense and abandon their top targets. He was also an asset in the running game, hunting down opposing backs to punish them for trying to get past him.

Utility: Ethan Hansen, Washington: Another of the senior leaders for Washington, Hansen was an emotional leader on the field, and helped create a fierce, attacking defense.

Hansen finished the season second on the team with 85 tackles for the Demons, and also added five tackles for a loss and two sacks, accounting for one safety.

Hansen was also a speedster on the offensive side of the ball for the Demons, catching 31 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns on the year.

Utility: Kolt Rossiter, Winfield-Mt. Union: The Class A District 6 offensive MVP was the guy who made the big play downfield threat a constant reality. Rossiter threw for 1,511 yards this season, 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

But it?s not just the senior quarterback?s arm that gets him a spot on this team. Rossiter was a dangerous runner this year, and was also a part of the staunch Wolves? defense.

K: Korte Maddy: Mt. Pleasant: The high school game doesn?t see many good opportunites for kickers, as many teams elect to go for it on fourth down in the red zone and try two-point conversions after every touchdown. That makes Korte Maddy even more valuable to the Panthers.

The senior kicker had three field goals of over 35 yards by the second game of the season, and was consistent with extra points, including a 3-3 performance in the homecoming game against Fairfield.

P: Colton Horak, WACO: Earning the nod as the All-GTNS punter was WACO freshman Colton Horak.

Horak, who was the All-District punter in Class A, District 6, punted 18 times this season, averaging 35.5 yards per punt with a long of 54, and also made a big offensive and defensive impact for the Warriors.

He finished fourth in the district with 395 receiving yards, taking three of his 19 catches for touchdowns, while also getting some late-season work as the Warriors? running back.

Defensively, Horak made 19 tackles and led the team with three interceptions.

The All-GTNS football team was selected by Josh Dillon of The Fairfield Ledger, Aaron Viner of The Washington Evening Journal and Andy Krutsinger of The Mt. Pleasant News.