Five Watertown, three Aberdeen Central football players earn all-league honors

Five players from Watertown and three from Aberdeen Central have been named to the 2023 Class AA All-Eastern South Dakota Conference football team.

Senior running back Juven Hudson earned repeat All-ESD honors for Watertown, which finished third in the league with a 4-2 record. Senior offensive lineman Caden Beauchamp, junior defensive back Jeremiah Schulte, junior linebacker Spencer Wientjes and junior defensive lineman Micah Hach also made the team for the Arrows.

Aberdeen Central's honorees are senior running back Avery Ligon, senior offensive lineman Bryce Beitelspacher and senior defensive lineman Ayden Gisi. The Golden Eagles were 3-3 in the conference.

Other all-conference offensive performers include senior quarterback Lucas Kampshoff, senior running back Tucker Gilmore and senior offensive lineman Cayden Wavrunek of Yankton; junior running back Will Conrad of Brookings; senior wide receiver Jett Zabel and senior offensive lineman Matthew Brewer of Pierre; senior offensive lineman Connor Degen of Mitchell; and senior offensive lineman Conner Johnsen of Huron.

Other named to the defense are senior defensive back Spencer Eastland, senior linebacker Trey Lewis and senior defensive lineman Emmit Andersen of Pierre; senior defensive back CJ Gainey of Huron; senior defensive back Tucker Gilmore, junior linebacker Matthew Sheldon and senior defensive back Tyson Prouty of Yankton; and senior defensive back Connor Singrey of Mitchell.

Rounding out the squad is Yankton senior kicker-punter Josue Trujillo Megoza.

Final ESD 11AA Standings — 1. Pierre (10-1 overall), 6-0 ESD; 2. Yankton (10-1), 5-1; 3. Watertown (7-4) 4-2; 4. Aberdeen Central (4-6), 3-3; 5. Huron (4-6) 2-4; 6. Mitchell (2-7), 1-5; 7. Brookings (1-8), 0-6. Pierre and Yankton meet for the state Class 11AA title on Friday night.

ESD 11AAA Offense — Junior quarterback Sam Knuth, senior running back Max Carlson, senior wide receiver Tytan Tryon, senior offensive lineman Rizg Osman and junior offensive lineman Carson Stiff of Harrisburg; senior quarterback Jack Thue, sophomore wide receiver Dveyoun Bonwell-Witte, junior wide receiver Landon Dulaney, junior offensive lineman Lucas Feldkamp, sophomore offensive lineman Brandon Parliament and senior offensive lineman Navarro Schunke and Jack Tews of Brandon Valley; and senior wide receiver Cael Meisman and senior offensive lineman Thomas Martian of Rapid City Stevens.

ESD 11AAA Defense — Senior defensive back Kaleb Briest, junior linebacker Ryland Carroll, senior linebacker Caden Dowd, junior linebacker Gunnar Swift and senior defensive linemen Sam Nolz and Thomas Risty of Brandon Valley; senior defensive backs Coen Cook and Logan O'Connor of Harrisburg, senior linebacker Levi Danielson and senior defensive lineman Max Elrod of Harrisburg; senior linebacker Gideon Waldrop of Rapid City Central; and senior defensive lineman Kaiden Strong of Rapid City Stevens.

ESD 11AAA Special Teams — Senior kicker-punter Ryder Haas of Brandon Valley.

Final ESD 11AAA Standings — 1. Harrisburg (8-3 overall) 3-0; 2. Brandon Valley (7-4) 2-1; 3. Rapid City Stevens (2-8) 1-2; 4. Rapid City Central (0-9), 0-3.

2022 All-ESD Football: Two Watertown, three Aberdeen Central players picked

All-Northeast Conference Football

Seven players from conference champion Deuel have been named to the 2023 All-Northeast Conference football team.

Seniors Trey Maaland and Robert Begalka are repeat honorees for the Cardinals, who went 6-0 in league play. Seniors Aidan Baer and Kaden Tekrony, juniors Gabe Sather and Reed VanWormer and sophomore Oliver Fieber also made the team for Deuel.

Other repeat selections are seniors Josh Schaunaman of Aberdeen Roncalli, Colby Dunker and Logan Ringgenberg of Groton Area, Brent Bearman and Carson Mount of Webster Area; and Simon Fried of Mobridge-Pollock; and juniors Evan Stormo of Hamlin, Mason Shultz of Sisseton and Teylor Deigel of Groton Area.

The squad included seniors Landon Zikmund and Joey Johnson and juniors Aidan Fisher, Brody Weinmeister and Noah Kramer of Aberdeen Roncalli; junior Dashel Davidson and sophomore Bryce Hawkinson of Britton-Hecla; juniors Griffin Musser, Elliot Bratland and Josh Kannegieter of Clark-Willow Lake; seniors Holden Sippel and Lane Tietz and junior Christian Ehresmann of Groton Area; senior Tyson Stevenson and sophomore Jackson Wadsworth of Hamlin; senior Garrett Mertens and junior Emmett Hanson of Milbank; junior Carter Hinsz of Mobridge-Pollock; senior Justin Ratigan of Redfield; seniors Nate Tchida and Ethan DeSpiegler of Sisseton; and senior Jacob Keller and sophomore Matthew Mount of Webster Area.

Honorable Mention — Senior Keegan Stewart and junior Zane Backous of Aberdeen Roncalli, junior Daniel Person and sophomore Jaxon Zuehlke of Britton-Hecla, senior Jack Helkenn and sophomore Emmerson Larson of Clark-Willow Lake, sophomores Carson Marko and Ethan Prins of Deuel, junior Korbin Kuecker and sophomore Keegen Tracy of Groton Area, junior Zac VanMeeteren and sophomore Aiden Abraham of Hamlin, senior Jayden Johnson and junior Jesse Schneck of Milbank, junior Jackson Eisemann of Mobridge-Pollock, seniors Chase McGillivary and Grady Fey of Redfield; juniors Taylor Snaza and Delb Peters of Sisseton; and senior Peyton Kuecker and junior Martin Dorsett of Webster Area.

Final Standings — 1. Deuel, 6-0; 2. Aberdeen Roncalli, 5-1; 3. Groton Area and Webster Area, each 3-3; 5. Clark-Willow Lake, 2-3; 6. Mobridge-Pollock, 1-4; 7. Redfield, 0-5. Britton-Hecla and Hamlin are nine-man teams and Milbank and Sisseton did not play a NEC schedule.

2022 All-NEC Football Team: https://presto-suite-story-editor.gannettdigital.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2173579&action=edit

All-Dakota Valley Conference Football

Head coach Ethan Pearson from conference champion Elkton-Lake Benton and Dell Rapids St. Mary senior Nic Gaspar have received special honors on the 2023 All-Dakota Valley Conference football team.

Pearson, who led the Elks to a 5-0 conference record, is the DVC Coach of the Year and Gaspar the Most Valuable Player.

Senior Carson Griffith, juniors Blake DeVries and Tanner Stein and sophomore Colt Beck each earned All-DVC honors for Elkton-Lake Benton.

Other all-conference players include seniors Kadyn Fask, Britt Carlson and Tom Aughenbaugh and sophomore Grant Wilkinson of De Smet; Gasper, fellow seniors Lucas Flemmer and Camden Gilbert and junior Keaton Hansen of Dell Rapids St. Mary; seniors Gavin Landmark, Jake Jorenby and Dylan Rios of Deubrook Area; seniors Lane Tvedt, Adam Heyn and Jackson Schofield of Castlewood; seniors Mattix Hausman and Camden Miller of Estelline-Hendricks; seniors Jonny Keyes and Jackson Wright of Colman-Egan; junior Dante Lee of Arlington; senior Caden Hojer of Oldham-Ramona-Rutland; and freshman Lucas Peskey of Iroquois-Lake Preston.

Stein, Fast, Jorenby and Gaspar are repeat selections from 2022. DeVries, Landmark, Rios, Tvedt and Hausman received honorable mention in 2022. Stein also received honorable mention in 2021.

2022 All-DVC Team: Champion Elkton-Lake Benton leads All-DVC football team

Honorable Mention — Senior Riddick Wesley and sophomore Taiton Boersma of Elkton-Lake Benton; senior Trace Van Regenmorter of De Smet; junior Maverick LeBrun of Dell Rapids St. Mary; seniors Jace Vomacka and J.P. Rogness of Deubrook Area; junior Camron Eng and sophomore Brody Bass of Castlewood; senior Caden Ching and junior Wyat James of Estelline-Hendricks; sophomore Hayden Pearson of Colman-Egan; junior Brecken Vossler of Arlington; sophomore Cooper Merager of Oldham-Ramona-Rutland; and senior Josh McMasters of Iroquois-Lake Preston.

Westley earned All-DVC honors and Van Regenmorter received honorable mention last fall.

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Final Standings — 1. Elkton-Lake Benton (7-1 overall), 5-0 in the DVC; 2. De Smet (6-2), 4-1 and Dell Rapids St. Mary (6-3) 4-1); 4. Deubrook Area (5-3), 3-2 and Castlewood (4-4) 3-2; 6. Estelline-Hendricks (4-4) 2-3 and Colman (0-6), 2-3; 8. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (1-7) 1-4 and Arlington (1-7) 1-4); 10. Iroquois-Lake Preston (0-8) 0-5.

All-Eastern Coteau Conference Volleyball

Florence-Henry senior Caylin Kelly and Great Plains Lutheran first-year head coach Jacklyn Karli have been named the 2023 Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year, respectively, in Eastern Coteau Conference volleyball.

Kelly and senior teammate Taylor Watson each earned first-team All-ECC honors for the fourth straight year after leading the Falcons to the league title with a 6-0 record.

Senior Olivia Holmen, a repeat selection, and sophomore Abigail Kjenstad also earned first-teams for GPL, which finished second in the loop with a 5-1 mark.

Other first-team honorees are senior Paige Johnson of Wilmot, junior Heather Storbakken of Britton-Hecla and freshman Addison Heinje of Wilmot. Johnson made the second team in 2022.

Second-team honorees are seniors Emma Kraft and Kaegan Frederickson of Britton-Hecla, Halle Gaukler of Tri-State and Emily Heuer of Waverly-South Shore; junior Kaitlyn Rawerts of Great Plains Lutheran; sophomore Liza Pardy of Waubay-Summit; and eighth-grader Jaina Johnson of Waverly-South Shore.

Final Standings — 1. Florence-Henry (19-11 overall), 6-0 in the ECC; 2. Great Plains Lutheran (16-13), 5-3; 3. Wilmot (12-15), 4-2; 4. Britton-Hecla (8-16), 3-3; 5. Tri-State (4-19), 2-4; 6. Waverly-South Shore (4-23), 1-5; 7. Waubay-Summit (2-23), 0-6.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Four area high school all-conference teams for 2023