Four Trojans earn Class 9AA all-state honors for champion Parkston

Nov. 21—PARKSTON, S.D. — In recognition of the program's first nine-man state championship and 12-0 perfect season, Parkston placed four players on the Class 9AA all-state honor team, as selected by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association. Seniors Luke Bormann, Will Jodozi, Maddux Brissette and Brayden Jervik were chosen for the Trojans.

As the lead runner in a crowded backfield, Bormann racked up 1,721 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns this season, including 1,226 rushing yards on 103 attempts, an average of nearly 12 yards per carry.

"Luke has a great football mind and his work ethic sets him apart from other student-athletes, and he's a vocal leader for our team," said Parkston coach Matt Grave. "He is lightning in a bottle and has the ability to change the game in one play from any distance in all three phases of the game. He gets moved around all over the field and finds ways to make an impact on the game, and he's been a huge part of our program's success."

Paving the way for Bormann and company, Jodozi, at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, helped the Trojans roll to nearly 4,000 yards (nearly 3,500 of which came on the ground) and 62 touchdowns. Jodozi earned the most outstanding lineman of the Class 9AA championship game and was also an all-state defensive lineman in 2022.

"Will is a tremendously talented football player. He was an excellent tight end last season, but decided to move to guard based on the team's personnel and health," Grave said. "He has been vital to the program on both sides of the ball and also has been a starting long snapper for 3 1/2 seasons."

An end on both sides of the ball, Brissette made his biggest splash on defense, notching 45 tackles (30 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, three passes broken up and two punts blocked.

"Maddux is an all-round player with great field awareness, play recognition, use of hands/leverage and unbelievable core strength and balance," Grave said. "He is an outstanding defensive end with the ability to bend with speed on the edge. He has been vital to the program on both sides of the ball, and is also an all-state caliber tight end."

A repeat all-state selection at linebacker, Jervik was at the core of a Trojan defense that allowed just 90 yards per game and 30 total points for the year. Jervik had 53 total tackles, four tackles four loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovered, five passes defensed and two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

"Brayden is the heart and soul of this team," Grave said. "He has a football mind, he's a team-above-self student-athlete and doesn't care about stats. He's an excellent linebacker with great vision and play recognition and the ability to finish tackles. He's very versatile in all phases of the game."

Runner-up Howard led all programs with five all-state selections in Class 9AA, with Jackson Remmers, Karsyn Feldhaus, Kade Grocott, Luke Koepsell and Taiden Hoyer chosen.

Remmers put up 948 yards and 10 touchdowns in his lone season in the Tigers' backfield after coming to the program from McCook Central/Montrose, where he was a Class 11B honorable mention in 2022.

Feldhaus, meanwhile, was picked as an athlete, primarily for his workload as a fullback. This season, Feldhaus had 946 yards and nine touchdowns, giving him over 2,600 yards and 35 scores for his prep career.

"Karsyn was just a workhorse over the last three years," Ruml said. "You can't get more out of a 160-pound football player."

Grocott, another Class 11B honorable mention from last season at MCM that entered the Howard program this season, helped lead the Tigers to more than 4,800 total yards and more than 3,900 yards on the ground.

"Kade is a great pull blocker and big hitter," Ruml said. "He was only in our system one year but really picked up things quickly."

On the defensive side, Koepsell, a junior, was lauded by Ruml for being "a force on both sides of the ball." The 6-foot-4 end led the team with 82 tackles and nine sacks, pushing him to 155 tackles and 15 sacks entering his senior season.

Hoyer, selected as a defensive back, was also a three-year starter at quarterback, providing a dual-threat option for the Tigers with more than 4,000 yards of total offense and 70 touchdowns. From his safety spot, Hoyer had 54 tackles and six interceptions this season, as he finished his prep career with 111 tackles and 12 interceptions.

"Taiden has been our best player the last two seasons," Ruml said. "He's one of the best I have coached at his positions."

State semifinalist Platte-Geddes landed three players on the all-state team in seniors Joey Foxley, Jack Ringling and Skyler Hanten.

Foxley, an honorable mention pick last season, was involved as a rusher, receiver and passer on the Black Panthers' offense this season, rushing for 878 yards and 14 touchdowns alongside 218 yards and two touchdowns receiving and two passing touchdowns.

"Joey was a four-year starter and had big plays every year in our big playoff games that were a major factor in us winning two state championships," P-G coach Bruce Hanson said.

Up front, Ringling aided the offense in amassing over 2,400 yards rushing and 1,100 yards passing from his right guard spot.

Opposite, Hanten returned for his final season from a torn ACL in 2022 to record 46 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

"Skyler was honestly our second-best player this year," Hanson said. "He's very explosive and just did things right as the hardest worker in our weight room."

Seniors Caden Oberbroekling and Kasen Konstanz were honorable mentions for the Black Panthers.

Hanson's Brock Tuttle headlined the Beavers' all-state honorees, as the senior was selected at fullback — a third consecutive all-state pick (fullback in 2021 and linebacker in 2022) — and recognized as the Class 9AA All-American. This season, Tuttle recorded 773 yards rushing and 17 total touchdowns, giving him over 2,000 yards and 35 scores for his prep career.

"Brock has been the heart and soul of our football teams for four years as a starter at both fullback and linebacker," said Hanson coach Jim Haskamp. "Brock is a patient runner with great vision, and he is very rarely brought down by one person, often breaking several tackles for extra yardage."

Senior defensive lineman Hayden Schroeder was also selected from Hanson, with 27 solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown this season. For his career, Schroeder had 77 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

"Hayden has been a starter for the past three years on both offense and defense," Haskamp said. "He is an outstanding football player with great instincts and tremendous nose for the football."

Junior Weston Kayser was an honorable mention for the Beavers.

A pair of Kimball/White Lake defenders were selected in senior defensive lineman Blake Leiferman and junior defensive back Iden Myers, as both recorded 88 total tackles.

Leiferman added four sacks, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. At 6-foot-6, he was also a top receiving threat at tight end, hauling in eight touchdowns with over 400 yards.

"Blake was a playmaker on the edge for us," said KWL coach Ryan Skluzak. "He was a relentless player in pursuit of the ball and an aggressive tackler. Teams would often audible to run away from his side, so we tried to move him around and he was effective at rushing and run stopping from any gap we put him in."

Myers, who doubled as a 1,200-yard rusher with 11 touchdowns, intercepted 10 passes to set a school record this season and tacked on a sack, three tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.

"Iden was our best tackler. In the box, Iden diagnosed plays fast and filled gaps hard often meeting ball carriers at the line of scrimmage," Skluzak said. "He was also our best pass defender. He did a great job at stopping tunnel and bubble screens and defending passes at the second and third levels of defense, too."

Rounding out area Class 9AA selections was Bon Homme linebacker Jackson Caba. A senior, Caba complied 101 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He also had 996 all-purpose yards on offense for the Cavaliers.

Senior Rocky Ammann represented Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy as an honorable mention pick.

AVON, S.D. — Off the program's first state championship in a decade, Avon received six picks to the Class 9B all-state team: Aziah Meyer, Tyler Tjeerdsma, Landon Mudder, Terran Talsma, Landon Thury and Paxton Bierema.

Meyer, a junior running back, won the Joe Robbie MVP and most outstanding back award in the championship game, finishing his season with 1,846 rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns.

Tjeerdsma, the Pirates' other top option in the backfield, was selected as a utility athlete. On the season, Tjeerdsma, a senior, rushed for over 800 yards and right touchdowns, adding 53 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Mudder, the third member of Avon's powerful backfield, was looked to for the hard yards, gaining 342 yards as the Pirates' senior fullback.

An essential component on the offensive line, Talsma helped clear the way as the Pirates averaged 321 yards rushing per game. On defense, Talsma, a senior, led the team with 104 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, five fumble recoveries and a defensive score.

As the most outstanding lineman of the championship game, Thury finished his senior season with 33 tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks and and interception. He was also a threat at tight end, where he had three receiving touchdowns.

Doubling as the Pirates' quarterback, Bierema was a linebacker pick. On defense, he had 87 tackles, four interceptions and four tackles for loss, adding nearly 700 total yards and 13 touchdowns as a dual-threat on offense.

Corsica-Stickney placed two senior defenders on the all-state squad in linebacker Carter Wright and defensive lineman Jesse Torticill.

Wright racked up 92 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries on defense for the Jaguars, finishing his prep career with 265 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, nine interceptions and six fumble recoveries. He also was a leader on offense with nearly 1,500 total yards and 14 total touchdowns.

"Carter has good vision and anticipates plays well," said C-S coach Gregg Olawsky. "He was a good leader for our team and has put the work in to get where he is today. A solid tackler who can make plays from sideline to sideline, he was an important part of our defense."

Torticill put up 52 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks in a breakout senior season, giving him 67 solo stops, 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his career.

"Jesse was a solid defensive end for us this year," Olawsky said. "He has good speed and strength for his size."

Class 9B runner-up Faulkton Area had four all-state picks, headlined by All-American selection Layne Cotton. As the Trojans' quarterback, Cotton recorded more than 1,800 total yards and 31 touchdowns this season.

CANISTOTA, S.D. — Four players from Canistota's Class 9A semifinalist squad were named to the all-state team in Tage Ortman, Brandon Kjetland, Cayden Scott and Brady Scott.

Ortman, a dynamic dual-threat behind center, accounted for 32 total touchdowns this season, passing for 1,747 yards and rushing for 925 more. He added three defensive interceptions and two fumble recoveries. A captain and three-year starter, Ortman finished his prep career with just shy of 6,700 total yards of offense and 82 total touchdowns for the Hawks.

Kjetland played every position along the offensive and defensive line for Canistota this past season, according to coach Brad Struck, earning a selection on the defensive side of the ball with 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior finished his career with 57.5 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Cayden Scott recorded 72.5 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery from his linebacker spot, adding more than 500 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense. A captain and three-year starter, the senior improved on an honorable mention pick from 2022.

A 6-foot-1 junior defensive back, Brady Scott notched 43 tackles, two tackles for loss and two interceptions for the Hawks. He also contributed more than 500 yards and seven touchdowns on offense. Senior Ty Doblar was an honorable mention for the Hawks.

Gregory's Rylan Peck earned his second consecutive all-state honor, this time as a special teams player after being selected as a quarterback a season ago. For the Gorillas, Peck averaged 37 yards per punt and allowed just two returns for 23 total yards.

"Rylan is an all-state caliber player as evidenced from last year, but we had multiple injuries and personnel issues so his stats as a QB don't make him stand out this year," said Gregory coach Mike Murray. "His punting is exceptional. His rugby-style punts are deep and allow coverage to be down the field making returns very difficult. Under pressure, he even punted one with his non-dominant (right) foot."

Class 9A champion Warner had four selections, led by Class 9A All-American Hunter Cramer, who posted more than 2,500 tota yards of offense and 39 total touchdowns this season, pushing his career totals to 7,329 yards and 119 touchdowns in his career as a four-year starter.