Garfield football senior Keegan Sell named Ohio Defensive Player of the Year in Division V

Garfield dominated its competition all year.

The G-Men's lone loss came to eventual Division V state champion Perry in the Region 17 semifinals.

Garfield was rewarded with one of the best all-state showings of any local team in years, with three G-Men players earning first team and three more earning honorable mention as 14 players in Portage County were recognized Tuesday.

The release of the Division IV and V all-state teams by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association was highlighted by Keegan Sell earning Division V Defensive Player of the Year honors.

If you saw Sell with your own two eyes, flying to the football and delivering one crushing hit after another, you knew. Even if you didn't see Sell in person, 210 tackles is 210 tackles. That senior season tackle total included 19 against those state champion Pirates and 21 in the prior round against Harrison Central. The linebacker had at least one tackle for loss in 12 of 13 games this season — and 33 overall. Remarkably, Sell topped 160 tackles in each of his last three seasons for the G-Men.

No less remarkable, senior quarterback Eric Geddes earned first team all-state honors in a single-wing system best known for the ground game it creates. Geddes was a major part of that ground game himself, averaging 10 yards per carry (122 rushes for 1,226 yards) and scoring 17 touchdowns on the ground. He was also Garfield's most efficient single-wing quarterback yet, completing 70 percent of his passes and turning just 70 pass attempts into 1,280 yards (18.3 yards per attempt) and 22 touchdowns against three interceptions.

And the leading lineman protecting Geddes and helping Geddes and Sell each average a first down per carry? Well, senior outside tackle Jon Wiczen also earned first team all-state honors as Garfield ran for a staggering 4,656 yards in 13 games, averaging 9.3 yards per carry as a team.

Fellow G-Men lineman Ivan Trent, a junior, earned honorable mention all-state, as did senior receiver Leo Grandizio (16 catches, 546 yards, 11 TDs) and senior running back Deacon Sommer (71 carries, 614 yards, 6 TDs; 14 catches, 383 yards, 6 TDs).

After Garfield's six Division V all-state honorees, Streetsboro was next up with four in Division IV.

The Rockets were led by Preston Hopperton earning first team all-state honors at wide receiver. The senior hit the 1,000-yard mark on just 48 catches, averaging an absurd 21 yards and reaching the end zone 13 times through the air. He also ran for 1,661 yards (9.3 per carry) and 31 touchdowns in one of the top seasons in Portage County history.

Streetsboro junior defensive back Jackson Gula earned second team all-state honors with 105 tackles, and sophomore offensive lineman Arthur Scott III, who helped the Rockets rush for 4,110 yards (8.3 per carry) and pass for 1,416 more, earned third team. Senior kicker Garrett Tiller, who made 57 of 62 extra points and had nine onside kicks recovered, was honorable mention.

Crestwood junior running back Nate Blasiole was second team all-state in Division V after running for 1,780 yards and 25 touchdowns on 276 carries.

Field junior running back Drexal McAmis earned third team all-state honors in Division IV after bouncing back from ripping the tip of his finger off in the summer to top the 1,000-yard mark in just seven games. His 198 carries for 1,168 yards and 12 touchdowns included hitting the century mark in a postseason game against Lake Catholic.

Falcons teammate Will Nienhius, a senior and the Metro Athletic Conference Lineman of the Year, earned honorable mention all-state on the defensive line after tallying 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks.

Ravenna senior offensive lineman Dean Baker also earned honorable mention all-state in Division IV as the leader of a unit that paved the way for 1,751 rushing yards and 785 passing yards, with Baker not surrendering a sack all season.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Geddes, Hopperton, Sell, Wiczen earn first team all-state honors