Tri-Valley's Wallace, West M's SeSay headline East District football picks
A pair of running backs shined on area high school gridirons, so it was no surprised they were recognized by the East District Media Board.
Tri-Valley's Jayden Wallace shared the Division III Offensive Player of the Year honor with Dover's JJ Barton, while West Muskingum's Rashid SeSay shared the Division V Offensive Player of the Year award with Barnesville's Casey Carpenter and Sandy Valley's Nick Petro.
The teams were selected by media members of the Ohio Prep Sportswriter Association within the district.
Wallace ran the ball 209 times for 1,546 yards with 20 touchdowns and caught a team-high 32 receptions for 450 yards with four scores, and SeSay contributed in all three phases with a Muskingum Valley League record of 39 TDs in a season. He finished with 1,060 yards and 27 TDs on 136 carries, caught 28 passes for 454 yards with eight scores, threw a pair of TDs, returned a pair of kickoffs for a score, made 55 tackles and had a pick six to highlight his all-around contributions.
Tri-Valley's Cam West and Dover's Dan Ifft were the co-Coaches of the Year in Division III, and West Muskingum's Nathan Brownrigg shared the Coach of the Year accolades in Division V with Barnesville's Blake Allen and Harrison Central's Anthony Hayes.
West led the Scotties to an 8-2 regular season and the MVL Big School Division title, while the Tornadoes went 9-1 and claimed their first MVL crown, the Small School Division, since 2005 under Brownrigg.
Column: Long offseason looms for Tri-Valley football, but all is not lost
Wallace was joined on the Division III first team offense by area standouts, Scotties quarterback Max Lyall, wide receivers Ashton Sensibaugh, Keaton Hahn and Erik Neal and lineman Gavin Spiker, John Glenn quarterback Noah Winland, running back Lincoln Gilcher and lineman Clay Mathers, and Zanesville quarterback/running back Drew Doyle and lineman Canon Mercer.
Tri-Valley's Bode McCullough and John Glenn's Will Nicolozakes were first-team kickers for the division. McCullough made all 59 of his extra point attempts and went 4 of 5 on field goals, while Nicolozakes, an All-Ohio soccer player, make 36 of 37 extra points and all four of his field goal attempts, including a 41-yarder to beat Maysville.
On defense, John Glenn linemen Nic Xanders and Alex Altier, linebackers Cameron Barnhouse and Bronson Bendle and defensive back Andrew Glaub, and Tri-Valley lineman Chris Gargasz, linebacker Kam Karns and defensive back Nate Better made first team.
Lyall threw for more than 2,000 yards with 29 TDs and four interceptions; Sensibaugh had 26 catches for 478 yards and seven TDs, Hahn hauled in 29 passes for 383 yards and eight scores; Neal had 21 catches for 232 yards and three TDs and was a key blocker in the running scheme; Gargasz made 30.5 tackles with 5.5 sacks and four for a loss; Karns collected 45 tackles with eight for a loss; and Better had 26 tackles and four pass breakups for the Scotties.
Winland, who battled through injury, had more than 900 total yards and accounted for 14 TDs; Gilcher ran for 778 yards and nine scores on 158 carries; Xanders made 49 stops with 12 for a loss, six sacks and four pass breakups; Altier had 50 tackles, 15 for a loss and six sacks; Barnhouse tallied 75 tackles with 11 for a loss, four pass breakups, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions; Bendle added 74 stops with 12 for a loss and five sacks; and Glaub grabbed a school-record nine interceptions with 53 tackles, six pass breakups and two sacks for the Muskies.
Doyle highlighted a down year for the Blue Devils, Despite missing four games due to injury, he finished with 431 yards and seven scores on 71 carries, caught 14 passes for 112 yards and a score, made 14 tackles and grabbed three interceptions. Mercer led the offensive line and had 28 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks on defense.
In Division IV, area selections on the first-team offense included Morgan quarterback Logan Niceswanger and wide receiver Kole Searl, Philo quarterback Talon Preston and Cambridge wide receiver Devin Ogle, while Philo defensive end Drew Wright and defensive back Seth Henning and Maysville linebacker Logan Wilhite, defensive back Mat Harper and punter Wesley Armstead were on the first-team defense.
The second-team area selections included Cambridge quarterback Garrett Carpenter and wide receivers Keaton Kyser and Eli Edwards, Maysville running back Todd Saxton and linebacker Casen Hirtle, Philo running back Talan Bailey, defensive lineman Ashton Shultz and linebacker Brayden Bernard, River View running back Wyatt Weese and offensive lineman Kydron Snow, and Morgan wide receiver Hayden Bankes, defensive lineman Owen McCoy and linebackers Matt McLean and Richard Page.
Niceswanger threw for 2,048 with 21 scores and had 710 yards and 17 TDs on the ground; Searl had a school-record 1,027 yards receiving on 71 receptions and scored 10 times; Bankes made 42 catches for 522 yards and six TDs; McCoy collected 55 tackles; McLean had 72 stops with four for a loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles; and Page tallied 74 tackles with five for a loss and two forced fumbles for the Raiders.
Preston had nearly 1,500 total yards, 859 on the ground, and scored 20 TDs, including 15 on the ground; Bailey ran for 478 yards and three scores; Wright had 52 tackles, 14 for a loss, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles (tying a school record), three pass breakups and three fumble recoveries; Shultz made 42 tackles; Bernard had 89 tackles with eight for a loss and four sacks; and Henning had 51 tackles, 10 pass breakups, four tackles for a loss, three interceptions and a kickoff return TD for the Electrics.
Ogle had 89 receptions for 1,425 yards and 14 TDs and broke five school records, including receptions for a career and season, receiving yards for a career and season and TDs in a career with 29 for the Bobcats. He also tied two Ohio High School records with 20 catches in a game and 345 yards in a game receiving, while Carpenter had 2, 806 total yards, 2,584 yards passing, with 18 TDs through the air and eight on the ground; Kyser also had 29 catches for 479 yards with three scores, averaged 40 yards per punt and returned to kickoffs for TDs and had 433 yards on 19 returns; and Edwards made 28 grabs for 350 yards and made 45 tackles.
Saxton had more than 600 total yards and nine TDs; Wilhite tallied 100 tackles, 31 solo, and 13 for a loss; Hirtle made 71 stops, 29 solo, with 17 for a loss, four sacks and two pass breakups; Harper had 58 tackles, 34 solo and 13 for a loss, with seven pass breakups and three interceptions, made 4 of 5 field goals and a 57-yard average on returned kicks; and Armstead averaged nearly 38.5 yards per punt and had 730 yards from scrimmage, including 433 yards receiving for the Panthers.
Weese had 573 yards and three TDs and Snow made 47 tackles for the Black Bears.
Sesay highlighted the area's Division V first-team offensive picks, along with West Muskingum quarterback Jake Anton, lineman Mike Farley and kicker Silas Kuhn, Coshocton running backs Riley Woodie and Israel Rice and lineman Ellzye Smith, Ridgewood running back Dyllan Austin and lineman Cam Stanton and Meadowbrook wide receiver Nick Norman and lineman Zayden Yeagle.
The first-team defensive selections were West Muskingum lineman Colin Thornton and linebacker Carter Winland, Ridgewood lineman Logan Sesser and linebacker Aiden Sparger, Meadowbrook linebacker Noah Farley and Coshocton defensive back Antwone Johns.
Coshocton quarterback Colton Conkle, lineman Joe Walters and linebacker Evan Unger, Ridgewood quarterback Grant Lahmers, wide receiver Matt Humphrey, defensive linemen Eli Stroup and Logan Ridenbaugh and defensive backs Preston Ator and Mason Colvin, Meadowbrook running back Daylin Rivera, offensive lineman Casey Clendenning and defensive lineman Kolten Snyder, and West Muskingum offensive lineman Connor McKenzie, defensive lineman Cord McKenzie and linebackers Wes Houston and Keegan Karns made second team.
Anton had 1,364 yards passing with 12 TDs and four interceptions and 456 rushing yards with four scores on offense and 34 tackles and seven interceptions on defense; Kuhn made 48 of 52 extra points; Thornton finished with 36 tackles, 11 for a loss and seven sacks; Cord McKenzie made 44 Tackles with eight for a loss and five sacks; Winland made 73 tackles and had 614 rushing yards with four TDs; Houston totaled 65 tackles; and Karns had 38 tackles with five for a loss for the Tornadoes.
Conkle had 952 yards passing with 11 TDs and eight interceptions, three rushing TDs and 41 tackles; Rice had 1,045 all-purpose yards with 829 and eight TDs on the ground, along with 27 tackles and two picks on defense; Woodie had 830 yards and 13 TDs on the ground; Unger collected 56 tackles with eight for a loss, three fumble recoveries, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles; and Johns had 80 tackles and five forced fumbles, along with 1,156 all-purpose yards with 764 and eight TDs on the ground for the Redskins.
Lahmers had 764 yards passing with five TDs and 489 yards and eight scores on 121 carries; Austin had 700 yards with 10 TDs on the ground and 30 tackles, five for a loss and three sacks on defense; Humphrey had more than 600 all-purpose yards and 27 tackles on defense; Sesser made 48 tackles with seven for a loss; Stroup had 33 tackles, 12 for a loss and two sacks, Ridenbaugh made 22 stops with eight for a loss and five sacks; Sparger had 66 tackles and eight for a loss and scored six TDs on offense; Ator made 56 stops and Colvin had 31 tackles and four pass breakups for the Generals.
Rivera had 581 rushing yards and six scores; Norman had 56 receptions for 777 yards and six TDs; Snyder had 34.5 tackles with 12 for a loss and six sacks; and Farley totaled 36.5 tackles and eight for a loss for the Colts.
Buckeye Trail running back Koen Eagon, defensive lineman Brady Hastings and linebacker Charlie Parry were named first team in Division VI. Defensive lineman Jackson Hess and linebacker Mason Todd made second team for the Warriors.
Eagon had 1,147 yards and eight TDs on the ground, caught 18 passes for 228 yards with a pair of scores, returned to kickoffs for scores, made 34 tackles and grabbed three interceptions; Hastings had 49 Tackles, 10 for a loss, four sacks, caught three 2-point conversions and had three receiving TDs; Hess had 42 tackles with five sacks; Parry made 126 stops, grabbed two interceptions and ran for 537 yards and five TDs; and Todd had 44 tackles and three picks for the Warriors.
Rosecrans quarterback Brendan Bernath, running back Brody Zemba and lineman Xander Daniels made first team in Division VII, while lineman Maddux Burkhart and defensive back Mike Dady were named to second team.
Bernath owns every school passing record and finished with 2,235 yards, 25 TDs and 14 interceptions in the regular season; Zemba ran for 704 yards with nine TDs nad grabbed 40 catches, 557 yards and six TDs; Daniels had 35 tackles, 15 for a loss and four sacks; Burkhart made 40 tackles with 10 for a loss and four sacks; and Dady tallied 36 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries for the Bishops.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: See what area standouts made the East District football squad
