2009 cs8 football first team - The State Journal

Sunday, December 13, 2009
Springfield, Illinois
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Page 39
2009 CS8 FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
ERIC WILLIAMSON
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior quarterback
6-1, 180 pounds
The 2009 CS8
Player of the Year
was also a Class
5A all-state selection. Accuracy was
his calling card
throughout the
season, and he
Williamson completed 126-of166 passes (76
percent) for 1,901 yards and a conference-leading 22 touchdowns, against
just three interceptions. He also ran
for 501 yards and six touchdowns.
MATT ANDERSON
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior offensive lineman
6-0, 240 pounds
Anderson was the
anchor of SHG’s
outstanding offensive line, playing
center. The only
thing that slowed
him down was a
sore ankle. CS8
Lineman
of the
Anderson
Year
OHENE AKUOKO
Southeast
senior running back
6-0, 195 pounds
Akuoko stepped
into a starting role
following an injury
to Jonathan
Rouse, and filled
the shoes well. He
rushed for 492
yards and seven
touchdowns on 92
Akuoko
carries.
TYRELL BOLDEN
Springfield
junior quarterback
6-1, 175 pounds
Bolden once
again had to battle
injuries toward the
end of the season,
but he was plenty
effective when he
was healthy. He
completed 97-of171
passes for 15
Bolden
touchdowns with
seven interceptions. His 752 rushing
yards were tops among conference
quarterbacks, and he scored 10 times
on the ground.
CALEB COX
Chatham Glenwood
senior quarterback
6-1, 148 pounds
Cox found a knack
for making big
plays as the season progressed.
He finished the
year 44-of-93 for
902 yards and 10
touchdowns and
seven intercepCox
tions, as the Titans
advanced to the second round of the
playoffs for the first time since 2004.
CARTER COX
Chatham Glenwood
senior linebacker
6-0, 190 pounds
Glenwood’s other
Cox was a fixture
in the middle of
the defense,
where he picked
up 104 tackles. He
was also intercepted three
passes.
Cox
PAT DOTY
Springfield
junior wide receiver/defensive back
6-2, 180 pounds
Doty led the Senators in receiving,
with 31 catches for
443 yards and
seven touchdowns. He also
finished with 64
tackles and two interceptions.
Doty
Previous CS8
players of the year
2008 John Lantz (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
2007 Rob Mosher (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
2006 Bobby Brenneisen (Sa-
cred Heart-Griffin)
2005 Bobby Brenneisen (Sa-
cred Heart-Griffin)
2004 Eric Peterman (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
2003 Eric Peterman (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
2002 Kenni Burns (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
2001 Niccos Scott (Lanphier)
2000 Ulexis Williams (Springfield High)
1999 Zac Crawford (Chatham
Glenwood)
1998 Griff Jurgens (Chatham
Glenwood)
1997 Chris Ross (Chatham
Glenwood)
1996 Brad Svoboda (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
1995 Todd Schneller (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
1994 Mike Pilger (Sacred
Heart-Griffin)
1993 Ed Killion (Lanphier)
BRYCE HEATON
REY RODRIGUEZ
Jacksonville
senior wide receiver/defensive back
6-3, 200 pounds
Heaton was the most prolific receiver
in the conference, and it wasn’t even
close. His 70 receptions are 30
more than the
nearest competitor. His 938 yards
are 237 better
than anyone else,
and he also picked
up six touchHeaton
downs. Heaton
also had 31 tackles and an interception.
Taylorville
junior linebacker
5’-10, 210 pounds
Rodriguez was one player the opposition had to account for on every
play. He led Taylorville with 99
tackles on the
season.
JACOB HENEISEN
Jacksonville senior
offensive/defensive lineman
6-4, 255 pounds
Jacksonville pushed the pace faster
than about anyone, and Heneisen
provided quality
blocking in the uptempo attack. He
had 55 tackles on
defense.
Springfield
senior offensive lineman
6-3, 245 pounds
The Senators were able to pile up
both points and
yards in bunches,
and Gelber was a
key reason for that
success.
Lincoln
senior running back/linebacker
5-10, 180 pounds
Hickey led the Railsplitters on both
sides of the ball.
He rushed for 644
yards and two
touchdowns on
124 carries. Defensively, he had
79 tackles.
Lanphier
junior quarterback/defensive back
5-6, 150 pounds
Moore did a little bit of everything for
the Lions, but
most of his time
was at quarterback. He complted
23 of 57 passes
for 238 yards and
two touchdowns.
He picked up 477
yards and six
Moore
touchdowns on
the ground as well.
Springfield
senior defensive lineman
5-10, 200 pounds
Springfield’s defense attacked at all
times, and Myles
found himself in
the vicinity of the
ball carrier quite
often. He finished
the season with 96
tackles.
Myles
Hickey
KYLE HADDEN
JAKE INGOLD
Taylorville
senior offensive/defensive lineman
6-0, 189 pounds
Hadden was a consistent force in Taylorville’s up-anddown season, finishing the season
with 71 tackles.
Chatham Glenwood
senior linebacker
5-10, 210 pounds
Ingold finished the season as the
conference’s leading tackler, picking
up 117 stops on
the season.
Hadden
Ingold
JOHN HAGEMANN
Chatham Glenwood
senior running back
6-2, 185 pounds
Heading into the postseason, Hagemann was averaging 10 yards per
carry. He finished
the year as the
conference’s leading rusher and
touchdown-maker,
with 1,648 yards
Hagemann and 21 touchdowns on 191 carries. He was also a Class 5A all-state
selection.
BRIAN HALEY
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior defensive back
5-10, 170 pounds
Haley made his presence felt by piling
up 47 tackles and
picking off three
passes for the Cyclones.
CHRISTIAN JORDAN
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior defensive tackle
5-10, 260 pounds
It was Jordan’s job to plug the middle,
and he was exceedingly effective
at it. He finished
the season with
68 tackles, including 10 in SHG’s
season-ending
loss to Peoria
Richwoods.
Jordan
BLAINE LACY
Taylorville junior
running back/linebacker
5-8, 150 pounds
Lacy led the Tornadoes on the
ground, with 99 carries for 491 yards
and five touchdowns. He also
had 79 tackles
and an interception on defense.
Southeast senior quarterback
5-9, 205 pounds
Poole was asked to throw more than
run in the Spartans’ option-based offense, but he did
both well. He
rushed for 474
yards and eight
touchdowns, and
threw for 449
yards and four
touchdowns as
Southeast had its
Poole
most successful
season since 2003.
ZACH ROCKFORD
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior running back/defensive back
5- 9, 170 pounds
As the season wore on, Rockford became the Cyclones’ X-factor. He ran
for 341 yards and
seven scores, and
caught 26 passes
for 309 yards and
four scores. But
he was perhaps
most dangerous
as a punt returner,
returning
three for
Rockford
touchdowns.
JARED TURNER
Chatham Glenwood
senior tight end
6-1, 193 pounds
Turner was Glenwood’s leading receiver on the season, catching 18
passes for 386
yards and three
touchdowns. He
was also a valuable blocker for a
Turner
team that preferred to wear out its opponents on
the ground.
Springfield senior linebacker
5-7, 185 pounds
What Vong lacked in size, he more
than made up for
in tenacity. He
piled up 109 tackles on the season
for the Senators.
Lanphier
senior defensive back
5-8, 160 pounds
Sheehan proved to be an effective
run stopper, picking up 97 tackles. He
also picked off a team-high two passes.
Jacksonville junior quarterback
6-0, 165 pounds
Lonergan, in his
first full season as
a starter, proved
adept at putting
points on the
board. He completed 191-of-293
passes for 2,742
yards,
with 19
Lonergan
touchdowns and
10 interceptions. He had five more
completions than any other quarterback in the conference had attempts.
He also ran for 630 yards and 13
touchdowns, and kicked 33 extra
points and a field goal.
DEVIN VonNORDHEIMMOORE
Glenwood senior running back
5-9, 167 pounds
VonNordheim-Moore started fast by
returning the opening kickoff of the
season for a
touchdown
against Troy Triad.
He never really
slowed down after
that, rushing for
847 yards and 16
touchdowns. His
VonNordheim 19 total scores
tied for second in
-Moore
the conference,
and his 9.2 yards per carry was the
best in the conference.
Glenwood junior
offensive/defensive tackle
6-2, 260 pounds
When the Titans ran, which was
often, they weren’t shy about getting
behind No. 54
while he opened
the hole. He also
had 41 tackles on
the season.
GREG WILSON
Sheehan
JARROD SERGENT
Sacred Heart-Griffin
junior wide receiver
6-0, 160 pounds
Sergent became SHG’s most effective receiver as the
season wore on,
finishing with 40
catches for 701
yards. His 12 receiving touchdowns were five
more than any
other
player in the
Sergent
conference.
Jeffery BARTEL, Sr., (SHG); Ryan CRABTREE, Sr., (SHG); Mattew FRANKLIN,
Sr., (SHG); Nick GUZZARDO, Sr., (SHG);
Eddie HUBBARD, Sr., (SHG); Jacob
HUPP, Sr., (SHG); Josh HUPP, Jr.,
(SHG); Ryan KLACHKO, Jr., (SHG); John
MCDERMOTT, Jr., (SHG); Darryl MCMATH, Jr. (SHG); Sam REENTS, Sr.,
(SHG); John ROOT, Sr., (SHG); Jake
WILLIAMS, Jr., (SHG); Tom COOPER, Jr.
(Glenwood); Brian CRUSE, Sr. (Glenwood); Zeke DANNA, Sr., (Glenwood);
Tony GIOVANNELLI, Jr. (Glenwood); Jeremy HACK, Sr., (Glenwood); Raz HARRIS, Jr., (Glenwood); Zach JOOS, Jr.,
(Glenwood); Dan PANZARDI, Sr., (Glenwood); Dan RAMSDEN, Sr., (Glenwood);
T yler SOWARDS, Sr., (Glenwood); Andrew BESALKE, Sr., (Springfield); Ryan
GELBER, So., (Springfield); Mark
GILCHERESE, Jr., (Springfield); Alex
HAMMERS, So., (Springfield); Titus
HUGES, Sr., (Springfield); Bryan KIRK,
Sr., (Springfield); Ryan KREKEL, Sr.,
(Springfield); Alex KRAMER, So. (Springfield); Myles PERALTA, Sr., (Springfield);
Alex PFAFFE, Sr., (Springfield); DeCarlos
POOLE, So., (Springfield); John SHANKS,
Sr., (Springfield); Justin SIMPSON, Sr.,
(Springfield); Zane THOMPSON, Sr.,
(Springfield); John WILLIAMS, Sr.,
(Springfield); Shaquille BERRY, Jr., (Jacksonville); Austin FRANKLIN, Jr., (Jacksonville); Michael GILLESPIE, Sr., (Jacksonville); Thomas JACKSON, Sr., (Jacksonville); Dalton KEENE, Fr., (Jacksonville); Jake LONERGAN, Sr., (Jacksonville); Sydell NELSON, Sr., (Jacksonville); Cameron RUYLE, Jr., (Jacksonville); Andy SELWAY, Jr., (Jacksonville); Zach TURNER, Jr., (Jacksonville); Dustin EHRHARDT, Sr., (Taylorville); Kenneth ENGELING, Jr., (Taylorville); Kraig HEIL, Sr., (Taylorville); Beau
MCDONALD, Jr., (Taylorville); Brian
SHOEMAKER, Jr., (Taylorville); Cole
SMITH, Jr., (Taylorville); Gavin WINDELL,
Jr., (Taylorville); Jacob YARD, Sr., (Taylorville); Reuben BOWLBY, Sr., (Lincoln);
Tedarion CARTER, Jr., (Lincoln); Tyler
COCHRAN, Jr., (Lincoln); Bryce HUNSLEY, Sr., (Lincoln); Jonathon
MANGANO, Sr., (Lincoln); Joel RITCHHART, Sr., (Lincoln); Darvez STANCLE,
Jr., (Lincoln); Everett CLEMONS, So.,
(Lanphier); Jebori COLEMAN, Jr., (Lanphier); Morris DICKERSON, Sr., (Lanphier);
Alex NOVY, Jr., (Lanphier); Parris FLEMING, Sr., (Southeast); Tyler
GRAPENGETER, Sr., (Southeast); Copache TYLER, Fr., (Southeast); Cartez
WALKER, Jr., (Southeast)
Vong
Wienhoff
NICK LONERGAN
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior offensive/defensive lineman
6-3, 260 pounds
He was a wall at left tackle, opening
holes in the running game and
keeping pass
rushers at bay.
Harris was a
nightmare at defensive end,
where he rang up
12 sacks and 31
Harris
tackles. He’ll play
at Indiana University next year.
Smith
JAKE WIENHOFF
DREW SHEEHAN
Lacy
Haley
MARLANDEZ HARRIS
Springfield
senior offensive/defensive lineman
6-1, 250 pounds
Smith was another one of Springfield’s defenders
with a nose for the
football, as his 96
tackles on the
season would attest.
JIMMY VONG
DEZ POOLE
Gelber
Sacred Heart-Griffin
senior wide receiver/safety
6-3, 190 pounds
Smith had a solid
season on both
sides of the ball,
catching 28 passes for 366 yards
and a touchdown.
On defense he
had 48 tackles
and
two intercepSmith
tions.
JAMES SMITH
TOMMY MOORE
DEMETRIUS MYLES
Heneisen
COLT HICKEY
ROSS GELBER
Rodriguez
SPECIAL MENTION
JAKE SMITH
Sacred Heart-Griffin
junior running back
5-8, 185 pounds
The Cyclones rode Wilson early and
often throughout
the season, and
he didn’t disappoint. His 237 carries were 46 more
than any other
back in the conference, and he finished
with 1,501
Wilson
yards rushing and
16 touchdowns. He also caught 14
passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
ALL-ACADEMIC
■ GLENWOOD — Ethan Adams (So.);
Jon Barrown (Jr.); Brandon Bradley (Jr.);
Scott Clifford (Sr.); Carter Cox (Sr.); Caleb
Cox (Sr.); Michael Fiaush (Jr.); Joey Giovannelli (So.); John Hagemann (Sr.);
Kramer Halverson (Jr.); Josh Hobson (Jr.);
Ethan Hochstein (So.); Jake Ingold (Sr.);
Zach Joos (Jr.); Dan Panzardi (Sr.); Nigel
Range (Jr.); Austin Stoll (Jr.); Jake Wienhoff (Jr.)
■ JACKSONVILLE — Jacob Chlarson
(Jr.); Allan DeOrnellas (Jr.); Nathan Freeman (So.); Patrick Heise (So.); Brady Hill
(Jr.); James Caleb Howell (Jr.); Mark Luth
(So.); Blaize Stewart (Sr.); Zachary Turner
(Jr.); Drew Willhite (So.)
■ LANPHIER — Lance Boozer (So.);
Jebori Coleman (Jr.); Morris Dickerson
(Sr.); Kevin Farley (Jr.); Joe Lelys (Jr.);
Justin Linder (Jr.); Thomas Moore (Jr.);
Drew Sheehan (Sr.); Louis Tuttle (Jr.);
Zach Zarley (Sr.)
■ LINCOLN — Logan Ambruster (So.);
Jase Camp (Sr.); Dylan Eimer (Sr.); Nick
Haferkamp (Sr.); Andy Krusz (So.); Jacob
LaMothe-Mason (So.); Moses Rogers
(So.); Darvez Stancle (Jr.)
■ SHG — Jeffrey Bartel (Sr.); Ryan
Crabtree (Sr.); Ryan Cummins (Jr.);
Steven Cummins (Sr.); Nick Guzzardo
(Sr.); Evan Kararo (Sr.); Nick Lanzotti (Sr.);
John McDermott (Jr.); Tyler McEvoy (So.);
Jerome Smith (Sr.); Patrick Smith (So.);
Ryan Williamson (So.)
■ SOUTHEAST — Ohene Akuoko
(Sr.); Nehemiah Ankoor (Sr.); Zac Bourland (Sr.); Parris Fleming (Sr.); Chris Ollie
(Jr.); Andy Roan (So.); Dave Simpson
(Sr.); Chris Townsend (So.)
■ SPRINGFIELD — Danan Beedie
(So.); Rhavi Bhatt (Jr.); Abhinav Brahmamdam (So.); Deandre Calloway (So.); Josh
Capers (Sr.); Cordale Davis (Jr.); Luke
Gedaminski (So.); Ross Gelber (Sr.); Ryan
Gelber (So.); Mark Gilchrese (Jr.); Titus
Huges (Sr.); Andrew Hutchenson (Sr.);
Bryan Kirk (Sr.); Alex Kramer (So.); Ryan
Krekel (Sr.); Ridge Lin (Jr.); Cam McGlynn
(Jr.); Myles Peralta (Sr.); Alex Pfaffe (Jr.):
Justin Simpson (Sr.); Chase Thompson
(So.); Zane Thompson (Sr.)
■ TAYLORVILLE — Logan Crawford
(So.); Kenneth Engeling (Jr.); Kyle Engeling (Jr.); Heath Garner (So.); Kyle Hadden (Sr.): Kraig Heil (Sr.); Tyler Sphar
(So.); Tyler Stephens (Sr.); Luke Wihmhoff
(Jr.).
CAPSULES BY TODD ENGEL
ERIC
■ From page 35
He completed 126 of 166 attempts for
1,901 yards and 22 touchdowns against
just three interceptions.
He also proved adept with his feet,
rushing for 501 yards and six touchdowns.
The completion rate — 76 percent — is
more than just excellent. It’s historic. It
ranks second for a season in state history,
according to the records available on
IHSA.org.
SHG coach Ken Leonard knew
Williamson could be good — very good.
But expecting a season like that is unrealistic for any kind of football played outside the digital realm.
“I thought he was very capable, but
“HE WAS A finisher. He goes
up in the elite quarterbacks
that we’ve had.”
— SHG COACH KEN LEONARD
being capable and performing are two different things,” Leonard said. “He had an
inexperienced group (of receivers) to go
with him. For them to do so well says a lot
about them, but it also says a lot about
Eric being able to make it work.
“He’s as good as we’ve ever had, maybe
the best in the pocket, waiting for somebody to get open and not worrying about
the pass rush.”
That poise was evident in 2008 when
Williamson was the backup. It led
Leonard to deliver a tongue-in-cheek message to Dondanville, who is now at
Princeton.
“At the beginning of (last) year, because
we knew how good Eric was, we told Tim,
‘We’re going to turn you loose this year
because if something would happen to
you, God bless you, but Eric, you’re up,’ ”
Leonard said with a laugh. “Thank God
nothing happened to Timmy. Timmy had
a tremendous year, and Eric had to wait
his turn.”
The waiting ensured that Williamson’s
lone season as a starter would go by in a
blink, and it did, but not before
Williamson was able to forge some lasting
memories.
“Just playing the game, being in the system for three years, getting to know the
system,” Williamson said when asked his
memories of SHG football. “It’s going to
be tough to leave here, especially because
you know everyone and you’re with them
every day.
“The coaches prepare you pretty well to
be successful during the season, and you
have to go out there and do what you do
in practice. We did what we did and got
into the quarterfinals.”
That quarterfinal loss to Peoria Richwoods left Williamson with more than just
disappointment. He severely sprained an
ankle in the third quarter, which would
have put his effectiveness in limbo the following week had SHG won the game.
“It’s still bugging me now, just when I
run,” Williamson said. “It’s still swollen a
little bit.
“The day of, and a few weeks after that,
it was the size of a couple golf balls. I tried
to run on it and stuff afterward, and it was
really hard.”
The ankle won’t be an issue next year
when Williamson gets to college. Right
now, his top choices include Monmouth,
St. Ambrose and Lindenwood.
“Being with the same coaches every day
for the last four years, the same routine,
it’s a great group of guys I’ve played with
over the last four years,” Williamson said.
“I don’t know if I’ll find a better group of
guys.”
Despite Williamson’s relatively short
12-game stint as a starter, Leonard knows
his latest quarterback belongs on the
same list as his predecessors.
“He never complains,” Leonard said.
“He’s very precise at what he does. You
tell him to do something, he did it.
“He was a finisher. He goes up in the
elite quarterbacks that we’ve had. I don’t
think it’s fair to any of them to pick one as
the best, but he goes up right there with
all of them.”
Todd Engle can be reached at 788-1546.