Presenting the 2018 KMAland Football District Awards

(KMAland) -- Last week was so fun that I thought we would do it again. 

Instead of volleyball, though, it’s a week of awards for KMAland football. Once again this year, I am honoring an Offensive Player, a Defensive Player and a Coach of the Year in all of our KMAland districts. However, there is an additional award to be handed out: The District Lineman of the Year.

When it comes to the three awards I initially listed, I used my better judgment. There were some inputs from other friends in the business, but it was basically my decision. When it came to the Lineman of the Year, though, I asked multiple coaches in each district what they thought. I weighed the coaches of athletes not in the running for the award moreso than those that would have an inherent bias. I don’t know that I nailed all of these, but I’m happy we are able to honor the guys that don’t always get the headlines.

As for which districts we consider “KMAland districts” in this instance. That would be those with at least one team from the Hawkeye Ten, Corner, Western Iowa, Pride of Iowa (West Division) and/or Rolling Valley Conferences (plus Class 4A District 7, which housed Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson). 

With that said, let’s get on with it:

CLASS 8-MAN DISTRICT 7

Offensive Player of the Year: Drake Johnson, Stanton

Defensive Player of the Year: Seth Malcom, Fremont-Mills

Lineman of the Year: Tommy Wilson, Sidney

Coach of the Year: Jeremy Christiansen, Fremont-Mills

I had a tough time on many of these, and I’m pretty sure I had different winners originally listed for three of the four. In the end, I found it very difficult to overlook the all-around statistics of Stanton senior Drake Johnson. The senior had 43 receptions for 1,103 yards, 694 yards rushing and 31 total touchdowns.

On the defensive side, Johnson could have also been the winner. However, sophomore Seth Malcom showed his value as early as the opening week of the season. Following an injury against Exira/EHK that kept him out of the rest of the game, the Spartans sprinted to a win. F-M wouldn’t lose again until the UNI Dome. Malcom was a big reason for that, finishing the year with 101 total tackles (77 solos) and a league-best 18.5 total tackles for loss. Malcom also had an interception and three fumble recoveries.

There were no shortage of options for the Lineman of the Year, but Sidney junior Tommy Wilson had his name come up more than any other. Heck, Wilson had major competition among his own team with the likes of Brady Lorimor. Add in Fremont-Mills’ beasts - led by Jonah Bateman - and it was a true battle. Wilson led the Sidney defense with 12 solo tackles for loss and four solo sacks and headlined an offensive line that helped the Cowboys to 6.7 yards per carry.

Our coach of the year is Jeremy Christiansen. The Fremont-Mills coach has led the Knights to the UNI Dome three straight years and six out of the last nine, and more than anything, the consistency of his program is what earns him this award. It doesn’t matter who graduates it seems. Fremont-Mills is one of the most established 8-Man programs in the state, and they partly have their head coach to thank.

CLASS 8-MAN DISTRICT 6

Offensive Player of the Year: Colby Page, Southeast Warren

Defensive Player of the Year: Bryce Vandelune, Southeast Warren

Lineman of the Year: Bryce Vandelune, Southeast Warren

Coach of the Year: Shane Rowlands, Southeast Warren

These were not difficult choices. Southeast Warren had a dominant season, ending in their first trip to the UNI Dome, and there were plenty of guys to thank for that.

Colby Page threw for 2,436 yards and 42 touchdowns (against just five interceptions), and he added 868 yards rushing and 12 more scores. Bryce Vandelune was a monster on the defensive side with 114 total tackles (79 solos), 25 solo tackles for loss, an additional 15 assisted tackles for loss, five solo sacks and four sack assists. Vandelune was also the top lineman in leading the Warhawks to 2,644 passing yards and 2,969 rushing yards. 

And when you’re that dominant, the old saying is: To the victor go the spoils. Shane Rowlands was the head coach that oversaw this dominance, and he is our district coach of the year.

CLASS 8-MAN DISTRICT 8

Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Burmeister, Exira/EHK

Defensive Player of the Year: Lane Lawson, Audubon

Lineman of the Year: Dylan Obermeier, Audubon

Coach of the Year: Dustin Crook, Woodbine

Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton’s Cole Burmeister took a lot on his shoulders late in the year when his quarterback was injured. Burmeister - a senior - ended up posting monster rushing and receiving numbers. He had 847 yards on the ground, another 922 yards through the air (with 67 receptions) and scored 29 touchdowns. He also found some time to throw for 102 yards and two scores.

Defensively, they don’t get much more impactful than Lane Lawson. The Audubon standout had 45 solos, 13 solo tackles for loss and four solo sacks among his team-leading 67 total tackles. He also landed on five fumbles and had an interception.

His teammate Dylan Obermeier is the unquestioned Lineman of the Year in the district. Obermeier had a strong impact on both sides of the ball with 43.5 tackles, six solo tackles for loss and five solo sacks. Offensively, Audubon averaged over 5.5 years per carry and finished just five yards short of 2,000 in just nine games.

On the coaching side, I went with a bit of an inspired pick - I think. Dustin Crook’s Woodbine team did not go to the playoffs. However, they ended up a game shy of that scenario, and that’s thanks to a season-ending four-game win streak and victories over Coon Rapids-Bayard, CAM and Exira/EHK. If their two-point loss to Glidden-Ralston goes another way, they would have been district champions. This was just a one-game improvement from the year before, but it’s also a four-game improvement from just two seasons ago.

CLASS 8-MAN DISTRICT 1

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Schurke, Ar-We-Va

Defensive Player of the Year: Keegan Simons, Ar-We-Va

Lineman of the Year: Ben Von Glan, Ar-We-Va

Coach of the Year: Chris Petersen, Ar-We-Va

All Ar-We-Va all the time. Drew Schurke did some insane things on offense all season, finishing with 924 yards receiving, 719 yards rushing and 284 yards passing. He ended up accounting for 30 total touchdowns among those three avenues.

His teammate and standout offensive player in his own right Keegan Simons takes the top defensive award. Simons made major impacts on all levels of the defense. He ranked second on the team with 70.5 total tackles, second with 11 solo tackles for loss and fifth with two solo sacks. Of course, nobody could top his eight interceptions, which he turned into two touchdowns.

The lineman of the year is another Rocket senior in Ben Von Glan. Von Glan had 63 total tackles for the season and led his team with 15 solo tackles for loss, 19 assisted tackles for loss, seven solo sacks and seven sack assists. He also covered up three fumbles. On offense, well…you saw the numbers Schurke put up. He couldn’t have done it without Von Glan.

And finally, the head coach of the Rockets gets the top spot. Yes, to the victor go the spoils, but his team was absolutely dominant in a district where it was really tough to do that. Not only that, they really put a strong emphasis on defense this season, and it showed out well with the Rockets improving in nearly every category there.

CLASS A DISTRICT 2

Offensive Player of the Year: Jake Kliegl, Ridge View

Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Gaes, Alta-Aurelia

Lineman of the Year: Ezra Miller, Ridge View

Coach of the Year: Chris Reinert & Grant Peckenschneider, Alta-Aurelia

This is IKM-Manning’s district. Quick hitters on the winners:

Jake Kliegl - Kliegel rushed for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns, churning for 6.4 yards per carry.

Nick Gaes - What a beast. Goes had 84 total tackles, including team-highs in solo tackles (49), solo tackles for loss (24) and solo sacks (12).

Ezra Miller - The Iowa commit dominated on both lines and finished with nine solo tackles for loss and two solo sacks defensively. He also paved the way for Kliegl.

Chris Reinert and Grant Peckenschneider - The co-coaches talked a big game before the AHSTW playoff contest, and they backed it up in becoming the closest to beat the Vikes until the Class A final.

CLASS A DISTRICT 9

Offensive Player of the Year: Gabe Pauley, AHSTW

Defensive Player of the Year: Joel Henningsen, Riverside

Lineman of the Year: Jacob Webb, Southwest Valley

Coach of the Year: Darrell Frain, Riverside

Gabe Pauley was a major candidate on both sides of the ball, and his toughest competition on the side that he won came from his teammates Blake Osbahr and Drake Partridge. Nonetheless, Pauley finished with 1,760 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Every carry was a treat to watch because you just never knew how many guys he was about to run over.

Joel Henningsen had some kind of monster season on the defensive side. The junior star led the Bulldogs and the district with 84 solo tackles and 106 total tackles to go with nine solo tackles for loss and one sack. He also had a district-high five fumble recoveries.

Southwest Valley’s Jacob Webb followed up his fantastic junior season with a tremendous senior year. Defensively, he tied for the district-high with 11 solos tackles for loss and was first with solo sacks. He also a stalwart on the offensive side.

Riverside’s Darrell Frain captures the coach of the year in this district, and it didn’t come without fierce competition from a state runner-up coach and a first-year St. Albert head man that kept the tradition alive of strong football. But who can overlook what Frain did at Riverside in one year? They doubled their win total in one season from the previous four years combined. Incredibly inspiring stuff.

CLASS A DISTRICT 10

Offensive Player of the Year: Sean Westergaard, Westwood

Defensive Player of the Year: Bryant Barrier, Tri-Center

Lineman of the Year: Jonah Kollbaum, Lawton-Bronson

Coach of the Year: Ryan Schroder, Tri-Center

Let’s start with the Tri-Center winners.

Bryant Barrier was everywhere this season for the Trojans. The senior led the district with 71 solo tackles and 108 total. He also had eight solo tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Meanwhile, his new coach did a tremendous job quickly turning Tri-Center into a winning program. After going 1-8 and 2-7 in the previous two years, Coach Ryan Schroder led the Trojans to a 6-3 mark.

I chose Sean Westergaard on the offensive side over his teammate Braulio Munoz because he rushed for 7.5 yards per carry and went over 1,100 on over 100 fewer carries. Plus, he was the field general at quarterback and added over 200 yards passing.

The Lineman of the Year is Lawton-Bronson’s Jonah Kollbaum. The senior goes 6-foot-3, 280 pounds and was a force on both sides of the ball. He had nine solo tackles for loss this season and pushed the Eagles to 1,710 yards on the ground.

CLASS 1A DISTRICT 8

Offensive Player of the Year: Anthony Potthoff, Van Meter

Defensive Player of the Year: John Shields, Mount Ayr

Lineman of the Year: Chris Reames, Van Meter

Coach of the Year: Derek Lambert & Delwyn Showalter, Mount Ayr

The Mount Ayr Raiders returned to the playoffs and a big reason for that was their big defensive end John Shields, who flat took games over at times. Shields led the district with 24 solo tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He finished the year with 72 total tackles, including 47 solos, and two fumble recoveries.

Derek Lambert and Delwyn Showalter have been making this co-coach thing work for years. Chalk up another one after the Raiders went from three wins this year to seven and a trip to the state playoffs. Their losses are nothing to sneeze at - twice to Interstate 35 and once to Van Meter. There’s a combined two losses between those teams.

Van Meter star Anthony Potthoff takes our Offensive Player of the Year after he threw for 1,333 yards, rushed for 1,090 and accounted for 37 total touchdowns. I’m OK if you want to go with 2,000-yard rusher Ian Abrahamson.

Iowa commit Chris Reames was an impact player on the line, including on defense where he had nine solo tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.

CLASS 1A DISTRICT 9

Offensive Player of the Year: Nick Haynes, Missouri Valley

Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Christensen, Treynor

Lineman of the Year: Brandyn Clair, East Sac County

Coach of the Year: Jeff Casey, Treynor

Missouri Valley’s Nick Haynes had to be a difficult one to tackle. The junior running back goes 201 pounds, has very good speed and runs with the mentality of a wrestler. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry and went for 1,666 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Treynor’s Kyle Christensen takes the top defensive award for his ability to seemingly be in two places at once. Is he the guy coming up to stop your run game with 71 tackles, 45 solos, 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks? Or is he the guy that led the district with six interceptions? He’s both. You probably realized that.

The top lineman award goes to Brandyn Clair, but not without some love for Treynor standout Brock Fox. Clair worked both sides of the ball well for East Sac County, providing plenty of running lanes for a 1,000-yard rusher on offense.

Treynor’s Jeff Casey is the easy choice for Coach of the Year. The Cardinals went undefeated to win the district, and they advanced back to the playoffs before getting the worst kind of draw ever for an undefeated district champ (at West Sioux). That’s a one-year four-game improvement, but it’s also a seven-win improvement from two years ago. This thing is building.

CLASS 2A DISTRICT 9

Offensive Player of the Year: Kaden Ladwig, OABCIG

Defensive Player of the Year: Nick Breon, Greene County

Lineman of the Year: Tyler Miller, Greene County

Coach of the Year: Ryan Gelber, Red Oak

Quick: Name all the 3,000 yard passers in the state this year. There’s Hunter Dekkers of West Sioux, and there’s Kaden Ladwig of OA-BCIG - this district’s Offensive Player of the Year. The senior had 3,027 yards passing and 32 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

Let’s go with junior Nick Breon for the Defensive Player of the Year. He led the district with 18 solo tackles for loss among his 64 total tackles, which also included 40 solos. Breon also had five solo sacks and 5.5 assisted tackles for loss. 

Breon’s teammate Tyler Miller is the Lineman of the Year, and I think you could have guessed that one. Miller was a force on the offensive line and added 8.5 tackles for loss along the defensive line to go with a 29-yard pick-six (against Shenandoah).

The Coach of the Year is also a simple call, in my opinion. Red Oak was a win away from their first winning record in a number of years, and Ryan Gelber deserves a bunch of credit for it. Not only that, his team beat a playoff squad in OA-BCIG, which virtually allowed for the district to get three teams into the playoffs. And who doesn’t love that?

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 9

Offensive Player of the Year: Max Duggan, Lewis Central 

Defensive Player of the Year: Jacob McLaughlin, Harlan

Lineman of the Year: Logan Jones, Lewis Central

Coach of the Year: Jim Duggan, Lewis Central 

Let’s start with the Lewis Central trio. Max Duggan had another splendid year, and he put up big numbers while barely playing more than a half of football each Friday night. Duggan - the TCU commit - threw for 2,130 yards, rushed for 1,223 more and had 50 total touchdowns.

Max - as humble of a 4-star recruit you will ever meet - will be the first to tell you that he couldn’t have done it without his junior star lineman Logan Jones. The Division I recruit paved the way for Duggan’s big numbers while also doubling down as a force on the defensive line (22 solo tackles for loss, 8 solo sacks).

The coach of the Titans, who made their way to the UNI Dome for the first time in school history, takes the Coach of the Year. Jim Duggan - I understand - is an avid reader and listener of KMA (I hear he’s especially fond of my Random Thoughts blog). That makes him a winner in my book. And so does the tremendous success he’s seen since taking over Lewis Central - and certainly saw this year in leading the Titans to the Dome for the first time in school history. 

Harlan’s Jacob McLaughlin is a Division I recruit (committed to UNI) in his own right. The senior standout made his presence known in many backfields, leading the district with 10 solo sacks and adding 16 solo tackles for loss among his 46.5 takedowns for the year. If you want to argue for Jones, I won’t stop you, but today’s pick is the senior.

CLASS 3A DISTRICT 1

Offensive Player of the Year: Isaiah Spencer, Spencer

Defensive Player of the Year: Dawson Fenton, Heelan

Lineman of the Year: Wade Phair, Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Coach of the Year: Justin Smith, Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Quick hitters from the district that has Denison-Schleswig:

Isaiah Spencer - This is not who the district picked and it might not be who you would pick, but Spencer had 1,533 yards rushing and he had to rush against Sergeant Bluff-Luton twice and Heelan once. Other contenders did not - because they are from those schools. Note: SBL held him down pretty good in their playoff game.

Dawson Fenton - This dude is a monster. If you combine the second and third place finishers in solo tackles for loss, they would only equal Fenton’s 23. He also had 12 solo sacks and led his team with 52 total tackles and 44 solos.

Wade Phair - Phair had 47.5 total tackles, 12 solo tackles for loss and seven solo sacks for the season. That should convince you.

Justin Smith - All the Hamburg and Sergeant Bluff and Luton natives rejoice. Hamburg alum Justin Smith led the Warriors to the UNI Dome for the first time in school history.

CLASS 4A DISTRICT 7

Offensive Player of the Year: Cameron Baker, Thomas Jefferson

Defensive Player of the Year: Drew Jirak, WDM Valley

Lineman of the Year: Jake Remsburg, WDM Valley

Coach of the Year: Gary Swenson, WDM Valley

Thomas Jefferson’s Cameron Baker takes the top offensive award thanks to another strong season of rushing. The senior Northern Iowa commit rushed for a district-leading 1,303 yards, averaged 6.9 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns.

Drew Jirak - Jirak had an insane nine interceptions for the season to lead the district and ranked second in all of 4A.

Jake Remsburg - The three-star Iowa State commit lived up to the hype in leading the charge for a dominant offensive line and overall offensive unit.

Gary Swenson - Without many one-year improvements, Coach Swenson earns the award for his team’s dominance throughout the district and much of the season. 

We will be announcing KMAland award winners throughout the rest of the week. Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmaland.com.