OFFENSE
Backfield
Frankie Bleuss, sr., Carson: A leader emotionally and physically for the Senators, Bleuss engineered the Veer offense, rushed for 616 yards and nine touchdowns and threw for another 400 yards even though he was knocked out with a concussion in the first quarter against Hug and sat out the next two weeks.
Chris Kotter, sr., Carson: A breakaway threat who rushed for 1,317 yards and scored 17 touchdowns this season. Six of those TDs came from beyond midfield. Kotter was named first-team all-league and all-region. He rushed for a career-high 245 yards and scored four TDs against Fallon.
Evan Bill, sr., Douglas: A speedy and shifty running back who rushed for 1,077 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He scored four of those TDs from beyond midfield, three of which came in key situations in wins against Spanish Springs, Wooster and Carson.
Justin Cross, jr., Dayton: Led all Northern 3A rushers with 1,069 yards on nearly 200 carries this season and and was named the Dust Devils' Offensive MVP. "He's not the biggest guy in the world, he's just a hard working kid who runs hard every time," coach Rick Walker said.
Wide receiver/Tight end:
Andy McIntosh, jr., Douglas: Had 37 receptions for 708 yards (20.8-yard average) and six TDs to earn first-team all-league and all-region honors. He caught nine balls for 151 yards and two TDs in a 33-24 loss to Reno plus he caught 90 and 54-yard touchdown passes, both on middle screens, in a 13-6 win against North Valleys.
Dylan Morris, jr., Dayton: Was voted the Dust Devils' MVP by teammates. A "huge weapon" who played as a wingback, Morris caught 29 passes for 468 yards (16.1 average). He scored 11 TDs receiving and running. A first-team all-league cornerback, he had five interceptions, including returns for TDs against Truckee and Yerington.
Nick Shine, jr., Carson: Earned first-team all-league, second-team all-region honors largely due to his blocking. "He's a great one-on-one blocker," coach Shane Quilling said. "We averaged almost eight yards on the outside Veer and a lot of it was because of him." He also caught two TD passes and four 2-pointers.
Offensive line
Allen Wooldridge, sr., Carson: A large reason why the Senators rushed for 2,500 yards as a team this season. The two-way starter was one of Carson's most improved players and earned first-team all-league recognition for his play at guard.
Cody Wagner, sr., Fernley: Senior class valedictorian candidate who achieved the rare distinction of being named MVP of his team as a lineman. He also earned first-team all-league honors as both an offensive guard and at linebacker on defense. "You couldn't ask for a better technician or a harder worker," coach Dave Hart said.
Mark Butti, sr., Douglas: Earned Honorable mention all-league recognition in his first season as a starting center. "Our center is the one who directs the line and he was a good leader," coach Mike Rippee said. "There was never any quit in him and he only got better as the year went on."
T.J. Mills, sr., Galena: At 6-foot, 211 pounds, Mills wasn't the biggest lineman around, yet he played both offense and defense and earned second team all-league recognition as an offensive tackle for the Grizzlies.
Brandon Henning, sr., Galena: A second-year starter who played defensive end and earned second team all-league recognition as an offensive guard. " We weren't very big, but those two guys did a great job going both ways," coach Greg Sakelaris said. "They're both very strong academically and they're both the type guy who would do anything for us the last four years." Henning has hopes of playing college football. "They were physical and competitive."
Nathan White, jr., Carson: Was only honorable mention all-league for his play at right tackle and center, but the 5-8, 160-pounder received the Senators' Offensive Lineman of the Year award. "He graded out the best for the entire year," Quilling said. "He's not huge, but he has a huge heart and he just finds a way to get it done."
Kicker
Mike Sharenbrock, sr., Galena: Took over all of the kicking duties for the Grizzlies this season. He was 20-for-25 in PAT attempts, 5-for-8 in field goals (his longest was 32 yards), punted for a 32.4-yard average and averaged 54 yards on kickoffs. He was voted second-team all-league.
Return
Matt Waterman, sr., Carson: Helped put the offense in good field position with his returns all season. He averaged nearly 29 yards on 25 kick returns and nearly 14 yards on punt returns. His best performance came against South Tahoe on Oct. 4 when he gained 187 return yards, including a 53-yard punt return to set up a touchdown.
DEFENSE
Line
Nick Summers, jr., Douglas: Earned first-team all-league and second-team all-region honors. Described as an intelligent player, Summers harassed opposing passers all season -- he had several batted balls -- and along with Stormy Herald at the other end, gave the Tigers strong outside containment against the run.
Robert Turek, sr., Galena: Just 5-11, 165 pounds, Turek was second-team all-league and all-region and he was the Grizzlies' co-Defensive Player of the Year. "The way he improved from the first game to the last was really great to see," Sakelaris said of Turek. "That was just pure physical toughness on his part."
Jake Norris, sr., Galena: He quietly put together two solid seasons as a leader up front for Galena's Yellow Brick Wall defense. Norris earned second-team all-region honors and receiver the team's "Berzerkr" Award -- "That's an award, if you could pick one guy to go into battle with, Jake would be one of those guys," Sakelaris said.
Grant Hall, sr., Douglas: A two-way lineman, although the majority of his time was spent at nose guard on defense. Never mind that he only stands 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Hall was named Sierra League Lineman of the Year and was voted as the Tigers' Most Inspirational Player.
Linebackers
Matt Fry, sr., Galena: The Grizzlies' team MVP, Fry earned first-team all-league and all-region honors as an inside linebacker this season and last. He averaged double digits in tackles and blocked seven kicks this season. Fry, a 3.9 student, played running back and special teams.
John Stewart, jr., Carson: Often overshadowed by teammate Nick Shine in the middle on defense, Stewart led the Senators in tackles (he averaged double digits) and defensive points this season. He received second-team all-league recognition as an inside backer and was voted as the Senators' defensive MVP.
Jake Peterson, jr., Douglas: The leader of the Tigers' defensive unit at middle linebacker, Peterson earned first-team all-league recognition this season. A second-year starter, he led the team with 53 tackles and 37 assists.
Lonnie Hatcher, sr., Fernley: A three-year starter at linebacker, Hatcher was first-team all-league and selected as the Vaqueros' Defensive Player of the Year. "He's a real tough kid and a sideline-to-sideline type player," Hart said. "I felt he was one of the better linebackers in the state."
Backs
Barrett Young, sr., Galena: The speedy Young was a play maker from his strong outside linebacker/strong safety position. He led the team with 19 solo tackles, seven sacks, 10 tackles for losses, 3-1/2 forced fumbles and one safety, and was named first-team all-league. Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the Grizzlies.
Craig Bell, sr., Douglas: A second-team all-league cornerback, Bell had four interceptions and returned three fumbles for touchdowns this season. He also came up with a fumble recovery on special teams that was key for the Tigers in their first win ever at Wooster.
George Pincock, sr., Carson: Possibly the fastest player in the North, Pincock always drew the assignment of covering the opposing team's top receiver. "I thought he was the best cover man in the North," Quilling said. "He was physical and he can run with anybody. He always goes 100 mph in the game and at practice."
Luke Rippee, jr., Douglas: A staple for both the offensive and defensive units (he was named co-Offensive Player of the Year on the Sierra League and Northern 4A All-Region teams), Rippee was first-team all-league as a free safety and was known as a big striker. He had 43 solo tackles, 31 assists and two interceptions.
Utility
Jack Brooks, sr., Carson: Though only 5-10, 185 pounds, Brooks used his quickness effectively at any position he played on the field, whether it was outside linebacker, end or even nose guard. Had eight quarterback sacks and was voted as the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Shawn McCarty, sr., Yerington: Second-team all-league, second-team all-state safety for the Lions, who remained in the Northern 3A playoff hunt until the next-to-last week of the season. He was also Yerington's starting quarterback.
Punter
Jake Deen, sr., Dayton: In just his first season playing organized football, Deen averaged 37.8 yards, often gave the Dust Devils good field position and was named honorable mention all-league. The starting quarterback -- he threw for more than 1,000 yards this season -- Deen was a threat to throw the ball out of punt formation.
Honorable mention:
Tre Rager, DT, Galena; Brian Irwin, DL, Dayton; Dan McDonald, DL, Douglas; Stormy Herald, DE, Douglas; Brandon Hendrix, LB, Galena; Kyle Bateson, LB, Galena; Danilo Aguilera, OL, Douglas; Adam Johnson, OL, Douglas; Zach Johnson, OL, Douglas; Adam Walsh, DL, Douglas; James Bunting, LB, Douglas; Mike Handley, WR, Carson; Pat Flynn, QB, Galena;
Warren Whitley, WR/RB.
