Anna started its championship week several days before winning the Division VI state championship last Friday with several players being named all-state by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.
The OPSWA released its all-state teams over the course of several days last week, and 27 area players earned recognition. Headlining the group was Anna senior running back Riley Huelskamp, who was one of four players named the Div. VI offensive player of the year.
Huelskamp ran for 1,516 rushing yards in regular season with 25 touchdowns on 161 carries. He averaged 9.4 yards per carry. He finished with 2,032 total offensive yards.
Selections are based on regular-season performances only. The OPSWA took over coordinating all-state and all-district teams in 2017 from the Associated Press.
All area all-state selections are below, sorted by divisions.
Division II
Sidney senior Darren Taborn was named second team all-Ohio in D-II while senior Ryan Cagle was named special mention.
Taborn, a defensive back, had 24 tackles and two interceptions. He missed the first two games of the season due to a knee injury but fought through nagging pain to finish the year.
Cagle, a linebacker, led the team with 90.5 tackles and had two forced fumbles. Both he and Taborn were three-year starters.
Division VI
Huelskamp was joined on first team all-Ohio in D-VI by teammates Bart Bixler and Wil Luthman.
Bixler, a senior quarterback, threw for 1,080 yards and 12 touchdowns in regular season and ran for 1,008 yards and 20 TDs on 124 carries. Luthman, a senior defensive lineman, had 52 tackles, three sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries.
Anna senior defensive back Isaac Lininger was named second team while senior defensive end Malachi Minnich was named third team. Lininger had three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and 36 tackles. Minnich had 64 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Anna senior offensive lineman Luke Dye was special mention.
Minster senior Trent Roetgerman was a first team all-Ohio selection in Div. VI while senior Alex Schmitmeyer was second team and senior offensive tackle Dylan Sharp was third team.
Roetgerman, a receiver, led the Midwest Athletic Conference in receptions (45), receiving yards (841) and receiving touchdowns (13). Schmitmeyer, a running back, was second in the conference with 1,502 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Division VII
Fort Loramie junior linebacker Max Hoying was one of three players named as D-VII defensive player of the year. Hoying had 52.5 tackles and 3.5 sacks in regular season.
Mark Seger joined Hoying on first team. Seger, a senior defensive back, had 22.5 tackles and three interceptions for the Redskins.
Fort Loramie senior offensive lineman Josh Pangilinan was named second team while Nick Brandewie, Mack Fortman, Noah Guillozet and senior offensive lineman Blake Holthaus were named third team.
Brandewie, a senior tight end, led the squad with 458 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Fortman, a junior defensive lineman, had 21.5 tackles and four sacks. Guillozet, a senior linebacker, had 39 tackles.
Fort Loramie junior quarterback Collin Moore was named special mention. Moore had 1,434 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns.
Lehman Catholic junior offensive lineman Connor Stewart, senior kicker Ethan Potts and sophomore linebacker John Edwards were third team all-Ohio selections in D-VII.
Edwards, a sophomore linebacker, had 142 tackles and three interceptions. Potts made 25-of-29 extra point attempts and 3-of-3 field goal attempts.
Lehman’s Brendan O’Leary and Drew Barhorst were special mention.
O’Leary, a senior receiver, set Lehman’s single-season receiving yardage record. He had 964 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Barhorst, a senior defensive back, had 80 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
Riverside’s Kale Long and senior offensive lineman Ethan Burrows were also special mention all-Ohio in D-VII.
Long, a junior quarterback, became the first quarterback in Riverside history to run and throw for 1,000 yards in the same season. He ran for 1,455 yards and 17 touchdowns and threw for 1,059 yards and nine TDs.
New Bremen’s Mitchell Hays was second team all-Ohio in D-VII as a safety. Hays, who was also the team’s quarterback, recorded 50.5 tackles and had two interceptions.
