The Bluejay boys may have finished second in the GNC Football Conference standing due to their narrow loss to Medford, but both the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year came from their squad. Quarterback Nick Peterson and defensive end Tyler Schmidt were given the honors.
Both were also First Team selections, and Schmidt was a unanimous choice, as was linebacker Ben Hintze. Other First Team picks included senior right guard Sam Skic, junior right tackle Seth Collins, and senior defensive back Nick Breaman.
Second Team selections included Alex Klug – both at running back and D-line – d-lineman Dustin Dengel, linebacker Brian Stockowitz, DB Chaz Mootz, wide receiver Jake Anderson and running back Mason Reinhardt. All are seniors except Anderson and Reinhardt, who are juniors.
Picking up Honorable Mention were center Justin Bonnell, tight end Schmidt, RB Nick Hoffmann and DB Ty Grunenwald, all seniors.
“It was just a well-respected group of kids,” MHS coach Nick Sturm said.
The 5-1 Jays were #1 on team offense (370.8 yards/game) and team defense (175.2 ypg). Medford, which won the league at 6-0, was second in both at 362.2 and 199.3.
Merrill’s balanced attack featured four of the top 10 rushers in the league – Peterson, Klug, Reinhardt and Hoffmann.
Peterson led the GNC in scoring (73 total, 12.2/game) and passer rating (124.6 on 31-45 completions, 403 yards, 5 TDs, 1 int.), and was 5th in rushing (77.5 ypg, 60-465, 7.8 ypc).
Schmidt was a unanimous First Team pick for the second year. He offered 39 solo and 23 assisted tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 forced and 2 recovered fumbles and 1 blocked kick.
“Nick has been an excellent football player for two years,” Sturm said. “He offered big-play opportunities both at passing and rushing, and his checks at the line are very good. What he does best is he does very well running in space. Every team wants their best athlete at quarterback and there were four pretty good ones this year.
“Tyler has been the stalwart of our defense. He controls the line of scrimmage event though they double-team him and cut him. He made it very difficult for defense all year long, and he makes everybody else’s job a little easier. Tyler is probably a little more effective in the run game, but he does a nice job of getting hurries and pressure.”
Skic and Collins provided push for the running attack that pounded out 334 yards more than second-place Medford.
“Sam was probably the most consistent lineman for us,” Sturm said. “By the end of the year, Seth was playing at the level of Sam. Coaches recognized that we were the #1 offense in the conference and that comes back to the offensive line.”
Hintze gave 32 S and 16 A tackles, 8 TFL, and caused a fumble. Breaman had two GNC interceptions, 21 S and 13 A tackles, 2 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 passes broken up and 1 BK.
“When Ben was healthy, he had a great year,” Sturm said. “He was a force in the run game and able to find the ball pretty consistently. We missed him those (three) games he was out.
“Nick came back from a knee injury during basketball and we weren’t sure where he’d be with it. He always ended up in the right spot and he took advantage and made a few big plays. He played well all year long.”
Klug was 6th in rushing ypg at 75.3, on 107 carries for 452 yards, and scored 7 TD’s. He made 12 S and 9 A tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF and 1 FR.
Anderson was 4th with 15 receptions for 301 yards with 4 TD’s, and had a 20.1 ypr that was 1st in the GNC. Dengel gave 23 S and 12 A tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 TFL, 1 FF and 2 FR. Stockowitz had 19 S and 20 A tackles, 3 TFL, 1 int. and 1 PBU. Mootz offered 10 S and 9 A tackles, 1 int. and 2 PBU.
“Alex was a tough, hard inside runner,” Sturm said. “A lot depended on what coaches were doing to us. Some games he got more carries. On defense he did very nice job on both the run and the pass. Jake had quite a few long touchdowns and he also blocked very well.
“Dustin had a real nice junior season. He uses his hands well. I expect him to have a very solid senior season. Brian was also in the right spot. He took pride in doing his job well and was very consistent. Chaz did well in 1-on-1 coverage. We felt like he could cover the best receiver out there.”
Bonnell and Schmidt helped that line make holes for Hoffmann, who ended up 10th in ypg (52.8), but had the highest ypc of anyone at 11.3. Grunenwald ended up with 36 S and 24 A tackles, 2 PBU, 1 interception, 4 FR and 1 FF.
“Tyler is an excellent blocker,” Sturm said. “Justin made all our line calls and a lot of times he was able to move a good nose guard over him.
“Nick blocked well, ran well and caught the ball well. I’ve got a lot of good things to say about him. Ty had a very solid season. He didn’t have as many interceptions this year, but I thought he played the run better.”