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Eight Eagles tabbed to all-conference football team

Max Wardwell (far left) and Zach Lenerz (far right) both were recognized on the Badger North Conference all-conference team. Wardwell earned second-team defensive lineman honors for the second year in a row and Lenerz earned honorable-mention defensive end honors. Here, the two converge on Monroe quarterback Mitch Tordoff for a second-quarter sack in Sauk Prairie's 28-14 loss to the Cheesemakers on Oct. 3.

Eagle file photo

Max Wardwell (far left) and Zach Lenerz (far right) both were recognized on the Badger North Conference all-conference team. Wardwell earned second-team defensive lineman honors for the second year in a row and Lenerz earned honorable-mention defensive end honors. Here, the two converge on Monroe quarterback Mitch Tordoff for a second-quarter sack in Sauk Prairie's 28-14 loss to the Cheesemakers on Oct. 3.

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By Dan Larson / Sauk Prairie Eagle

While the Sauk Prairie prep football team certainly hoped for a better record this season than 1-8, that didn't stop it from collecting some postseason conference awards.

Eight of them to be exact.

Seniors Max Wardwell (defensive lineman) and Chad Pings (punter) and junior James Wixom (linebacker) led the way, all garnering Second-Team, All Badger North honors. The Eagles didn't have anyone on the first-team.

For Wardwell, it was a repeat of the second-team honors he earned a year ago.

And he did so as a leader on defense — a unit that was often counted on to keep the Eagles in games as they transitioned from the veer offense they ran last year to a triple-option this year — who was routinely double-teamed but still found a way to get pressure on the quarterback, especially in games against teams such as Mount Horeb-Barneveld that were predominantly pass-oriented.

"He's one that we looked to all season to make that kind of stuff happen  — to get pressure," Eagles' coach Scott Schutt said in a phone interview Nov. 13. "He did a real nice job of that."

Wixom, meanwhile, improved from honorable mention last year.

"James did a really good job of making himself bigger and stronger from last year," Schutt said. "He had a lot of tackles behind the line, and he had a lot of tipped balls, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. ... He just had a knack for being around the ball all the time."

 Pings was a first-time award winner after spending his first year as the Eagles' punter.

Zach Lenerz (defensive end), Brandon Larson (defensive end) and Jon Goeres (linebacker) — all seniors — earned honorable-mention honors on defense, as did senior Tyler Halverson (running back) and junior Zach Buelow (running back) on offense.

"They kind of shared the duties, so it kind of speaks to the team — makes it more special to the team than either individual — that they both got it," Schutt said of Buelow and Halverson both being honored.

The first team was highlighted by Waunakee, which landed seven players on the first-team offense and five on the first-team defense. The Warriors won their sixth consecutive conference championship this season.

The team also handed out its team awards at its team banquet, held Nov. 9 at the Lake Wisconsin Country Club.

Senior Tyler Halverson, who started the year at running back and linebacker, but also had to fill in briefly at quarterback late in the season when a shoulder injury sidelined starting quarterback Zach Fiene, was named the Most Valuable Player.

Senior linebacker Jon Goeres was named the Best Defensive Player and senior offensive and defensive lineman Max Wardwell recieved the Best Lineman award.

Senior wide receiver and linebacker Jeff Evert was recognized as the team's Most Improved Player, and Fiene earned the Coaches' Award.

All but the Coaches' Award were voted on by the players.

FIRST TEAM — OFFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Austin Goetsch *

End

Waunakee

Senior

Seppi Reda

Wide receiver

Waunakee

Senior

Riley Koval

Wide receiver

Mount Horeb-Barneveld

Senior

Allen Baures *

Tackle

Waunakee

Senior

Jake Irwin

Tackle

Waunakee

Junior

Travis Triggs *

Guard

Waunakee

Senior

Austin Hatzinger

Guard

DeForest

Senior

Richard Skaife

Center

DeForest

Senior

Cory Wipperfurth *

Running back

DeForest

Junior

Jordan Bezemek *

Running back

Waunakee

Senior

Matt Lennon

Running back

Reedsburg

Sophomore

Tyler Mazur *

Quarterback

Reedsburg

Senior

Andrew Weber *

Place kicker

Waunakee

Senior

* Indicates unanimous selection

FIRST TEAM — DEFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Chris Severson

Defensive end

Waunakee

Senior

Drew Barman

Defensive end

DeForest

Senior

Jake Hohlstein *

Defensive tackle

Portage

Senior

Alex Schmitt

Defensive tackle

Reedsburg

Senior

Taylor Clark

Defensvie tackle

Waunakee

Senior

Mike Johnson

Linebacker

DeForest

Junior

Brian Feltz *

Linebacker

DeForest

Junior

Darren Anderson *

Linebacker

Waunakee

Junior

David Murray *

Linebacker

Waunakee

Senior

Adam Kaalberg *

Defensive back

DeForest

Junior

Tyler Ostrander

Defensive back

Mount Horeb-Barneveld

Senior

Mitch Roelke

Defensive Back

Waunakee

Senior

Jordan Leonhardt

Punter

Baraboo

Senior

* Indicates unanimous selection

SECOND TEAM — OFFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Patrick Clerkin

End

Mount Horeb-Barneveld

Senior

Eric Stewart

Wide receiver

DeForest

Sophomore

Tyler Ostrander

Wide receiver

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Matt Rockweiler

Tackle

Reedsburg

Senior

Jake Hohlstein

Tackle

Portage

Senior

Tim Rue

Guard

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Brandon Haney

Guard

DeForest

Senior

Zach Downing

Center

Reedsburg

Senior

Tylur Lengfeld

Running back

DeForest

Senior

Kyle Acker

Running back

Waunakee

Junior

Justin Huinker

Running back

Reedsburg

Senior

Keaton Smith

Quarterback

Waunakee

Senior

Justin Huinker

Place kicker

Reedsburg

Senior

SECOND TEAM — DEFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Seth Brandt

Defensive end

Reedsburg

Junior

Luke Vosberg

Defensive end

DeForest

Senior

Max Wardwell

Defensive tackle

Sauk Prairie

Senior

Micth Severson

Defensive tackle

Waunakee

Junior

Tim Rue

Defensive tackle

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

James Wixom

Linebacker

Sauk Prairie

Junior

Nate Frederick

Linebacker

Portage

Senior

Patrick Clerkin

Linebacker

Mount Horeb-Barneveld

Senior

Cody Polacek

Linebacker

Reedsburg

Senior

Logan Johnson

Defensive back

Mount Horeb-Barneveld

Junior

Micah Kuchta

Defensive back

Baraboo

Senior

Mike North

Defensive back

Waunakee

Junior

Chad Pings

Punter

Sauk Prairie

Senior

HONORABLE MENTION — OFFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Matt Winckler

End

DeForest

Junior

Kevin Hurd

Wide receiver

Portage

Junior

Ryan Dischler

Wide receiver

Reedsburg

Senior

Micah Kuchta

Wide receiver

Baraboo

Senior

Eric Helt

Wide receiver

Waunakee

Senior

Alex Carlon

Tackle

DeForest

Senior

Joe Klopotic

Tackle

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Taylor Jahn

Tackle

Baraboo

Senior

Bob Krueger

Guard

Reedsburg

Senior

Jake Hellenbrand

Guard

Waunakee

Senior

John Kaltenberg

Guard

Waunakee

Senior

Kevin Berger

Center

Portage

Senior

Nick Laboets

Center

Baraboo

Senior

Nic Werbeckes

Center

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Zach Buelow

Running back

Sauk Prairie

Junior

Tyler Halverson

Running back

Sauk Prairie

Senior

Jared Woock

Running back

Waunakee

Senior

Michael Martin

Running back

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Tim Holan

Quarterback

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Jake Banks

Quarterback

Baraboo

Junior

Tyler Benzine

Quarterback

DeForest

Junior

HONORABLE MENTION — DEFENSE

Name

Position

School

Year

Chris Giese

Defensive end

Baraboo

Senior

Garrison Bollig

Defensive end

Mount Horeb-BarneveldSenior

Shanon Smith

Defensive end

Portage

Senior

Zach Lenerz

Defensive end

Sauk Prairie

Senior

Brandon Larson

Defensive end

Sauk Prairie

Senior

Tyler Fix

Defensive end

Waunakee

Senior

Joe Laboets

Defensive tackle

Baraboo

Junior

Matt Klemmer

Defensive tackle

DeForest

Senior

Nick Brey

Defensive tackle

Reedsburg

Junior

Alex Zitske

Defensive tackle

Waunakee

Junior

Dylan Luther

Linebacker

Baraboo

Senior

Tylur Lengfeld

Linebacker

DeForest

Senior

Mitch Hanson

Linebacker

DeForest

Junior

Jacob Erfurth

LinebackerMount Horeb-BarneveldJunior

Jon Goeres

Linebacker

Sauk Prairie

Senior

Aaron McDonough

Linebacker

Waunakee

Senior

Matt Kneeland

Defensive back

Reedsburg

Senior

Andrew Weber

Defensive back

Waunakee

Senior

Lee Swan

Punter

Portage

Senior

Zach Downing

Punter

Reedsburg

Senior

Chris Severson

Punter

Waunakee

Senior

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