Eight Eagles tabbed to all-conference football team

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.

* Indicates unanimous selection

* Indicates unanimous selection