Sabers, Portagers
dominate all-conference selections
MCC running back Kolanowski
named offensive MVP; Onekama’s Jared Miller named 1st team at 4
positions
By MATT WENZEL, Manistee News Advocate
Sports Editor
Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
As is typically the case in the Mid State
Activities Conference-North, team success translates to individual
recognition.
For a second straight year, Manistee Catholic Central went 4-0 in the
conference to claim the title, and the Sabers are prominent in the
all-conference selections, as determined by the five conference coaches
at a meeting on Monday night.
MCC had a conference-high 11 players selected to the first team at
various positions.
“To the victors go the spoils, right?” said MCC coach Dave Russell. “I
think the kids that got it were well deserving. We’re happy with the
picks that we got as far as all-conference.”
MCC junior Nick Kolanowski
was a first-team selection at linebacker and running back and was named
the conference’s offensive MVP with four votes, while Crossroads
quarterback Isaiah Simmons got one.
It’s the second straight year a MCC player won the award, after
quarterback Jordan Janowiak was a unanimous selection last season.
Kolanowski has rushed for 1,174 yards and 20 touchdowns in just eight
games this season after sitting out one due to injury.
“I’m pretty happy with that,” Kolanowski said of being named MVP. “Like
I said earlier, I credit it to my line for blocking the way they do.
Without that, I couldn’t do much.”
MCC junior Nick Doyle was selected as a first team defensive lineman,
running back and special teams player for his work on kick returns.
Senior Nick Niesen was a first-team selection at linebacker, and just
missed being named defensive MVP, finishing with two votes compared to
Baldwin senior Cregg Bolles, who had three. Mitchell Anderson, a junior
at MCC, was a first-team selection on both the offensive and defensive
lines. “I thought that Mitchell Anderson played really good on offense
and defense and it showed,” Russell said. |
Onekama, which finished second in the league
at 3-1 (4-5 overall, was second in players selected to first team
positions with 10.
“We did well,” said Onekama coach Jim Hunter. “Of course Catholic was
well-represented, and they should have been as league champs. No
surprises, (Russell) has some real good kids. The Nick and Nick and Nick
show dominated everything.”
Onekama junior Jared Miller earned first-team honors at four different
positions — linebacker, offensive lineman, kicker and punter.
“Jared had a real solid year,” Hunter said.
Like MCC, Onekama had a pair of running backs selected to the first team
in Jake Matthews and Tyler Fogarty.
“It’s nice to see a sophomore for us get it at running back,” Hunter
said of Fogarty. “I was happy with Jake, too. He made it as a running
back and made it unanimous — 135 pounds with rocks in his pockets.”
Onekama senior Kevin O’Connor was a first-team selection to the
offensive and defensive lines.
“Kevin O’Connor made it both ways and he should have,” Hunter said. “He
had a real good year.”
Brethren had a pair of players selected to the first team in Eddie Lodin
as a defensive back and Josh Sexton as an offensive lineman.
“They both worked hard and it just shows what the coaches think of them
in that aspect,” said Brethren coach Jason Kemler. “They put in a lot of
good, hard work — and so did everybody else — but those were the two
that received first team.”
Brethren junior Brandon Krause was a special mention to the
all-conference team — an award the coaches came up with to honor a
player whose season was cut short because of injury.
“It’s set up just for that, those kids who were injured just before they
were able to play or early in the season and that was the case with
Brandon,” Kemler said. “He actually made it through a couple plays of
the scrimmage and ended up hurting his knee and from that point on, we
weren’t able to have him. He did well in the scrimmage but was unable to
play the rest of the season.”
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