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North Putnam sweeps Player of the Year honors
By CAINE GARDNER
Sports Editor
The North Putnam football team led the county in wins this season and in turn led the county in members selected to the 2008 All-County football team, two of which earned Player of the Year honors.
North Putnam finished the season with a 10-1 record, going 4-0 against county opponents, and won the WCC championship.
Senior Cougar players Griffen Dahlstrom and Seth Vondersaar were selected as Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
Dahlstrom led the Cougars in rushing and in total touchdowns. He rushed for 1,556 yards on 180 carries for an average of 8.6 per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. He also hauled in 17 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Dahlstrom also shared time as kicker and converted 22-of-24 PATs and had 40 kickoffs for 1,381 yards. As a punter, he had seven punts for 252 yards for a 36-yard per kick average.
Vondersaar was nothing short of a monster on defense. He racked up 93 tackles, two punt blocks, four fumble recoveries and forced three fumbles. He also collected 13 sacks and had 18 tackles for a loss.
The Cougars had 10 players named to the All-County team, with five being selected from the offensive side of the ball.
On offense, linemen Josh Keyt and Kyle Everts were named to the team. Joining them was tight end Kyle Adams and quarterback Scott Hunt.
Hunt threw for 975 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. His QB rating of 140.0 led the county. Hunt also rushed for 265 yards and nine touchdowns. Adams had just nine catches on the season, but five of those were touchdowns. With his nine catches, Adams amassed 88 yards.
Two defensive backs led the Cougars' defensive selections.
Senior Kyle Alcorn recorded 19 tackles and one interception, while junior Shawn Diebold had 27 solo tackles, four assisted tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception of his own.
In addition to Vondersaar, linebacker Rob Ford was named to the team. He collected 36 tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Jerrett Ban earned special team honors as he collected 280 yards on six kick returns for a 47-yard average and 99 yards on three punt returns.
The Greencastle Tiger Cubs started the season with four straight losses, but turned things around and finished the season by winning four of their final six games.
Greencastle had four members selected to the offensive team and three to the defensive side.
Senior receiver Ashton Marshall collected 20 catches for 378 yards for a 19-yard per catch average. He also was the Tiger Cubs third-leading rusher, finishing with 278 yards on 52 carries. Marshall recorded 13 total touchdowns for the year and led the team with 78 points.
Quarterback Jordan Hickam earned the at-large selection. Hickam earned the starting job after senior Graham Shuee sustained an injury and help the Tiger Cubs finish their season strong. He was the top rusher for GHS, racking up 654 yards on 159 carries and five touchdowns. Under center, he threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns.
Two seniors rounded out the GHS selections on the offensive side of the ball. Punter Kyle Nobles earned All-County honors with 45 punts for 1,619 yards and a 36-yard average. Lineman Jacob Wright was also named to the All-County team.
Senior lineman Kyle Buchanan had 66 total tackles and one interception, while junior Patrick Richardson collected 86 tackles and one interception. Kicker Buzz Deer converted 24-of-27 PATs and was 7-of-10 for field goals, with his long of 47 yards. He was also second on the team in points with 45.
South Putnam also had seven members selected to the All-County team, five of which came from their defense.
The two Eagle representatives on the offensive side were tackle Adam Masters and running back Drew Cash. Cash rushed for 1,044 yards and seven touchdowns.
Seniors comprised all of South Putnam's defensive selections. Hank Goldman led the Eagles defense with 92 total tackles. He also had two interceptions for South. Conor Frame collected 80 tackles and forced two fumbles.
Lineman Colby Judy had 73 tackles for the Eagles, while teammate Hunter Edwards had 58 tackles. Defensive back Derek Tomaw collected 55 tackles, forced one fumble and snagged one interception.
Sam Spinks and Nick Keefer led five Clovers in All-County selections.
Spinks was selected as a linebacker and collected 106 tackles, while Keefer earned honors for his endeavors on the offensive side.
Keefer was a jack-of-all-trades for Cloverdale. He caught eight passes for 140 yards and average 10 yards per punt return and 20 per kickoff return. He also was 4-of-5 for 43 yards as a backup quarterback.
Junior Dillin Gray rushed for 623 yards on 106 carries and six touchdowns. Senior Jimmy Gibson was also selected to the All-County squad. Devin Looper earned defensive honors for his 93 total tackles.
Of the 29 players selected, 22 were seniors and seven were juniors. Members of the voting committee were Greencastle coach Mike Meyer, South Putnam coach Troy Burgess, Cloverdale coach Kyle Winkler, North Putnam coach Greg Barrett and Banner Graphic Sports Editor Caine Gardner.
2008 All-County team
Offense
Offensive Player of the Year -- Griffen Dahlstrom (NP)
Quarterback -- Scott Hunt (NP)
Running Back -- Griffen Dahlstrom (NP), Dillin Gray (CHS), Drew Cash (SP)
Wide Receiver -- Ashton Marshall (GHS), Nick Keefer (CHS)
Tight End -- Kyle Adams (NP)
Guard -- Kyle Everts (NP), Jimmy Gibson (CHS)
Tackle -- Adam Masters (SP), Jacob Wright (GHS)
Center -- Josh Keyt (NP)
Punter -- Kyle Nobles (GHS)
At Large -- Jordan Hickam (GHS)
Defense
Defensive Player of the Year -- Seth Vondersaar (NP)
Linemen -- Seth Vondersaar (NP), Kyle Buchanan (GHS), Colby Judy (SP), Hunter Edwards (SP)
Linebacker -- Sam Spinks (CHS), Hank Goldman (SP), Conor Frame (SP), Rob Ford (NP)
Defensvie Back -- Shawn Diebold (NP), Kyle Alcorn (NP), Derek Tomaw (SP), Devin Lopper (CHS)
Kicker -- Buzz Deer (GHS)
Special Teams -- Jerrett Ban (NP)
At Large -- Patrick Richardson (GHS)