Area Duo Highlight AP All-State Football Picks
A host of football players from the area were chosen among the Associated Press’ All-State football teams. Two of which from local teams were chosen First Team All-State.
Wawasee offensive lineman Elisha Tipping and Triton tight end Drew Stichter were all chosen First-Team All-State.
Tipping was a two-way star for the Warriors, anchoring the offensive line as an interior lineman and also serving as a standout defensive tackle. Tipping helped Wawasee to a 3-7 mark under first-year head coach Mike Eshbach.
Stichter helped a revival of the Trojan program under coach Ron Brown. Triton went 8-4, its first winning season in nine years and tied for the most wins in a season in program history. Stichter was a key cog in the fluid Trojan offense, making 19 catches for 253 yards and five touchdowns. His work as a blocker helped the Trojans rush for over 1,900 yards. Stichter also had an impact on defense as a two-way player, making 64 stops, seven tackles for loss.
Among the area All-State selections for each class were as follows:
Class 6-A
Paul Moala, defensive back, Penn; Max Chaffee, punter, Penn
Class 5-A
Josh Gorball, punter, Concord
Class 4-A
Andrew McCormick, quarterback, East Noble; Micah Yoder, offensive lineman, Northridge; Connor Utley, defensive back, Northridge; Devonta Hall, defensive back, South Bend Washington
Class 3-A
Atanasio Sete, offensive lineman, Marian; Beck Davis, offensive lineman, Garrett
Class 2-A
none
Class 1-A
Carson Blair, quarterback, Southwood; Peyton Trexler, wide receiver, Southwood; Marcellus Anderson, offensive lineman, Culver; Conner Walker, offensive lineman, Pioneer; Jayson Mersch, defensive lineman, Pioneer; Mason Anderson, linebacker, Churubusco; Daniel Gregorich, linebacker, Pioneer; Jack Kiser, defensive back, Pioneer
A slew of players were chosen as Honorable Mention in the six classes. Area players named were as follows:
Class 6-A
Lane McClone, linebacker, Warsaw; Zach Usenick, wide receiver, Penn; Garrett Carroll, offensive lineman, Penn; Ty McCaskill, offensive lineman, Penn
Class 5-A
Grant Magnuson, offensive lineman, Concord; Tre Gray, wide receiver, South Bend Adams; Steven Worlds, offensive lineman, Goshen
Class 4-A
Will Ingle, defensive lineman, NorthWood; DeAndre Smart, defensive back, NorthWood; Bronson Yoder, defensive back, NorthWood; Nicholas Wilson, quarterback, New Prairie; Dominic Appleton, offensive lineman, St. Joe; Amari Curtis, offensive lineman, Culver Academy; Mark Hiestand, offensive lineman, St. Joe; Aidan Kendall, offensive lineman, South Bend Riley; Isaiah McWilliams, offensive lineman, South Bend Washington; Alex Faulkner, offensive lineman, Mishawaka; Daniel Flaherty, defensive lineman, New Prairie; Kenny Cook, linebacker, East Noble; Braydon Hart, linebacker, Angola; Nate LaFree, linebacker, Plymouth; Brian Loudermilk, defensive back, Culver Academy; Andrew Han, kicker, St. Joe; Alec Brunson, punter, DeKalb
Class 3-A
Jordan Rader, running back, Peru; Adam Bowman, offensive lineman, Maconaquah; Drew Rasler, offensive lineman, West Noble; Tyler Norment, defensive lineman, Jimtown; Dawson Patrick, linebacker, Knox; Nik Weiss, linebacker, Jimtown; Zach Whitfield, linebacker, Marian; Colin Barker, defensive back, John Glenn; Michael Hemingway, defensive back, Marian; Clay Campbell, punter, Jimtown; Trevor Weiss, punter, John Glenn
Class 2-A
Nathan Ozenbaugh, offensive lineman, Manchester; Wilson Daulton, defensive lineman, Rochester; Zane Gilbreath, linebacker, Rochester; Nick Wagner, linebacker, Manchester
Class 1-A
Bo Snyder, quarterback, Triton; Delano Shumpert, wide receiver, Triton; Connor Ousley, offensive lineman, Triton; Tye Orsund, defensive back, Triton; Nathaniel Keener, running back, Churubusco; Ezra Lewellen, running back, Pioneer; Ethan Rogers, running back, Winamac; Matthew Nose, wide receiver, Southwood; Daniel King, offensive lineman, LaVille; Aiden Ortega, offensive lineman, Southwood; Garrett Schroeder, offensive lineman, Pioneer; Keenan Day, defensive lineman, Winamac; Joe Halderman, defensive lineman, Northfield; Alecks McBee, defensive lineman, Culver; Kyle Reed, linebacker, Northfield; Miles Van Tobel, linebacker, Pioneer; Zane Briggs, defensive back, North Miami; Nathaniel Johnson, defensive back, Pioneer; Chuckie Wilcox, defensive back, North Judson; Connor Hanaway, kicker, North Miami; Parker Mays, kicker, Southwood