1000 Yard Guy's 2013 Class C-2 All-State Football Teams

Doniphan-Trumbull quarterback Riley Wilfong's photo tells the story of the Cardinals drive to glory *(photo courtesy of Journal-Star)

I am not certain how difficult this team was to pick for any of the other three people who do all-state football, but it was a chore for me. This C-2 class has been chastised over the years, being referred to as the "forgotten class" or the "red-haired step child" of all the football classes. But this fall, it was anything but either of the two aforementioned. Class C-2 was a football class loaded with quality football programs and to reach the finals was a huge accomplishment.

Consider District 6 if you will. Battle Creek, Lutheran High Northeast, Hartington Cedar Catholic, Crofton and Atkinson West Holt. The combined record of these teams was 38-15. All made the playoffs and advanced past the 1st round with the exception being West Holt. West Holt was hurt when super back Josh Coyle went down and the Huskies chances were then dampered.

Central Nebraska had its own magic circle with eventual State Champion Doniphan-Trumbull, Hastings St. Cecilia, Sutton and Blue Hill. Perennial powers David City Aquinas and Fremont Bergan were prominant as well as were the powers from the west, North Platte St. Pats and Hershey.

After watching nearly every top 10 team in both C-1 and C-2, I think Doniphan-Trumbull would have competed rather well in C-1.

Now, on to the Stars of C-2:

Class C-2 All-State Offensive Team:

QB - Riley Wiltfong - Doniphan-Trumbull, 6-0, 170 Sr.

A repeat selection, Wiltfong's passing yardage was down from a year ago, but #17 was just as effective. Wiltfong was 89 of 179 passing with 1,668 yards and 20 TDs with 9 INTs. The rangy signal caller also rushed for 635 yards (6.2/carry) and scored 7 TDs on the ground. On defense, Wilfong was a key component in one of the quickest, most agile defenses I have seen in years at the C-2 level. He was the co-leader in C-2 with 8 interceptions and broke up 4 more while making 33 tackles. Just nosed out Cole Wiseman for this slot.

RB - Jordan Slough - Doniphan-Trumbull, 5-10, 185 Sr.

One of the most dynamic, exiting backs to come along in a while. Slough had back to back 2000 yard rushing seasons, running for 2,127 yards this year. #3 scored 32 TDs and was rarely tackled in the open field. Nearly impossible to stop in a one on one situation, Jordan Slough could bang it up the middle or take it outside. Had some of the most mind-boggling moves you can imagine and was probably the best shake and bake, shifty runner below Class A. On defense, Slough, along with Lorenzo Williams, formed a duo that absolutely prevented anyone from getting outside. Slough was also a feared return man and was an excellent punter for the Cardinals. Jordan Slough rushed for an incredible 5,137 yards in his three career. How many yards would this kid have run for had he not missed his sophomore season because of a failed transfer situation.

RB - Shaka Taylor - Lutheran High Northeast, 5-11, 175 Sr.

Quarterback that ran like a running back, Shaka Taylor was a slippery, shaker/baker that could plant and go in one move. Taylor, who wore glasses when he played football, rushed for 1,662 yards and directed a Eagle offensive that could score from anywhere, anytime. Just an all-around athlete that needed to be included on my all-state squad somewhere.

RB - Nate Gray - Battle Creek, 5-11, 190 Sr.

Tough, powerful back ran for 1,483 yards in just 9 games. Gray missed the first 3 playoff games for the Braves and still scored 19 TDs on the ground. As a receiver, Nate Gray caught only 4 passes, but had 134 yards as a receiver, one of which was an 85 yard score. Made 22 tackles on defense, intercepted a pass, and recovered a fumble. #20 had a terrific, explosive burst when he took the hand off and was nearly full speed when he hit the scrimmage line. Very strong runner with 4.6 speed.

End - Mitchell Ruybalid - Blue Hill, 6-1, 165 Sr.

Small in stature but huge in athleticism and toughness. Ruybalid is a repeater from a year ago for the Bobcats and had a great knack for getting open on long pass routes. Mitchell Ruybalid had 33 receptions for 832 yards and 13 TDs. That's a touchdown every 2.5 catches. do you think defenses didn't know where #15 was 100% of the time? This young man took some horrendous hits this season and kept on ticking. Pure athlete and competitor.

OL - Ryan Freudenberg - Lutheran High NE, 6-4, 299 Sr.

Let's start with calling this dude "Mr. Freudenberg". Had a tremendous off season in the weight room and not one opposing lineman relished the fact they had to face this mammoth of a human being on the gridiron. Very quick on his feet, Freudenberg was a force on both sides of the ball and had to be Shaka Taylor and Nick Stolz' best blocking buddy. Just a great limeman, period.

OL - Mitchell Napier - David City Aquinas, 6-0, 200 Sr.

Napier is just one in a long, talented string of lineman from Aquinas that was trained by one of the best in the biz, Ron Mimick. To be truthful, Mitch is one of FOUR offensive lineman from the Monarchs that had all-state creditentials. Sophomores Matt Kindler and Mitchell White, and junior Trevin Steager were good enough for all-state consideration. Napier's 61 tackles and 17 quarterback sacks on defense stood out and his experienced blocking in the O-Line stood even more. The cool thing about Aquinas lineman is that that rarely have anyone much over 200 pounds, so Napier was a "monster" by their standards. Very good representative of how disciplined this team is year in and year out. That's why I have an Aquinas jersey hanging above my bed folks.

OL - Cole Conrad - Fremont Bergan, 6-5, 285 Sr.

Saw this guy play against Aquinas and left shaking my head. What a powerful, physical blocker was Conrad. At 6-5, 285, Cole Conrad looked more like an Husker lineman than a high school lad. Can you believe this kid, in all honesty, was relatively off the radar a year ago? How can you be 6-5, 285 and be off the radar? It's happened before, but not in this case. I'll just end this with this thought: If you want to know how good this guy was on offense, just ask the fellas that had to play across the line from Mr. Conrad.

OL - Jake Guenther - Crofton, 6-1, 225, Sr.

Easy choice for me. Any lineman that blocks in Crofton's tight double-wing formation had better be tough, strong, and have great technique. Most of the time opponents would put 9 to 10 in the box and the backs would run right into the heart of that scrum. Very athletic and mobile for his size, Guenther was a force on both sides of the ball. But on offense it was "head 'em up and move 'em out, baby" for Big Jake.

OL - Eric Toben - Doniphan-Trumbull, 5-10, 215 Sr.

Number 72 was one of the holdovers from D-T's great line from a year ago and was a shinng star in the Cardinal's run to their C-2 Title. Tobin was 10 pounds lighter than Jake Guenther, and 84 pounds lighter than Lutheran High NE's Ryan Freudenberg but without a doubt was their equal and more. Toben opened huge holes for Slough, Williams and Riley Wilfong on offense and crushed opposing RB's on defense. Could have easily made it on defense with his 68 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 batted passes. So very quick with his 4.9 speed, Tobin was powerful with his 325 bench lift and played with such fiery intensity every single game. Every coach's dream of an what a lineman should be.

End - Tom Sieczkowski - Ravenna, 6-0, 170 Sr.

Sparkling, shining star on a 2-6 football team. Caught 40 passes for 782 yards and scored 5 TDs. With hands like glue and very good speed, Sieczkowski averaged 20 yards every time he caught a pass. Very dangerous return man on both kick-offs and punts alike, #6 also made 57 stops on defense for super coach Mark Hudson. On offense, Sieczkowski caught literally everything that was thrown in his vicinity. It was a treat when I saw this guy play against Centura. Very deserving of all-state status.

ATH - Arlie Myers - Omaha Brownell-Talbot, 5-6, 145 Sr.

To be thruthful, Arlie Myers is one of my favorite players in any class......and I haven't even seen him live. This guy NEVER played at more than 145 pounds and was only 120 as a freshman and still competed with gusto. This past season, Arlie Myers was a key figure in Brownell-Talbot's first undefeated season ever, rushing for 1,641 yards and 21 TDs. This young man carried the ball an ungodly 236 times and still averaged nearly 7 yards a pop. Averaged 24 yards a kick return and 17 yards on each returned punt. #1 was a tough target to tackle and rushed for 2,949 yards in his 4 year career and scored 35 TDs. Was also a force on defense his first 3 seasons at B-T.

PK - Drew McClellen - North Platte St. Pats, 5-10, 140 Sr.

No mystery surrounding this selection. McClellen booted 41 of 43 extra point kicks through the uprights and made 5 of 8 field goal tries including a 58 yard beauty against Cambridge. Matter of fact, in that 23-0 win over Cambridge, McClellen kicked 3 FG's, and two XPTs accounting for 11 total points. Can you say MVP? McClellen also had 341 yards receiving and 2 TDs. On defense, he picked off 8 passes for the Irish.

Class C-2 All-State Defensive Team:

DL - Alex Harms - North Platte St. Pats, 6-1, 200 Sr.

Harms was a terror for the Irish at defense end and struck fear into opposing quarterbacks with his pass rush. On offense, he made the transition from tight end to quarterback and performed well, but it was on defense that Harms stood out. Had a 30 yard interception for a score against Doniphan-Trumbull in St. Pats playoff game. Typical tough St. Pats Irish football stud.

DL - Connor Wieseler - Hartington Cedar Catholic, 6-1, 240 Sr.

This guy was a kick to watch. Wieseler either threw his blocker out of the way like a rag doll or or shed the blocker and threw the ball carrier down like a rag doll. #57 was just so difficult to block and seemed to have better lateral movement than any C-2 lineman I saw this season. The kid literally swallowed up ball carriers. You'd have to look pretty hard to find a better defensive lineman in NE Nebraska than Connor Wieseler.

DL - Jake Critel - Doniphan-Trumbull, 6-2, 185 Jr.

Well, if you want to fine the BEST lineman in Class C-2, period, it just may be Jake Critel. Check out these statistics for the 2013 season. #52, who is listed at LB, made a stunning 75 unassisted tackle, 28 assisted for a total of a 178 tackle points. I know some schools count UA tackles as 2 tackle points, but that is a ton of stops friends. Critel also had 5 sacks, a blocked kick and 2 fumble recoveries. Ask Aquinas about #52. In that State Final game, Jake Critel made 12 tackles, recorded a sack and had 2 tackles for losses......AND HE'S A JUNIOR.

LB - Trae Ramer - Sutton, 5-9, 185 Sr.

No quarterback wanted to look over Sutton's defense and see Trae Ramer and Cole Wiseman at linebacker. Talk about nightmares. Ramer, who's Dad is the head coach, is a fierce competitor at linebacker and a 2 time 1000 yard rusher on offense. Ramer had a nose for the ball and led the Mustangs to the state finals a year ago and a deep playoff run in '13. Veryb deserving pick here.

LB - Matt Jakub - David City Aquinas, 5-6, 164 Sr.

Jakup is another perfect example of a big package in a small frame. Another perfectly molded Ron Mimick/Aquinas RB/LB that knows where the ball is on every play. #34 had 47 tackles, 9 sacks, and 1 interception for the season. In the championship game, Matt Jakup made 7 tackles and rushed for 37 yards and scored a TD. Don't let those modest tackle numbers fool you, Aquinas always spreads their stats out......it's called TEAM. Jakup rushed for 904 yards and 20 TDs as a running back. to lead the Monarchs in 2013.

LB - Derek Method - Tekamah-Herman, 6-4, 213 Sr.

Look at the size of this linebacker. #88 was an imposing figure at from that LB slot and looked slow at a glance....until the ball was snapped. Big, strong, tall, powerful and quick with his lateral movement, Method could run a ball carrier down from the opposite side of the field. Method made 110 tackles, 9 for losses and just simply stood out for the 5-5 Tigers. On offense, it looked strange to see #88 in the backfield, but it wasn't a laughing matter when he got the ball. Derek Method probably drug more tacklers for yards after contact than anybody in C-2, on his way to a 1,087 yards and 9 TDs. And that's for a team that was primarily a passing football team. A raging bull for sure.

LB - Cole Wiseman - Sutton, 6-0, 185 Sr.

I honestly think Cole Wiseman might be the top all around athlete in Class C-2. If he isn't, he's close. So many tackles on defense, so many key plays and a 2 time 1000 yard rusher from his QB slot. This kid had so many gears he could shift into it was mind boggling. Outstanding bloodlines and a ton of inherited athletic greatness from his father, Chad Wiseman, a former Adams Central standout and as assistant coach for Sutton.

DB - Taylor Kathol - Hartington Cedar Catholic, 6-5, 190 Sr.

Not too often you're going to see a defensive back that is 6-5 and 190 pounds. Kathol was a quarterback on offense and an excellent pass defender from his strong safety spot for the Trojans. Just couldn't leave him off of this all-state defensive team. Kathol is also an all-state caliber basketball player.

DB - Jared Bellar - Battle Creek, 5-11, 160 Jr.

One of 2 juniors on this squad, Bellar was invaluable for the Braves as an all-around do-it-all athlete on the football field. As a defensive back, Bellar intercepted 5 aerials and made 36 tackles......but 30 of those were unassisted. As a receiver, Bellar caught 16 passes for 233 yards but was not on the field on offense many times because of the Braves 2 tight end/running scheme. But against St. Cecilia in the quarterfinals, Bellar was sterling. #1 returned a punt 69 yards for a TD and set up two other scores with a punt return and 2 key receptions. MVP in that 21-14 win and a bonefide all-state player.

DB - Lorenzo Williams - Doniphan-Trumbull, 5-6, 160 Sr.

What a player this kid was on both sides of the ball. As I previously stated, between Williams and Jordan Slough, almost Nobody could get outside on DT on a running play or complete a pass with either of those two on the coverage. Williams made 68 tackles from his DB slot, and 46 were solos. Lorenzo had 13 tackles for losses on his blitzes and had 2 INTs, plus a fumble recovery. I also want to tell you something that might shake your booties. I firmly believe Lorenzo Williams could have come close to gaining 2,000 yards rushing if Jordan Slough wouldn't have been the primary ball carrier. In just 114 carries this past season, Lorenzo ran for 914 yards and 7 TDs. As a sophomore, when Slough didn't play, Williams rushed for 660 yards in a backup role. But on defense, Lorenzo was a cruncher when he made a tackle and was soooooo fast.

P - Alex Kaup - Southern Valley, 6-1, 165 Sr.

Punted 36 times for an average of 38.19 yards a boot, pretty good for high school. His kick-offs were high and averaged 48 yards per kick. As a receiver, Kaup caught 21 passes for 322 yards and SEVEN Touchdowns.....that's a TD every 3rd catch. Also made 22 tackles on defense and broke up 6 passes. Also a fine basketball player, already averaging 13 points an outing this young season.