West, Vontz, Becker top Gazette All-Area Teams; Coaches honored are Gabel, Schoenfish, Long

File Cambridge High School senior Waid Vontz (20 in white), shown here playing against Eustis-Farnam earlier in the season, is the McCook Daily Gazette's Boys Basketball Player of the Year for 2006.

Wauneta-Palisade senior state champion wrestler Jesse West and basketball standouts Waid Vontz of Cambridge and Megan Becker of Southern Valley headline the McCook Daily Gazette's 2006 All-Area Teams.

West, who won the Nebraska Class D state title at 130 pounds, is the Gazette's Wrestler of the Year.

Vontz, a 6-foot-1 senior who was one of the state's leading scorers with a 27.1 point average and grabbed 10.6 rebounds a game his senior year, is the Gazette's Boys Player of the Year.

File Wauneta-Palisade High School senior Jesse West, shown here celebrating after he won the Nebraska Class D state title at 130 pounds, is the Gazette's Wrestler of the Year.

Vontz, a three-time all-state selection by the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal-Star and Huskerland Prep, helped the Trojans achieve a 22-4 record in 2005-06.

Included in the victory total are overtime wins over Wauneta-Palisade in the Class D1-6 district title game and the first round of the state tournament. Cambridge lost to state champion Humphrey-St. Francis 81-48 in the state semifinals.

Becker, a 6-1 senior, averaged 17 points and 9.6 rebounds a game for the Southern Valley Eagle girls, who posted an 18-4 record. The Eagles lost in the first round of the Class C-1 state tournament.

St. Francis High School's Larry Gabel is the Gazette's Wrestling Coach of the Year for 2006.

Becker will play volleyball at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Gabel guided the St. Francis wrestling team to a third-place finish at the Kansas Class 3-2-1A state tournament in February. The Indians scored 108 points and four wrestlers placed second.

Schoenfish, who was the Gazette's Boys Coach of the Year in 2004 for leading his team to a state title, gets the honor back.

Cambridge High School's Andy Long is the Gazette's Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.

Andy Long, the girls coach at Cambridge, is being honored as the Girls Coach of the Year.

The Trojans, who started two freshmen in Traci Keyser and Bailey Soucie and sophomore Shelby Schultz, reached the Class D1 state semifinals and posted a 17-6 record.

The All-Area Teams were selected through a process of coaches nominating their athletes and the Gazette sports staff making the final decision.

Cambridge High School's Del Schoenfish is the Gazette's Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

McCOOK DAILY GAZETTE

ALL-AREA

WRESTLING TEAM

Southern Valley High School senior Megan Becker is the Gazette's Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Coach of the Year: Larry Gabel, St. Francis, third-place team finish at state.

Wrestler of the Year: Jesse West, Wauneta-Palisade, Nebraska Class D state champion, 130 pounds.

FIRST TEAM

103: Aaron Helm, Oberlin, state qualifer, Kansas Class 3-2-1A.

112: Vincent Chancellor, Medicine Valley-Maywood, state qualifer, Nebraska Class D.

119: Gage Reichert, Oberlin, state qualifier, Kansas Class 3-2-1A.

119: Trevor Richard, St. Francis, 2nd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

125: Matt Migchelbrink, Rawlins County, 3rd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

130: Jesse West, Wauneta-Palisade, 1st at state, Nebraska Class D.

135: Dylan Loyd, St. Francis, 2nd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

140: Jonathan Richards, Oberlin, 2nd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

145: Jake Smith, Wauneta-Palisade, 4th at state, Nebraska Class D.

152: Denton Bailey, Oberlin, 4th at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

160: Gavin Smull, St. Francis, 2nd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

171: Terry Urban, Oberlin, 3rd at state, Kansas 3-2-1A.

189: Derrik Bundy, Dundy County, 3rd at state, Nebraska Class D.

189: Sam Frazier, McCook, 32-10, two-time state qualifier, Nebraska Class B.

215: Bronson Soucie, Cambridge, 2nd at state, Nebraska Class D.

215: Dan Stoelting, Southern Valley, 3rd at state, Nebraska Class C.

215: Tim Erwin, Hoxie, 3rd at state, Kansas Class 3-2-1A.

275: Brennan Wilger, St. Francis, 2nd at state, Kansas Class 3-2-1A.

HONORABLE MENTION

103: Tanner Popp, Hoxie.

119: Kyle Teel, Southwest.

125: Anthony Chancellor, MVM.

125: Gavin Smull, St. Francis.

130: Everett Urban, Oberlin.

135: Kevin Barnard, Chase County.

135: Chris Zysset, MVM.

140: Mike Stinman, MVM.

140: Tyler Pieper, Eustis-Farnam.

140: Justin Sherlock, St. Francis.

145: Jorgan Gienger, St. Francis.

145: TeeJay Priest, Southwest.

145: Robert Benning, Oberlin.

152: Peter Barger, Wauneta-Palisade.

152: Zane Starks, Dundy County.

171: Chris Schleeman, McCook.

171: Russell Rogers, St. Francis.

171: Brady Crider, Chase County.

171: David Obermeyer, Hoxie.

171: Lance Shifflett, Cambridge.

215: Dustin Bundy, Dundy County.

215: Vaughn Dimzang, MVM.

275: Samuel Montoya, Hitchcock County.

275: Eric Lueth, MVM.

275: Brock Euhus, Oberlin.

275: Shelby Wright, Rawlins County.

ALL-AREA BOYS

BASKETBALL TEAM

Player of the Year: Waid Vontz, Cambridge.

Coach of the Year: Del Schoenfish, Cambridge.

FIRST TEAM

Joel Arterburn, McCook

Tony Braithwait, Arapahoe

Kyle Glidden, Dundy County

Andrew Isom, Wauneta-Palisade

Marc Klima, Wauneta-Palisade

Anthony Lytle, Cambridge

Blake Maaske, Arapahoe

Jeff Riener, Rawlins County

Garrett Rippen, McCook

Lance Wilson, Perkins County

Waid Vontz, Cambridge

SECOND TEAM

Adam Borden, Arapahoe

Brandon Crick, McCook

Joseph Frecks, Hayes Center

Andy Inman, Oberlin

Mark Johnson, Perkins County

Joel McAtee, St. Francis

Russell Ridlen, Wauneta-Palisade

Trevor Ridlen, Wauneta-Palisade

Rodney Rippe, Rawlins County

Wiley Sowle, Wallace

John Thompson, Hitchcock County

Todd Warren, Eustis-Farnam

Andrew Winscot, Southern Valley

HONORABLE MENTION

Arapahoe: Ryan Stagemeyer.

Cambridge: Brian Ballou, Brett Cribelli.

Cheylin: Lincoln Pochop.

Eustis-Farnam: Ryan Wetovick, Derek Williams, Jeff Loshonkohl.

Hayes Center: Levi Tyan, Matt Gohl.

Hitchcock County: Josh Kershaw, Chancy Carlson.

Hoxie: Jake Moss, Tolliver Bird.

Maywood: Tony Steinhour.

McCook: Joel Putz, Tony Purvis.

Medicine Valley: Joe Warneke.

Rawlins County: Drew Basgall, Cedric Green, Jordan Dunker.

St. Francis: Levi Weeden.

Southern Valley: Brock Einspahr, Gavin Fults.

Southwest: Landon Ruggles, Brandon Malleck.

Wallace: Andy Barner.

Wauneta-Palisade: Tyler Riener, Taylor Dixon.

ALL-AREA GIRLS

BASKETBALL TEAM

Player of the Year: Megan Becker, Southern Valley.

Coach of the Year: Andy Long, Cambridge.

FIRST TEAM

Kiane Alberts, Wauneta-Palisade

Besty Anderjaska, Wauneta-Palisade

Megan Becker, Southern Valley

Cheryl Braithwait, Arapahoe

Jillian Bryant, McCook

Lauren Fortin, Oberlin

Debi Johnson, Perkins County

Traci Keyser, Cambridge

Chelsie Kramer, Rawlins County

Stephanie Padilla, Wauneta-Palisade

Janae Perkins, Southern Valley

Danielle Pratt, Hoxie

Shelby Schultz, Cambridge

Cayla Skaritka, Southwest

Echo Steele, Dundy County

Allison Smith, McCook

SECOND TEAM

Abbey Breinig, Arapahoe

Cristin Bruckman, Cambridge

Lisa Fagot, Eustis-Farnam

Tiffany Goetz, Hoxie

Jessica Jorgensen, Medicine Valley

Staci Koester, Maywood

Lexey Lewis, Hitchcock County

Lisa Lord, Southwest

Mallory Murdoch, Southern Valley

Whitney Paisley, Chase County

Vanessa Shill, Dundy County

Bailey Soucie, Cambridge

Sara Wilson, Perkins County

Chelsea Wolf, Eustis-Farnam

HONORABLE MENTION

Arapahoe: Alesa Paulsen.

Chase County: Tabitha Russell, Sarah Miller.

Cheylin: Aubrey Kehlbeck.

Eustis-Farnam: Jessika Lehmann, Tara Schultheiss, Jordan Ricker, Jacey Schultheiss.

Hayes Center: Lichelle Large.

Hoxie: Carissa Heim.

Maywood: Kadee Arensdorf.

McCook: Kayla Wilson, Jessica Harris, Andrea Soden, Taryn Placzek.

Medicine Valley: Lacy Bryant, Kyle-Lynn Hughes, Paige Bek, Olivia Klein.

Oberlin: Tricia Dorshorst.

Perkins County: Carlie Sis, Abby McCloskey.

Rawlins County: Bethany Holste, Megan Cahoj, Sara Miller.

Southwest: Chelsey Quigley, Alisha Weaver.

St. Francis: Lauren Ross.

Wallace: Chas Wickizer.

Wauneta-Palisade: Allison Ellicott.