Negaunee's Brock Aho makes a one-handed interception against Iron Mountain on Sept. 16 in Iron Mountain. Aho was named not only as a defensive back on the Detroit Free Press Division 6 all-state football team on Sunday, but as the D-6 defensive captain. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Adam Niemi)

NEGAUNEE — Don’t think for a minute that the best football players are simply physical freaks of nature who can hardly chew gum and walk at the same time.

A pair of Negaunee High School players who earned all-state mention over the weekend disprove the old “dumb jock” rule.

Jacob Paquet and Brock Aho are among seven area players — all seniors — who were named to the Detroit Free Press all-state football teams on Sunday.

Both were named to the Division 6 team, Paquet as an offensive lineman and Aho as a defensive back. In fact, Aho didn’t just make the team, he was named its defensive captain.

Also accorded all-state honors were Jake Arnold of Manistique at end on offense in Division 7 and John Paramski of Newberry at quarterback in Division 8.

Three more area players earned Free Press honorable mention status — running backs Isaac Olson of Ishpeming and Chris Bosworth of Gwinn and QB Nolan Armock of Manistique.

Of course, nearly all these star players at smaller schools usually play and often start on both sides of the ball.

Four of them — Paquet, Aho, Bosworth and Paramski — were named previously named All-Upper Peninsula “Dream Team” members, while Arnold was an All-U.P. Large Schools honoree, Olson an All-U.P. Small Schools selection and Armock an All-U.P. special mention player.

Aho and Paquet were integral to the Miners’ perfect 9-0 regular season, according to veteran head coach Paul Jacobson, who just completed his 17th year at the Miners’ helm.

And they were so important because of their football smarts as much as anything, Jacobson said.

“We’re always joking that we call Jacob ‘the brains of the operation,'” the coach said about Paquet.

“He not only knows his technique inside and out, but he knows what everybody is doing on the line.”

Both he and Aho are members of the National Honor Society.

“A lot of our players, but these two in particular, really took it upon themselves to work hard to get everything they’ve achieved,” Jacobson said.

“Aho really came into his own defensively this year. We had been forced into a situation where we needed him at quarterback the year before, but he adapted well.”

Despite being named the all-state QB, Paramski earned Defensive Player of the Year for Small Schools in All-U.P. voting.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.