11-Player teams

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Dream Team Offense

Position/Player/School Yr. Ht. Wt.

Muskegon Reeths-Puffer quarterback Ayden Willacker, center, is sacked by Marquette defenders, from left, Tye Parker, Wyatt Kuhlman and Chris Ricker in the first quarter of their MHSAA Division 1 playoff game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Oct. 31. All three Marquette players were named All-Great Northern Conference, including Parker and Kuhlman on defense. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Center — Carter Berger, Menominee Sr. 6-3 250

Guard — Preston Toutant, Negaunee Sr. 6-0 260

Brett Schlenvogt, Escanaba Jr. 6-0 220

Tackle — Nathan Lundin, West Iron County Sr. 6-3 315

Lucas Tappy, Kingsford Jr. 6-0 290

Negaunee’s Nash Hillier, front, gets a handoff from quarterback Gerald Johnson, back, and looks for room to run in a game played against L’Anse at the Miners’ field in Negaunee on Oct. 2. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Quarterback — Austin Ridl, Marquette Jr. 5-9 160

Back — Caleb Evosevich-Hynes, Iron Mountain Sr. 5-10 190

Nash Hillier, Negaunee Sr. 5-9 165

Dryden Nelson, Calumet Jr. 5-9 165

Receiver/End — Kam Karp, Marquette Sr. 6-0 160

Negaunee's Nash Hillier, front left, gets a handoff from quarterback Gerald Johnson, behind him, and looks for room to run as L'Anse's Dysean Allen, right, tries to break free from a block at the line of scrimmage in the second quarter of their high school football game played at the Miners' field in Negaunee on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Zach Person, Kingsford Jr. 6-5 220

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Dream Team Defense

Tackle — Caleb Burklund, Iron Mountain Sr. 5-10 210

Tye Parker, Marquette Sr. 6-1 260

Negaunee's Preston Toutant, center, sacks L'Anse quarterback Alex Kissel on a fourth-down play at the Miners' field in Negaunee on Oct. 2. Also chasing on the play for the Miners is Parker Cain, right. all three were honored with selection to the 2020 West PAC Copper Division All Conference team. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Kahler Geyer, Escanaba Sr. 5-11 180

End — Parker Cain, Negaunee Sr. 6-3 240

Xander Zapolnik, Houghton Sr. 6-2 245

Linebacker — Chet Hyrkas, Calumet Sr. 6-1 185

Daylan Lujan, Sault Ste. Marie Sr. 6-0 221

Negaunee's Drew DuShane, center, runs toward the near sideline while being pursued by Westwood's Erik Anderson, front left, and Garrett Mann, right, in the first quarter of their West PAC football game played in Negaunee on Oct. 18, 2018. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Garrett Mann, Westwood Sr. 6-0 195

Back — Desmond Mullen, Marquette Jr. 5-8 160

Ty Lotterman, Marquette Sr. 6-3 180

Tyler Racicot, Bark River-Harris Sr. 6-2 170

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Dream Team Special Teams

Kicker — Diego Przeslakowski, Kingsford Jr. 5-10 165

Punter — Nathan Thomson, West Iron County Sr. 6-2 180

Returner — Desmond Mullen, Marquette Jr. 5-8 160

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First Team Offense

Center — Harrison Hogenmiller, West Iron County Sr. 6-1 245

Guard — Elliott Johnson, Kingsford Sr. 6-0 200

Peter Noblet, Gladstone Sr. 6-0 225

Tackle — Jake Borree, Houghton Sr. 6-3 285

Dominique Ortega, Bark River-Harris Jr. 6-0 300

Quarterback — Jakob Davie, Sault Ste. Marie Jr. 5-8 165

Back — Kris Pearce, Sault Ste. Marie Sr. 6-0 200

Aidan Bellisle, Menominee Jr. 6-0 170

Brady Wright, Marquette Sr. 6-0 190

Receiver/End — Bryant Maki, Escanaba Sr. 6-3 185

Cam Ballard, Gladstone Sr. 6-0 180

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First Team Defense

Tackle — Lenny Bjorn, Calumet Sr. 6-0 220

Reid Hill, Gwinn Sr. 6-1 245

Cooper Conway, Menominee Jr. 6-4 255

End — Riley Lamb, Escanaba Sr. (unavailable)

Jon Carrion, Iron Mountain Sr. 6-0 175

Linebacker — Ryan Polley, Gladstone Sr. 5-8 150

Carter Kreski, Kingsford Sr. 5-10 200

Bryce Pietrantonio, Iron Mountain Sr. 6-2 205

Back — Tyler Lawson, Escanaba Sr. 5-8 155

Nathan Erva, Houghton Sr. 5-8 165

John Robinson, Sault Ste. Marie Jr. 5-10 170

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First Team Special Teams

Kicker — Cooper Conway, Menominee Jr. 6-4 255

Punter — Connor Johnson, Marquette Sr. 5-9 150

Returner — Kaeden Calcari, Menominee Jr. 5-10 170

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Source: Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association

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MARQUETTE — It seems like every year there are several high school football players from Marquette County who will earn spots on the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association All-U.P. Dream Team.

This season was no different as eight local athletes made the prestigious squad, Marquette leading the way with five.

On offense, quarterback Austin Ridl and receiver Kam Karp each made the team. Ridl completed 94 passes for 1,723 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also rushing for 239 yards and seven touchdowns, but got edged out by Karp for Offensive Player of the Year.

On the defensive side, tackle Tye Parker and backs Desmond Mullen and Ty Lotterman filled slots, with Mullen also making it as a return specialist.

“All well deserved,” Marquette head coach Eric Mason said. “There’s not much I can say on all of them that they haven’t said themselves with their play. They’re just great kids. Coaching is a breeze when you have kids like this. It makes it really easy.”

Negaunee had three players make the Dream Team, with guard Preston Toutant and running back Nash Hillier on offense and end Parker Cain making it on defense.

Toutant was the West PAC Co-Lineman of the Year and head coach Paul Jacobson said he’s a pure lineman.

“Preston has become a tremendous leader for us and he’s worked so hard to get where he’s at,” Jacobson said. “He’s probably the most complete lineman we’ve had in quite some time here at Negaunee. Preston is just a strong, smart, skilled person and that has enabled him to have success.”

When it comes to Hillier, Jacobson said he’s different from other talented Miners’ running backs in that he likes to plow over defenders instead of breaking free. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have speed, as he rushed for 976 yards on 119 carries and 12 touchdowns to get West PAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

“Nash is just a physical running back,” Jacobson said. “We’ve had some good running backs here, but Nash is probably one of the more physical backs we’ve had. Kind of a (throw)back to the old school-Jim Brown-break-through-the-line, look for the safety and run at him, instead of running to daylight. He’d rather run at someone than run away from them.”

Then there’s Cain, who like Toutant, helped anchor Negaunee’s defensive line, and according to Jacobson, brought a lot to the table with 85 tackles, 10 for a loss, and five quarterback sacks to make the All-West PAC First Team.

“Parker, on the defensive side of the ball, is a two-year starter for us,” Jacobson said. “Consistency, he plays physical, he plays tough, but he’s a real athletic person on the edge for us. He knows where to be, he’s smart, he puts his time in the film room and he’s athletic to get where he needs to be on every play.”

Finally, Westwood had one player get a Dream Team nod as Garrett Mann got in as a linebacker after earning West PAC Defensive Player of the Year. He gets lots of praise from Patriots head coach Scott Syrjala.

“Garrett is a program kid,” he said. “He’s a team player. He’s a three-year starter on our defense and was a focal point, obviously, of our offense and has been the focal point of our defense, not only this past season, but the season before that as a junior.

“He’s a great kid inside the classroom, outside the classroom, very humble.

“And the work that he has put in over these last several years, I wish for not only my seniors but all seniors (for) all that hard work that they put in, I wish it would’ve been a little bit more rewarded, but unfortunately due to COVID, the seasons were cut short. We weren’t able to play and we weren’t able to practice.

“It was kind of screwed up, but he was one of the kids who just tried to make the best of it and kind of rolled with the punches. Through the past season, I don’t know what the word is, through this past season, ‘chaotic’ I guess, he was the one that led our players and was a great team leader, and I’m really, really proud of coaching a kid like Garrett Mann. He’s a great human being.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.