Two Lima Central Catholic standouts and the head coach at Spencerville earned top honors at the 2011 Northwest Conference football all-conference selection meeting Monday night at Delphos Jefferson High School.
For the second year in a row, LCC senior quarterback Tyler O’Connor was voted Back Of The Year in the NWC. O’Connor threw for 1662 yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the Thunderbirds to a perfect 10-0 season and their second straight conference title. O’Connor also earned first team honors as a kicking specialist. He averaged just over 38 yards per punt and made 26 of 29 PAT’s as a placekicker. O’Connor beat out Ada senior Konnor Baker for the Back of the Year award.
The NWC Lineman Of The Year is LCC’s Sean Griesdorn. The 6’4” 275 pound senior anchored an offensive line that cleared the way for 2933 rushing yards and allowed quarterback Tyler O’Connor to complete just over 58 percent of his passes. Griesdorn beat out Chris Beaschler of Ada and Coleman McCormick of Spencerville for the Lineman Of The Year award.
The NWC Coach Of The Year is John Zerbe of Spencerville. After back-to-back winless seasons in 2009 and 2010, Zerbe’s Bearcats were clearly the most improved team in the conference in 2011. They posted an 8-2 overall record and tied for second place in the NWC with Ada at 6-2.
2011 NWC All-Conference Football Teams
1st Team Offense
Quarterback: Tyler O’Connor, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Running Back: Jonathan Washington, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
Running Back: Kellen Decker, Ada, Junior
Running Back: Wade Heffner, Columbus Grove, Senior
Wide Receiver: Jacob Ansley, Ada, Junior
Wide Receiver: R.J. Stratton, Bluffton, Senior
Tight End: Matt Wilcox, Ada, Sophomore
Tight End: Dominick Corso, Spencerville, Junior
Offensive Line: Sean Griesdorn, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Offensive Line: Anthony Wilkerson, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Offensive Line: Coleman McCormick, Spencerville, Junior
Offensive Line: Gavin Windau, Columbus Grove, Senior
Offensive Line: Chris Beaschler, Ada, Senior
1st Team Defense
Defensive End: David Gremling, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Defensive End: Trent Kerns, Columbus Grove, Senior
Defensive Line: Ben Stolly, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
Defensive Line: Jared Burger, Crestview, Senior
Defensive Line: Austin Bracy, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Defensive Line: Coleman McCormick, Spencerville, Junior
Linebacker: Chris Beaschler, Ada, Senior
Linebacker: Vincent Fosburgh, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
Linebacker: Gavin Windau, Columbus Grove, Senior
Defensive Back: Sam Huffman, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
Defensive Back: Collin Grothaus, Columbus Grove, Junior
Defensive Back: Konnor Baker, Ada, Senior
Specialist: Tyler O’Connor, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
2nd Team Offense
Quarterback: Konnor Baker, Ada, Senior
Running Back: Niko Molina, Spencerville, Senior
Running Back: Matt Holden, Crestview, Senior
Running Back: Mykale Rogers, Lima Central Catholic, Sophomore
Wide Receiver: Derek Rieman, Columbus Grove, Junior
Wide Receiver: Sam Huffman, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
Tight End: Jacob Nienberg, Bluffton, Senior
Offensive Line: Jared Burger, Crestview, Senior
Offensive Line: Stephen Budwit, Ada, Senior
Offensive Line: Gabe Schwaiger, Lima Central Catholic, Senior
Offensive Line: Michael Liska, Bluffton, Senior
Offensive Line: Ben Stolly, Lima Central Catholic, Junior
2nd Team Defense
Defensive End: Logan Skelly, Bluffton, Senior
Defensive End: Nick Cunningham, Crestview, Senior
Defensive Line: Quinten Wessell, Delphos Jefferson, Junior
Defensive Line: Justin Rode, Delphos Jefferson, Senior
Defensive Line: Lucas Krouskop, Spencerville, Junior
Defensive Line: Austin Devier, Bluffton, Junior
Linebacker: Darius West, Lima Central Catholic, Sophomore
Linebacker: Jacob Ansley, Ada, Junior
Linebacker: Jeremy Basinger, Bluffton, Senior
Defensive Back: Trevor Roop, Crestview, Junior
Defensive Back: Matt Holden, Crestview, Senior
Defensive Back: Daniel Binkley, Spencerville, Senior
Specialist: Drew Kortokrax, Delphos Jefferson, Junior
Offense Honorable Mention
Quarterback: Jordan Travis, Columbus Grove, Senior
Quarterback: Trevor Roop, Crestview, Junior
Running Back: Anthony Arrelano, Paulding, Senior
Running Back: Curtis Miller, Delphos Jefferson, Senior
Running Back: Austin Lotz, Spencerville, Senior
Running Back: Ross Stewart, Allen East, Sophomore
Running Back: John Smith, Spencerville, Junior
Running Back: Trent Kerns, Columbus Grove, Senior
Running Back: Quinten Wessel, Delphos Jefferson, Junior
Wide Receiver: Lance Foor, Paulding, Junior
Wide Receiver: Cole Simon, Ada, Senior
Wide Receiver: Matt Gillett, Bluffton, Senior
Wide Receiver: Noah Gebert, Crestview, Senior
Tight End: Ross Thompson, Delphos Jefferson, Sophomore
Offensive Line: Justin Rode, Delphos Jefferson, Senior
Offensive Line: Tyler Shumate, Spencerville, Senior
Offensive Line: Drew Miller, Crestview, Senior
Offensive Line: Lucas Krouskop, Spencerville, Junior
Offensive Line: Logan Skelly, Bluffton, Senior
Offensive Line: Jake Lawrence, Allen East, Senior
Offensive Line: David Emans, Bluffton, Junior
Offensive Line: Trent Reed, Columbus Grove, Senior
Offensive Line: Bryce Ringwald, Spencerville, Junior
Offensive Line: Lucas Shumate, Spencerville, Junior
Defense Honorable Mention
Defensive End: Eli Roberson, Ada, Junior
Defensive End: Tyler Shumate, Spencerville, Senior
Defensive End: Scott Miller, Crestview, Sophomore
Defensive Line: Dalton Bass, Ada, Senior
Defensive Line: Trevor Saylor, Crestview, Junior
Linebacker: Cole Roberts, Spencerville, Junior
Linebacker: Ross Thompson, Delphos Jefferson, Sophomore
Linebacker: Derek Goecke, Spencerville, Junior
Linebacker: Drey Gamble, Paulding, Senior
Linebacker: Noah Gebert, Crestview, Senior
Linebacker: Dakota Vogt, Columbus Grove, Junior
Linebacker: Avery Jones, Crestview, Junior
Defensive Back: R.J. Stratton, Bluffton, Senior
Defensive Back: Matt Gillett, Bluffton, Senior
Defensive Back: Colin Stolly, Lima Central Catholic, Sophomore
Defensive Back: Tony George, Delphos Jefferson, Senior
Defensive Back: Drew Burnett, Paulding, Senior
Defensive Back: Jared Rex, Spencerville, Senior
Specialist: R.J. Stratton, Bluffton, Senior
Specialist: Matt Deter, Bluffton, Junior