2017 Marshall Independent All-Area Football First Team

POY: Isaac Hennen, Sr.

Minneota RB/DB

OPOY: Trey Lance, Sr.

Marshall QB/DB

DPOY: Westin Kirk, Sr.

RTR RB/LB

Jefferson Lee V, Sr.

Marshall RB/LB

Jefferson Lee V capped off his career with 1,706 yards (fourth in area) and 32 touchdowns (second in area) on the ground in 2017.

Bentley Boike, Jr.

Dawson-Boyd RB/DL

The junior Blackjack runner led his team’s rushing attack with 1,789 yards (third in area) and 18 touchdowns.

Alex Pohlen, Sr.

Minneota QB/DB

Alex Pohlen completed over 63 percent of his passes as a senior for an area-best 2,444 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Nick Altermatt, Sr.

Wabasso QB/DB

Altermatt led the area in completion percentage (65.4 percent). He threw for 1,315 yards and 10 TDs in 2017 and added 791 rushing yards and 13 scores.

Cooper Taylor, Sr.

Wabasso RB/DB

Taylor led the area in rushing, amassing 2,153 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior in 2017.

Jonah Johnson, Sr.

RTR TE/LB

Johnson finished with 40 catches for 542 yards and six touchdowns. He was an anchor on the Knights defense, finishing fourth in the area with 119 tackles.

Anthony Ross, Sr.

WWG QB/DB

Ross finished with 1,707 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns, completing 63.4 percent of his passes.

Andrew Quade, Jr.

WWG RB/LB

Quade recorded 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, while catching an area-best 56 passes for 617 yards (third in area) and five scores.

Coach of the Year

Chad Johnston, Minneota

Johnston capped off the 2017 season with a 14-0 record and a Class A Championship, the fourth state title of his career. Under his guidance, Minneota has won six consecutive district/conference championships.

2017 Marshall Independent All-Area Football Second Team

Jake Hess, Sr.

Marshall TE/LB

Hess was a defensive anchor for the Tigers, leading the team in tackles in 2017 (75). On offense, he finished his senior season with 21 catches for 352 yards receiving.

Jordan Falconer, Sr.

Marshall OL/DL

Falconer was one of the key components for Marshall on both the offensive and defensive lines. He blocked for an offense that accumulated over 5,000 yards of total offense in 2017. His four sacks on defense finished tied for fifth-most in the area.

Colton Husby, Jr.

Dawson-Boyd RB/LB

Husby finished his senior season with 979 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, adding 12 receptions for 201 yards and two scores. He recorded 76 tackles and one sack on defense.

Shawn Buysse, Jr.

Minneota OL/LB

Buysse blocked for a Minneota offense that averaged 450 yards of total offense per game. He finished the season with an area-leading 178 total tackles and three sacks.

Trent Esping, Sr.

Minneota OL/DL

The senior lineman anchored both lines for the state champion Vikings. Minneota totaled over 6,300 yards of total offense as a team. Esping recorded 34 tackles on defense in 2017.

Zach Aanenson, Sr.

MCC RB/DL

Aanenson closed out his football career at Murray County Central with 970 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing in 2017. On defense, he recorded 60 tackles and one sack.

Kolton Wendorff, Jr.

MCC OL/DL

The two-way starter for MCC helped block for a ground game that totaled over 1,600 rushing yards as a team. Defensively, he recorded 64 tackles.

Moses Dolan, Sr.

TMB WR/DB

Dolan finished his senior season with 40 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns, adding 461 yards and six scores on the ground. On defense, he recorded 71 tackles and also had two interceptions.

Ty Kemp, Sr.

Wabasso OL/LB

Kemp was a key cog on an offensive line of a team that ran for over 2,400 yards in 2017. On defense, the three-year starter added 62 tackles and two interceptions.

Tony Franta, Sr.

Wabasso WR/DB

Franta had 18 receptions for 281 yards and two scores as a senior. His six interceptions on defense finished tied for second-most in the area, and he also added 44 tackles.

Kyle Kuehl, Sr.

WWG RB/LB

Kuehl finished his senior season with 25 total touchdowns on offense for the Chargers. He ran for 1,251 yards and 23 scores, while adding 290 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions.

2017 Marshall Independent All-Area Football Honorable Mention

Nick Klaith, Sr.

Marshall WR/DB

Klaith led Marshall in receiving in 2017, recording 23 receptions for 606 yards and nine touchdowns. Also recorded five interceptions on defense, which tied for third-most in the area.

Riley Kockelman, Jr.

Canby WR/DB

Kockelman was the top receiver for Canby this season, totaling 22 catches for 374 yards and four scores. He added 36 tackles and four interceptions on defense.

Austin Kosen, Sr.

Lakeview OL/LB

Kosen was one of the leaders of the Lakers defense with 100 tackles in 2017, including a season-high 17 total tackles against Lac qui Parle Valley. He also recorded two sacks.

Elijah Sterner, Jr.

Lakeview OL/LB

Sterner recorded 110 tackles in his junior season, which led his team and ranked sixth in the area. He added two interceptions on the season.

Thomas Hennen, Jr.

Minneota WR/DB

Hennen finished his junior season with 45 receptions for 833 yards (both second-most in area) and an area-best 11 touchdowns. He recorded 34 tackles and two interceptions on defense.

Cole Sanow, So.

Minneota RB/LB

The sophomore runner was second on the state-champion Vikings with 1,070 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 17 catches for 235 yards and four scores in the passing game. On defense, he was third for the Vikings with 81 tackles.

Jake Fischer, Sr.

RTR RB/LB

Fischer ended his senior season with 845 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, adding 13 catches for 333 yards and three scores in the passing game. On defense, he recorded 104 tackles (seventh in area) and 1.5 sacks.

Carter Hansen, Jr.

RTR WR/DB

Hansen recorded 27 catches for 443 yards and eight touchdown receptions as a junior. On defense, he added 62 tackles and five interceptions, which is tied for fourth-most in the area in 2017.

Jake Byrne, Jr.

TMB WR/DB

Jake Byrne was stout on defense in 2017, totaling 41 tackles while leading the area with seven interceptions during his junior season. On offense, he added 20 catches for 163 yards and one touchdown.

Isaac Schmiesing, Sr.

Wabasso RB/DL

Schmiesing was one of the leaders for the Wabasso defense, compiling a team-high 91 tackles (ninth-most in area). He also added 3.5 sacks in 2017, which ranked 10th in the area.

Nathan Ross, So.

WWG WR

The sophomore receiver finished 2017 with 55 receptions for 560 yards and four touchdowns. He recorded 78 tackles on the season, and his eight sacks led the area.