First Team

Offense

Quarterback

Eric Schwieterman, Sr. - St. Paul

Schwieterman missed the first five games of the season, but more than made up for it when he came back, capped off by a 97-yard state championship winning drive.

Running Back

Mike Mansnerus, Sr. - Avon Lake

Mansnerus entrenched himself as one of the best backs in Avon Lake history this season while helping the Shoremen rebound from a 1-3 start to make the playoffs.

Brian Griffin, Sr. - St. Paul

Griffin was the perfect compliment to the dual-threat Schwieterman, running for more than 1,000 yards while making a big impact on defense.

Wide Receiver

Brandon Mahaffey, Jr. - Avon

Mahaffey had big shoes to fill with All-County star Garrett Gronowski moving on, but he was a prototype receiver, making big plays while also getting open on key possessions.

Ronnie Willoughby, Jr. - Avon Lake

By dropping his 40-yard dash time, Willoughby went from a just another basketball player turned wide receiver to the No. 1 target for Avon Lake quarterback Trent Toy.

Tight End

Scott Ferris, Sr. - Amherst

The perfect weapon for mobile quarterback Alex Basinski, Ferris was a sure-handed tight end who kept drives alive and kept defenses honest.

Linemen

Christian Pace, Sr. - Avon Lake

Isiah Byler, Sr. - Elyria

Alex Lovasz, Sr. - North Ridgeville

Shawn Hemenway, Sr. - St. Paul

Jarod Schuster, Sr. Elyria Catholic

It’s no mystery as to why any of these players are on the Journal’s first team. All five of these linemen were integral parts of their teams running games. Pace is headed to Michigan for college and Byler will play at Bowling Green. Each of these linemen were throwing blocks for one of the best backs in the area.

Defense

Linemen

Dan Schneider, Sr. - Avon Lake

Josh Russ, Sr. - Elyria Catholic

Nico Caponi, Sr. - Perkins

Justin Linder, Sr. - Admiral King

Schneider and Russ are heading to the Big East for college at Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, respectively. Caponi and Linder were both honored as first-team all-district with good reason.

Linebackers

Nick Marinkov, Sr. - Avon Lake

Marinkov was expected to be the Southwestern Conference’s best linebacker and lived up to that expectation with more than 100 tackles and was a big factor in the passing game, too, returning an interception for a touchown.

Marty Thomas, Sr. - Amherst

Amherst’s defense kept it in playoff contention even when the offense struggled, and Thomas was a leader for the Comets on that side of the ball.

Geoff Hainline, Sr. - St. Paul

Hainline was part of one of the state’s best defenses and it all came together for the Flyers on a goal line stand to help win a state title.

Defensive Backs

TJ Thompson, Sr. - Avon Lake

Thompson was a candidate to play quarterback for the Shoremen when the season started, instead he ended up leading the team in interceptions as a ball-hawking safety.

Tony Williams, Sr. - Clearview

Some guys play DB because they can’t play receiver. Not Williams, who also played receiver and plays the point in basketball.

Trynell Davis, Sr. - Elyria

Two touchdowns off of interceptions by Davis made Elyria 2-0. Davis also was a top running back in the area and one of the most electrifying players around.

Justin Wilde, Sr. - St. Paul

Wilde was a factor on every side of the ball, but will be remembered most for running St. John’s running back Justin Leininger out of bounds on fourth and goal to set up the Flyers’ game-winning drive.

Speical Teams

Kicker - Jim Roth, Sr. - St. Paul

With 82 extra point, and six field goals, Roth was almost automatic for the Flyers.

Punter - Scott Alexander, - Norwalk

One positive for the Truckers, they could usually win the field position battle. On 45 punts, Alexander had a net of 1,525 yards which averaged out to 33.9 yards per attempt. He also had a long of 55.

Specialist - Ricky Earl, Sr. - Southview

Early was tried at almost every position on the field it seemed, but his performance on kick returns set him apart from the rest of the county.

Second Team

Offense

Quarterback - Spencer Bryant, Sr. - Perkins

Running Back - Corry Sprouse, Sr. - Keystone; Alex Alicea, Sr. - Elyria Catholic

Wide Receiver - Dominique Qualls, Sr. - North Ridgeville; Dan Tracht, Sr. - St. Paul

Tight End - Nathan Alipine, Sr. - North Ridgeville

Linemen - Anthony Quinn, - Huron; Lucas Wright, - Clearview; Josh Conrad, - Avon; Josh Sosinski, - Firelands, Adam Ferbeck , - Perkins

Defense

Linemen - Eddie Wimbley, - Sandusky; Rhett Lariccia, - Bay, Ryan Waldmann, Sr. - Firelands; Chase Ferris, Sr. - Elyria

Linebacker - Mo Jaber, Sr. - North Ridgeville; Aaron Serrano, Sr. - Southview; Nathan Mawhirter, - Perkins

Defensive Backs - Zach Albright, - Midview; Kyle Finn, - Perkins; Ryan Tiura, Sr. - Edison; Owen Dalton, Sr. - Bay

Kicker - Ryan Galik, Jr. - Avon

Punter - Justin Courtright, Sr. - Avon

Specialist - Justin Wilde, Sr. - St. Paul