March 28, 2024

Mount Ayr 6, NV’s Weiland named to Class A all-state teams

Mount Ayr’s Class A semifinalist team was rewarded by having six players named to the Iowa Newspaper Association’s all-state football teams announced today.

Nodaway Valley’s Brennen Weiland also earned all-state honors in Class A.

The INA all-state teams are selected by a panel of sports writers, with assistance from the Iowa Football Coaches Association.

Mount Ayr placed two players on each of the three teams in Class A, led by first-teamers Kyle Dolecheck and Jacob Taylor. Logan Stark and Nick Wurster were each named to the second team and Lincoln Lutrick and Jed McCreary earned third-team honors.

“I think certainly the success we had plays into those selections,” Mount Ayr co-coach Delwyn Showalter said. “Obviously people are aware of Mount Ayr. It’s not just our success this year, but the last two years. That always helps get some of those postseason honors.”

Dolecheck was named to the first team as a wide receiver after putting together a spectacular semifinal game against Akron-Westfield.

The 6-1, 175-pound senior finished the season with 46 catches for 721 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also racking up 751 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 99 carries.

“He could have been all-state at a number of different spots,” Showalter said. “He could have been an all-state defensive back. He could have been a running back had we featured him there. He made his name on the big stage as a receiver, especially in that last game.”

“He is virtually unguardable,” Mount Ayr co-coach Derek Lambert said. “He’s a young man we really like our players to model after, because he very easily could have been a go-to wide receiver every play. He could have been a 1,500-yard tailback, as well. He fits into our system really well, being able to run and catch the ball.”

“He’s got speed. He can jump. He’s got great hands on him. He has the ability to start and stop on a dime and changes directions,” Showalter added. “He has the whole package.”

Taylor joins Dolecheck on the first team as a defensive back.

The 6-1, 170-pound senior played defensive back for the Raiders all four years and finished this year with 26 solo tackles and 22 assisted tackles to go with two interceptions.

But it was his play at quarterback this fall that garnered him all-state attention.

“He took his game to a completely different level this year,” Showalter said. “He really felt like he hadn’t performed well in our semifinal game a year ago. I think he felt he had let the team down and let himself down. He just dedicated himself to making sure he was going to be able to do all he could this year to get us back.”

Taylor finished the year 74-of-150 passing for 1,142 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He also picked up 743 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground on 112 carries.

“Jacob is so much fun. He’s a guy that kind of brings a tear to your eye,” Lambert said. “At the beginning of the season, we said, ‘Jacob, I’m handing you this football and I really want you to take over like you take over in basketball games.’ Boy, did he do that for us this year, running and throwing the ball.”

Showalter said Taylor’s leadership this season was irreplaceable.

“He had to work to become our leader,” Showalter said. “That’s a tough situation for a kid from another school to come in and be the quarterback. He handled that extremely well. There was no question he was our leader.”

Second-teamers

Stark, the Class A District 8 Defensive Player of the Year earned second-team honors on the defensive line.

The 5-9, 205-pound senior switched positions on both sides of the ball this season, from linebacker, where he had been a starter, to defensive tackle and from running back to center.

“His decision to go to the offensive and defensive line might have been the most critical point of our season,” Showalter said. “When he decided to do that, that just really let the pieces fall into place. He thrived in those two positions.”

Stark ranked second on the team with 40 solo tackles and 37 assisted stops, while collecting 14 tackles for loss and six sacks, both team highs.

“He’s extremely quick,” Lambert said. “That’s what allowed us to be successful. We’ve always had size and strength (up front), but we’ve lacked some quickness and speed. What a great testament to his work ethic and team values.”

Wurster brought home second team honors as a punter, earning recognition for both his punting and his kicking abilities.

The 5-11, 175-pound senior was 4-of-6 on field goals with a long of 44 yards, while going 44-54 on PATs. He also averaged 34.0 yards per punt.

“It’s really great as an offensive coach to know you’ve got someone back there that’s going to get a good ball off on a punt,” Lambert said. “Having him kick off and being able to get touchbacks to force the opposing offense to start at the 20-yard line was critical. And being able to feel confident in your offense, when you get inside the 30-yard line, you feel like you’re going to come away with at least three points. That’s huge at the high school level to know you have that weapon.”

Third-teamers

Lutrick, the leader on the offensive line for the Raiders, made the third-team offense. The 6-1, 270-pound senior was the only returning starter from last year’s offensive line.

“He made sure we were getting people into the weight room and out for track, getting faster,” Lambert said. “What really stood out for him this year was his poise up front and his confidence and being able to communicate. He was definitely our leader on the offensive line. His work ethic was unmatched for our offensive linemen.”

McCreary was an intimidating force on Mount Ayr’s defensive line with his size and also earned third-team honors.

The 6-5, 345-pound senior collected 21 solo tackles and 15 assisted stops with 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

“I thought he saved his best for the end,” Showalter said. “The second half of this year was really, really good for Jed. I thought he began to exert his will on ballgames.

“Jed’s a guy that’s played for us for three years. He’s got something you can’t coach and that’s his size. His strength made it really difficult for anybody to block him. You couldn’t block him one on one. It was going to take at least two and there were a lot of games he was being triple-teamed. He’s also got deceptive quickness. His footwork is really good.”

Also bringing home third-team honors was Nodaway Valley senior running back Brennen Weiland.

The 5-10, 175-pound senior ran for 1,343 yards and 17 touchdowns in just eight games this year after missing the first game of the season.

Weiland provided the Wolverines with a tough runner who was hard to bring down.

“It’s his never-quit attitude,” Shantz said. “He’s a tough kid. He’s gone through a lot and he wants to do the best for everybody. Such a happy kid. Always has a smile on his face.”

Shantz said Weiland improved on his vision and his patience this year, doing a better job of waiting for his offensive linemen to set up blocks and identifying running lanes.

“I think his ability to read the blocking was a lot better this year,” Shantz said. “You could say his vision improved a lot from the last two years.”

Even with Nodaway Valley playing in a competitive district and trying to mix in several inexperienced players at key positions, the one constant was Weiland running hard.

“We had some real tough competition early in the year, plus we had some new guys we had to plug in there, an undersized line playing some big, physical teams,” Shantz said. “Brennen got better as the year went along. He was hit and miss early in the season about even getting to practice. It took him a little while to get going, but he’s a type of kid that’s going to work his tail off.”