Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

For the fourth time the Your Prep Sports football team honors some of the top players in the area for their efforts this season.

With four area teams reaching the playoffs and two teams advancing to the state semifinals the Your Prep Sports area featured some of the top players in the state and 30 of those players are recognized on the 2019 YPS team.

The fourth edition of the Your Prep Sports football team features Division I recruits, all-state and all-district players and school record holders.

Solon senior quarterback Cam Miller is the offensive captain of the 2019 team.

A North Dakota State recruit Miller is the career passing leader at Solon and had the best season of his career as a senior throwing for 2,436 yards and 28 touchdowns with four interceptions.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder also rushed for a team-high 840 yards and 12 scores while leading the Spartans to a Class 3A runner-up finish.

Solon senior linebacker Jax Flynn is the 2019 defensive captain.

Flynn led Solon and ranked second in Class 3A with 95 tackles, including 49 solo stops as Solon allowed 11.9 points and 200 yards per game.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Flynn ranked sixth in 3A with five interceptions, recovered a fumble and had three tackles for loss including a sack.

2019 Your Prep Sports Area Football Team

Offense

*Quarterback: Cam Miller, 6-1, 205, Sr., Solon – The all-time leading passer in school history Miller had his best season as a senior ranking third in Class 3A in passing yards (2,436) and touchdown passes (28) while completing a career-best 69.6 percent of his passes on his way to first-team all-state honors.

Running back: Tonka Hickman, 5-11, 188, Sr., City High – A repeat pick on the Your Prep Sports squad Hickman had four 100-yard games and scored a touchdown in eight of nine games while rushing for a career-high 883 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Running back: Max Tafolla, 6-0, 205, Jr. Liberty High – A year after leading Liberty High in tackles Tafolla rushed for a team-high 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns while earning third-team all-state honors in his first season as the Lightning feature back.

Running back: Tanner Lukavsky, 6-2, 225, Sr., West Branch – Ranked in the top ten in Class 1A in rushing yards for the second consecutive season running for 1,214 yards and 13 touchdowns and also caught 24 passes for 362 yards and five scores.

Wide receiver: Alec Wick, 6-1, 179, Jr., Regina – Posted one of the best individual seasons in school history ranking in the top five in the state in both receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,161) while grabbing 14 touchdown passes and earning first-team all-state honors.

Wide receiver: AJ Coons, 6-4, 210, Sr., Solon – South Dakota State recruit earned first-team all-state honors after ranking in the top three in Class 3A in receptions (60), receiving yards (961) and touchdown receptions (12).

Wide receiver: Trey Eagle 6-4, 180, Sr., West Branch – Set single-season school records for receiving yards (859) and touchdown receptions (13) while averaging 21 yards per catch ranking in the top 10 in Class 2A in all three categories.

Wide receiver: Tate Crane, 6-3, 170, Sr., West High – Continued a tradition of strong receiver play at West High making 40 receptions for 526 yards and four touchdowns.

Offensive line: Michael Broghammer, 6-3, 245, Sr., Solon – A anchor up front on both sides of the ball Broghammer earned first-team all-state honors as an offensive lineman after paving the way for a Spartan offense that averaged better than 383 yards and 37 points per game.

Offensive line: Sam Nicklaus, 6-2, 255, Sr., Liberty High – In two seasons Liberty High has established an identity with its powerfully running game and Nicklaus was a key piece of a line that helped the Lightning rank sixth in 3A averaging 260.5 rushing yards per game.

Offensive line: Eric Zierke, 6-2, 250, Sr., Clear Creek Amana – An all-district pick Zierke was the leader of an offensive line that helped the Clippers average 158 rushing yards per game.

Offensive line: Russell Hingst, 6-2, 230, Sr. Regina – After a one-year absence Regina returned to the Class 1A semifinals for the ninth time in 10 seasons and Hingst was a big reason why earning first-team all-state honors as the leader of the Regina line from his guard spot.

Offensive line: Kolbe Schnoebelen, 5-9, 197, Sr., City High – A captain and leader on both lines for City High Schnoebelen was a third-team all-state pick after ranking third on the team with 29 tackles and anchoring the Little Hawk offensive line from his center spot.

Utility: Marcus Morgan, 6-2, 165, Jr., West High – One of the top playmaking quarterbacks in the state accounted for nearly 1,900 total yards and 14 touchdowns. Morgan threw for 1,723 yards and 11 scores, rushed for 143 yards and two scores and caught a touchdown pass.

Kicker: Michael Dunn, 6-0, 155, Sr., Regina – Dunn was stellar in his second season handling the Regina kicking duties, connecting on a state-best 11 field goals in 12 attempts and converting 42-of-45 PATs. A first-team all-state selection Dunn also had 38-of-71 kick offs go for touchbacks and averaged 36.7 yards per punt.

Defense

Defensive line: Jeff Bowie, 6-5, 250, Jr., West Branch – A first-team all-state selection Bowie showed why he is a highly ranked recruit with a breakthrough season in which he ranked third on the team with 44.5 tackles and led West Branch with 22 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

Defensive line: Jace Andregg, 6-2, 205, Sr., Solon – Northern Iowa recruit had a major impact in his first season at Solon ranking fourth on the team with 39.5 tackles and leading the Spartans with five tackles for loss and four sacks while earning first-team all-state honors.

Defensive line: Rowan Udell, 6-0, 230, Sr. Regina – Udell was a third-team all-state pick as an offensive lineman but was equally important for Regina on defense where he ranked sixth on the team with 29.5 tackles from his tackle spot.

Defensive line: TJ Bollers, 6-3, 240, Jr., Clear Creek Amana – One of the most sought-after recruits in the Midwest Bollers earned third-team all-state honors after ranking fifth on the team with 29 tackles including four for loss and three sacks.

Linebacker: Dawson Zimmerman, 6-0, 205, Sr., Liberty High – The stabilizing force in the middle of a much-improved Liberty High defense Zimmerman ranked second on the team with 62.5 tackles including 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Linebacker: JJ Denny, 5-6, 155, Sr., Clear Creek Amana – One of the most productive defensive players in program history Denny made up for a lack of size with speed and instincts while leading the Clippers in tackles the past three seasons racking up 156 career stops.

Linebacker: Carson Shive, 6-0, 200, Jr., Solon – In his first varsity season Shive ranked second on the team with 77.5 tackles helping 3A runner-up Solon hold opponents to seven or fewer points in eight of 13 games.

*Linebacker: Jax Flynn, 6-0, 185, Sr., Solon – The heart and soul of a Solon defense that allowed just 11.9 points and 200 yards per game Flynn led the Spartans with 95 tackles and five interceptions.

Linebacker: Will Hoeft, 5-10, 180, Sr., West High – Despite missing the first three games while recovering from off-season knee surgery Hoeft ranked second on the team with 43.5 tackles, including three for loss, and added an interception.

Defensive back: Gable Mitchell, 5-8, 154, Soph., City High – In his first season of varsity football Mitchell led City High with 47 tackles and two interceptions from his safety spot.

Defensive back: Kaleb Williams, 5-7, 180, Sr., Liberty High – A versatile piece of the Liberty High defense Williams led the Lightning with 85 tackles including six for loss and picked off two passes.

Defensive back: Kaden Gisleson, 6-0, 165, Sr., Clear Creek Amana – Among the top cover corners in Class 3A Gisleson picked off four passes and also ranked second on the team with 39 tackles.

Defensive back: Ian McAreavy, 5-11, 170, Jr., West High – Came on late in the season leading West High in tackles twice while recording 30 tackles in the Trojans’ three-game win streak to end the season. Finished with a team-leading 49 tackles.

Utility: Seamus Poynton, 6-0, 195, Sr., Solon – Made 22.5 tackles, picked off a pass and recovered a fumble as an outside linebacker and also rushed for 748 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 267 yards and two scores as a full-time two-way starter.

Punter: Drake Woody, 6-1, 190, Sr., Liberty High – The district punter of the year and second-team all-state pick averaged 38.9 yards on 27 punts.

* – Captains

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