11 area high school football players earn all-state honors from IPSWA
While no area teams made it to the state championship games this season, there were plenty of talented individuals who helped their teams to outstanding seasons.
Burlington had its first winning season in 13 years and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012. WACO went undefeated in the regular season, winning a district title and advanced to the Class 8-Man state quarterfinals. Wapello went 6-3 and put together a solid season, while Winfield-Mount Union and Fort Madison were in the playoff hunt until the final week.
A total of 12 area players were recognized for their outstanding contributions this season by being named to all-state teams in their respective classes by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association.
WACO put together a 10-0 start to the season and rose to No. 5 in the Class 8-Man rankings before falling to No. 3 Audubon on a late touchdown in the state quarterfinals.
The Warriors were rewarded with four players on the 8-Man all-state teams. Junior Simeon Reichenbach earned first team honors as a running back after rushing for 1,413 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns.
Senior Jonah Clark earned first team honors as a defensive lineman after coming up with 43 tackles and four sacks and recovering a fumble.
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Junior Mason Miller was named to the second team defense after tying for the Class 8-Man lead in interceptions with nine.
Senior Tim Willits was a third-team pick as an offensive lineman for the Warriors potent ground game.
Winfield-Mount Union sophomore Cam Buffington, a University of Iowa recruit, was named to the third team defense in Class 8-Man after registering 55 tackles, recovering a fumble an d intercepting a pass, returning it 51 yards for a touchdown.
Burlington finished with a 7-3 record in Class 4A, its first winning season in 13 seasons, and advanced to the playoffs, losing to eventual state runner-up Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Grayhounds had three players named all-state, the most since 2001.
Senior Bryant Williams broke nearly every rushing record in the school book, rushing for 2,226 yards on 219 carries and scoring 30 touchdowns. He was named to the Class 4A first team.
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Junior Julian Perez-Hall came back from offseason surgery to lead the way for the BHS offensive line, earning second-team accolades.
Senior Julius Harris was a force on both sides of the ball, earning third-team honors for defense.
Wapello quietly put together a solid 6-3 season and advanced to the playoff before dropping a close game to North Tama in Class A.
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Senior Daniel Perez was named to the second team as a kicker. He connected on 20-of-22 point after touchdown tries and averaged 52.9 yards per kickoff on 50 boots.
Senior Maddox Griffin was named to the second team as a return specialist after averaging 25.4 yards on kickoff returns with one touchdown and 11.2 yards on punt returns.
Senior quarterback Tade Parsons was named to the third team after throwing for 1,844 yards and 20 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He completed 67 percent of his passes.
Fort Madison senior Tate Johnson was named to the Class 3A third team as a return specialist. He averaged 28.7 yards on 12 kickoff returns, returning two for touchdowns, one for 90 yards. He also averaged 15.4 yards on seven punt returns.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: WACO, Burlington football players earn all-state honors from IPSWA
