Area players, coaches headline NE Lakes District football team
Nov. 7—Three coaches and four players from The News-Herald area were among the big winners as the Northeast Lakes District football team was announced on Nov. 7 by the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association.
Riverside Coach Dave Bors was named the Division II district coach of the year, Geneva's Don Shymske was named the Division III coach of the year and Perry's Bob Gecewich was named the Division V coach of the year.
Riverside's defensive lineman Collin Fairbanks was named the Division II defensive player of the year, Chardon defensive back Trey Liebhardt was named the Division III defensive player of the year, Berkshire's Miles Miller was named the Division V offensive player of the year and Kirtland linebacker Philip LaVerde was named the Division VI defensive player of the year.
High school football: Northeast Lakes all-district football teams
The all-district team is selected by media members from the district, including The News-Herald, the Lorain Morning Journal, cleveland.com, the Ashtabula Star Beacon and the Elyria Chronicle Telegram. It's the first step in a process that leads eventually to All-Ohio honors.
Numerous area players joined the quartet of players who earned player of the year honors with first team, second team or honorable mention status. The statistics used were all from the regular season only.
As for the highest-honored area players:
—Fairbanks, nose tackle for Riverside, proved to be a mismatch problem with Riverside (9-1). He had 73 tackles with 29 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble.
—Liebhardt, a returning first-team All-Ohioan, had five interceptions, leads the team in pick-sixes (2) and interception return yardage (133). 41 tackles, 30 solo, 5 pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for loss. He also leads team in kick return yardage.
—Miller completed 60 percent of passes for 1,445 yards with 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Rushed for 1,138 yards and 16 scores. At safety, had 27 tackles with three PBU and six interceptions.
—LaVerde led the undefeated Kirtland with 104 tackles, including 24 tackles for loss and six sacks. He's coming off an All-Ohio season as a junior.
As for the area coaches of the year:
—Bors led Riverside to a 9-1 record, one field goal short against Mentor, for an undefeated run. Additionally, the Beavers are in this weekend's Division II regional semifinal round.
—With a young team, Shymske led Geneva to a 7-3 record and playoff berth in Division III, the only losses coming to Madison, Perry and Kirtland.
—Gecewich led Perry to eight wins, the only losses coming to Riverside and Kirtland, despite having a young and inexperienced team.
