Led by three from Kittson County Central, area lands seven on Minnesota 9-man all-state football team
Dec. 23—GRAND FORKS — Kittson County Central and Fertile-Beltrami each advanced to the Minnesota 9-man state football tournament this past season with 11-1 final records.
Those strong seasons were reflected in the all-state selections.
Kittson County Central's Chisum Schmiedeberg, Isaac Folland and Kaden Vig received all-state honors, along with Fertile-Beltrami's Ryan Van Den Einde and Tucker Bolstad.
Win-E-Mac's Jonas Spry and Goodridge-Grygla's Reece Sundberg were also all-state picks from the area.
Schmiedeberg, a 5-foot-8 senior, had 230 carries for 2,184 yards and 29 touchdowns. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry and ended with 182 yards per game. On defense, Schmiedeberg had a team-high 114 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Folland, a UND football signee and 6-3, 330-pound offensive and defensive lineman, ended with 92 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He paved the way for KCC to run for 3,578 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Vig, at 6-6 and 235 pounds, finished with 18 catches for 478 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, the UND football signee had 18.0 sacks, 34.0 tackles for loss and 100 tackles.
Van Den Einde, a 6-3, 180-pound senior tight end-defensive end, had 15 catches for 185 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he had 58 tackles, 10.0 sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Bolstad, a 5-9, 185-pound senior offensive and defensive lineman, was the main pulling guard for the Falcons, who led the way for a 1,400-yard rusher in 2022. On defense, he had 69 solo tackles, 10.0 sacks and five forced fumbles.
Spry, a senior quarterback-linebacker, finished the season with 193 carries for 1,023 yards and 17 touchdowns. He had 868 passing yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, Spry had a sub-district record 128.5 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Sundberg, a three-year starting center for Goodridge-Grygla, which finished 8-3 before losing to Kittson County Central in the section title game, led the way for an offense that ran for 1,960 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and 30 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Sundberg, at 6-2, 270 pounds, played nose guard and finished with 44 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 13.0 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.
Minn. 9-man all-state team
Offense
Quarterbacks — Asher Zubich, Mountain Iron-Buhl, Elijah Solum, Spring Grove, Ethan Klimek, Nevis; running backs — Chisum Schmiedeberg, Kittson County Central, Damian Tapio, Mountain Iron-Buhl; wide receivers — Jackson Koehl, Hancock, Riley Busch, Mountain Iron-Buhl; offensive line — Noah Gullickson, Renville County West, Isaac Folland, Kittson County Central, Reece Sundberg, Goodridge-Grygla, Nathan Johnson, WHeaton-Herman-Norcross; kicker — Clint Determan, Wheaton-Herman-Norcross
Defense
Ends — Kaden Vig, Kittson County Central, Ryan Van Den Einde, Fertile-Beltrami, Keaton Skarupa, Red Rock Central, Carter Rice, Renville County West; defensive line — Marcus Johnson, North Central, Tucker Bolstad, Fertile-Beltrami, Cole Bentley, Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal; linebackers — Corby Kern, Verndale, Jonas Spry, Win-E-Mac, Bryant Calenius, Wheaton-Herman-Norcross; defensive backs — Tysen Grinde, Spring Grove, Davin Rose, Hancock
