Lyall, Packer head Prime Time Player squad
ZANESVILLE — The leaves have turned, winter has made an early arrival and another football season has passed in the Muskingum Valley.
A day from now, we'll be feasting on bird and boar for Thanksgiving.
That also means it's time for the 26th annual Prime Time Player team, chosen annually by the Times Recorder sports staff.
Per usual, the team features plenty of firepower from the area's top teams — Muskingum Valley League champions Sheridan (Big School Division) and New Lexington (Small School) and two eight-win teams in Tri-Valley and West Muskingum.
Here is a look at the team.
Players of the Year
It was a difficult choice, but Tri-Valley's Max Lyall edged out teammate and top target, junior Ashton Sensibaugh, and New Lexington senior running back Hunter Rose for Offensive Player of the Year.
The numbers were impressive — 183-of-293 passing for 2,746 yards and 31 touchdowns. But it was more than the numbers.
When Drew Burkhart graduated, he left a ginormous void in the middle of the Tri-Valley offense. He accounted for more than 80 percent of the team's total offense last season.
The 6-4, 205-pound Lyall, a defensive starter as a freshman, merely stepped in and took the Scotties' offense even higher as a first-year starter.
In one four-game stretch against Philo, River View, Morgan and New Lex, he was 62-of-90 passing for 981 yards with 13 TDs and 2 interceptions. Two weeks later, he passed for 434 yards with 6 TDs and no interceptions against John Glenn.
Tri-Valley coach Cameron West oversaw Lyall's offseason development, and his success was a reflection of the hours he logged. He called him one of the most coachable players around which he has been, adding that he constantly worked with younger quarterbacks on improving their reads and footwork.
"Max is a confident kid, and he makes some throws where that confidence is on full display," West said. "We started throwing last spring as soon as the weather broke, and from that point forward Max started to improve. He is hungry for knowledge and doesn't just want to know what to do — he wants to know why he should do it. ... To watch him improve from week to week was special."
Sheridan's senior Reid Packer easily could have been named to the offense as one of two General quarterbacks that ranked among the league's best runners and passers. But he's our Defensive Player of the Year, thanks to a ball-hawking disposition in the middle of the secondary that allowed him to snag five interceptions in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. He also had 35 tackles.
Sherdan coach Paul Culver III said prior to the season that Packer made giant strides in the offseason, especially in the weight room, and became one of the team's leaders. That showed on the field, when he led the Generals to an 11-2 season and the top seed in the Division III, Region 11 playoff ratings.
The Muskingum Valley League's Big School Player of the Year was also MVL-Big School Defensive Back of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Southeast District.
Coach of the Year honors goes to West Muskingum's Nathan Brownrigg, who led the Tornadoes to a 9-3 record. The Philo and Marietta College grad led the Tornadoes to their first playoff win in school history — their first playoff berth since 2009 — and back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-05.
Offense
Lyall was joined at quarterback by three more first-year starters in New Lexington senior Lukas Ratliff, a first-team All-Southeast District pick, Zanesville junior Drew Doyle and Morgan junior Logan Niceswanger.
Ratliff was the orchestrator of the Panthers' spread offense that excelled almost equally through the air as it did with Rose's busy legs. The 6-4, 190-pound signal caller was 130-of-200 passing for 1,941 yards and 18 TDs but also had 359 yards and 7 TDs rushing.
The diminutive Doyle, just 5-8, 175 pounds, was on pace for 1,500 yards rushing before suffering a broken leg in Week 6. He still finished with 139 carries for 841 yards and 13 TDs and added another 568 yards with 4 TDs through the air.
How important was Doyle to the Blue Devil cause? They were 3-3 with him, 0-4 without.
Niceswanger operated a run-oriented offense for the Raiders during their 6-5 campaign, but emerged as a quite capable passer with 1,598 yards and 17 TDs while completing 66 percent of his passes. He had only five inteceptions.
Sensibaugh's receiving numbers were eye-popping — 51 catches for 1,246 yards, good for a 24.4-yard average. A third of those went for touchdowns.
Six of his catches against John Glenn went for 250 yards, including touchdowns of 79. 64 and 63 yards; he had TD catches of 40 and 31 yards in the second half against New Lex, three TD catches against Licking Heights and a 65-yarder against Jackson.
He and teammate Jayden Walker, who also made the team, combined for 105 catches, 165 yards per game and 25 touchdowns. Walker also had 208 kick return yards.
Other receivers on the team include West Muskingum's Slater Sampsel, New Lexington's Tatem Toth, Morgan's Kole Searl, Philo's Cade Searls, Rosecrans' Weston Hartman and Sheridan's Andrew Holden.
Sampsel had 30 catches for 574 yards and 11 TDs and Searl hauled in 60 for 770 yards and 6 TDs — both were All-East District and All-MVL Small School picks.
Toth was All-Southeast District after catching 31 passes for a 19.1-yard average, despite regularly drawing constant double teams. He left with 2,203 career receiving yards and 22 TDs, the latter of which tied the all-time MVL record. For good measure, he also had three interceptions and 36 tackles as a defensive back and punted 19 times for a 39-yard average.
Searls had 29 catches for 396 yards with 3 TDs and also had 41 tackles and a pair of interceptions; Hartman caught 48 passes for 683 yards with 7 TDs — and had 10 1/2 tackles-for-loss; Holden was Sheridan's big-play receiver with more than 600 yards receiving and a 23-yard average.
Rose, a first-team All-Southeast District selection, was a multidimensional force in the backfield with 1,476 yards rushing with an area-best 20 touchdowns — he also had 238 yards receiving on just 12 catches. He was also second on the team with 69 tackles.
West Muskingum speedster Rashid Sesay fought through a nagging ankle injury to run for 813 yards and 8 TDs and catch 20 passes for 270 with four more scores. Jamal Watts, the 6-2, 195-pound back for River View, posted 1,033 yards and 13 TDs rushing — he averaged 12.6 yards per carry — and had 296 yards in kickoff returns.
The 5-8, 165-pound Lincoln Gilcher added 854 yards on 203 yards to help carry the Muskies' offense. He had 15 touchdowns to round out our backfield.
The line is an experienced one led by two-time MVL-Small School Lineman of the Year Wade Pauley, of Morgan, who graded out at 93 percent blocking for a Raiders team that ran for more than 1,800 yards. He was also one of the league's most feared pass rushers with 10 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. He even ran 36 times for 200 yards — six went for TDs.
He is joined by first-team All-Southeast District picks Hunter Zizek, of Sheridan, and Brady Kennedy, of New Lexington, along with John Glenn senior Gunner Fox, Zanesville's Canon Mercer and West Muskingum's Connor McKenzie.
Fox, Mercer and McKenzie were first-team All-East District selections.
Defense
Packer was far from the only star on defense this season. In fact, it was quite a deep unit.
Other defensive backs named to the team include Packer's teammate, A.J. Winders, West Muskingum's Jake Anton, Coshocton's Antwone Johns, Meadowbrook's Evan Dyer and Philo's Demetrius Strickland, with Maysville's Wesley Armstead, Tri-Valley's Thomas Williams and Crooksville's Corbyn Browning just missing the cut.
The defense was especially deep at linebacker — and, as usual, loaded with two-way stars.
Sheridan's Alex Poirier was a first-team All-Southeast District pick and the Big School's Linebacker of the Year on defense, where he had a team-high 66 tackles in the regular season with two interceptions. As a running back, he ran for almost 700 yards and 9 TDs in an offense that ran for more than 3,500 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Like Poirier, Tri-Valley's Hansel Holmes and West Muskingum's Ty Shawger excelled as defensive leaders and were first-team All-East District picks. Holmes was Defensive Player of the Year in Division III.
Holmes, a team captain, also caught 27 passes for 274 yards and excelled as a blocker in the slot, while Shawger's 114 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and interception were backed on offense with a team-high 206 carries for 1,294 yards with 13 TDs.
Holmes' teammate, senior Ethan Helms, was a first-team All-East District pick and team captain with five TFLs, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on a Jeremy Cameron-led defense that forced 18 turnovers.
Maysville's Hayden Jarrett didn't produce the offensive rushing numbers of last season, but the two-sport standout was still one of the area's top all-around players. He had a team-high 125 tackles, including five for losses, while rushing for 570 yards and catching 34 passes.
River View's Cruz Mobley, a 6-3, 215-pound two-way dynamo, had a whopping 15 1/2 tackles-for-loss and 4 1.among his 109 total tackles. As a runner, he had 88 carries for 462 yards with 6 TDs.
Philo's Drew Lincicome, also among the state's top wrestlers, totaled 110 tackles, including 17 for losses, with six sacks to go with 390 rushing yards.
John Glenn's Nathan Walker easily could have made the team as a receiver, where he was among the area's best with 56 catches for 834 yards and 5 scores. He was equally strong at linebacker, where key injuries forced him into a bigger role — he made eight tackles-for-loss with two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Crooksville's Daniel Chapman had one the best individual tackle campaigns in a long line of Ceramic defenses, totaling 161, including 66 solos. He had 8 1/2 TFLs and 2 1/2 sacks as a first-team All-MVL pick in the Small School Division.
Even with the dominant Pauley on offense, the line still features two of the best two-way linemen in the area in Tri-Valley senior Aaron Frueh and John Glenn's Ethan Derwacter, along with a first-team All-Southeast District pick in New Lexington senior Michael Vernon. River View's Hunter Cannon, Philo's Kyler Nader and Sheridan junior Cole Davis are also on the list.
Frueh, at 6-5, 195 pounds, excelled as a pass rusher with 12 tackles for loss and six sacks, including sacks that sealed close wins against playoff teams Jackson and New Lex in the regular season. He had 50 total tackles, forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
As an offensive lineman, his ability to reach block outside linebackers and defensive ends made him a key cog in the Scotties' perimeter running game.
The 180-pound Nader had 10 sacks and recovered two fumbles; the 6-3, 190-pound Vernon had 12 tackles-for-loss and four sacks to go with 59 total tackles; Derwacter, a two-way starter, collected 39 tackles; and the 225-pound Davis ranked second on Sheridan with 41 tackles, including eight for losses.
Specialists
Coaches throughout the area raved at the punting aptitude of Morgan senior Carson Copeland, who also was among the MVL's top running backs and linebackers.
He truly excelled at punter, where he averaged 42 yards per attempt with 10 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. His ability to affect field position changed games for the Raiders, who leaned on ball control and running to win.
Maysville's Sammy Scott knocked in 3 of 4 field goals during the regular season and connecting on 14 of his 17 PATs.
Two of Scott's field goals came in a 20-12 win at Coshocton, which helped the team overcome a 12-point second-quarter deficit. His 32-yarder in the third put the Panthers up for good at 13-12.
The Times Recorder also wants to thank Leonard Hill Photography, Zach Carney, Kim Carter and Bonton Photo Studio, Michelle Brown of Creative Lens Photography, Kaleb Graham, Bob Murphy, owner of Murphy Beadling Photography and Janis Keller of the Morgan County Herald for assisting us in getting headshots of all the local players.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Lyall, Packer head Prime Time Player squad
