Meet the 2022 All-Hawk Eye football offensive team

Heading into the 2022 high school football season, it looked like it might be a down year for Burlington area teams.

In the end, it turned out to be one of the most surprising seasons in years.

Central Lee, Columbus, Fort Madison, Mediapolis, New London, WACO, West Central and Winfield-Mount Union all qualified for the postseason.

For Central Lee, Columbus and Fort Madison, it ended long playoff droughts..

Mediapolis won a playoff game and Columbus advanced to the Class A second round before each fell.

WACO had a magical run to the 8-player state championship game before coming up short against Remsen St, Mary's.

West Central was the last team standing at the end, hoisting the Illinois 8-player state championship trophy on a brutally cold, windy mid-November night at Monmouth College after a thrilling victory over Amboy.

That balance and talent is reflected in the 2022 All-Hawk Eye offense.

Quarterback

Mason Carnes, sr., West Central

Carnes didn't put up big numbers in the passing game simple because he wasn't asked to. When your offense rushes for over 5,000 yards, why pass? Carnes completed 26-of-29 passes for 490 yards and two scores and rushed for 1,054 yards on 132 carries and 20 touchdowns, averaging eight yards per carry.

Running backs

Kaden Amigon, jr., Columbus

Amigon helped the Wildcats win a playoff game for the first time since 1997. Despite missing the opening game, Amigon rushed for 1,872 yards on 158 carries, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. He scored 26 touchdowns, including one of 90 yards.

Kaiden Droste, sr., West Central

Droste put up astonishing numbers for the Heat, averaging 15.1 yards per carry. He finished with 3,274 rushing yards on 216 carries and scored a whopping 60 touchdowns.

Anthony Isley, sr., Mediapolis

Isley, who will play defensive back at the University of Northern Iowa, capped a sensational career at Mediapolis by rushing for 1,573 yards on 204 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per rush. He scored 19 touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 67 yards and a score.

Caden Schisel, jr., Burlington

Schisel had some big shoes to fill this year and came through with flying colors. Schisel rushed for 1,081 yards on 152 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per carry for the 5-4 Grayhounds. He scored 14 touchdowns, including one of 58 yards.

Wide receivers

Anthony Duncan, so., Van Buren County

Duncan had a sensational season for the 3-5 Warriors, hauling in 32 passes from quarterback Jackson Manning for 756 yards, averaging 23.6 yards per catch. He scored six touchdowns, including one of 86 yards.

Blaise Porter, sr., New London

Porter returned from an ankle injury to put up big numbers for the Tigers, both running and catching the ball. He rushed for 615 yards on 64 carries and scored 10 touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 388 yards and five scores, including one of 59 yards.

Tight end

Alex Fawcett, jr., Burlington

The Grayhounds didn't throw often, but when they did Fawcett was usually the recipient of Gabe Robinson's passes. He hauled in seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 29.9 yards per catch.

Offensive linemen

Blake Cole, jr., West Central

The Heat piled up over 6,000 yards of offense and averaged over 60 points per game, and Cole played a big part in helping the Heat win a state championship.

Brady Heuvelmann, sr., West Burlington-Notre Dame

Heuvelmann was a pillar of strength on the offensive line for the Falcons the last three seasons, helping pave the way for the Falcons' ground game. More often than not, when the Falcons needed crucial yardage, they ran behind the six-foot, 290-pound Heuvelmann.

Julian Perez-Hall, sr., Burlington

Perez-Hall is one of the best linemen to suit up for the Grayhounds in the last two decades, earning first team all-state accolades to years in a row. The 5-11, 240-pound center helped clear the way for record-setting running back Bryan Williams last season and Schisel this season.

Chase Waterhouse, sr., WACO

The Warriors road a punishing ground game and lethal passing attack all the way to the 8-Player state championship game before coming up short against Remsen St. Mary's. The Warriors piled up 4,349 yards of offense, and the 6-5, 205-pound Waterhouse played a big role in those big numbers.

Trent Wilkerson, sr., New London

Wilkerson, a six-foot, 230-pound wrecking ball, helped the Tigers amass over 3,500 yards of offense this season and make a return to the playoffs after a slow start to the season.

Kicker

Simeon Reichenbach, sr., WACO

Reichenbach did a little bit of everything for the Warriors, but he proved to be a record-setting placekicker. Of 98 kickoffs, 79 of them went for touchbacks. He was 53-of-61 on PATs and connected on 11-of-15 field goal attempts, including one of 49 yards. Reichenbach was a threat for the Warriors every time he stepped foot on the field.

Coach of the Year

Jason Kirby, West Central

The Heat are 28-3 since making the switch to 8-player football three years ago, and Kirby made good on his promise to bring the school a state championship. Kirby, with one of the best coaching staffs around, guided the Heat to a 13-0 record this season, including a pair of nailbiters in the state semifinals and state championship game. Kirby has established himself and the program as one of the best in the 8-player game.

More:How West Central football's assistant coaches give its program a distinct advantage

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Burlington — Trent HuffmanNoah Nixon, Phil Phillips, Gabe Robinson, John Schuelka

• Columbus — Russell Coil, Bryce Grimm, Jeffrey Hoback, Julian Jimenez, Triston Miller, Cole Storm, Markel Zapiensz

• Fort Madison — Leif Boeding, Aiden Boyer, Mateo Lozano, Tanner Settles, Daniel Sokolik, Kane Williams, Henry Wiseman

• Mediapolis — Levi Arnold, Trent Hicks, Jackson Hutcheson, Cole Lipper, Owen May, Alton Wonderlich

• Mount Pleasant — Carter Amos, Jacob Richtman, Zerek Venghaus, Wyatt Woodsmall

• New London — Dom Lopez, Boden Pickle, Reean Seberg

• WACO — Drew Diers, Ty Egli, Louden Huisenga, Isaac Oswald, Oleh Shtefanchuk

• Wapello — Caleb Ealey, Jake Gustison, Ryan McDonough, Casey Short

• West Burlington-Notre Dame — Matthew Booten, Quncy Collins, Carsen Jones, Dylan Kipp, Jordan Nupp, Caden Schwenker, Reagan VanNiewaal, Emry Watson

• West Central — Isiah Stephson, Zach Smith, Mikhail West, Nick Woods. Winfield-Mount Union -- Cooper Buffington, Abram Edwards, Caleb Giese, Kai Malone, Cole Milks, Eli Miller

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Meet the 2022 All-Hawk Eye high school football offensive team