Watertown's Hudson, Crocker among 21 area All-State football honorees

Watertown junior running back Juven Hudson and senior offensive lineman Chase Crocker are among the 21 area high school football players who have been named to the South Dakota Football Coaches Association's All-State teams.

Hudson and Crocker each were named to the Class 11AA All-State team.

The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Hudson rushed 201 times for 1,236 yards and 11 touchdowns this fall. He became the Arrows' first 1,000-yard rusher in a season since Shay Bratland in 2013. The All-Eastern South Dakota Conference performer is a three-year varsity regular and two-year starter for Watertown.

"Juven is a very special athlete. His abilities allow him to be a very good football player and his work ethic is what sets him apart from other players," Watertown head coach John Hodorff said. "Juven will be a very exciting player to watch in the future."

The 6-3, 235-pound Crocker also earned All-ESD honors along with Hudson. The first-year starter also served as a team captain and anchored the offensive line that paved the way for Hudson.

"Chase is a good football player and more importantly, a great student and person," said Hodorff. "He has been a big part of our program for a lot of years."

Other area All-State players include:

CLASS 11B

Gavin Benck, Deuel (Tight End/Fullback/H-Back): The 6-2, 190 senior caught eight passes for 234 yards and also recorded 21 pancake blocks for a Cardinal team that went 8-2 and reached the state playoff quarterfinals. "Gavin has great hands and route running ability," said coach Dusty Hourigan. "He was someone we ran behind that we knew we could trust blocking out on the edge."

Owen Quail, Deuel (Athlete): The 5-11, 180 senior rushed 108 times for 824 yards and 14 touchdowns this fall and also caught six passes for 181 yards and two more scores. He finished his career with 1,471 yards rushing and 21 total TDs. "Owen was a key piece of our offense this season," said Hourigan. "He is a fearless, tough and effective runner between the tackles. Many of his yards came after contact. He is a runner opposing teams had to to game plan for."

Aidan Brower, Sioux Valley (Offensive Line): The 6-3, 260 senior three-year starter led the offensive line for a Cossacks' team that went 5-4 and advanced to the state playoffs. He is heading to Dakota Wesleyan to play college football.

Boden Schiller, Sioux Valley (Special Teams Player): The 6-1, 190 senior had eight kickoff returns for 230 yards. "He was our best all-around player," said Sioux Valley head coach Dan Hughes. "He runs, blocks and catches and teams needed to now where he was at on each play."

CLASS 9AA

Luke Fraser, Hamlin (Running back): The 6-0, 184 junior earned honorable mention All-State honors as a defensive back as a junior and moved up after sparking Hamlin to a 9-2 season and a semifinal berth in the state playoffs. He rushed 175 times for 1,634 yards and 18 touchdowns and also caught 14 passes for 368 yards and six TDs. He's rushed for 2,713 yards and caught 42 passes for 944 yards in his career to along with 42 touchdowns. "Luke has tremendous potential as a football player and work hard to be the best he can be," said Hamlin head coach Jeff Sheehan. "He has grown into a leader and others will follow him."

Simon Vander Vorst, Hamlin (Offensive Lineman): The 6-0, 220 senior played guard and led an offensive line that helped the Chargers gain more than 4,000 yards on offense and score 435 points on the season. "Simon did what he was asked and played a big role for us," said Sheehan. "He was a great leader on this team and did a good job of keeping the team spirits high."

Mehki Keller, Florence-Henry (Athlete): The 5-11, 170 senior did a little of everything for a Falcons' team that went 4-5 and qualified for the playoffs. He passed for 51 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 389 yards and six TDs, caught 26 passes for 538 yards and seven TDs, returned nine kickoff for 225 yards and a TD and three punts for 81 yards and also returned a fumble and an interception to the end zone. He had 39 solo tackles, 26 assisted tackles and seven interceptions. "Mehki is a very explosive player and he is fun to watch on a football field," said Florence-Henry head coach Travis Schmidt. "If you played us, he was the guy defenses had to key on. When other teams were on offense, they also had to know where Mehki was lined up because he could make a play at any time."

RJ Perry, Great Plains Lutheran (Special Teams Player): The 6-0, 275 senior was a four-year starter who also handled kicking duties for the Panthers. "RJ has been a captain for three years and the anchor on the line since his freshman year," said head coach Aaron Schleusener.

Troy Randall Jr., Hamlin (Special Teams Player): The 5-10, 155 senior had 67 kickoff for 3,316 yards and eight touchbacks and made 38 of 46 extra-point kicks. He went 54-66 in PATs and added a field goal and 10 touchbacks in his career. "Troy did a very good job of kicking for us. He was very reliable," said Sheehan. "His ability to kick the ball deep made the opposing teams have to drive the ball further."

Ryan Krog, Elkton-Lake Benton (Defensive Back): The 6-2, 190 senior recorded 60 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss, and added a quarterback sack and three interceptions, returning one of them for an Elks' team that went 10-1 and reached the state semifinals. "Ryan was out safety and ball hawk all season long," said Elks head coach Ethan Pearson. "He filled downhill hard on every play and was always getting his nose into the action."

Carson Griffith, Elkton-Lake Benton (Tight End): The 6-4, 195 junior caught 22 passes from Krog for 395 yards and eight TDs. "Carson was our second leading receiver but also was a big part of our success in the run game," said Pearson. "We ran for 2,727 yards as a team and a lot of it was behind Carson."

CLASS 9A

Colin Bauman, Deubrook Area (Athlete): The 6-1, 190 senior returned from a season-ending knee injury suffered in the second game of 2021 to spark the Dolphins to a 4-5 season. He passed for 955 yards and seven touchdowns and also rushed for 556 yards and five TDs. "With Colin as a weapon, we were able to more than double our rushing yards and out points per game from 2,021," said Deubrook Area head coach Nathan Lamb. "Colin was a huge reason for this improvement and he will be deeply missed."

Booker Schooley, Castlewood (Linebacker): The 5-11, 175 senior made 60 tackles, including three quarterback sacks, for a Castlewood tram that went 7-3 and reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. He finished his career with 147 tackles, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries. "Booker was a force on defense and also did anything on offense we asked him to do," said Castlewood head coach Doug Ruesink. "The stats don't show the impact Booker has had on the Castlewood program the last four years. He never wanted off the field."

Carson Kirwan, Castlewood (Defensive Back): The 6-3, 185 senior earned repeat Class 9A All-State honors for the Warriors, despite missing the first three games due to ACL injury he suffered last winter. He suffered torn ACL in the quarterfinal playoff loss to Lyman, but still managed to record 22 solo tackles to go along with a fumble recovery and an interception. He had 131 tackles, four interceptions and five fumble recoveries in his career. "Carson was a do-it-all player for the Warriors during his career. He played RB, WR, DB and LB, also returned punts and kicks and event got a few passing opportunities," said Ruesink.

Quincy Thu, Castlewood (Special Teams Player): The 5-11, 185 junior returned punts and kickoff for a combined 657 yards and touchdowns. He finished with 1,020 all-purpose yards. "Quincy was a versatile player for us this year. He did a little bit of everything on offense, defense and special teams," said Ruesink.

Jon Nefzger, Estelline-Hendricks (Special Teams Player): The 6-3, 210 senior led the Redhawks to a 4-5 record and a state playoff berth. He averaged more than 40 yards per kick on kickoffs and punts and also converted 19 of 25 point-after kicks. "Jon is a hard worker and consistent kicker who has good distance," said Estelline-Hendricks head coach Tim Cass.

CLASS 9B

Damon Wilkinson, De Smet (Offensive Lineman): The 6-10, 275 senior repeated as an All-State (earning Class 9A honors last fall) honors by leading an offensive line that helped the Bulldogs rush for 1,620 yards and pass for 916 yards this fall. The Bulldogs went 7-4 and advanced to the state semifinals. "Damon was a great leader for us on and off the field," said De Smet head coach Brendon Pitts. "He was our main offensive lineman. If we needed a first down, we ran behind him."

Dylan Zell, De Smet (Athlete): The 5-10, 165 senior recorded 81 tackles, three quarterbacks sacks and four fumble recoveries this fall. "Dylan led our team in tackles and was the heart and soul of our defense," said Pitts.

Kadyn Fast, De Smet (Defensive Back): The 6-0, 160 junior earned honorable-mention All-State honors as a defense back in 2021 and made 9B honor squad this fall with 34 tackles and two fumble recoveries. "Kadyn was a big playmaker for us this season from multiple spots on the field," said Pitts. "He was often times tasked with shutting down the opposing team's biggest offensive threat and did a tremendous job with that."

HONORABLE MENTION

Area players who received honorable mention on the All-State teams this fall include Milbank senior Eli Johnson (18 receptions, 263 yards and two TDs), Class 11A; Deuel senior Ronnie Begalka (16 solo tackles, 41 assists including 12 for a loss, four quarterback sacks and eight hurries) and Clark-Willow Lake senior Trey Huber (275 yards rushing and 546 passing in six games), Class 11B; Britton-Hecla senior BoDell Davidson (1,066 yards rushing, 15 TDs, repeat honorable mention selection), Elkton-Lake Benton sophomore Tanner Stein (27 catches for 737 yards and 13 TDs), Hamlin sophomore Evan Stormo (four rushing TDs, 25 catches for 602 yards and seven TDs) and Hamlin junior Jameson Nebel (33 tackles, 16 for a loss), Class 9AA; Castlewood junior Lane Tvedt (1,342 yards passing and 20 TDs, 327 yards rushing and 12 TDs) and Deubrook Area junior Jake Jorenby (24 receptions for 390 yards and three TDs), Class 9A; and De Smet senior Noah Harrison (52 tackles, five quarterback sacks and an interception), Class 9B.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota Football Coaches honor players from all seven classes.