DES MOINES — The Iowa Newspaper Association announced its 2015 All-State Football selections Tuesday, naming honorary captains in classes A, 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A and 8-Man.
Perry defensive lineman Joe Olvera was selected for the Class 3A Third Team. The 6-2, 280-pound senior led the Bluejays with 52.5 tackles, including three for a loss. [This is the first time in my career that I am aware of a player from a win-less team earning an all-state honor — Sports Ed.]
Woodward-Granger’s Tanner Vermaas was named to the Class 1A Second Team as punter. Final statistics for Vermaas, a junior, were not available.
Other players from the Perry area named to the Class 3A teams included Greene County’s Noah Juergensen, a 6-4, 245-pound senior who joined Olvera on the third team defensive line. Ram defensive back Daric Whipple, a 5-10, 175-pound senior, was chosen for the second team at defensive back.
Area gridders earning Class 1A First Team honors were Ogden’s Austin Lentz (5-10, 185, sr.) and Madrid’s Michael Santi (6-0, 170, jr.), both of whom were chosen at running back, while Panorama’s Levi Leiferman (6-1, 155, jr.) was a choice at defensive back.
Panorama’s Gabe Richey (5-11, 185, sr.) was a second team running back pick, with Madrid’s Coy Kirkpatrick (6-5, 260, jr.) chosen for the second team defensive line.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Shaun Beyer was named Class 4A captain. As a receiver, rusher and punter for the Cougars, he led the team to the state championships for the first time in school history. He logged 816 receiving yards on 41 catches with 10 touchdowns. Beyer also rushed for 618 yards on 51 carries, including five TDs. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 45 yards and averaged more than 43 yards on 31 punts. Beyer was also a two-way player for Kennedy, tallying 38 solo tackles and 18 assists, including 10 ½ for loss and seven sacks. He returned an interception for an 88-yard touchdown in the state quarterfinal.
Noah Clayberg has been named captain of Class 3A. He led Pella in two back-to-back undefeated seasons and repeat state championship seats. During the championship game Clayberg ran for 188 yards, scored two TD’s and passed for121 yds. Clayberg has received several Division-1 offers to play football.
Logan Backhaus of Spirit Lake is the Class 2A team captain. In his only season as the Indians’ varsity quarterback, Backhaus led the team to a perfect season, finishing 14-0 with the Class 2A state title. In the championship game, Backhaus was responsible for 36 points, rushing for a team-high 145 yards and four touchdowns, completing 24 of 32 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns. His season-long statistics showed a remarkable consistency in his rushing and passing statistics, leading the Indians in both categories throughout the year.
Carson Lensing has been named captain of Class 1A. He was a two-way starter for the South Winneshiek Warriors playing tight end and defensive end. Lensing led the Warriors defense with seven sacks and 53 tackles. As a tight end he scored 13 touchdowns on 736 yards receiving. Lensing has verbally committed to continue his football career with the Iowa State Cyclones.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Colton Dinsdale was named captain of Class A. While Dinsdale’s statistics don’t stand out, his versatility and leadership did for the first-time state champion Rebels. The four-year starter led G-R from his middle linebacker position with 94.5 tackles this season, spearheading a Rebel defense that allowed just 10.2 points per game. Dinsdale was the team’s top receiver with 36 receptions, 579 yards and eight touchdowns, second-leading rusher and top kick and punt returner. His 93-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the state semifinals helped Gladbrook-Reinbeck avenge a regular-season loss to Denver and reach the title game for the second year in a row.
8-Man captain Ben Specht led the Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Eagles to a storybook finish, throwing a record seven touchdown passes and rushing for 140 yards and another TD in the Eagles’ 57-52 state championship game victory. It capped a 13-0 season in the final year of MMC football. An offseason switch moving Specht to quarterback ignited the Eagles’ offense in its undefeated championship season. For the season, Specht accounted for 3,428 total yards, 41 rushing touchdowns and 25 passing TDs. He rushed for just under 2,000 yards and passed for nearly 1,500 yards.
These six team captains will be in the running for the 6th annual Ed Thomas Mr. Football Award presented by the Iowa Newspaper Association. The award recognizes a high school football player who has demonstrated excellent performance on the football field and exemplary character in all aspects of life and will be presented in the spring.
For a complete list of the teams, the sportswriters voting and the coaches who helped with statistical information, click here: www.inanews.com.
