Defensive player of year award goes to South senior McKenzie

NORTH’S QUARTERBACK (2) gets a helping hand from South – and the referee – in mid-April. – Photo by Lisa Reed

North’s football team finished the alternative fall season with a 3-4 record after winning a total of just three games the previous six years.

It’s the most wins for the Golden Raiders since also having three in 2010, and they beat South for the second straight year.

“It was certainly an interesting year given everything, but we were excited to play in the spring and put together a pretty good team,” coach Joe O’Brien said. “We had a pretty young team as far as guys on the field but we played really well in two games, actually.”

Green Bay West had to forfeit the game on April 9, and the following week North defeated the Redwings, 33-21, thanks to three touchdowns passes from Max Tutas.

Seven players made the all-Fox Valley Classic Conference first team (Division D), including sophomore Mason Debbink (offensive lineman), junior Trenton Tagel (offensive lineman), senior Evan Spaulding, senior Karter Bell (running back), junior Brendan Simon (defensive end), junior Brandon Shoen (defensive back) and sophomore Jacob Fox (kicker).

Second-team players are sophomore Matthew Vanderwege (offensive and defensive lineman), senior Kevin Zarate (tight end), senior running back Willie Robinson (running back), Tutas (quarterback), sophomore Jonah Weinfurter (defensive lineman), Tagel (defensive end), senior Kade Allen (inside linebacker), sophomore Tommy Basler (inside linebacker) and Fox (punter).

“I pay a lot of credit to the successes that we did have this season to the hard work that the guys put in during the long offseason,” O’Brien said. “It would have been easy to take that time off, and our guys worked and worked hard.”

HONOR FOR McKENZIE

South senior Connor McKenzie was tabbed the defensive player of the year in the FVCC Division D.

The inside linebacker was joined on the first team with fellow senior Redwings Laine Thompson (lineman), Aden Katz (outside linebacker), Karter Bell (outside linebacker) and Porter Yang (back).

McKenzie was also on the first team as a tight end and was joined by seniors Connor Dilbeck (lineman), Katz (lineman) and Dylan Foth (running back).

Second team players include sophomore Ahren Hall (offensive lineman), Yang (receiver), senior Joseph Yang (inside linebacker), junior Austin Stelter (outside linebacker), Foth (defensive back), senior Alex Paltzer (defensive back) and senior Halle Boldt (kicker).