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WILLIAM FEIST

Southeast of Saline

Southeast of Saline was a senior-dominated team in nearly every area this season -- except its offensive line. Because of that, the Trojan coaching staff needed a leader to step forward and take charge of that unit. They found him in Feist.

Feist was recognized for his work on both sides of the line, earning first-team all-North Central Activities Association honors for his play on offense, and selected for second-team honors by league coaches for his defensive play.

"He maximizes his abilities by working hard at everything he does," Southeast coach Mitch Gebhardt said. "If you ask him to do three sets of eight in the weightroom, he will probably do four sets of eight and so will everybody around him.

"On the field he was our leader on the offensive line. He made sure people were doing what they were supposed to be doing in practice and in games. On defense we switched his position from defensive tackle to defensive end and he did an outstanding job at both positions. He was willing to do whatever it took to make the team better."

ALEX FURST

Salina Central

At 5-foot-10 and 206 pounds, Furst was not the biggest offensive lineman Central has put on the field in recent years. Few, however, have played with more heart.

A two-year starter and three-time letterwinner, Furst was a repeat selection on the all-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League first team following his senior season, and also received all-state recognition for his play at guard.

"He was our pulling guard and undersized at his position," said Central head coach Mike Hall. "But one of our other coaches nicknamed him 'Sniper' and it really seemed to fit. He'd seek out his target and he rarely missed.

"He was a hard-nosed, intelligent kid and played with a lot of heart. He played his last three games on a pulled hamstring. He is one of the best offensive linemen I've coached in my years at Central. He was an intelligent player and understood leverage, because he knew where he had to hit guys that were bigger than him."

NATHAN GARLOW

Salina Central

Garlow received some postseason attention as a sophomore when he was named honorable mention all-AVCTL at linebacker in 2010. His play this season was even more widely recognized, earning first team all-league and Class 5A all-state honors after stepping up his play for the Mustang defense.

No Central player graded out higher on the team's defensive point system, where Garlow had a team-high 78 solo tackles and another 44 assisted. He also finished with eight tackles for a loss, four batted balls and three fumbles recovered.

"Nobody plays harder than Nathan," Hall said. "He gives 100 percent 100 percent of the time.

"Nathan is a very intelligent kid and very coachable. If he ever made a mistake on the field, you could count on him never making it again. The big thing with him is his effort allows him to become better with every snap because he plays every snap like it is his last.

"He really developed into a great player this past year and we're looking for great things out of him in the future."

CHRISTIAN LINENBERGER

Salina South

After Linenberger was named the team's offensive most valuable player following his junior season, he followed it up with an equally impressive senior season.

Linenberger earned first team all-AVCTL honors at quarterback after leading South in rushing yards (1,202) and touchdowns (13) this season. Although South was a run-first offense, Linenberger still threw for 828 yards.

During his two seasons as the Cougar starter, Linenberger topped 2,000 yards on the ground and was just shy of 1,700 yards passing. He was again named the team's offensive MVP this season.

"Christian was a big athlete and a big playmaker for us," South coach Sam Sellers said. "He put us on his back at times and had some unbelievable performances over the last two years. We did a lot of game plans where we knew Christian would have to be our guy, and when Christian was on, he was really, really on.

"He's a tough kid and what makes him such a dynamic player is he combined the speed he had with a physical style of running. He was one of those kids that was at his best when things broke down. When he could create, he could really make some things happen. That's a great asset from a guy that was going to touch the ball every single play."

BROCK LONG

Southeast of Saline

The only repeat selection on this year's all-county squad, Long followed up a solid junior year with an equally impressive senior season.

His contributions on both sides of the ball could not be overlooked. As a running back Long had a team-high 1,145 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns, while averaging 7.5 yards a carry. He also led Southeast in total tackles -- 32 solo, 46 assisted -- from his linebacker position, and finished with a team-best 9 1/2 sacks.

Long was named first team all-league on both offense and defense.

"As a football player, Brock would be good at any position on the field," Gebhardt said. "Every down he goes as hard as he can.

"Defensively he had a knack for being wherever the ball was and he was very explosive. He could be at full hitting power in one step. Offensively, with all the carries he had, I never remember him having a negative run. That's big for a coach, knowing you are going to get positive yards every time.

"He's been a great leader for us the last two years. He worked hard and football was awfully important to him. He will be tough to replace on both sides of the ball."

BRAD MIKINSKI

Sacred Heart

Mikinski was already a two-year starter at Sacred Heart before Bruce Graber was named the school's head football coach prior to the 2010 season. It didn't take long for Graber to understand why.

Mikinski earned all-league recognition as both an offensive and defensive lineman this season. It was his fourth year starting on the offensive line, his third year on defense.

"Brad is the kind of kid that you don't have to be around very long to know the quality of kid you are dealing with," Graber said. "It took about one day in the weight room to realize his leadership ability. We counted heavily on Brad for a lot of things, but especially for his leadership this year.

"In my 38 years of coaching, he is about as good a leader as I've ever had. He is one of those kids that takes charge and tries to make his teammates better. He is a verbal leader and a leader by example, and those are tough to come up with these days."

"When I started looking at tape to send to the Naval Academy, where Brad would like to go, I realized he played his best against the best teams we played. When you find a kid playing at that level against the toughest teams, you've got a keeper on your hands."

BRADY MUNSCH

Salina South

South coach Sam Sellers will tell you in all honesty that he didn't see a particularly bright future for Munsch back in 2009. "He was a typical sophomore, just OK and we thought if he worked hard, he might see the field his last two years."

A strong work ethic enabled Munsch to do more than that. He was a starter at linebacker his junior year and got some snaps on offense at fullback. This season he not only led the Cougars in tackles -- 34 solo. 72 assisted -- but was named the team's defensive most valuable player and South's most inspirational player.

"Brady is a throwback football player," Sellers said. "The kind you see on NFL films from back in the 1960s, where they cut to the sideline shot and the guy has a broken nose and is bleeding everywhere, but he's ready to get back in. That's Brady.

"He had to work for everything he got. He plays the game as hard as he can every play. He has the demeanor where he wants to make sure people feel him when he makes contact with them.

"Being named most inspirational player and the team's defensive MVP, that just sums up Brady. He was a great leader for us."

DARIUS PETERSON

Salina South

A three-year starter at Salina South, Peterson saved his best season for his last. Coach Sellers predicted before the season started that his 6-foot-6, 261-pound offensive tackle could be a difference maker -- a label typically reserved for skill position players -- and he was right.

Peterson earned first team all-AVCTL honors on the offensive line and was selected first team Class 5A all-state by one Kansas publication after paving the way for a Cougar offense that averaged 298 yards rushing a game.

"Darius has always been an incredibly physically gifted athlete" Sellers said. "He is a big kid and a great athlete, but I think he would be the first to tell you that the past two years, maybe he didn't play up to the physical abilities he had. I don't know what happened, but toward the end of the summer, the light switch flipped on and he became a dominant, dominant football player.

"He became a physical, aggressive player. He was a kid that his goal was to get at least one defender on the ground every play and he reached that goal a lot. He was such an athlete that when he's out pulling and he gets on one of those little guys, he arrives with a nasty demeanor."

NATHAN PETERSON

Southeast of Saline

Peterson was a dual-threat quarterback for the Trojans, throwing for 1,361 yards and 19 touchdowns, while rushing for another 1,092 yards and 12 scores. Those numbers helped him earn first team all-NCAA honors at that position.

But Peterson also earned second team all-league for his play at defensive back, where his numbers included 23 solo tackles and 20 assisted.

"Even though his stats were outstanding, Nathan was the kind of kid that never worried about his stats," Gebhardt said. "He was a very unselfish football player. He is a great student and a great athlete that made everyone around him better.

"He was a leader in every facet, whether it was in the classroom, in the weightroom, on the practice field or in a game. I never heard him say a negative word about anybody. He was someone that the kids could look to and know good things were going to happen."

KADE TRUE

Salina Central

The Mustangs had three linebackers earn all-league recognition this season and all three were juniors, including Garlow and True. While Garlow was the team's leader in tackles, True was close behind. He had 77 solo tackles in nine games and 29 assisted. Thirteen of those tackles went for a loss of yardage and True recovered three fumbles.

"Like Nathan and Alex, Kade is a player you would be proud to say represents your team," Hall said. "I think he was one of the better linebackers in the league and right there with Nathan.

"He is an intelligent player and leads the middle of our defense. His strength helps him in shedding blocks and when he reads and comes downhill, he ends the play at the point of attack.

"With his size and his improvement this year, he's got a lot of potential and we're looking for a lot from him next year."

KALEB WHITEHAIR

Ell-Saline

A year after Whitehair ranked among the top players in the state in receiving yards and catches, the Ell-Saline coaching staff wanted to find ways to get the ball into the hands of the junior receiver again this season.

Whitehair's receiving numbers were down some after the Cardinals focused more on the running game this season, but he still managed to haul in 36 passes for 554 yards, averaging 15.4 yards a catch.

Those numbers earned him first team all-Heart of America League honors. But he also finished as the Cardinals second leading rusher, carrying 39 times for 321 yards, and was a starter in the Cardinals defensive secondary.

"As a receiver he is big and tall and can get up and over the top of people," said Ell-Saline coach Terry King, who saw opponents consistently use double coverage on his 6-foot-3 receiver. "He's got decent speed and is one of the faster kids on the team. But without a doubt his strength is running the deep route and when the ball is in the air, going up and getting it."

MITCH GEBHARDT

Southeast of Saline

When his Southeast of Saline football team won its first three games this season, head Mitch Gebhardt knew better than to get too excited. He had seen this before.

The Trojans opened the 2010 season, Gebhardt's first as Southeast coach, with three consecutive wins, but followed with six losses in a row to end the season. With many of the same players returning to the Southeast lineup, the Trojans were able to maintain their level of success for much of the 2011 season.

A year after going 3-6, the Trojans went 8-1 in the regular season and qualified for the Class 3A playoffs. Southeast finished runner-up in the North Central Activities Association behind Beloit, and went 3-0 in district play against the same three teams they went 0-3 against a year earlier. Southeast's only losses came against Beloit, a Class 3A quarterfinal team, and Garden Plain, a 3A semifinalist.

"We won those first three games last year and we were close in nearly every game after that," Gebhardt said. "But the kids really bought into what were were doing on the practice field or in games.

"We felt like we had a good group of kids coming back. After we went to a couple of camps during the summer, we realized this could be a fun season.

"This team never got rattled and played at a high level, whether we were up by a lot or down. As a coaching staff we knew they were going to play hard. I think that's a tribute to a great group of kids and the coaches that I work with. That coaching staff always made my job a lot easier."

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