Nine Vanguards named all-Great 8

Wisconsin Heights’ football team stunned many people this fall by posting an impressive 7-2 record. After so much success, it was far less shocking to see several Vanguards rewarded with postseason awards. Heights senior Jack Fields was named first-team all-Great 8 Conference as both a wide receiver and a defensive back. Senior quarterback Ozur Kepler and junior offensive lineman Dakota Lueck were also named first-team all-conference. Senior wide receiver Ace Ayers, sophomore linebacker Hudson Smith and sophomore defensive lineman Jaeger Schoenemann were named second-team all-league. Junior Connor Herrling was named honorable-mention all-conference as both an offensive and defensive lineman. Senior running back Willy Hanson was named honorable-mention at both running back and linebacker, and punter Hunter Walz received honorable-mention honors as a specialist. Fields had a sensational season on both sides of the ball. He caught 43 passes for 1,092 yards and 15 touchdowns, and also had 42 tackles and three interceptions on the defensive side. “I really considered him to be the pulse of the team,” Vanguards coach Trevor Steiner said of Fields. “A guy that was business every day. His daily attitude was to do what we do how we do it. He never backed down to anyone at any time this season. A real rock for the team.” Kepler had a terrific season himself, completing 58.1% of his passes for 2,514 yards, 36 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Kepler also ran for 255 yards and five touchdowns. “Incredible young man that I think shocked everyone with his level of play this year,” Steiner said of Kepler. “I loved his toughness and competitiveness.” Lueck was the anchor of an offensive line for a team that averaged a whopping 49.6 points per game. “He really springboarded this season,” Steiner said of Lueck. “He took numerous steps in improvement from snap consistency to becoming a top-notch blocker.” Ayers hauled in 43 passes for 794 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. “He’s one of the most athletic people on our team,” Steiner said of Ayers. “He was a threat to score from any position we put him at any time.” Smith had a huge sophomore season, posting a team-high 63 tackles, one sack and one interception. “Tough kid, and really took some huge steps this season,” Steiner said of Smith. “You would not know how quiet and shy he is by his play.” Schoenemann, another standout sophomore, had a team-best 10.0 sacks and added 41 tackles. “Teams had to account for Jaeger on every play,” Steiner said of Schoenemann. “He is developing into a monster as a defensive end.” Hanson ran for a team-high 1,131 yards and added 12 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Hanson had 47 tackles and 8.0 sacks. “We were so lucky to have Willy join football this season,” Steiner said. “He was such a solidifying factor on both defense and offense. It took him a couple games to get going on offense, but once he had a feel, boy did he take off!” Herrling had 31.0 tackles and 1.5 sacks on defense, and was also a standout offensive lineman. “Another rock for the team,” Steiner said of Herrling. “Playing both sides as much as he was asked to is so difficult, yet he did it and did both really well.” Walz averaged 37.2 yards per punt and knocked nine of his 20 punts inside the 20-yard line. “Our punt scheme is quite different from a traditional punt, and Hunter did a super job with it,” Steiner said. “We were able to flip the field during a game or pin the opponent close to their goal line every game due to his understanding of the scheme and his skill.”