Eagles soar with all-conference honors

    All-Badger Small Conference Football                First Team Offense Pos. Name School Yr. TE/FB *Mason Richter Stoughton 12 WR *Chris Kiel MHB 12 WR Boden Frosch Sauk Prairie 12 WR Jay Johnson Stoughton 12 OL *Griffin Rousseau Stoughton 12 OL *Matthew Mahoney MHB 12 OL *Alex Matzke Edgewood 12 OL Jake Buckles Sauk Prairie 11 OL Graben Valcheff MHB 11 QB Drew Viney Stoughton 12 QB Brooks Hendrickson MHB 11 RB *Owen Preimesberger MHB 12 RB Max Kreuziger Portage 12 Kicker *Nick Keyser Sauk Prairie 12 * — Unanimous Offensive Player of the Year — Chris Kiel, Mount Horeb/Barneveld  Coach of the Year – Bret St. Arnauld, Mount Horeb/Barneveld Offensive Lineman of the Year — Griffin Rousseau, Stoughton          Second Team Offense Pos. Name School Yr. TE/FB Kade Kinney Sauk Prairie 12 WR LeShawn Brown Stoughton 12 WR Owen Aeschlimann MHB 12 WR Ben Morey Edgewood 10 OL Matthew Simonson Portage 11 OL Thomas Dwyer Lakeside Lutheran 12 OL Alex Baehr Lakeside Lutheran 12 OL Kaeson Salonek Stoughton 12 OL Brycen Quinn Portage 11 QB Landon Schultz Sauk Prairie 12 RB Logan Hedstrom Stoughton 11 RB Lawson Maier Sauk Prairie 12 RB Kaycee Guzman Lakeside Lutheran 12 Kicker Will Kelly Edgewood 11         Honorable Mention Offense Edgewood — Seth Myers, Jack McNearney, Hale Rikkers, Gannon Bagstad, Cade Patterson  Lakeside Lutheran — William Gibson MHB — Hayden Anderson, Ben Spitzbarth, Logan Schwoerer, Zach Maguire  Portage — Tristan Brunt, Elias Vera, Kane Chappell, David Nadolski  Stoughton — Parker Sellnow, Anthony Gutierrez   When the Badger Small Conference recently released its annual postseason honor squad, Sauk Prairie placed 13 players on the team, who earned a combined 16 accolades following a vote of conference coaches. Sauk Prairie finished with a 4-3 record in conference play (5-5 overall) and secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2019. Sauk Prairie lost to Mount Horeb/Barneveld 36-6 in a WI-AA Division 3 level one playoff game. The Eagles were well-represented on the all-conference team with six first-team, six second-team and four honorable mention selections. Leading the way were a trio of Eagles, who earned multiple honors.  Junior Jake Buckles was a first team selection as both an offensive and a defensive lineman. Senior Nick Keyser was a first team selection at placekicker and a second team pick at punter. Senior Lawson Maier was a second team honoree at running back and an honorable mention pick at linebacker. Topping the list was Buckles, a co-captain, who was a unanimous selection by the conference coaches after earning second-team honors on offense as a sophomore. “Jake has a mental drive and physical motor that is unmatched,” Sauk Prairie co-offensive coordinator Zach Rothmann said. “Picking and choosing moments to take him off the field were few and far between, but he was always up for the challenge.” Buckles, who earned honorable mention recognition on defense a year ago, moved up to the first team this season after finishing with 56 tackles, including 32 solos, 13 tackles for loss, two sacks and three forced fumbles. “Jake is a team captain who plays every play like it could be his last,” Sauk Prairie defensive coordinator Eric Krivanek said. “He sets the standard and does his best to hold everyone to it. He is a kid who makes coaching worth it due to his desire to play and get better every snap. One word to describe him is ‘effort.’ ” Keyser was one of the biggest surprises for the Eagles this season when he joined the football program after playing soccer for the past three seasons. In nine games, he was 27-of-29 on PAT’s and 7-of-10 on field goals. He also was a valuable weapon on the kickoff team, recording 17 touchbacks.  As a punter, he was equally effective, averaging 36.9 yards on 24 punts and had six kicks downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Keyser also saw time at wide receiver, finishing with 12 catches for 259 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass in the Eagles’ playoff loss to Mount Horeb/Barneveld. “Nick was a first-year football player taking on the kicking role as kicker and punter. He quickly excelled in both punting and kicking and added another dimension to our team with the field goal and touchback reliability,” Eagles’ special teams’ coach Matt Chrisler said. “Nick is an outstanding athlete that added a ton of value to the team.” Rounding out the trio of Sauk Prairie players who earned multiple all-league honors was Maier, who emerged as the Eagles’ starter at running back after focusing only on defense a year ago. Maier finished with 653 yards in 141 carries (4.6 average) and six touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 167 yards (8.4 average) and one touchdown.  “Lawson was a two-way athlete playing critical positions on both sides of the ball,” Zachman said. “He played a huge role in the success of the team. He had a downhill, rugged attitude as a running back and linebacker and did not fear contact whatsoever.” Maier earned all-league honorable mention honors for the second year in a row as an inside linebacker.  He recorded 60 tackles, including 33 solos, with three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. “Lawson is a player who gives you everything he has on every play,” Krivanek said. “A smart player who reads holes well on both sides of the ball, he plays big in big moments. He’s a player who his teammates rally around due to the sheer effort he brings every single play. He was a true joy to coach.” Sauk Prairie placed three additional players on the all-league first team in senior wide receiver Boden Frosch, junior inside linebacker Bryan Breunig and senior defensive back Trent Backeberg. Frosch, a co-captain, earned all-conference honors for the third year in a row. He was a second-team selection as a sophomore and a unanimous first-team pick as a junior. In eight games, Frosch finished with 41 catches for 426 yards, a 10.4 average, and three touchdowns. “Boden fought through a nagging knee injury sustained early in the year,” Rothmann said. “Even in weeks where we had a reduced workload due to injury, Boden found ways to make the most of his reps on the field and maintained an important leadership role on the sideline.” In his first year as a starter, Breunig emerged as one of the league’s elite linebackers, earning unanimous first-team recognition. Breunig led the Eagles with 104 tackles, including a team-best 62 solos, with seven tackles for loss, five sacks, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. “Bryan is an ‘actions speak louder than words’ kind of player,” Krivanek said. “The team’s leading tackler, who has a nose for the ball, he was a team first kid who his teammates rallied around. He always seems to come up with a big play on defense when one is needed.” Rounding out Sauk Prairie’s first-team selections was Backeberg, who was a unanimous selection. An honorable mention selection a year ago, Backeberg helped anchor the Eagles’ secondary with 45 tackles, including 25 solos, with three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He also had two pass deflections. “Trent is one of the hardest hitters on the team.” Krivanek. “He has a keen knack for the ball from wherever he is aligned. He can play multiple positions on defense. He is a big play waiting to happen when the ball is in the air.” Sauk Prairie placed six players on the all-league second team. In addition to Maier and Keyser, senior tight end Kade Kinney, senior quarterback Landon Schultz, junior defensive end/edge Riley Jadack and junior defensive back Wyatt Gibbs were accorded second-team honors. Jadack was a repeat second teamer after he finished with 61 tackles, including 33 solos, with a team-best 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one forced fumble. “Riley is a blue-collar player who plays on pure emotion,” Krivanek said. “He is a no-nonsense kid who plays at a high level and expects his team mates to do the same.  “He is very assignment sound, allowing him to frequently be around the ball on defense. He seems to live in opponents’ back field on defense.” Gibbs moved from tailback to defense early in the season and found a home in the Sauk Prairie secondary.  He recorded 26 tackles, including 18 solos, with two tackles for loss in eight games. He also led the team with seven pass deflections. “Gibbs was a shut-down corner for the team this year,” Krivanek said. “He was often times given the assignment of the opposing team’s best wide receiver.  “As the year progressed his tackling ability really started to shine through. His ability in man and zone coverages made teams hesitant to throw in his direction.” After earning honorable mention recognition a year ago, Schultz moved up to the all-conference second team this season. Despite missing one game and part of another due to injury, Schultz passed for more than 1,000 yards for the second year in a row. He completed 113-of-202 passes for 1,080 yards (56%) and 11 touchdowns in eight games. He also rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Schultz, a co-captain, finished his two-year career as a starter with 2,720 yards passing and 29 touchdowns.  “Landon played the game with passion and didn’t shy away from the big moments,” Rothmann said. “He leveraged long-term chemistry with (Kade) Kinney and (Boden) Frosch, while also getting some first-year wide receivers into the fold. He truly embraced the role of a ‘field general’ this season.” Kinney shined as a receiver and blocker at tight end. He caught 33 passes for 309 yards, a 9.4 average, and three touchdowns. “Kade established a great chemistry with Landon last year, and it was great seeing that develop even further this year,” Rothmann said. “As a senior, Kade not only put up the numbers in the receiving categories, but also played a crucial role in the run game as a blocker.” Joining Maier on the honorable mention list was the trio of senior defensive end/edge Mason Betley, junior defensive back Cayden Hermsdorf and freshman defensive lineman Jameson Lewellin. Betley was a repeat honorable mention selection after recording 35 tackles, including 18 solos, with seven tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery in eight games. An emotional leader on and off the field for the Eagles, Betley was a two-year starter. “Mason is a player who just loves to compete,” Krivanek said. “He was a team captain who is the type of kid every coach would love to have. He will play wherever is needed from week to week. “He was definitely a team-first kid who does his best to rally his teammates around him. You can see his love for the game in his effort on the field.” Hermsdorf is a repeat honorable mention selection, finishing with 31 tackles, including 16 solos, with a tackle for loss and an interception along with four pass deflections. “Cayden is the eyes and ears of the defense,” Krivanek said. “Often communicating the coverages to his teammates, he is a very instinctive player who plays sideline-to-sideline. “He is the type of kid who you would trust to play anywhere on the field and expect positive results. He is often times the last line of defense on plays and thrives in big game situations.” Rounding out the list of honorees is Lewellin, who emerged as a starter from day one and made an immediate impact. He recorded 32 tackles, including 16 solos, with five tackles for loss. “Jameson is just a freshman starting on the defensive line,” Krivanek said. “A kid who is just scratching the surface of what he will be. He dedicates his time and energy to getting better each game. “He is a ‘yes sir no sir’ kid who combined with (Jake) Buckles, (Riley) Jadack, and (Mason) Betley to form one of the better defensive lines in the conference.”     All-Badger Small Conference Football                First Team Defense Pos. Name School Yr. DL *Talon Stoenner MHB 12 DL *Jackson Kitzmiller Edgewood 12 DL *Jake Buckles Sauk Prairie 11 Edge *Mason Richter Stoughton 12 Edge Harrison Walker MHB 11 IL *Zach Maguire MHB 12 IL *Bryan Breunig Sauk Prairie 11 IL *Seth Myers Edgewood 12 IL Jack Wilson MHB 11 DB *Chris Kiel MHB 12 DB *Tyrus Hastings MHB 12 DB Casey Quam Stoughton 12 DB *Trent Backeberg Sauk Prairie 12 Punter *Zach Maguire MHB 12 * — Unanimous Defensive Lineman of the Year – Talon Stoenner, Mount Horeb/Barneveld Defensive Player of the Year — Zach Maguire, Mount Horeb/Barneveld         Second Team Defense Pos. Name School Yr. DL Alex Baehr Lakeside Lutheran 12 DL Anthony Gutierrez Stoughton 12 DL Matthew Simonson Portage 11 Edge Riley Jadack Sauk Prairie 11 Edge Hayden Meier Edgewood 12 IL Kaeson Salonek Stoughton 12 IL Jonathon Schmidt Lakeside Lutheran 12 IL Max Kreuziger Portage 12 IL Gatlin Empey Stoughton 11 IL Eli Maier MHB 10 DB Ben Krauklis Lakeside Lutheran 12 DB Rylan Port Edgewood 10 DB Wyatt Gibbs Sauk Prairie 11 DB Owen Aeschlimann MHB 12 Punter Nick Keyser Sauk Prairie 12         Honorable Mention Defense Edgewood — Alex Matzke, Aydon Fickell, AJ Charles, Jack Halloran, Daniel Lee Lakeside Lutheran — Phil Becraft MHB — Parker Nihles, Ryan Skogen, Andy Jones Portage — Aidan Warfield, Alex Hartwig, Elias Vera, David Nadolski, Donovan Navone  Sauk Prairie — Mason Betley, Lawson Maier, Cayden Hermsdorf, Jameson Lewellin Stoughton — Carter Sullivan, LeShawn Brown