The Logan County area was well represented on the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association all-Southwest District squads with eight first-team selections.
The all-Southwest district teams were released Thursday afternoon. They were selected through a process that includes coaches’ nominations and media input.
West Liberty-Salem, which will play in the regional final Saturday, saw senior Kyle Wolfe earn the Division V defensive player of the year honor as well as a first-team selection.
The Tigers also had senior offensive lineman Eli on the Division V first team.
Indian Lake placed senior defensive lineman Nathan Reichert and junior linebacker Lane Mefford on the Division V first team.
Bellefontaine senior offensive lineman Ryan Pool was selected to the Division III first team, Triad senior wide receiver Logan McCoy was named to the Division VI first team and Riverside junior quarterback Kale Long and junior offensive lineman Ethan Burrows were first-team picks in Division VII.
Wolfe, a 6-2, 265-pounder, tied for second on the Tigers in tackles with 60, including 27 solo stops. He also recorded three sacks and forced a fumble.
The 6-4, 230-pound McGill has helped pave the way up front for a WL-Salem offense that has generated 1,723 rushing yards.
Reichert capped a stellar career at Indian Lake with 73 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Reichert’s defensive teammate Mefford also enjoyed a standout campaign. Mefford led the team with 86 tackles. He had 27 solo tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Bellefontaine’s Pool repeated as a first-team all-district selection. The 6-4, 265-pound senior opened holes for a Chieftain running attack that piled up 1,868 yards on the ground this fall.
McCoy provided a bright spot for the Cardinals this season. He led the Ohio Heritage Conference in receiving yards with 757 on 43 catches. He recorded seven touchdown grabs.
Riverside’s Long made a big impact both running and throwing the ball this season. He threw for 1,059 yards and nine touchdowns and ran for 1,455 yards and 17 touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in school history to throw for 1,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Burrows was a major contributor on both sides of the ball for the Pirates. As an offensive lineman, he helped Riverside crank out 2,100 rushing yards.
In addition to the eight first-team all-district honorees, there were numerous local players that received second-team and honorable-mention accolades.
Bellefontaine senior running back Garrett Gross was a second-team selection and BHS senior defensive lineman Jacob Kidwell was an honorable mention pick in Division III.
For the Division IV squad, Benjamin Logan junior linemen Gabe Hemmelgarn and Aiden Neeley were selected to the honorable mention list.
In Division V, second-team honors went to WL-S senior running back Holden Nease, WL-S senior quarterback Trevor Woodruff, WL-S senior defensive lineman Isaac Lee, WL-S junior linebacker Isaiah McGill, WL-S junior defensive back Nick Burden and Indian Lake senior quarterback Clay Jacobs.
Indian Lake’s Austin Parker was an honorable mention pick for the Division V squad.