By Pat Garry, Staff Writer
The annual Mid-State District 17 awards night recently convened and Kimball football players received many nice accolades. Coaches vote on the position players of the year, and first team/second team honors are decided based upon standings in the district. To no one’s surprise, Tucker Schultz repeated as Quarterback of the Year, which is an incredible accomplishment as a junior. “Tucker was head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterbacks in our area; not only on the stat sheet, but also in his elite leadership ability. He was the best player in the district; the one kid who could put a team on his back and handle that type of pressure,” lauded Coach John Benson. Thomas Pearson won defensive back of the year, and arguably, should have won receiver of the year also. His receiving statistics nearly doubled the closest competitor, and he shattered every Kimball receiving record. All-District first team honors: Michael Donnay, LB; Casey Gohmann, OT; Noah Jurek, FS; Jimmy Wicker, DT. Michael Donnay is a senior linebacker and guard. “He is a great leader and an awesome young man. Michael is a calm, cool, collected athlete and an absolute joy to coach. He was the heart and soul of our vastly improved defense this year,” Coach Benson said. Casey Gohmann is a senior left tackle who started four years for Kimball. “He is a 4.0 student and is everything and more a coach could ever hope for from a student athlete. Protecting Tucker’s blindside was the most important and difficult responsibility in our league, given how much we throw. We couldn’t have had anyone better than Casey Gohmann doing that,” explained Coach Benson. Noah Jurek is a senior receiver and safety who immediately emerged as a star in his first year. “He is a wonderful athlete; tough and extremely coachable. I hope Noah opened other basketball only athletes’ eyes to the opportunity they have to be successful on the football field as well,” commented Benson. Jimmy Wicker is a junior who plays center and defensive tackle. “Jimmy was a dominant force in our league every single game. He is highly physical, he always portrays the highest effort, and he is very coachable. Jimmy improved substantially from last year, and he elevated both our offensive and defensive fronts,” Coach Benson added. Honorable Mention. (Second Team): Jimmy Benson, junior, running back and defensive end; Jeremy Zabinski, junior, running back and linebacker; Adam Frilstad, junior, guard and defensive tackle.
