Iola High’s wildly successful foray into the Pioneer League has brought postseason honors to 10 Mustang football players.
Senior offensive lineman Eli Grover was joined by junior offensive lineman Derek Weir and wide receiver Adam Kauth on the first team offense.
Meanwhile, junior Bryce Misenhelter, manning the defensive line, earned first team recognition on defense.
Junior John Whitworth earned second team honors on both offense and defense as the Mustangs’ starting running back and linebacker. Senior Stephen McDonald, defensive line, sophomore Kaden Macha, linebacker, and junior Jacob Rhoads, defensive back, joined Whitworth on the defensive second team.
Senior quarterback and punter Mason Coons earned honorable mention for both positions. Also earning honorable mention were Rhoads as running back and senior wide receiver Jacob Harrison.
THE MUSTANGS swept past all five of their Pioneer League opponents en route to a 6-3 record overall. Iola finished one game out of the postseason playoffs.
Much of the credit for the league championship goes to the work of the interior linemen. On offense, Grover, 6-feet and 250 pounds, and Weir, 5-10, 210, were mainstays for a line that paved the way for an average of 26 points and 250 rushing yards a game. Iola averaged 361 yards of total offense for the season.
Kauth was Iola’s leading receiver, pulling in 21 receptions for 360 yards, more than 17 yards a catch, with two touchdowns. On defense, the 6-foot, 140-pound Kauth had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, 39 tackles, including 28 solo stops, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
On defense, Misenhelter, 6-2, 180, led the Mustangs with 7 1/2 sacks, nine tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries. He also tied for sixth on the team with 51 tackles, 35 of which were unassisted.
McDonald, 6-2, 205, led Iola with seven forced fumbles, 51 tackles — six for losses — a sack and two fumble recoveries.
Macha, 6-foot, 180, was second on Iola with 68 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles. He also scored a defensive touchdown.
Whitworth, 5-10, 175, led the Iola rushing attack with 959 yards, an average of 7.6 yards per carry, and eight touchdowns. On defense, Whitworth had 61 tackles — good for third on the team — with five tackles for losses, two forced fumbles and a sack.
Rhoads, 5-7, 145, led the Mustang defense with 72 tackles. His two interceptions tied him with Kauth for the team lead. He also forced a fumble, recovered another and had two tackles for loss. On offense, he piled up more than 650 yards from scrimmage on offense, 487 yards on the ground and 153 receiving yards on 15 catches. He had two touchdowns.
Scoring eight touchdowns for the Mustangs on the ground, and throwing for three more, was the 6-2, 190-pound Coons. Coons completed 73 of 138 passes for 1,005 yards, while rushing for 150 more.
Harrison, 6-3, 180, was Iola’s second leading receiver with 231 yards, coming on 12 catches, an average of 19 yards per reception, and a touchdown.
All Pioneer League
First Team
Offense
QB — Shey Spears, Jr., PV
QB — Austin Chisam, Sr., O
RB — Blake Barnes, So., PV
RB — Shane Hillman, Sr., W
WR — Adam Kauth, Jr., I
WR — Jr. Carter Mann, W
OL — Eli Grover, Sr., I
OL — Derek Weir, Jr., I
OL — Matt Kellerman, Sr., PV
OL — David Ball, Sr., AC
OL — Cameron Lyon, Sr., W
TE — Willie Jackson, W
ST — Sheldon Booe, O
Defense
DL — Bryce Misenhelter, Jr., I
DL — Matt Kellerman, Sr., PV
DL — Richard Alonzo, Sr., O
DL — Willie Jackson, Sr., W
DL — Eric Tastove, Sr., AC
LB — Will Holland, Sr., PV
LB — Kenneth Hopkins, Sr., W
LB — Weston Gilbreth, Sr., PV
LB — Matt Lofing, Sr., O
DB — Shane Hillman, Sr., W
DB — Drew Beckwith, Sr., CH
DB — Austin Chisam, Sr., O
P — Carter Mann, Jr., W
Second Team
Offense
RB — John Whitworth, Jr., I
RB — Weston Gilbreth, Sr., AC
RB — Matt Lofing, Sr., O
WR — Jordan Horstick, Jr., CH
WR — D.J. Hollman, Sr., O
OL — Preston Roedell, Sr., PV
OL — Eric Tastove, Sr., AC
OL — Ben Dorsett, Jr., O
OL — Tanner Foulk, Jr., O
OL — Dakota Snow, Sr., CH
Defense
DL — Stephen McDonald, Sr., I
DL — Cameron Lyon, Sr., W
DL — Dakota Snow, Sr., CH
LB — Kaden Macha, So., I
LB — John Whitworth, Jr., I
LB — Cordell Dunlop, So., PV
LB — Jake Bradley, Sr., PV
LB — Luke Meyer, Jr., W
DB — Jacob Rhoads, Jr., I
DB — Levi Clark, Jr., PV
DB — Lucas Miller, Sr., PV
P — Jake Bradley, Sr., PV
