Fairbanks’ Cotter named coach of year
Patrick Cotter, who guided Fairbanks to its first playoff appearance since 2007, was selected the Division VI coach of the year on the Ohio Prep Sportswriters AllOhio football team.
Fairbanks went just 4-36 between 2013 and 2016, but Cotter — who arrived at the school in 2015 — helped the Panthers improve from 5-5 to 8-2 this season and a playoff spot.
Area players named to the first-team offense by a state panel of district media were East Knox quarterback Kadden Lester, running backs Conor Becker of Northmor and Danyal Minton of Elgin, receiver Caleb Gallwitz of East Knox and offensive linemen Santana Galvin of Elgin and D’Marcus Hudson of Northmor.
Lester passed for 2,378 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season. Becker rushed for 1,931 yards and 33 touchdowns. Minton ran for 1,754 yards with 24 TDs and 13 two-point conversions. Gallwitz made 44 receptions for 973 yards and nine TDs. Galvin and Hudson anchored lines for teams that produced prolific rushing games.
Chosen to the first-team defense were lineman Hudson Jump of Grandview and linebacker Charlie Scheiderer of Fairbanks.
Jump made 109 tackles, nine for loss, with six sacks and two blocked field goals. Scheiderer racked up 134 tackles, 34 for loss, with three sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.
The offensive player of the year was running back Blaine Swartzmiller of Attica East, who rushed for 2,067 yards and 25 TDs. Lineman Sam Huelsman of state finalist Maria Stein Marion Local won the defensive honor.
Four area players earned first-team honors in Division VII: running back Dequan Owens-Johnson of Harvest Prep, offensive lineman Aidan Coughlin of Fisher Catholic, linebacker Chaz Dickerson of Berne Union and defensive back Brett Baker of Grove City Christian.
Owens-Johnson ran for 1,027 yards on 114 carries with 12 TDs for a 10-0 team that averaged 346 yards per game on the ground. Coughlin totaled 30 pancake blocks.
Dickerson tallied 102 tackles, 15 for loss, with three forced fumbles and three sacks. Baker made nine interceptions and also had 36 tackles, eight pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Quarterback Logan Pharmer of Ashland Mapleton won offensive player of the year. He totaled more than 3,500 combined passing and rushing yards with 43 touchdowns.
The defensive player of the year was linebacker Sawyer Koons of Glouster Trimble, who made 136 tackles, 32 for loss, with two interceptions for a state semifinalist.
Ben Wilhelm of Edgerton was selected coach of the year. Wilhelm guided his 10-0 team to its first two playoff wins in program history and to its first league championship since 1983.