The Mount Vernon News sports department’s ATHLETE OF THE WEEK continues its recap of our best of the best, the athletes honored here in 2021-2022. Last week, we recognized the 40 athletes nominated for FEMALE ATHLETE of the WEEK and this week we review the 49 MALE ATHLETES of the WEEK. In the following two weeks, this feature spotlights the FEMALE ATHLETE of the YEAR, followed by the MALE ATHLETE of the YEAR.
Based on performances, we asked ADs, coaches and the community to nominate one boy and one girl from their athletic programs to compete against other schools’ nominations. These athletes made our lists and if you feel that an athlete has not been duly honored, please be proactive next school year and either nominate the athlete yourself (as a community member) or encourage your coaches to nominate a team member. Please send us your nominations, why they are deserving, and a picture of them. Let’s give these student-athletes the recognition they deserve.
Here are the 49 boys who earned ATHLETE of the WEEK nominations. Next week, the FEMALE ATHLETE of the YEAR will be showcased.
MALE ATHLETES of the WEEK nominees
We started the year off with golf, cross-country and football athletes as Will Streby, Jay Figgins, Kaiden Colopy and Cole Delaughder (all recaps below) were our first nominees.
Golf
Fredericktown freshman golfer Will Streby shot a 76 in the second KMAC tournament to earn medalist honors. He shot a 39 against Cardington at King's Mill (first place) and a 37 against Northmor at Hiawatha (first place).
A second-time nominee, Will Streby shot a 74 at the KMAC golf championships at Hiawatha Golf Course in Mount Vernon. He helped the Freddies to second place behind Centerburg.
Our second golfer on the list was Mount Vernon junior Ben Bridges. At the Pickerington Central Invitational (Turnberry GC), Bridges shot a one-under-par 71 to finish in a tie for first among 110 players.
Cross country
Utica senior cross country runner Jay Figgins, a two-time state qualifier for cross country, won the Highland Invitational against 135 competitors with a season-best time of 16:30.70.
Soccer
On the Mount Vernon soccer pitch, senior Jacob Deever was on fire. In three Jackets’ games, Deever scored eight goals and had two assists.
Sometimes, one performance carries a team. Highland Scots soccer co-captain Zane Sheets scored a hat trick, getting all three goals in a 3-2 playoff victory over Beechcroft on Oct. 18.
Football
Danville junior wide receiver/defensive back Kaiden Colopy led the Blue Devils’ 28-21 win over Fredericktown with six receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns on offense and had four tackles and one pass break up on defense.
East Knox freshman running back Cole Delaughder spearheaded the Bulldogs’ offensive effort in their 41-28 win over Centerburg with two receptions, 29 yards, one touchdown caught and rushed for 206 yards on 33 carries with three touchdowns.
Mount Vernon sophomore running back Jonny Askew scored a pair of field-length touchdowns each time he touched the ball in the first quarter vs. Ashland. Including his 73-yard TD sprint, Askew finished with 251 total yards.
On the gridiron for Fredericktown, junior Teegan Ruhl was a two-way giant. Ruhl carried the ball 16 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns and caught two receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he was in the mix with five tackles and an interception in the win over Mt. Gilead
East Knox senior quarterback Peyton Lester completed 13 of 21 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried four times for 28 yards and a touchdown.
East Knox sophomore Carson Steinmetz was stellar on offense and defense. He gained 89 yards rushing on seven carries with one TD; caught two passes for 55 yards and a touchdown and returned two punts for 26 yards. On defense, Steinmetz had four solos and three assists.
Centerburg’s Caylan LeMaster scored four times vs. Mount Gilead. LeMaster scored twice in the first 6 1/2 minutes, running to score from 32 yards out and from 64 yards away. LeMaster caught a 19-yard TD pass and, on the ensuing kickoff, recovered a fumble for another score. On defense, he had four assisted tackles and the fumble-recovery score.
Dane Nauman, sophomore running back from Highland, finished with 252 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns. Nauman’s performance follows his breaking a Highland record two weeks earlier with 366 yards against Mount Gilead.
Centerburg senior quarterback Nate Hickman was an all-around leader on both sides of the ball. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 200 yards and led the Pirates in rushing with 108 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. On defense, he had five solo tackles and four assists. Hickman was responsible for 308 of his team’s 430 yards.
Northmor’s senior quarterback Marcus Cortez was a perfect 7-for-7 passing and led the Golden Knights throwing for 120 yards and four touchdowns and running for 155 yards and two TDs.
Mount Vernon’s junior running back Evan Owens rushed for 92 yards in the third quarter, setting up a pair of touchdowns, and finished with 171 yards on 27 carries.
Danville junior quarterback Max Payne led the Blue Devils offense to five touchdowns himself, completing 10 of 12 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns, while carrying the ball eight times for 26 yards and a TD.
Danville junior wide receiver Kaiden Calopy earned his second nomination of the year with six acrobatic catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns and strong play at safety.
Blue Devils sophomore defensive end Kendall Carter got a nomination for his 14 tackles in attacking the C-L Pirates.
East Knox senior running back Shane Knepp earned a nomination for being “Mr. Clutch” in the Bulldogs’ come-from-behind 27-20 victory over Highland. Following a 49-yard catch-and-run inside the red zone, he took a handoff and with 14 seconds left on the clock, stepped to the left, ran past the would-be tacklers and jogged to pay dirt.
Highland’s Dane Nauman became a second-time nominee with 265 yards and three touchdowns in Highland’s 45-26 victory over Cardington-Lincoln.
Utica’s Brock Wygle led the Indians to their first conference win in 30 games, 31-0 over Lakewood. He carried 22 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns and scampered for 47 yards on one carry. On defense, he was a one-man wrecking crew with 14 tackles (eight solos and six assists), with four tackles for loss.
Peyton Lester helped East Knox keep the Devil-Dog trophy. He completed 14-of-20 passes for 187 yards, carried four times for 17 yards and on defense had two solo tackles and three assists.
Caylan LeMaster got nomination No. 2 for scoring on a 1-yard run to make it 7-0, Centerburg, a 25-yard run to end the third and an 86-yard kickoff return in the fourth. On defense, he had two solo tackles and 11 assists, with three tackles for loss.
Highland running back, Dane Nauman earned his third nomination this year, and really, he could have been nominated a half-dozen times this season. Against Columbus Linden-McKinley, Nauman’s 304 rushing yards gave him a Highland team record of 2,412 yards for the season. He scored four touchdowns in the game, giving him 25 for the season.
Northmor’s rushing attack was led by junior Max Lower, who gained 205 yards on 32 attempts for the Golden Knights, scored three TDs, returned a kick for 22 yards and played tough on defense.
Peyton Lester completed 24 of 38 passes for 395 yards and threw for all five of East Knox’s touchdowns, for his third nomination.
EK’s Senior WR Shane Knepp finished with nine receptions for 183 yards and four touchdowns, leaping high on jump ball throws in the end zone.
Wrestling
Nate Stradley, Mount Vernon’s wrestling team leader and 285-pound combatant, was nominated by coach Nate Cornell for “his leadership in the wrestling room and weight room.”
Mount Vernon freshman Jake Taylor trailed in his first three bouts in the John Brown Memorial Tournament but managed to win all three. Taylor (150 pounds) was unbeaten at that point in the season.
Mount Vernon’s wrestling team took third among 16 competing teams in the East Central Indiana Classic wrestling competition, and one of the two silver medalists, and highest point-getter for the Yellow Jackets, was senior (126 pounds) Colton Spurgeon, who lost by a decision in the final.
Colton Spurgeon, a two-time nominee, won the gold medal at 126 pounds, going 4-0 to run his record this year to 20-3.
Mount Vernon’s Nate Stradley earned his second nomination, winning the gold at 285 pounds to increase his season mark to 14-2.
Jacket Dylan Hartman (113 pounds) improved his season record to 19-5 and scored 25.5 points for Mount Vernon, winning a gold medal.
Wesley Wydick (126 pounds) won a silver and led Utica to a ninth-place finish in the OHSAA State wrestling finals. Wydick came into the competition with a 42-3 record and won three matches before falling in the final to an undefeated champion.
Basketball
Mount Gilead’s Elijah Chafin scored 22 points in 27 minutes, pulled down six rebounds, handed out two assists, made two deflections, had two steals and one blocked shot and was a plus-22 on the court vs. Loudonville.
Mckinnon Mead, senior leader of the Centerburg basketball team, pulled down nine rebounds in the second half, and his 14 points led to a Trojans victory over the Yellow Jackets, 63-53.
Northmor’s Grant Bentley put up back-to-back gems. He scored 29 points in a Northmor 58-57 thriller over Danville, then hit a buzzer-beating three in overtime to beat Fredericktown, 56-54.
East Knox senior Shane Knepp is a three-time nominee and two-sport nominee (football and basketball). He led EK over Mount Gilead with 18 points, three assists and a steal. Against Northmor, he scored 25 points with five rebounds, three assists and four steals, and vs. Fredericktown had 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Cardington-Lincoln senior Nate Hickman became a two-sport nominee (football and basketball), scoring 32 points (5-for-6 from the line) with 11 rebounds and two assists in the loss to Danville, 61-52.
Mount Vernon’s Beau Bridges had two big games for the Yellow Jackets. In a thrilling 63-61 win over Wooster, Bridges took the game over with 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Three days later, the Jackets polished off Mansfield Madison, 56-50, with Bridges getting 16 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
Mount Gilead’s Elijah Chafin became a two-time nominee. He scored 27 points in 31 minutes in the Dec. 17 victory over Danville, 68-57.
A two-sport and second-time nominee, junior Teegan Ruhl of Fredericktown helped the Freddies come back from a 10-point deficit to take down Clear Fork. Ruhl put the game away with nine points in the fourth to finish with 20 points, two rebounds and four assists in the game.
Paul Butterman is a senior on Mount Gilead’s boys basketball team who had two inspiring and productive games on back-to-back nights. Butterman led his team with 17 points, two 3-pointers and six rebounds vs. Fredericktown. The next night, he led the Indians to a 53-47 victory over Galion with 21 points, six rebounds, seven deflections and four steals.
Mount Vernon senior Nolan Belcher scored 22 points vs. Ashland, 67-65. Belcher’s stat line included 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, and his energetic play inspired his teammates to the final buzzer.
A pair of athletes was submitted as a team. Grant Bentley and Graesin Cass each had huge nights on the court to assure the victory. Cass scored 29 points on 10-for-16 shooting, 9-for-10 from the free throw line, four assists and two rebounds. Teammate Grant Bentley finished with 31 points on 14-for-19 shooting, 3-for-6 from the 3-point line, five rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Jordan Bellamy led Highland over Clear Fork. Bellamy’s stat sheet showed 19 points, 6-for-13 from the field, 4-for-8 from 3-point range; three defensive rebounds, seven assists, one deflection and only one foul.
Danville senior Darren Mickley scored 26 points vs. Madison-Christian with no one else on the winning team scoring more than eight. He was a precise scoring machine from beyond the arc as he hit seven of 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Mount Gilead Indians junior Carter Kennon scored 27 points on 10-for-18 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range, 4-for-6 at the foul line, 11 rebounds and four assists in a rout of Ridgedale.
East Knox’s Shane Knepp was the first four-time nominee in this competition – twice for football and twice for basketball. He put in a week of performances that saw 62 points, 14 rebounds and 13 steals.
In a playoff tune-up vs. Northside Christian, Wyatt Weckesser was held to four points in the first half, but went to work in the second half and scored 21 points, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Cam Miller put on a first-half show to inspire the Blue Devils' Sectional victory over Tree of Life to propel them into the District 4 semifinals. Miller scored 18 of his team’s 32 first-half points to help his team take 32-27 lead into the locker room.
Shane Knepp became a five-time honoree. On East Knox’s playoff run that saw the Bulldogs earn their first-ever district championship, Knepp put together back-to-back nearly identical clutch gems. Knepp scored 26 points, with 21 points in the Bulldogs' second half against Berne Union and then did the same thing – 26 points and 21 in the second half – against Grove City Christian in the Division 4 District final. In the Division IV Central District semis against Berne Union, Knepp scored 14 of EK’s 17 fourth-quarter points, including 8-for-9 at the line, to ensure a 10-point Bulldog victory. Three nights later, against Grove City, Knepp started the third with seven straight points and scored all 13 Bulldog tallies in the quarter, then added eight more in the fourth to cement EK’s 51-36 win and the District championship.
Swimming
Mount Vernon sophomore Landon Rush took 12 seconds off his best previous time in the 200-meter freestyle at the Roosenberg Invitational. He also anchored the boys 200 medley relay team to a ninth-place finish among 18 teams.
Baseball
In the season opener for Fredericktown against Columbus Academy, Brady Lester hit two home runs in the second inning to lead the Freddies to a 14-1 victory. Lester drove in five runs with a solo shot and a grand slam. In the second game of the season against Wynford, Lester doubled and drove in another run, and in the third game vs. Danville, Lester blasted two more homers and drove in two more runs.
Highland’s Zach Pinkerton was 7-for-10 with four RBIs and three runs scored in two games, and he pitched four shutout innings on the mound, striking out three for a win.
Fredericktown’s Kaid Carpenter was 5-for-5, drove in four runs and pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and walk while ringing up six Ks to get the win on the mound in a 17-0 avalanche over Mount Gilead.
Highland senior shortstop and pitcher Rider Minnick belted a two-out double in the fourth and a two-out grand slam in the fifth while delivering five solid innings on the slab, allowing only two hits, two unearned runs and one walk while striking out eight to earn a win.
Mount Vernon sophomore third baseman Konner Daughriety blasted two home runs in the same inning to lead the Yellow Jackets to a 12-2 victory. He finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Andrew Armrose was a Northmor RBI machine, driving in seven runs on seven hits in Northmor’s doubleheader sweep over Loudonville. He accounted for 22 RBIs in his first 11 games.
East Knox sophomore Bryar Householder was a force at the plate against Loudonville, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a double.
In the OHSAA Division 3 District final against Amanda-Clearcreek, Fredericktown’s Brady Lester led off with a single and later scored the tying run. Lester showed his speed and daring later to put the game on ice, when he singled in the fourth and stole home with two outs. Lester finished with three steals in the Freddies’ win.
Track
East Knox long-distance runner Nathan Streby knocked 7.62 seconds off his time from last year and won by nearly nine seconds. A day earlier, Streby ran the 800m in 1:55.19 and broke the EK and meet records.
Nathan Streby earned his second nomination for breaking school and meet records in April competitions in 1600m and 800m and helping anchor the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams to wins.
Tennis
Mount Vernon tennis coach Steve Tier nominated the tennis doubles team of Andrew Conway (freshman) and Pete Lawhon (sophomore) for an overall record of 15-4 and 7-0 in dual matches vs. non-conference opponents.
Congratulations on great performances by our ATHLETES of the WEEK and congratulations to all local athletes for solid efforts all year long.
Next week … the the FEMALE ATHLETE of the YEAR
