Now that the football season has come to a complete stop, it is time to ring in the season and career records. Along with school records, we now have the results for All-Conference Selections.
Each player has performed exceptionally well this year. Our football program brought in our amazing Coach Williams last year, and in just 2 years, he has given the football program its best season since the 2014-2015 school year. Our season ended with a record of 4-7. Our highest score was 41-38, won with just seconds on the clock at Windsor. For the first time in years, the team stood in a great spot against Park Hills Central, even taking the game into overtime. Coach Williams has brought so much improvement to the program and his team.
Note: The number in the parentheses will indicate their placement in school history as of current.
First, we would like to cover some outstanding players’ season records and their broken career records. Up first is senior quarterback Easton Wood. For a passing yard game record, he had a total of 283 vs. Perryville, placing him in the #3 spot for the school record. He then went and took the #5 spot at the Ste. Genevieve game passing a total of 261 yards.
His season records are as follows: pass attempts: 252 (1); pass completions: 127 (2); passing yards: 1,958 (1); passing touchdowns: 19 (2); total offense yards: 2,938 (1); total touchdowns: 26 (3); TEAM yards passing: 2,057 (1); TEAM total yards of offense: 3,492 (7). His career records are finalized as: pass attempts: 437 (1); pass completions: 206 (2); passing yards: 2,911 (1); passing touchdowns: 30 (2); total offense yards: 4,904 (2); all-purpose offense yards: 4,993 (2). In the end, Easton Wood became the 8th person in school history to join the 1,000-Yard Passing Club.
The next player with the most records is senior Leeandrea Catchings. Leeandrea broke two game records this season. The first is the total number of receptions, which was achieved at district semi-finals against Dexter, with a total of 11 (2). His second game record is total receiving yards, ringing in a whopping 198 (2) vs Ste. Genevieve. He set three season records and three career records, which are listed as the following:
Season: receptions: 54 (2); receiving touchdowns: 8 (Tied for 3); and receiving yards: 991 (1). Career: receptions: 71 (3); receiving touchdowns 13 (Tied for 3), and receiving yards: 1,338 (1).
Another senior has set major records this year, Dane Sensel. Dane had two season and career records and had the honor of joining the 100 Tackles Club. His season records are 120 total tackles (Tied for 8) and 4 interceptions (Tied for 3). His career records are just a testament to how much he improved in his senior year alone. Total tackles: 210 (10) and 6 interceptions (Tied for 5).
The fourth senior who broke a game, season, and career record is DJ Baca. DJ had a total of 183 (3) receiving yards during a game, scored 21 kicking points during this season placing him at #9, and has a career record of 39 (6) total kicking points.
The final senior to break a career record is Ethan Marler. In his career as a linebacker, Ethan made a total of 261 tackles, placing him at #5 in school history.
Two more very impressive players made some big moves this year. Junior linebacker Mason Proffer brought in an astonishing 133 (3) tackles this year, bringing him into the 100 Tackles Club. His total career record for tackles is currently at 209 (11). Our other record breaker is sophomore Maddox Knepper. Maddox made a total of 18 tackles for loss this year, placing him in the number-one spot for the season. During his career, he has made a total of 26.5 (7) tackles for loss, with 2 more years to go. Alongside his TFLs, he made a total of 7 (8) sacks during his career. Both Maddox and Mason have such impressive numbers already, and it is unfathomable to think of what they can accomplish by the end of their senior season.
With the final stats completed, it was time for Player Selections. For the 2024 MAFC White All-Conference Selections, we were given the honor of having 2 teams, as well as honorable mentions. The honorable mentions include: Derek Irby: defensive back; Shane Snodgrass: offensive lineman; Easton Wood: Punter; and Ethan Marler: linebacker.
The first team selection is: Leeandrea Catchings: wide receiver; Mason Proffer: linebacker; Alec Bowman: offensive lineman; and Maddox Knepper: defensive lineman. The second team selection is: Easton Wood: quarterback; Easton Wood: defensive back; Cayden Crump: tight end; Dane Sensel: defensive back; Bladen Boswell: offensive lineman; DJ Baca: wide receiver; and DJ Baca: kicker.
Again, for the voting of All-Districts, our players stood out and were given the opportunity to have two teams. The first All-Districts team is: Easton Wood: quarterback; Leeandrea Catchings: wide receiver; and Dane Sensel: defensive back. The second All-District team is: Maddox Knepper: defensive lineman; Mason Proffer: linebacker; and Alec Bowman: offensive lineman. Our 2024 All-State Selection is one very special player. Breaking records and becoming a fan favorite, Leeandrea Catchings is a wide receiver on the 3rd team.
Finally, the last honor given is Academic All-State. Four players were chosen for this, and it is not an easy one to get. High school classes can be difficult to stay on top of in general, and then these players add a sport on top of that. Not only that, each of these athletes are taking a dual credit course, some of them taking more than one. These team members seem to excel in everything they do and are only going to go further in their futures. Senior defensive back Dane Sensel. Junior linebacker Mason Proffer. Sophomore defensive back Caleb Feltz. Sophomore defensive lineman Maddox Knepper.
Every player not only in this article but on the team has such an important role on and off the field. Everyone has done such a phenomenal job this year and it would not have been possible without the next person. The team seems to only improve each year, showing so much potential for a possible district championship, or maybe further. As head editor, it has been my honor to join this team on the sidelines each game, and I could not be more proud of doing so.
