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ALL-AREA FOOTBALL - DEFENSE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Zack Ahrens

South Glens Falls, Junior,

Linebacker
Hieght:
5-foot-11
Weight:
195 lb.
Stats: 61
tackles, 2
interceptions
Year in review: Ahrens
was one of the Bulldogs
top defensemen in 2014.
South High head coach
Mike Hammond praised
the juniors ability to follow through on keys and
reads and also his unselfish attitude. Hammond
said there were many
times, Ahrens would sacrifice himself to take on
blockers freeing up others
to make a tackle.

Austin Degener

Saratoga Springs, Senior,

Linebacker
Height:
6-feet
Weight:
220 lb.
Team
stats: 289
points for,
273 points allowed
Year in review: Another
Section II talent that
was invited to play in the
Exceptional Senior Game,
Degener helped the Blue
Streaks limit opponents
to 273 points as the Blue
Streaks posted a 3-2
league record and went
5-4 overall.

Will Griffen

Schuylerville, Junnior,
Defensive
Back
Height:
5-foot-9
Stas: 1
interception
Year in review: Playing for a team
that went undefeated (50) in league play and finished 9-1 overall, Griffens
defensive highlight of the
year was a pick in an Oct.
3 victory against Albany
Academy. The Horses outscored opponents 370114 and Griffen played a
big role in shutting other
teams down.

Dan Maynard

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,

Senior,
Punter
Height:
5-foot-11
Weight:
190 lb.
Stats: 3
punts inside 10, 5 inside the 20
Year in review: For
Maynard, one of the keys
to success in football
is squashing the oppositions momentum
whenever you have a
chance. He did that plenty
of times in 2014, with 3
punts inside the 10 making sure the other team
had a lot of field to cover
if it wanted to score.

Brandon Russell

Mechanicville, Senior,
Defensive
Back
Height:
6-feet
Weight:
180 lb.
Stats: 1
interception, 1 touchdown
Year in review: Russell
had a stellar season both
offensively and defensively for the Red Raiders. His
highlights on defense include an interception in a
Sept. 12 win over Granville
and a fumble recovery for
a 43-yard touchdown run
in a win over Lake George/
Hadley-Luzerne on Oct. 3.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,

Senior,
Linebacker
Height:
5-feet,
10-inches
Weight:
170 lb.
Stats: 4
interceptions, 9 tackles
for loss
Year in review: Charlton
made the switch from
defensive back to linebacker during the season,
but continued to excel. Of
his four interceptions one
went for a touchdown and
he certainly did his part
in pushing the other team
back with nine tackles
behind the line of scrimmage. Played in Novembers Section II Exceptional Senior game.

Matt Dillon

Brennan Fleming

Shenendehowa, Senior,
Defensive
Line
Height:
6-foot-4
Weight:
200 lb.
Stats: 3
sacks
Year in review: Like
Kromer, Dillon also
finished in the top 10 for
sacks. His performance
helped the Plainsmen get
back into the postseason and play deep into
November.

Mechanicville, Senior,
Defensive
Line
Height:
6-feet
Weight:
210 lb.
Stats: 11
sacks
Year in review: Fleming
was a force for the Red
Raiders all season recording a Section II-leading
11 sacks for a defense
that allowed just 103
points. His effort helped
Mechanicville finish 6-2
and he was rewarded with
an opportunity to play in
the Section II Exceptional
Senior in November.

John Hogan

Erik Kromer

Greenwich, Senior, Linebacker

Height:
5-feet,
9-inches
Weight:
185 lb.
Honors:
Exceptional
Senior Game
Year in review: The
Witches didnt have the
most high-octane offense
in 2014 scoring just 163,
however, thanks to players
such as Hogan, they were
able to limit the opposition to just 155 points on
the way to a 4-3 overall record. Hogan was
another Section II athlete
recognized with an Exceptional Senior invite.

John ODonnell

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,

Junior,
Defensive
Back
Height:
5-foot-9
Weight:
160 lb.
Stats: 3
pass breakups, 2 interceptions
Year in review: A sprinter
on the track team,
ODonnells speed allowed
the Spartans to move
Charlton to linebacker
and improve the teams
defense. ODonnell said
he hadnt expected to
play much defense but
he thrived when put into
the lineup. One of his
interceptions was brought
back for a pick six.

Shenendehowa, Senior,
Defensive
Line
Height:
6-foot-3
Weight:
235 lb.
Stats: 3
sacks
Year in review: Kromer
finished in the top 10 in
sacks for 2014 including two in a 27-20 win
over John Jay on Nov. 15.
Helped the Plainsmen to
an 11-1 record and a Section II championship.

J.S.CARRAS - JCARRAS@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM

Shenendehowa ball carrier Oliver Robinson (37) finds opening against John Jay during
second quarter of Class-AA regional football action Saturday, November 15, 2014 at
Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y..

Robinson
FROM PAGE 1

But Shens defense, just

as it had all season, came
up with a huge stand and
forced a turnover with 34
seconds left to seal Shens
first Super Bowl title since
2011.
Us making a stop on the
game-winning drive, forcing a turnover and giving
our offense the ball back
was definitely the highlight of the season, Robinson said. We came together as a team and we
just got it done.
Other than being physically gifted, Robinson, a
co-captain and three-year
varsity player, was probably the smartest linebacker
weve ever had, according
to Clawson.
In fact, in some instances, Robinson knew

the opposing offenses play

before the ball was even
snapped.
With his film study,
he could sometimes call
out different plays the opponent was going to run
based on their formation,
Clawson said. He was the
one who made the adjustments and he would cancel
us out of blitzes if he had
to. To be able to combine
intelligence with power
and speed makes for a
very good football player
and the intangibles Oliver
brings to the table as far as
leadership and the respect
from his teammates just
made him outstanding.
While Robinsons primary role was being a
run-stopper for the Plainsmen, he exhibited noticeable improvement in pass
coverage this fall due in
large part to his offseason
experience competing in
the 7-on-7 tournament in

Hoover, Ala.
Hes going down to Alabama and matching up
against these 6-foot-4 tight
ends and slot receivers and
he held his own, Clawson
said. He was very good
at defending the pass this
year and that facet alone
made him the complete
linebacker that he was.
Hes physical at the line
of scrimmage, hes going
to get that jam on the receiver and if he crosses the
middle, (Robinsons) going
to hit him.
The humble Robinson,
who is undecided on where
hell play collegiate football
next year, lauded his defensive line for his success this
fall.
We had a great defensive line this year, he said.
Just them being a force
and having great players
at those positions makes it
easy as a linebacker to just
make plays.

COACH OF THE YEAR

ANOTHER LEVEL

Taylor Russell

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,

Senior,
Defensive
Line
Height:
5-foot-7
Weight:
195 lb.
Stats: 4
tackles for loss
Year in review: Spartans
head coach Matt Shell
said as a senior Russell
was a great example of a
hard worker. He played as
a junior, but didnt start.
This year he was a starter
and took advantage of his
playing. He pursued every
play to the whistle and a
few times was able to pin
the other team behind the
line.

Shenendehowas Brian Clawson is the Saratogians 2014 Coach of the Year after leading
the Plainsmen to a Section II Class AA championship and a berth in the state playoffs.

Second Team

Shane Winkle

Ballston Spa, Senior,

Defensive
Back
Height:
5-foot-9
Weight:
158 lb.
Honors:
Exceptional
Senior game
Year in review: A very
solid running back, Winkle
also starred on the defensive end of the field
for the Scotties this past
season and was rewarded
with an invite to the Section II Exceptional Senior
Football game.

Max Charlton

Honorable Mention

Linebacker

Mike Brandow

Greenwich

Jr.

Linebacker

Jacob Shippey

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Jr

Linebacker

Noah Morgan

Corinth

Sr.

Linebacker

Joshua Huff

Shenendehowa

Sr

Linebacker

Jake Van Patten

Holy Trinity

Sr.

Linebacker

Josh Thomas

Schuylerville

Sr

Linebacker

Matt Steves

South Glens Falls

So.

Linebacker

Alexander Bechand

Mechanicville

Sr

Defensive Back

Lukas Whitehouse

Greenwich

Jr

Defensive Back Anthony Abare

Corinth

Jr

Defensive Back

Willy Stevenson

Shenendehowa

Sr

Defensive Back John Styzcynski

South Glens Falls

Jr

Defensive Back Tanner Dunkel

Schuylerville

Jr

Defensive Back Jacob Henes

Mechanicville

Jr

Defensive Back Garrett Snyder

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Defenisve Back Zack Stacey

Saratoga Springs

Sr

Defensive Line

Michael Gillooley

Shendehowa

Jr

Defenisve Line

Chris Stedry

Ballston Spa

Sr

Defensive Line

Spencer Morgan

Mechanicville

Defensive Line

Reese Cristaldi

Greenwich

Fr

Defensive Line

Seamus McCormick Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Sr

Defensive Line

Luke Thompson

Saratoga Springs

Jr

Defensive Line

Jordan Douglas

South Glens Falls

Jr

Defensive Line

Tyler Dowdle

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Sr

Punter

Alex Jenkins

Corinth

Jr

Punter

Brendan Murray

Shenendehowa

Sr