Hillsboro players earn All-MCAA honors
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports Writer
With a shocking 9-4 finish that ended in a 31-26 loss to state runner-up Garden Plain in the 3A semifinal, the honors poured in for the Trojan football team, which finished fourth in a potent MCAA league.
While other teams across the state have one or two players capable of taking over a game, the Trojans had at least five that kept opponents' defenses uneasy.
On the MCAA Upper Division's offense, three Trojans were named to the interior line with tackle Darren Enns a unanimous selection.
Joining Enns were honorable mention selections Tyler Kaufman at guard and tackle Josh Kenney.
The trio helped open holes for an offense that pounded out 3,004 yards rushing off 450 carries for 43 touchdowns.
Wideout Troy Frick was a first team selection a year ago and he returned to the first team, hauling in 31 of Hillsboro's 73 catches for a team-high 513 yards and three touchdowns.
Joining Frick as a first-team receiver was tight end Lucas Hamm, who finished second in receiving yardage with 24 catches for 472 yards.
Hamm's season-high came in Hillsboro's finale when he had two catches for 85 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown.
Leading the Trojans' most productive offense since 2002, transfer quarterback Spencer Brown punished opponents with both his arm as well as his legs.
Brown finished third for the Trojans rushing, carrying the ball 78 times for 405 yards and 12 touchdowns with his best game of the year coming at the start, where he carried the ball five times for 102 yards.
Brown proved his worthiness of an honorable mention choice completing 50 percent of his passes, 84 of 169 for 1,309 yards and 12 touchdowns. His season-high also came in the finale where he threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
The Trojans haven't a had a back rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season since CJ Hill ran for 1,418 before going down with an injury in a season-ending loss to Wichita Collegiate seven years ago.
Wearing the same number and possessing a running style similar to that of Hill, senior Michael Suderman was the main force in a lethal Hillsboro backfield, carrying the ball 171 times for 1,022 yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns to earn honorable mention recognition.
Junior Jacob Yoder was another force in the backfield running for 716 yards; his 215 yards in returns landed him honorable mention as a return specialist to round out the Trojans' offensive honors.
Much of Hillsboro's most successful season in 20 years could be attributed to Trojan coordinator Dennis Boldt's stingy defense.
Leading a defense that gave up 2,490 yards on the year, Hamm was in on about every play, racking up a team-high 165 total tackles with 71 solo and 94 assisted to go along with seven tackles for losses and a team-high three recovered fumbles.
To no surprise, Hamm was a unanimous choice for first-team linebacker.
Hamm's fellow linebacker Adam Dirks was on track for a big season, too, before sustaining an ankle injury during a crushing 14-13 loss to the Smoky Valley Vikings in the sixth week.
The injury didn't keep Dirks from gaining honorable mention, nor from being used sparingly as the season wore down.
Both Enns and Kenney were chosen as honorable mention on the defensive line with Enns at tackle and Kenney at end.
Brown added a defensive honorable mention honor from the Trojan secondary, leading the team in interceptions with six to go along with his offensive honors.
