Southeast senior Tanner May (32) was named the 1A East conference offensive player of the year and the class 1A offensive player of the year for his efforts this past season. Photo/Rob Mortimore

After meeting in the 1A 11-man state championship game two weeks ago in Laramie, the Southeast Cyclones and Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers figured to get several nominations for the Wyoming Coaches Association (WCA) all-conference and all-state teams.

Fifteen student-athletes from the two Goshen County schools were named to the 1A East all-conference team and 14 of those were named to the 1A all-state squad for 2009.

The Cyclones led all 1A schools with eight honorees for both all-conference and all-state led by seniors Tanner May and Dane Hansen.

Along with being named to both the all-conference and all-state teams, May was named the conferences and the state’s offensive player of the year while Hansen earned both honors on the defensive side.

May ended the season averaging 122 yards per game with 16 touchdowns and 7.1 yards per carry. The senior finished with 1,348 rushing yards while Hansen led the Cyclones defensively with 12 points per contest. Hansen averaged 4.5 tackles and nine assists per game.

Also taking all-conference and all-state honors for the Cyclones were seniors Jake Foos, Blake Herbst, Andy Carpenter and Colby Sturgeon along with junior Dyllon Nipper and sophomore Zac Zimmerer.

Herbst was the Cyclones second leading rusher at 81 yards per contest and 897 total yards. Herbst averaged 9.4 yards per carry and found the end zone 11 times while Sturgeon ended the season with 214 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

Nipper added 214 rushing yards in the Cyclones’ 11 games while Zimmerer ended with 140 rushing yards and four touchdowns and added two scores through the air. Foos led the Cyclones air attack with 14 receptions for 243 yards and two touchdowns and also was second on the Southeast defense at 11.4 points per contest.

Carpenter averaged 10.8 defensive points per game and was second on the squad with eight tackled for loss and finished tied for first with four sacks.

Lingle-Fort Laramie senior and leading rusher Dakota Forkner led a list of seven all-conference honorees for the Doggers.

Forkner paced the Doggers’ state best rushing attack this past season averaging 126 yards per game and 8.9 yards per attempt. The senior scored 27 touchdowns and racked up 1,385 yards.

Joining Forkner were seniors Theron Hageman, Mike Hill, Zack Ellis and Clay Anderson along with juniors Jordan Mirich and Brodey Serres.

Mirich ended the season as the Doggers’ second leading rusher at 112 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 1.231 yards. The junior averaged 13.8 yards per carry while Hageman ended the season with 434 yards on 33 carries with 11 touchdowns.

Forkner, Hageman, Ellis, Anderson, Hill and Mirich were also named to the WCA 1A all-state squad.

Hageman led the Doggers defensively with 15.1 points per game while Ellis averaged 12.9 and Forkner was third at 11.7. Hill finished fourth averaging 11.4 defensive points per contest and Anderson was just behind at 9.8.

For the Trailblazers, who finished 4-5 overall, seniors Mitch Schlager and Sam Branham led the way with 3A all-state selections.

Schlager finished second in the state with 126 yards per game rushing and eighth in passing at 63 yards per contest. The senior led the state in all-purpose yardage at 201 per contest.

Schlager put up 1,810 total yards from scrimmage for the Blazers with 18 touchdowns while Branham anchored Torrington’s offensive and defensive lines and averaged 5.6 defensive points per game with three interceptions.

Joining Schlager and Branham on the 3A East all-conference squad for Torrington were seniors Taylor Schmick and Brock Manley along with junior E.J. Zimmerman.

Zimmerman led the Blazers’ passing attack with 19 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown while Manley recorded eight receptions for 93 yards and two scores.





For the complete article see the 11-27-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 11-27-2009 paper.

Share on Facebook