- Keith Hjelle
Ten FB Chargers Named for All District Honors; Three Named to First Team
Following the completion of its best season in the four year history of ACGC football, ten Chargers have been selected by district coaches for district honors. The Chargers finished the season with a 6-3 record, including a 2-3 mark in district play, and claimed ten players on the all district first, second, and honorable mention units.
Named to the first team offense were senior lineman Sam Madsen and sophomore running back Gavin Cornelison. Cornelison rushed for 1103 yards on the season (all games), tops in 1-A district 8, while Madsen anchored the line that opened the holes for Cornelison and the other Charger running backs. Cornelison also led the district in scoring with 134 points that included 19 touchdowns.
Quynton Younger, senior lineman, was the third Charger to claim first team honors as he was selected for the defensive unit. Younker anchored the Charger defensive line netting 40 tackles that included 11 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.
Second team honorees on the offensive side of the ball included senior running back Kolby Jacobe, junior running back Gunnar Larsen, junior end Lucas Marsh, and junior lineman Gage Buttler.
Jacobe was the third leading rusher in the district, running for 842 yards with 7 touchdowns to his credit, while Larsen ran for 226 yards and led the district in yards per carry at 11.9 yards per try. Although Marsh had only six receptions on the year, he was sure handed and also helped to open holes for the running attack. Buttler was also instrumental in providing the blocking necessary for the running game to be successful.
Gaining honorable mention recognition were sophomores Cayden Jensen, Cael Hoing, and Victor Gonzales. Running back Jensen rushed for 128 yards and a 5.8 average per carry and also came up with 26 tackles on defense. Hoing and Gonzales were both instrumental in line play.
District champion Van Meter advanced to the state championship game, but was soundly defeated by West Lyon, 50-14 in the title game. Bulldog quarterback Anthonly Potthof and linebacker Parker Fryar were tabbed as district MVP's on offense and defense respectively.