ST. MARYS – Ten St. Marys Roughriders were honored on the annual Western Buckeye League All-League list on Monday afternoon as announced by the conference.
Leading the way for the Riders is defensive lineman Dylan Giesige who was named as the Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year with Bath’s Lucas Prichard.
Giesige, a senior for the blue and gold has helped anchor a defense surrendering just 9.8 points per game and a league low 2.9 yards per rush by opposing backs while leading the team in sacks with 10 and finishing third in tackles on the team with 80.
Senior kicker Brandon Bowers who last week broke the school record with a 41-yard field goal against Chaminade Julienne was tabbed as the conference’s Kicking Specialist of the Year. Bowers is 3/7 on field goals and has connected on 42 of 45 on extra points while also averaging 55 yards per kickoff to go with his 23 touchbacks. Punting the football Bowers sent 12 of his 26 punts inside the opponent 20 while leading the WBL in punting average at 37.6 yards per kick.
Defensive lineman and offensive guard Stash Patterson landed on the first team on both sides of the football. Offensively the senior helped to lead the Roughrider rushing attack to 3,260 yards on the ground and a 5.4 yards per carry average. Defensively Patterson has collected 68 tackles and five sacks to go along with a pair of fumble recoveries.
Joining Giesige and Patterson on the defensive side of the ball is senior standout linebacker Tanner Howell who despite being injured midway through the Riders 10-2 campaign leads the team in tackles with 86 to go along with four sacks.
Running back Ross Henschen was tabbed as a 2nd team offensive performer as he racked up a team high 829 yards on 161 rushes to go along with four scores. Three times this season the 5’10 senior has rushed for over 100 yards, including last weekend in a playoff victory over Chaminade Julienne where he ended the night with 31 carries for 148 yards.
Senior Tight End Ryan Meier who has a single catch for 10 yards but has proved to be an elite blocker in the Wing-T style offense run by his squad nabbed 2nd team offensive honors along with classmate Chase Jacobs who mans the center position that has helped produce four 100+ yard rushing games this season.
Honorable mention went to senior Braeden Hemmelgarn who despite missing the first two games of the season has accounted for 568 yards and a Rider best nine scores on the ground to go along with his team best eight receptions for 137 yards and a score. Dangerous in the return game as well, Hemmelgarn boasts a 17.9 yard average on kick returns and a 75-yard punt return for touchdown earlier this season while also filling in at corner since the loss of Tanner Howell on the defensive side of the ball.
Ryan Dabis joined the Riders offensive line crew honored this season as the senior was named to the Honorable Mention list as he helped anchor a line that rushed for a league best 271.7 yards a game this season.
After finishing second on St. Marys in tackles through the first twelve games of the season with 85, defensive lineman Braxton King was also an Honorable Mention pick as he terrorized opposing offensive lines to the tune of seven sacks and a fumble recovery for a defensive unit that ended the regular season as the WBL’s best in multiple categories.
Honorable Mention status went to defensive back Ty Kiehl, a senior committed to play baseball at UNOH in Lima who moved from corner to safety during the season who has posted 59 tackles an an interception this year.
Next up for the Roughriders is a 7:00 P.M. clash at Trotwood-Madison High School against the Badin Rams in the third round of the OHSAA playoffs that will be broadcast live on WKKI.