LEXINGTON — Five Ashland County football players were honored with All-Richland Source accolades when the website listed its all-star defensive team from this past football season.
Three players from Hillsdale, and one each from Ashland and Loudonville made the squad. See their individual exploits from 2018 below.
Meanwhile, Ohio Cardinal Conference coaches are resting a little easier these days.
Cade Stover’s four-year tour of suffering is finally over.
The two-time Richland Source Defensive Player of the Year, Stover will graduate with a Lexington record 592 career tackles. The Ohio State recruit led the Minutemen back from a 1-4 start and into the second round of the playoffs.
“He’s better than advertised,” Lex coach Taylor Gerhardt said after Stover sparked a second-half comeback in a Week 8 win at Ashland.
Stover was recently crowned Ohio’s Mr. Football, the first ever player from north central Ohio to win the award. He had 175 tackles this fall as the Minutemen overcame an 0-3 start.
“We just kept grinding,” Stover said of the second-half turnaround that resulted in a first-round playoff win over Tiffin Columbian.
Stover is the crown jewel of a defense that includes an All-Ohioan at almost every position.
Defensive Line
Michael Garn, Hillsdale: A rangy 6-foot-5 senior, Garn was the Northeast Inland Defensive Player of the Year in Division VI and an All-Ohio first team selection. Garn had 77 tackles and ranked among area leaders with 12 sacks. He helped the Falcons reach the second round of the playoffs.
Mitchell Pittman, Ontario: The undersized Pittman (5-9, 185) moved to the defensive line after an injury and led the area with 13 sacks. The senior was an All-Ohio special mention selection in Division IV and a Northwest District first team pick.
Josh Bever, Ashland: A state-placer in wrestling, Bever led the Arrows with 97 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Bever was an All-Ohio special mention selection in Division II.
Alec Scott, Lucas: The 6-foot-2, 206-pound senior had nine sacks from his defensive end spot. Scott was an All-Ohio special mention selection in Division VII, helping the Cubs reach the regional finals for the second time in four years.
Michael Chillemi, Clear Fork: The 6-foot-2, 265-pound senior led Clear Fork with 71 tackles and six sacks. Chillemi was an All-Ohio special mention selection in Division IV and one of just a handful of players to be selected to the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference first team on both offense and defense.
Linebacker
Ty Williams, Hillsdale: Just a sophomore, Williams led the Falcons with 116 tackles and forced three fumbles. He was an All-Ohio second team pick in Division VI and a first team Northeast Inland selection.
Kaidan Thomas, Lucas: A senior, Thomas was Lucas’ leading tackler with 77 regular season stops. The All-Ohio special mention selection in Division VII broke a bone in his leg in the Cubs’ regional semifinal victory and was forced to sit out the regional championship game against Trimble.
Alamar Grose, Mansfield Senior: A senior, Grose led Mansfield Senior with 69 tackles. He was an All-Ohio special mention selection in Division III and a Northwest District first team pick.
Brice Swindall, Loudonville: A hard-hitting senior, Swindall had 97 tackles for the Redbirds. He was an All-Ohio third team pick in Division VI after helping the Redbirds reach the playoffs.
Defensive Back
Jared Schaefer, Clear Fork: A senior, Schaefer was an All-Ohio first team pick in Division IV. He had 57 tackles and one interception as the Colts advanced to the regional championship game.
Seth Benedict, Wynford: Benedict led the Northern 10 Athletic Conference with seven interceptions and was selected to the All-Ohio first team in Division VI.
Alex Becker, Hillsdale: A senior, Becker had 53 tackles and one interception from his safety spot despite battling a hamstring injury. He was also Hillsdale’s dual threat quarterback, rushing for 762 yards and and 16 touchdowns.
Punter
Logan Hissong, Ontario: A junior who doubles as a defensive tackle, Hissong averaged a remarkable 44.3 yards on 39 punts this season.
Punt Returner
Caden Flynn, Clear Fork: A senior, Flynn averaged a whopping 32.6 yards on 11 punt returns. He also was one of Clear Fork’s top receivers, hauling in 25 catches for 772 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a Northwest District second team pick in Division IV.
