ASHLAND — Crestview led the way for Ashland County youngsters earning all All-Northwest District accolades when the all-star football teams were introduced Wednesday evening.
That should be little surprise, coach Steve Haverdill’s team went 12-1, completed a perfect regular season and won the Firelands Conference championship.
In particular, Cougars Connor Morse and Owen Barker were rewarded for historic seasons.
Morse was selected the Northwest District Division VI Defensive Co-Player of the Year, while Barker was the Co-Lineman of the Year.
A defensive back, Morse led the Cougars with 144 tackles in 13 games. He intercepted one pass, broke up four other, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles as Crestview went 10-0 during the regular season and won its first two playoff games before falling to Carey in the regional semifinals.
Barker starred along Crestview’s defensive line. He had 96 tackles and 13.5 sacks among his 18 tackles for loss.
Crestview quarterback Hayden Kuhn and offensive lineman Mason Ringler were selected to the first-team offense. Kuhn completed 90-of-133 passes for 1,594 yards and 198 touchdowns in his first season under center.
Joining Morse and Barker on the first-team defense were Crestview linebacker Aidan Godsey, who had 95 tackles.
Division I
Ashland’s Kadin Schmitz was a first-team selection at defensive back. The Navy recruit averaged about 13 tackles a game.
Division IV
In Division IV, Shelby quarterback Marshall Shepherd was selected the Offensive Player of the Year after rewriting the program’s record book.
Shepherd set single-season records for completions (270), attempts (415), yards (4,273) and touchdowns (48). His .651 completion percentage is also tops in program history for a single season.
Shepherd was joined on the all-district first team by teammates Blaine Bowman, Camden Armstrong, Caleb Baker, David Ray and Andre Hill.
Bowman caught 70 passes for 1,216 yards and 16 touchdowns during the regular season, while Armstrong was a first team pick on the offensive line after helping the Whippets average 490.5 yards a game. Baker was a first team selection on the defensive line after recording eight sacks. A linebacker, Ray led Shelby with 98 tackles in the regular season. Hill landed a spot as a defensive back after leading the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with five interceptions.
