PREP FOOTBALL Valley stars top district choices

Alex Allen of Ursuline, who rushed for 2,242 yards, is an offensive player of the year.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
COLUMBUS -- Six area players and three coaches earned top honors on the 2004 Associated Press Northeastern Inland All-District high school football teams, released Thursday.
Selected as offensive players of the year were Alex Allen of Ursuline, in Division IV, John F. Kennedy's Anthony Elzy (V), Mario Manningham of Warren Harding (I) and Leetonia's Aaron Merrill (VI).
The defensive players of the year were Liberty's Marcellus Bowman in Div. IV and Nick Menichini of Mineral Ridge in Div. V.
The coaches honored were Neal Kopp of Austintown Fitch (Div. I), Ron Kuceyeski of Alliance (Div. III) and Art Altomare of Leetonia (Div. VI).
Statistics
Allen rushed for 2,242 yards and scored 19 touchdowns, leading Ursuline to a share of the Steel Valley Conference championship and a berth in the playoffs.
Elzy led the Valley in rushing and scoring, gaining 2,333 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns. He helped JFK to the Div. V playoffs.
Manningham, a Michigan recruit, caught 42 passes for 665 yards and scored eight touchdowns.
Merrill led Leetonia to the Tri-County League championship and a berth in the Div. VI playoffs. He rushed for 1,245 yards and 21 touchdowns, scored 166 points and led the area with a 41.1-yard punting average.
Bowman and Menichini led their teams to the postseason. Liberty and Bowman will play Cardinal Mooney tonight in a Div. IV regional final.
Kopp, Kuceyeski and Altomare guided their teams to league championships. Fitch and Leetonia each won nine games, Alliance won eight.
Akron Hoban's Tyrell Sutton, Ohio's leading career rusher, was named offensive player of the year in Div. III.
Sutton, a Northwestern recruit, rushed for 9,438 yards. He ran for 3,241 yards this season in 12 games while establishing a new state mark with 38 consecutive games of 100 or more yards rushing. He scored 36 touchdowns while averaging 9 yards per carry.
As a freshman, he rushed for 1,226 yards, followed by 2,439 as a sophomore and 2,532 a year ago. He averaged 197 yards rushing in his 48 high school games.
Elsewhere
The Div. III defensive player of the year was lineman Josh Lowery of Canal Fulton Northwest.
Other offensive players of the year were Canton McKinley running back Ryan Brinson in Div. I; quarterback John Rutan of Uniontown Lake (II), and Orrville quarterback Tim Hiller (IV).
The other defensive players of the year were linebackers Marko Cosic of Brunswick and Canton GlenOak's Jay Bednar (I); Louisville linebacker Austin Power (II); lineman Lawrence Wilson of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (IV), and Windham linebacker Jim Sands (VI).
Rounding out the coaches of the year were: Tallmadge's Joe Vassalotti (II); Matt Jordan of Garrettsville Garfield (IV), and Rootstown's Andrew Hawkins (V).