Elzy shares honor as player of year

Mike Welce, John Hack and Andrew Billet made the Division VI first team.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
COLUMBUS -- The quarterbacks from Division V state final opponents Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Hamler Patrick Henry are among the featured performers on the 2005 Associated Press All-Ohio high school teams released Wednesday.
In Div. VI, the top individual honorees are Sandusky St. Mary's T.J. Blanton, Joe Stoll of Norwalk St. Paul and Newark Catholic's Zach McPherson.
In Div. V, quarterback Doug Browne, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior for Cincinnati Hills Christian, shares the offensive player of the year award with Hamler Patrick Henry quarterback Zack George and Warren John F. Kennedy running back Anthony Elzy.
Achievements
Brown completed 88 of 126 passes (70 percent) for 1,709 yards and 28 touchdowns with just two interceptions. George, a 6-2, 180-pound senior, hit on 120 of 171 passes (also 70 percent) for 2,209 yards and 30 touchdowns with two interceptions.
Patrick Henry and Cincinnati Hills Christian, both of which are 14-0, meet to decide the state title Friday afternoon at Canton's Fawcett Stadium.
Elzy, a 5-11, 205-pound senior, gained 1,940 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. He has signed to play next year at North Carolina.
Also on the first team are offensive lineman Andy Walton of Crestview and Greg Snyder of South Range and defensive back Joe Novak of South Range.
The Div. V defensive players of the year are defensive backs Jarrod Grove of West Lafayette Ridgewood and Rittman's Jesse Richards. Grove, a 6-0, 175, senior, intercepted 12 passes and had 39 tackles.
Richards had 40 tackles and six interceptions, also starring at quarterback where he accounted for 25 touchdowns.
The coaches of the year in the division included Columbus Ready's Larry Wolf, Mike Thut of West Salem Northwestern, Lima Central Catholic's Jerry Cooper and Bill Inselmann of poll champion Hamler Patrick Henry.
Second team
On second team are Crestview quarterback Jordan Reynolds and Springfield punter Andrew Schuler.
Receiving special mention were: Crestview's Adam Thompson and Nate Yarwood; Warren JFK's J.J. Townsend and Anthony Kokal; Campbell's Pete Psaras; LaBrae's Kyle Rowan and Dan Hartman; South Range's David Rach; and Lisbon's Vince Browne.
In Div. VI, Sandusky St. Mary's Blanton was the offensive player of the year after completing 102 of 183 passes for 1,492 yards and 11 touchdowns with only five interceptions. he also ran for 1,034 yards and 16 TDs. He'll play baseball at Bowling Green next year.
Stoll and McPherson were two-way stars for their teams. Stoll, a 6-1, 205-pound junior, had more than 120 tackles and also ran for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns, while the 6-1, 215-pound McPherson, a senior, was his team's top tackler and rushed for more than 1,000 yards with 10 TDs.
The honorees as coaches of the year were Thompson Ledgemont's Shane Blanford, Pete Brunow of Dola Hardin Northern and Bascom Hopewell-Loudon's Brian Colatruglio.
Three area players made first team: Columbiana quarterback Mike Welce, Mineral Ridge running back John Hack and Leetonia linebacker Andrew Billet.
Lowellville selections
Two Lowellville players earned second-team honors -- lineman Patsy Circelli and running back Lucas Gonzalez.
Also on second team are Columbiana lineman Tyler Best and Western Reserve linebacker Shawn Bryant.
Three Wellsville players received special mention: Jim Malone, Matt Dalrymple and Nick Prendes.
Others from the area receiving special mention are: Youngstown Christian's Eddie Gonda and Aaron Agresta; McDonald's Paul Adair; Southern's Nick Puckett; Leetonia's Chris Hepler; Columbiana's Chris McIntyre and Mackie McGarry; Mineral Ridge's Micah Hall; Sebring's Jon Springer; and Jackson-Milton's Matt Shields.