Burney, Marrow gain player of year honors

Southeast quarterback Joe Knopick shared the award in Division III.
VINDICATOR STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
COLUMBUS -- The Cardinal Mooney High football team added a couple more wins to their resume Tuesday.
Senior running back Nate Burney was named offensive co-player of the year and senior defensive back Desmond Marrow was defensive co-player of the year on the 2005 Associated Press Division IV All-Ohio teams.
Burney, who has run for close to 2,300 yards this season, shared the award with Bellaire quarterback Nate Davis, who passed for more than 2,000 yards before falling to the Cardinals in last Saturday's state semifinals. Marrow, who has a team-high 10 interceptions this season, shared the defensive award with Coldwater senior Ross Homan, an Ohio State recruit. The Cardinals will play Coldwater in the state final this weekend.
Marrow, who verbally committed to Miami (Ohio) before the season, and Burney are both returning starters from last year's state championship team. Other Cardinals on the first team were junior tackle Ishmaaily Kitchen and senior quarterback Derrell Johnson. Ursuline senior linebacker Joe Underwood also made the first team.
Special mention honors went to Girard's Mark Fiest and Brett Dutton, Mooney's Robert Walker and Michael Zordich, Champion's Chad Kinkead and Brookfield's Pete Hunkus.
Division III
Ravenna quarterback Joe Knopick shared the Division III offensive player of the year award with three other quarterbacks: Dover's Perci Garner, Mentor Lake Catholic's Rick Stanzi and Cincinnati Indian Hill's Mike Scherpenberg. Knopick threw for 1,802 yards and ran for 1,132 in leading the Pirates to their second playoff appearance.
Garner passed for 3,545 yards and 36 touchdowns, Stanzi had 20 TD passes for one of the state's top-ranked teams and Scherpenberg had 3,026 passing yards and 39 TDs with only eight interceptions.
Also getting a piece of the offensive honors were running backs Scott Weber of Canal Fulton Northwest (1,443 yards rushing, 27 TDs) and Cambridge's Stephen Ford (1,852 yards, 31 TDs).
The Division III defensive honors went to linemen Matt Guhn of Clyde and Steubenville's Angelo Magnone, along with defensive back/wide receiver Paul Rice of Hunting Valley University School.
Steubenville takes on Columbus DeSales in Friday's state championship game at Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Area honors
Liberty senior lineman Chris Harrison and senior linebacker John Humphrey, a Purdue recruit, joined Knopick on the first team. The Leopards lost to Akron Buchtel in the regional finals. Two Salem players -- defensive back Jarin Heath and kicker Bryan Wright (a Michigan recruit) were first-team selections. West Branch lineman Josh Jones and Beaver Local running back Jim Bowersock made the second team.
Special mention players included Liberty's Robert Hightower, Dania Gillam and Donovan Fletcher, Chaney's Kory Jackson, Salem's J.J. Johnson, Southeast's Micah Herndon, Hubbard's Dan Havalo and Beaver Local's Kyle Brown, Jarrod Satmare, Fred Lucas, Bob Flynt and Kyle Reeder.
The Division III coaches of the year were Steubenville's Reno Saccoccia, Cincinnati Tafts' Mike Martin, Frank Petroff of Parma Heights Holy Name and Medina Buckeye's Chris Medaglia.
The Division IV coaches of the year are Lemon-Monroe's Jason Krause, Marion Elgin's Jason Harrah and Len Hartman of Zanesville West Muskingum.