Lundin, Gebert and Howell headline All-Region 11 team

LOGAN – Once again, a coach with a new team has been named as the Region 11 Coach of the Year. Sky View Head Coach Chris Howell was a unanimous selection among the Cache Valley Media Group voting panel to receive the honor after his first year with the Bobcats. The panel consists of 12 broadcasters who follow the Region 11 football teams on local radio all season long. The panel also selected Green Canyon Quarterback Jacob Lundin as Offensive MVP and Ridgeline Linebacker Rhett Gebert as the Defensive MVP.

Jacob Lundin – Offensive MVP

Coming into the summer, Joe Dygert was the anticipated starting quarterback for the Green Canyon Wolves. But as fall camp got underway, he backed out of playing football all-together. At the time, Lundin was a highly-rated wide receiver who was asked to switch positions and take over as signal caller for coach Craig Anhder’s offense.

“Not bad for a player who we assumed would be a great wide receiver before the season,” exclaimed Craig Hislop, who calls the play-by-play for the Wolves on Lite FM 100.9. “He runs with the ball and throws it equally effectively.”

Hislop also pointed to Lundin’s leadership abilities that set him apart this season.

“On one of our first post-game shows, he told us that during the summer, when he found out he’d be the starting quarterback, he called his offensive line to go get some pizza. He wanted to make sure they were all on the same page right away. I’d hate to think what the Green Canyon season would have looked like without him.”

Lundin finished the season 4th in 4A in rushing touchdowns with 15, fourth in total rushing yards with 1450, tied for 9th in passing touchdowns with 19 and finished with 1709 passing yards.

Rhett Gebert – Defensive MVP

In a very close vote, Gebert won the Defensive MVP. He may not have as many tackles or sacks as other Region 11 defenders, but his speed and ability to affect an opposing offense is what sets him apart, says Ridgeline play-by-play man Dave Simmons.

“Gebert was everywhere,” exclaims Simmons, who called the Ridgeline games on 104.5 The Ranch. “He had the speed to catch the quarterback, wide receivers and running backs from behind. He was always in the backfield pursuing the ball. There was nobody I saw make such a difference on the defensive side of the ball. Gebert was phenomenal all year.”

Gebert finished the year with 118 tackles (7 tackles for a loss) and 13.5 sacks.

“His speed really set him apart,” Simmons adds. “He really has a nose for the football. He didn’t get burned very often on a screen play. He was fast enough to recover and make adjustments.”

Chris Howell – Coach of the Year

Howell left the Ridgeline Riverhawks to go back to where he began his coaching career, and coached the Sky View Bobcats to the top of Region 11 and to the 4A Championship game. Howell stepped into a program that was accustomed to success, a school that hasn’t lost a region game in three years, but did not allow the team to take any steps back.

“He inherited a good program, one that hadn’t lost a region game in three years,” explains “Hurricane” John Newbold, play-by-play voice for the Bobcats on 106.9 FM / 1390 AM the FAN. “He continued on that success. Defensively, he made them even stronger, a tougher team.”

Perhaps Howell’s biggest coaching challenge was when the reigning Region MVP Mason Falslev went down with an injury early in the season. Having a solid staff around him and a system in place created a sense of confidence throughout the team.

“Coach Howell surrounded himself with a good coaching staff,” Newbold explains. “He retained Perry Christensen, a long-time coach at Sky View and other schools in the area, and his dad Stu Howell, who won a championship at Logan High. They were his football brain trust.

“So, when Mason went down, they had a plan in place with Kason (Carlsen). Howell thought Kason could start at quarterback for any team in the region. When Mason came back, Coach Howell saw how well Kason was doing and kept him there to provide the offense with different looks. It also gave the team confidence that whoever the next man up needed to be, the team could still be successful.”

The following is a list of players named to the Cache Valley Media Group All Region 11 Team, as voted on by members of the Cache Valley Media Group sports staff* who followed Region 11 football this year.

OFFENSE

Quarterback – Kason Carlsen (Sky View)

Running Back – Hunter Shroeder (Mountain Crest)

Running Back – Kade Thornley (Logan)

Wide Receiver – JJ Sargent (Logan)

Wide Receiver – Mason Falslev (Sky View)

Tight End` – Cameron Dahle (Ridgeline) / Jacob Zollinger (Sky View)

Offensive Line – Evan Hall (Sky View)

Offensive Line – Jackson Radford (Green Canyon)

Offensive Line – Edgardo Huerta (Mountain Crest)

Offensive Line – Tennyson Hadfield (Logan)

Offensive Line – Jaxon Lee (Mountain Crest)

DEFENSE

Defensive Line – Jacob Regen (Green Canyon)

Defensive Line – Justice Ena (Sky View)

Defensive Line – Edgardo Huerta (Mountain Crest)

Defensive Line` – Kayson Krebs (Green Canyon) / Andrew Thompson (Logan)

Linebacker – Elijah Jackson (Mountain Crest)

Linebacker – Rhett Gebert (Ridgeline)

Linebacker – Emilio Veater (Mountain Crest)

Defensive Back – Isaac Larsen (Logan)

Defensive Back – Scout Morris (Sky View)

Defensive Back` – Carter Compton (Green Canyon) / Traeson Martindale (Sky View)

Safety – Chris Shopbell (Logan)

Kicker – Kasen Erickson (Sky View)

HONORABLE MENTION

Sky View: Brigham Lewis, Jusice Ena as Offensive Lineman, Hunter Lewis, Kasen Flaherty, Titan Saxton

Green Canyon: McKay Yorgason, Carter White, Tristan Reece, Ethan Delisle

Logan: Isaac Larsen at WR, Brandon Willie, Ace Kennington

Ridgeline: Jovesa Damuni, Charles Nielsen, Kade Hansen, Aiden Mellen, Karter Murdock

Bear River: Colt Lish, Baxter Wise, Logan Fraser, Braxton Christensen, Ren Fonnesbeck, Dillon Marble

Mountain Crest: Emilio Veater, Brandon Arnell

`indicates a tie

*Voting members include “Hurricane” John Newbold, Rex Davis, Craig Hislop, John Russell, Al Lewis, Josh Anderson, Thomas Sorenson, Logan Jones, Dave Simmons, Nick Zollinger, AJ Knight, Ajay Salvesen, Eric Frandsen.

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