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Updated: December 28, 2024 @ 4:50 am
Monticello #78 Mason High
Unity’s Colton Langendorf made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Westville’s Ethan Miller made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
SJO #27 Jared Altenbaumer
GCMS #19 Ryker Grauer
PARISH
ALAH RB #3 Maddix Stirrett
LeRoy #19 Bo Zeleznik
Monticello’s Nolan Buehnerkemper made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond’s Cash Hale made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Salt Fork’s Jameson Remole made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Unity safety Ryan Rink is a key part of the Rockets’ defense in 2024.
Mahomet-Seymour #2 Brock VanDeveer
College/Prep Sports Reporter
Monticello #78 Mason High
Monticello senior defensive lineman
➜ Why he made the first team … High has been a three-year starter for the Sages on both the offensive and defensive line, and this was his best year by far. He was a unanimous All-Illini Prairie Conference defensive tackle and made the Class 3A All-State Team, helping lead Monticello to the 3A state championship game.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … never wearing yellow pants for games after losing in them throughout high school.
➜ His dream career is … playing in the NFL.
➜ His go-to snack is ... fruit snacks or Skittles.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … basketball.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Michael B. Jordan.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus and Abraham Lincoln.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … attending a Super Bowl, taking a trip around the world and skydiving.
Unity’s Colton Langendorf made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Unity junior defensive lineman
➜ Why he made the first team … Langendorf got after opposing quarterbacks and ball-carriers all season, racking up a team-high 109 tackles and seven sacks from the defensive end position. His defensive presence played a big role in leading the Rockets to the Class 3A state semifinals.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … wearing his American flag headband for every game.
➜ His dream career is … a welder.
➜ His go-to snack is … nacho cheese Doritos.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick ... basketball.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Will Ferrell.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr. and Joe Rogan.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … seeing the northern lights, going on a hunting trip in the safari and skydiving.
Westville’s Ethan Miller made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Westville junior defensive lineman
➜ Why he made the first team … Miller was one of the Vermilion Valley Conference’s best two-way linemen, easily making the VVC and Vermilion County First Teams. A captain for a young Tigers team, Miller earned a Class 2A All-State Honorable-Mention nod and worked his way into the Tiger Weightroom 1,000-pound club.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … wearing his lucky cutoff shirt for games.
➜ His dream career is … a veterinarian.
➜ His go-to snack is … popcorn.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … wrestling.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Dwayne Johnson.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … George Washington, Spencer Lee and Chris Pratt.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … camping in Yellowstone Park, traveling to Japan and fishing in Alaska.
SJO #27 Jared Altenbaumer
St. Joseph-Ogden senior linebacker
➜ Why he made the first team … The Spartans had seemingly endless dynamic options on the offensive side of the ball, but Altenbaumer made sure no one forgot about how talented their defense was. One of the area’s leading tacklers, Altenbaumer ended the season with 114 of them along with one interception and one forced fumble on a 10-win team.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … taking a knee at the 50-yard line to watch the offensive period of Thursday practices.
➜ His dream career is … a sports trainer for an NBA or NFL team.
➜ His go-to snack is … Cheez-Its.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … table tennis.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Adam Sandler.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Coleman Hawkins, Christian McCaffrey and Ryan Reynolds.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … golfing at Augusta National, flying in a military jet and attending an Illinois national championship game.
GCMS #19 Ryker Grauer
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley senior linebacker
➜ Why he made the first team … Grauer had a knack for being wherever the ball-carrier was, making the Class 1A All-State Team with 96 tackles (eight for loss), one sack and three pass breakups. He was an All-Heart of Central Illinois Conference First-Teamer on both sides of the ball, also tallying 397 receiving yards and five touchdowns as the Falcons reached the Class 1A state quarterfinals.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … walking onto the field with his teammates in a specific order.
➜ His dream career is … a physical therapist or athletic trainer.
➜ His go-to snack is … Chex Mix.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … basketball.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Owen Wilson.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Peyton Manning, Dwyane Wade and George Washington.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … skydiving, playing a college sport and flying a plane.
PARISH
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin senior linebacker
➜ Why he made the first team … Parish just might have been the best two-way player in the area this season. On offense, he rushed 214 times for 1,682 yards and 23 touchdowns. Defensively, he broke his own BHRA single-season tackles record with 145 and had five interceptions. Added up, it came out to Class 2A All-State recognition on an 11-win team.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … running a line of eye black over his right eye for games.
➜ His dream career is … playing in the NFL.
➜ His go-to snack is … fruit snacks.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … freestyle skiing.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Chris Evans.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Walter Payton, Christian McCaffrey and Pat Tillman.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … traveling to another country, going elk hunting and attending a Chicago Bears Super Bowl.
ALAH RB #3 Maddix Stirrett
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond senior linebacker
➜ Why he made the first team … Stirrett’s 136 tackles this season increased his career total to 335, which made him the Knights’ all-time leading tackler and earned him Class 2A All-State honors. While constantly causing havoc in opposing backfields, Stirrett also rushed 70 times for 529 yards and 11 touchdowns as a fullback.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … never washing his practice jersey.
➜ His dream career is … a boxer.
➜ His go-to snack is … chocolate.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … bobsledding.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Johnny Depp.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Megan Maroney, Johnny Cash and Michael Jordan.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … skydiving, traveling to Mexico and owning a tiger.
LeRoy #19 Bo Zeleznik
LeRoy senior linebacker
➜ Why he made the first team … Zeleznik was an easy choice to make the Class 1A All-State Team. His 78 tackles and two interceptions on defense were impressive, but his offensive output was even better. Zeleznik carried the ball 205 times for 1,614 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also completed five passes, and all five were for touchdowns.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … listening to “The Hanging Tree” during his drive to the weight room before games.
➜ His dream career is … a NASA researcher.
➜ His go-to snack is … pistachios.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … archery.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Tom Maden when he was blond.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Jesus, Paul the Apostle and Queen Elizabeth I.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … going to Glacier National Park, having a celestial body named after him and mastering how to read body language.
Monticello’s Nolan Buehnerkemper made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Monticello junior defensive back
➜ Why he made the first team … Buehnerkemper did a little bit of everything for the Sages this season. Defensively, he was a unanimous All-Illini Prairie Conference strong safety. Offensively, he reeled in 81 passes at wide receiver, the third-most in a season in Monticello history. And on special teams, he made six field goals.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … headbutting teammate Matt Swartz before every game.
➜ His dream career is … a big-time sports agent.
➜ His go-to snack is … Slim Jims.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … 3×3 basketball.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Matthew McConaughey.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Peyton Manning, Rob Gronkowski and Stephen A. Smith.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … attending a Drake concert, visiting every NFL stadium and skydiving.
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond’s Cash Hale made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond junior defensive back
➜ Why he made the first team … Hale was the definition of a lockdown defensive back for the Knights, coming away with an area-best nine interceptions and knocking down another six passes. He added 31 tackles to go along with his ball-hawking abilities, and he recorded 253 receiving yards and four touchdowns on offense.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … doing the same pre-game warmups.
➜ His dream career is … filmmaking.
➜ His go-to snack is … beef jerky.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … the high jump.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Jim Carrey.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Jim Croce, Elvis Presley and Jim Carrey.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … traveling to Hawaii, skydiving and going surfing.
Salt Fork’s Jameson Remole made The News-Gazette’s 2024 All-Area Football First Team.
Salt Fork senior defensive back
➜ Why he made the first team … Remole flew all over the field on defense, compiling 103 tackles, four interceptions and three fumble recoveries. The Class 1A All-State pick was also a dual-threat quarterback, passing for 1,229 yards and 12 touchdowns, most going to Grant Wilson, and rushing for 485 yards and another 12 scores.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … praying before every game.
➜ His dream career is … playing in the NFL.
➜ His go-to snack is … Nerd Clusters.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … golf.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Adam Sandler.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … visiting all 50 states, going to a Jason Aldean concert and attending the Super Bowl.
Unity safety Ryan Rink is a key part of the Rockets’ defense in 2024.
Unity senior defensive back
➜ Why he made the first team … Rockets coach Scott Hamilton called Rink “the glue of our defense.” Quite the responsibility given Unity’s expectations year in and year out, but Rink played that role well, racking up 100 tackles and ending his senior season one big play away from making the Class 3A state championship game.
➜ His dream career is … a pilot.
➜ His go-to snack is … a peanut butter and honey Uncrustable.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … track.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Brad Pitt.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Peyton Manning, Joe Rogan and his dad.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … attending a Minnesota Vikings home game, visiting Japan and snowboarding in Canada.
Mahomet-Seymour #2 Brock VanDeveer
Mahomet-Seymour senior defensive back
➜ Why he made the first team … VanDeveer is now a two-time unanimous All-Apollo Conference First-Team selection, last year as a linebacker and this year as a defensive back. He tallied 52 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble, ending his high school career as a Class 5A All-State honoree.
➜ His biggest football superstition is … eating Subway on game days.
➜ His dream career is … a professional golfer.
➜ His go-to snack is … meat sticks.
➜ If he could make the Olympics in any other sport, he would pick … wrestling.
➜ The actor he’d pick to play him in a movie would be … Chris Hemsworth.
➜ If he could have dinner with three people from any time period, he would pick … Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Adam Sandler.
➜ Three things on his bucket list are … qualifying for state in wrestling, starting a college football game and making a tackle in a college football game.
Zach Piatt covers high school sports at The News-Gazette. His email is zpiatt@news-gazette.com.
College/Prep Sports Reporter
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