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Seven Area Football Players Are First-Team Selections

Southwestern's Aidan Kennedy, Class C First-Team Defensive Back. P-J file photo

SYRACUSE — The 2021 high school football season ended more than a month ago, but the honors keep pouring in for area athletes, including seven who have earned first-team all-state small-school recognition by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

On that list are three from Class D Randolph, two from Class C Fredonia, and one apiece from Class C Southwestern and Class D Clymer/Sherman/Panama. The announcements were made Wednesday on the NYSSWA website.

Selected from Randolph, the Section VI Class D champions, are junior running back Xander Hind, junior offensive lineman Ryan Carpenter and junior linebacker Jaiden Huntington; chosen from Fredonia are senior quarterback Nick Whitfield and senior linebacker Matt Lotter; selected from Southwestern is senior defensive back Aidan Kennedy; and chosen from Clymer/Sherman/Panama is senior defensive lineman Justin Massing.

Whitfield was named the Section VI Class C South Player of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star after passing for 1,797 yards and 16 touchdowns.

He was intercepted just three times; and Lotter, the Section VI Class C Defensive Player of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star, amassed 140 tackles, including four for loss, and had three sacks. Meanwhile, Kennedy, the Section VI Class C South Offensive Player of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star, was credited with 26 tackles and intercepted six passes.

Randolph's Xander Hind, Class D First-Team Running Back. P-J file photo

Hind, the Section VI Class D Player of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star, rushed for 1,837 yards and 24 touchdowns, and had two receiving TDs; Carpenter, the Section VI Class D Offensive Lineman of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star, paved the way for the Cardinals to run for 3,221 yards and 47 TDs; Huntington, the Section VI Class D Defensive Player of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER/ all-star, was credited with 93 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions; and Massing, the Section VI Class D Defensive Lineman of the Year and a Post-Journal/OBSERVER all-star, was in on 67 tackles, including 16 for loss, recorded a sack and forced three fumbles.

Second-team selections in Class C include: junior linebackers Dalton Caldwell of Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove and Matt Sweet of Eden/North Collins; and Class D choices are offensive end Logan Grinols, defensive lineman Caleb Ploetz and defensive back Lucas Marsh of Franklinville/Ellicottville; place-kicker Bryce Hinsdale and defensive lineman TreyVon Kopta of Clymer/Sherman/Panama; and linebacker Luke Pagett of Randolph.

Grinols, Ploetz, Marsh, Kopta and Pagett are seniors; Caldwell and Sweet are juniors; and Hinsdale is a freshman.

Following are the Class D honorable-mention selections: junior running Trent Burchanowski and senior offensive end Micah Willink of Clymer/Sherman/Panama; junior lineman Dillon Schrader of Randolph; senior offensive end Blake Frank of Franklinville/Ellicottville; and Portville linebackers Kaedon Holcomb, Zander Keim and Caiden Zollinger. Holcomb is a sophomore, and Keim and Zollinger are juniors.

The Co-Players of the Year in Class C are senior quarterback James Musso of Section III Skaneateles and senior offensive end/defensive back A.J. Brotz of Section V Bath. The Player of the Year in Class D is senior running back Emmett Wood of Section IV Tioga.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Justin Massing, Class D First-Team Defensive Line. P-J file photo

The large school all-state teams (Class AA and Class A) will be announced soon.

Randolph's Ryan Carpenter, Class D First-Team Offensive Line. P-J file photo

Fredonia's Nick Whitfield, Class C First-Team Quarterback. P-J file photo

Randolph's Jaiden Huntington, Class D First-Team Linebacker. P-J file photo

Fredonia's Matt Lotter, Class C First-Team Linebacker. P-J file photo

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