Best Of The Best
Drake, O’Brien, Langworthy Earn Class A1’s Top Honors
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- Jamestown quarterback Trey Drake was named the Section VI Class A1 Player of the Year after throwing for 2,486 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. P-J file photo by Tim Frank
Jamestown quarterback Trey Drake was named the Section VI Class A1 Player of the Year after throwing for 2,486 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. P-J file photo by Tim Frank
Trey Drake and Sean O’Brien had banner football seasons, helping Jamestown successfully defend its Section VI Class A championship.
The seniors are reaping the rewards for their efforts.
Their head coach, Tom Langworthy, is, too.
Drake, a 6-foot-3 quarterback, was named the Class A1 Player of the Year; O’Brien, a 6-0, 215-pound linebacker, was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player; and Langworthy was the A1 Co-Coach of the Year with Williamsville North’s Paul Palizay.
All those honors were well-deserved.
Drake, a Connolly Cup finalist and a North Dakota State University verbal commit, completed 175 of 295 passes for 2,486 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was intercepted just four times. For his career, he has passed for 6,158 yards and 72 TDs, both marks that put him in the top 20 in New York state history.
O’Brien made history of his own.
Roaming from sideline to sideline, he amassed a school-record 213 tackles, including 39 for loss; recorded six sacks; intercepted a pass; forced a fumble; and defended 13 passes. Among his highlights were a 24-tackle performance in a 57-26 victory over Niagara Wheatfield and a 22-tackle effort in a 49-34 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regional loss to Section V Hilton.
Meanwhile, Langworthy not only guided Jamestown to the Class A1 title, but he also recorded his 100th career victory in the Section VI Class A championship game against Williamsville North. It was his fourth sectional crown during his 15 years at the helm.
Drake, O’Brien and Langworthy weren’t the only Red Raiders to be recognized for their performances on the gridiron this fall.
Other First-Team selections were junior running back Carsen Bane; sophomore wide receiver Carson Panebianco; senior wide receiver Darius Freeney; senior offensive lineman Aric Bloomquist; and senior punter Colin Melendez.
Bane rushed for 1,162 yards on 156 carries and 16 touchdowns on offense and he accumulated 117 tackles to go along with seven sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery; Panebianco caught 45 passes for 741 yards and eight touchdowns; Freeney had 48 receptions for 855 yards and 12 TDs; Bloomquist anchored an offensive line that got better and better each week and was one of the reasons Jamestown ran off nine consecutive victories; and Melendez led A1 in punting average (35.6) and was also a two-way starter.
Red Raiders named to the Second Team were senior running back Radon Wright, senior offensive lineman Brandon Lobb; senior defensive back Sean Paige; junior defensive back Jack Carlson; and junior kicker Ella Propheter.
Honorable-mention selections from Jamestown were senior wide receiver/defensive back Michael Boron; sophomore lineman Aziyon Wilson-Earll; senior lineman John Torres; senior wide receiver/defensive back Mason McVinney; and senior wide receiver/defensive back Eric Reese.
Other Class A1 honorees were senior running back Kendal Donovan of Williamsville North, Offensive MVP; and junior tight end/linebacker Hayden Arrison of Clarence, Sportsman of the Year. Clarence was Sportsmanship Team of the Year recipient.
FIRST TEAM
Trey Drake Sr. Quarterback Jamestown
Alexander Fletcher Sr. Quarterback Niagara Wheatfield
Kendal Donovan Sr. Running back Williamsville North
Carsen Bane Jr. Running back Jamestown
Brady Culhane Sr. Running back Clarence
Carson Panebianco So. Wide receiver Jamestown
Darius Freeney Sr. Wide receiver Jamestown
Shey Williams Jr. Wide receiver Lockport
Aric Bloomquist Sr. Offensive lineman Jamestown
Jalen Myers Sr. Offensive lineman Clarence
Zach Walline Sr. Offensive lineman Clarence
Ethan Stierheim Sr. Offensive lineman Williamsville North
Kayden Hensley Sr. Offensive lineman Clarence
Evan Locke Sr. Defensive lineman Williamsville North
Tristan Grimball Jr. Linebacker Lockport
Sean O’Brien Sr. Linebacker Jamestown
Cole Barber Sr. Linebacker Frontier
Bryce Privateer Soph. Safety Frontier
Rob Kibler Soph. Safety Frontier
Tyler Ryan Sr. Safety Clarence
Mitch Kelly Sr. Safety Williamsville North
Anthony Bowman Sr. Cornerback Lockport
DJ Leonard Jr. Cornerback Williamsville North
Colin Melendez Sr. Punter Jamestown
SECOND TEAM
Dylan Rifenburg Sr. Quarterback Clarence
Te’Shaun Mathews Jr. Running back Niagara Wheatfield
Radon Wright Sr. Running back Jamestown
Shawn Watson Jr. Wide receiver Niagara Wheatfield
Grayson White Sr. Wide receiver Clarence
Tray Thompson Soph. Wide receiver Lockport
Jeremy Connor Sr. Wide receiver Clarence
Brandon Lobb Sr. Offensive line Jamestown
James Weaver Sr. Offensive line Lockport
Zack Smith Sr. Offensive line Niagara Wheatfield
Noah Stierheim Jr. Offensive line Williamsville North
Liam Whalen Jr. Defensive line Lockport
Tyler McCluskey Jr. Defensive line Frontier
Braden Zwolinski Sr. Linebacker Clarence
Joseph Echevarria Conde Sr. Linebacker Williamsville North
Rocco Urbanaczyk Jr. Linebacker Williamsville North
Jordan Ferby Sr. Linebacker Williamsville North
Tanner O’Neil Sr. Linebacker Frontier
Nathan Errington Jr. Linebacker Frontier
Jacob Bush Sr. Linebacker Frontier
Kyree Jones Jr. Defensive back Lockport
Sean Paige Sr. Defensive back Jamestown
Jack Carlson Jr. Defensive back Jamestown
Dylan Pringle Soph. Safety Niagara Wheatfield
Cole Smith Sr. Punter Lockport
Ella Propheter Jr. Kicker Jamestown
HONORABLE MENTION
Jamestown: Michael Boron, Aziyon Wilson-EArll, John Torres, Mason McVinney, Eric Reese.
Williamsville North: Jacob Lozo, Jaedan Waterman, Ronaldo Le, Ben Hansen, Anthony Thomas.
Niagara Wheatfield: Casey Robinson, Christian Turner, Evan Belter, Collin Coughenour.
Lockport: Eli Bohlman.
Frontier: Tommy Alleca, Nicholas Gonzalez, Shea Nicholas, Alan Hostettler, Zacary Ribera.
Clarence: James Cimato, Hayden Arrison, Bryce Hawes, Aidan Schaefer.
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