Ten receive postseason honors for Lovell Bulldogs

A strong senior class and yet another winning season produced seven all-conference football players for the Lovell Bulldogs, head coach Nicc Crosby announced this week, four of them named all-state, as well.

Three others received honorable mention recognition.

Seniors Matthew Newman, Owen Walker, Halen Strom and Chase Crosby were named to the Class 3A All-State team last week after a vote by state coaches, and seniors Brody Muller, Kyle Wilson and Cash Wassmer were named 3A West All-Conference players, along with the four all-state selections.

Receiving honorable mention were seniors Owen Edwards and Kalell Gruell, as well as junior Jett Hessenthaler.

Newman and Walker are returning all-state picks.

Matthew Newman

Newman was a versatile player for the Bulldogs who played slot receiver and some running back for the Bulldog offense and defensive back and linebacker for the Lovell defense.

“Matthew played all over the place, on both sides of the ball, and on special teams, as well,” Coach Crosby said.

Newman finished second on the team in rushing, carrying the ball 72 times for 410 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He also caught 39 passes for 457 yards and four touchdowns, gaining 11.7 yards per catch. He also averaged 17.3 yards on his three punt returns and 19.7 yards on 11 kickoff returns. Newman also served as the team’s placekicker.

Newman was third on the team with 87 defensive points, finishing with 37 tackles, five tackles for a loss and three interceptions.

“Defensively, he was a very sure tackler, and offensively, he was very dangerous with the ball in his hands,” Crosby said. “He was just a great playmaker. He kicked off for us, did our PATs and was a kick and punt returner, as well. So I guess you could say he did it all. Matthew is a very, very gifted athlete, very quick and shifty.

“Despite his size (5-10 155), he did a good job of using his leverage and squaring people up when he tackled, and when he had the ball in his hands, he didn’t take many hard shots, because people had a really hard time squaring him up. Matthew is also a team captain and a really hard worker.”

Owen Walker

At 6-7 with great speed and agility, Walker was a major threat for the Bulldogs at wide receiver, and he was also an effective safety, Crosby said.

Walker caught 30 passes from quarterback Kyson Crosby for 577 yards, averaging 19.2 yards per catch, with six touchdowns. He also recorded 62 defensive points including two interceptions from his free safety position.

“Owen played a little bit of end for us in some of our heavier sets and became a really good blocker in addition to his obvious ability to be a major threat in the passing game,” Crosby said, “and on defense he helped line up our defense and came a long way in terms of understanding our defensive game plan and helping get guys in the right positions to make plays, depending on how the offense lined up.

“Owen is very passionate about football and certainly will have a great opportunity to play at the next level if he chooses to pursue it. He has above average speed and agility. With his big frame and leaping ability, he got double teamed by most teams on a very regular basis but was still very effective. He was another team captain and team leader for us and was a very coachable football player.”

Halen Strom

A force on the defensive line at tackle, Strom (6-0, 330) fought through knee injuries in each of the past two seasons. He also played guard on offense when fully healthy. He finished with 54 defensive points including 40 tackles and five tackles for a loss, and he took on blockers to free up Bulldog linebackers to tackle.

“Halen played through some pain,” Crosby said. “He took a couple of weeks off to get healthy and then played the rest of the season. He really was in pretty good shape. He got banged up a little bit in the Newcastle game in the first round of the playoffs, but he was determined to play that last game in Mountain View.

“He just does so much to set up our defense for success. When he’s demanding double teams, they’ve got fewer blockers who can get to linebackers, which really frees up our linebackers to be able to make tackles. He was also able to shed blocks and make tackles himself. Halen’s energy and passion was something he was able to inspire his teammates with.”

Chase Crosby

A fleet and elusive running back and a strong linebacker and defensive back, Chase Crosby emerged as a force on both sides of the ball this season, Coach Crosby said, noting that he also battled through some injuries this season.

“He was a sure tackler at linebacker, and we moved him out to defensive back because his shoulder was dinged up earlier in the year, and we were trying to see him have less contact out there but did a really good job in coverage.”

Crosby was fifth on the team with 66 defensive points, which included 39 tackles, three tackles for a loss and three interceptions. On offense he led the team in rushing with 769 yards on 126 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, with eight touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 83 yards.

“In the running game the last few weeks of the season, we were without Cash (Wassmer) or he wasn’t at full strength, so Chase had an increased workload there, along with Matthew,” Coach Crosby said. “He always ran hard, and he improved his ability to finish his runs and run behind his pads this year. When he got out in the open, he absolutely had good speed. And was also a kick and punt returner for us on special teams and long-snapped for us at the beginning of the year before he ran into some shoulder problems.”

Brody Muller

At 6-3, 215, Muller was an athletic lineman for the Bulldogs at left tackle and defensive end. He finished fourth in defensive points with 69 including 44 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and a sack.

“Brody is really quick for someone his size and did a really good job getting out and leading out on screens and blocking out in space when he would pull on sweeps or counters,” Crosby said. “Brody didn’t come off the field much and had a really good motor.”

Kyle Wilson

A huge presence at 6-6, 235, Wilson played right tackle and defensive end for the bulldogs, Crosby said. He had 49 defensive points including 30 tackles.

“He kept improving and really did a great job offensively,” Crosby said. “I feel like he was always pretty good as a pass blocker, but he really improved a lot this year as a run blocker. I feel like his feet just got better. Despite his big frame, he had pretty good agility.

“He did a good job for us on defense. He and Brody made it tough for people to run the ball outside, and they were able to pressure quarterbacks in the passing game, as well.”

Cash Wassmer

A running back and linebacker, Wassmer was having an outstanding season until suffering a bad ankle sprain against Kemmerer, which hobbled him in the playoffs. Even with that, he finished second on the team in defensive points with 92 including 56 tackles, 26 solo tackles, four tackles for a loss and a sack. As a running back and fullback, he rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries and caught seven passes for 66 yards. He also returned five kicks for 150 yards.

“Cash is just someone who is going to go 100 miles an hour no matter what the situation is,” Crosby said. “He only ended up playing football his last two seasons. He finally came out last year and did a great job, contributed at the varsity level. And then this year he did a really good job at linebacker for us. We moved him around a little bit. He played some Mike (inside linebacker) and played some outside linebacker. He’s a hard-nosed kid who doesn’t shy away from contact.

“He watches tons of film and is really able to use what he sees on film to help get keys for us, learning tendencies and anticipating what’s going to be coming. He suffered a grade two ankle sprain, and he worked and worked and worked and still, by the last game of the season, he was still very hobbled by it and just never got back to 100%.”

Owen Edwards

A wide receiver, tight end, outside linebacker and defensive back, the versatile Edwards finished the season with 43 defensive points including 27 tackles and two tackles for a loss. He also caught eight passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.

“Owen did a lot of the dirty work for us in our heavier formations and also was playing through an injury for much of the year. He had it coming into the season, and football’s not great for (an injury) if you’re hurt. He played some defensive back for us, little bit of outside linebacker, but just really kept improving throughout the year and had a great attitude and contributed in a lot of ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

Kalell Gruell

When healthy, Kalell Gruell was a force on both sides of the ball, playing left guard and defensive tackle at 6-3, 240. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken leg at Mountain View in the second game of the season on September 12 and was lost for the remainder of the schedule.

“That was a blow when he got hurt,” Crosby said. “Obviously, he’s not on here for his contributions this season, but being an all-state player last year he’s someone who could have contributed at that same level this year, just had an unlucky injury. And so we’re just hoping that he gets all healed up and can play football at the next level. I’d sure love to see him be able to play some more football, especially with not being able to play much of his senior season.

“He had a couple of games during his career where he just dominated inside and not just eating up blocks but making lots of tackles and just being very disruptive on the interior of the defensive line. Offensively, we primarily used him at guard. He’s very athletic for his size and blocks well in space but also packs a punch. He’s a really physical blocker, as well, and played a little bit of fullback for us his junior year, and even his senior year, in our heavy package.”

Jett Hessenthaler

A junior, Hessenthaler was called into action when Gruell and then Strom were injured and played on both offense and defense. He recorded 41 defensive points including 31 tackles.

“Jett was called into action early on in the season,” Crosby noted. “He was already our first interior offensive and defensive lineman to come off the bench and give us depth, but then when Kalell and Halen both went down early, we really needed him to step up. He was solid on both sides of the ball.

“He moves really well and really improved his ability to block at the next level (linebackers). He was a quick study and played some fullback for us in our killer set and did a really good job blocking. He’ll certainly be a key next year on the line.”