All-TSF: Linebacker Primer

Linebackers are arguably the best players on their teams. What we got from this position in 2015 was a group of hard-nosed, strong-willed studs with great work ethic. Put in the time and diligence and the work will pay off on Friday nights. That is just what we saw this past season from the best of the best locally.

VOTE NOW for your pick at linebacker and all of the other positions.

East Central LB Sid Fox (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

Here is a look at the linebacker nominees for the 2015 Postseason All-TSF Team:

NOMINEES: Hunter Armstrong (East Central); Demarco Baker (Woodward); Tyler Batten (Kenton Ridge); Dan Becker (Indian Hill); Tucker Berger (Wyoming); La Dontay Billingsley (Fairfield); Kyle Bolden (Colerain); Will Brumfield (Troy); Mason Brunner (Harrison); Anthony Carothers (Bellefontaine); Jacob Cyrus (New Richmond); Joey Davidson (Indian Lake); Donyell Denson (Wayne); Jared Dorsa (Kings); Vince Durham (Bishop Fenwick); Logan Eldridge (Greenville); Lang Evans (Turpin); Dalton Finnell (Simon Kenton); Sid Fox (East Central); Darryll Gardner (Colerain); Trevor Good (Brookville); AJ Hammonds (North College Hill); Adam Hensley (Centerville); Trey Hicks (Scott); Ben Hinton (Bishop Fenwick); Andrew Homer (St. Xavier); Ricarie Howard (Dayton Christian); Jamar Hines (Princeton); Devin Hudson (St. Bernard); Michael Ivy (Trotwood-Madison); Hayden Jester (La Salle); Aiden Keller (Cooper); Colton Lakes (Loveland); Nic Martin (Butler); Jake McCarthy (Purcell-Marian); Jake Megois (Madeira); John Meiman (Ryle); Kurt Meisberger (Williamsburg); Austin Menker (Milton-Union); Chase Miller (Bellefontaine); Alex Nees (Piqua); William Nibbert Jr. (Greenville); Eric Popp (Loveland); Rick Raga (Moeller); Alssan Ramsby (Lakota West); David Rueth (Alter); Jimi Saul (Northmont); Caleb Shroyer (Bellbrook); Josh Simons (Chaminade Julienne); DeAngelo Simmons (Mason); Payton Standifer (Franklin); Andrew Stamm (Connersville); Seth Steele (Batavia); Tanner Steward (Xenia); Roland Walder (Trotwood-Madison); Louie Wasoski (Miamisburg); Trayvon Wilburn (Mount Healthy); Seth Williamson (Batesville).

BY THE NUMBERS: It is a strong senior class with 44 of our 58 nominees from that grade. There are 13 juniors and one sophomore on the list.

CONFERENCE DPOY’S: Nine of our nominees were named their conference Defensive Player of the Year – Bruner (SWOC), Armstrong (EIAC 4A), Hinton (GCL North), Evans (ECC), Davidson (CBC Mad River), Hudson (MVC Gray). Martin (GWOC North), Wasoski (GWOC South) and Good (SWBL Southwestern).

Colerain LB Darryll Gardner (photo by Mike Noyes TriStateFootball.com)

DYNAMIC DUOS: There are seven schools have a tandem of nominees on our ballot. One of the best defenses that Fenwick has ever seen saw Hinton and Durham as its heart and soul. The Falcons went 13-1 while holding 12 opponents to 10 points or less. Hinton was named the Division IV Southwest District Defensive Player of the Year. Armstrong and Fox helped lead East Central to the Indiana Class 4A state runner-up finish. Armstrong was named the Eastern Indiana Athletic conference Defensive Player of the Year and IFCA Senior First Team All-Indiana. Fox was an IFCA Junior First Team All-Indiana selection. Miller and Carothers were beasts for Bellefontaine. Carothers had 22 tackles for losses. Trotwwod-Madison had Ivy and Walder help pace the Rams to an amazing sixth consecutive regional title. Walder the Division III So played 43 games during career which also includes a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns. Popp and Lakes led Loveland in tackles. Nibbert Jr. and Eldrige were a nasty duo to deal with at Greenville. Bolden and Gardner were part of a ferocious Colerain defense that went 12-2. Junior Bolden was a Division I First Team All-Ohio selection and will be one of eight returning Cardinals starters on this side of the ball next season.

THREE’S A CHARM: A whirlwind end to the season saw Brunner record three sacks three times in Harrison’s final six games. The senior had gone 14 games in a row without recording a sack priority to his hot finish.

IN A CLASS ALL HIS OWN: Franklin’s Standifer is the lone aforementioned sophomore nominee. He earned Division III First Team All-SW District honors this past season. Heading into his junior season Standifer has already recorded 226 total tackles.

MR. MEGOIS: Talk about a tackling machine Megois was just that for Madeira. In three varsity season Megois registered 381 total tackles of which 227 were solo. The senior also recorded 12.5 sacks with six takeaways (four interceptions, two fumble recoveries) during his career.

Trotwood-Madison LB Roland Walder (photo by Scott Reed)

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES: Kenton Ridge’s Batten was a stat sheet filler in ’15. The senior was in on 126 total tackles (64 solo), had 10 sacks with nine takeaways (five fumble recoveries and four interceptions) including three pick sixes for the 8-4 Cougars.

COMMITTED: Division III First Team All-Ohio and Southwest District Defensive Player of the Year Walder will head to Kentucky. Ohio University will land a pair of Eastern Cincinnati Conference linebackers in Popp and Dorsa. Two-time state champion Jester will head to Columbus and try his luck as a Preferred Walk-on at Ohio State. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of former La Salle star Joe Berger who has earned a scholarship for the Buckeyes after being a PWO. Centerville’s Hensley has committed to West Virginia. Homer will travel up to Oxford to play for Miami (OH).

Related Posts

• 
  RSVP: TSF Year in Review Show
• 
  2015 Postseason All-TSF Team
• 
  All-TSF: Defensive Back Primer

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