April 25, 2024

Veteran players fuel resurgence in Hawk football

By Jocelyn Sheets

Members of the 2015 Lynnville-Sully High football team are, left to right, front row, Jayson Hardin, Jack Hardin, Kobe Fisk, Sage Ehresman, Shannon Dunsbergen, Kyle Van Dyke and Noah Engle; second row, John Trettin, Trevor Squires, Colten Arment, Ryan Hofer, Caden Dunsbergen, Quentin Thompson, Dylan Roozeboom, Tanner Maddison, Bryson Barnett, Isaac Collins, Tyler Van Zante and Sage Zylstra; third row, Aaron VanDeKrol, Cayden Johnson, Tyson Vander Linden, Gage Vander Leest, Carson Dunsbergen, Evan Squires, Drake Ehresman, Elijah Collins, Ty Breeden, Dane Fuchs and Eyon Moore; back row, Abram Collins, Corey McCoy, Garrett Cordes, Jesse Van Wyk, Cody Gibbs, Rylan James, Garret Cross, Grant Wehrle, Caleb Barnett, Mason Dunsbergen, Nate Stock and Kemper Lukehart. Not pictured: Ross Van Wyk. (Jocelyn Sheets)

A strong finish to the 2014 season had Lynnville-Sully High’s Hawks on the verge of qualifying for the Class A playoffs again. They did their part in winning their final District 7 game, but they lost the tiebreaker.

“Our kids went out the right way. We couldn’t worry about how things went for other teams. It was about finishing the right way no matter what,” Hawk head coach Mike Parkinson said after the final game last year.

Parkinson — who had announced earlier this year he was leaving Lynnville-Sully then reversed that decision — guides a Hawk team returning 17 lettermen — 10 were starters a year ago — into the 2015 football season. Parkinson’s teams have gone 26-17 in his four-year stretch as head coach.

The Hawks lost their first four games of the 2014 season but kept moving forward to finish 4-5.

“We finished the season on a three-game winning streak, which should help us start strong and build throughout the year,” Parkinson said. “This team needs to learn how to start fast and finish strong. If we can do that, this could be a very talented team.”

Five seniors, who were starters and received all-district honors, return to the gridiron for the Hawks. They have their starting quarterback and leading running back in Kobe Fisk and Sage Ehresman. Kyle Van Dyke was an offensive lineman and Ross Van Wyk earned all-district honors on the defensive side of the ball. Noah Engle was the district’s MVP kicker.

Jay Hardin, Jack Hardin and Shannon Dunsbergen, all seniors, and junior Trevor Squires are back on the offensive and defensive line for Lynnville-Sully. Juniors Caden Dunsbergen and Quentin Thompson give the Hawks solid veteran wide receivers and defensive backs.

Ehresman was a first-team running back, leading Lynnville-Sully in rushing with 1,047 yards on 127 carries for an 8.2 yards per carry average. He was sixth on the district rushing list and fourth in rushing touchdowns with 14.

Ehresman scored 110 points, which included four two-point conversions. He had two receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, Ehresman was second on the team in tackles with 63 solo stops and eight assisted tackles. He had 12 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack.

Fisk starts at quarterback for the Hawks for the second year in a row. Fisk completed 29-of-73 attempts for 309 yards, throwing one touchdown and seven interceptions. He had 54 yards on 46 carries and scored two touchdowns on the ground.

Fisk earned honorable mention all-district honors as a defensive back. He had two interceptions for the Hawks. He also had 17 unassisted tackles and 3.5 assisted tackles.

Engle, who was a receiver on offense and a linebacker on defense last year, handled the punting and kicking duties for Lynnville-Sully.

He kicked three field goals and went 8-of-13 on point-after-touchdown kicks. On 26 kickoffs, Engle had 1,093 yards and three touchbacks. He punted 23 times for 708 yards, averaging 31 yards a punt.

Offensively, Engle caught seven passes for 117 yards. Caden Dunsbergen caught 21 passes for 120 yards and rushed for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Van Dyke earned second-team honors as an offensive lineman for Lynnville-Sully. Van Dyke racked up 18 unassisted tackles and nine assisted tackles for the Hawk defense, plus had nine tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks.

Van Wyk was second-team all-district at defensive end with 14 solo tackles, one assisted tackle, five tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks.

Van Wyk also rushed for 275 yards on 73 carries for one touchdown and scored 16 points.

Other returners are juniors Dylan Roozeboom, Ryan Hofer, Colten Arment, Tyler Van Zante and Bryson Barnett and sophomore Sage Zylstra. Junior Isaac Collins provides depth on the line for Lynnville-Sully. Sophomores Carson Dunsbergen and Jesse Van Wyk will see action at receiver and tight end, respectively.

“Our season is off to a great start,” Parkinson said. “Our first day of pads went very well. We are excited about our team players and some of our new players this year.”

The Hawks open the season Friday at Van Buren.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com