March 29, 2024

Eleven Hawks earn Class A District 8 honors

Lynnville-Sully’s James is District 8 Defensive MVP

Rylan James recorded 14 tackles for loss during the 2018 football season. The Lynnville-Sully senior defensive lineman had 10 of those against Class A District 8 opponents.

James had five quarterback sacks against district teams. He made 13 solo tackles and 5.5 assisted tackles.

James’ efforts did not go unnoticed. He was named the Class A District 8 2018 Defensive Most Valuable Player. He also was the All-District 8 punter.

Ten of James’ teammates joined him in earning Class A District 8 football honors. Lynnville-Sully was the District 8 champion, going 5-0 and advancing into the playoffs.

Named to the All-District team on offense were seniors Gage Vander Leest as a running back, Evan Squires as fullback, Tyson Vander Linden as a utility player and Caleb Barnett as an offensive lineman.

Receiving All-District defensive honors along with James were seniors Nate Stock as a defensive lineman, Grant Wehrle as linebacker and Ty Breeden as defensive back.

Juniors Ethan Wyma, Zane Fraker and Gage Schilling received district honorable mention honors. Wyma as a defensive back, Fraker as a tight end and Schilling as offensive lineman.

James was the best punter in the district with a 36.9-yard average. He punted 10 times for 369 yards.

Overall for the season, James had 22 punts for 796 yards, a 36.2-yard average. He finished fifth on the team in tackles with 23 solos and 21 assists. He had six quarterback sacks.

James also played on the offensive line as the Hawks led District 8 in rushing, 1,804 yards on 282 carries. The Hawks scored 23 touchdowns on the ground.

Leading the offense was Vander Linden with 896 all-purpose yards in district play. He rushed for 488 yards on 50 carries which was third best in the district.

Vander Linden was a starting receiver for Lynnville-Sully, He caught nine passes for 115 yards in the five district games. He had six rushing touchdowns and one receiving TD.

He led the district in punt return yardage with 216 yards on 12 returns with two touchdowns. He was second in kickoff return yardage, 97 yards on six attempts.

Vander Linden, who is headed to Iowa State to run track next year, finished the season with 1,571 all-purpose yards. He was Lynnville-Sully’s second-leading rusher with 640 yards on 59 carries and seven TDs. He had 460 yards on 35 catches and three touchdowns.

Vander Leest, who was out injured for a couple of games, ended up fourth in rushing in Class A District 8. He had 440 yards on 83 carries and five touchdowns.

Vander Leest was Lynnville-Sully’s starting quarterback. He caught two passes for 45 yards in district games.

Vander Leest was the Hawks’ leading rusher for the season, 1,128 yards on 180 carries and 13 TDs. He finished with 41 completions on 65 attempts passing for 628 yards. He had six TD passes and one interception.

Squires was the blocking fullback and Barnett provided a lot of blocking for the Hawk offensive production.

Squires did scored seven TDs in district action. He rushed for 393 yards on 54 carries and caught two passes for 32 yards.

For the season, Squires had 499 yards rushing on 70 carries. He had four receptions for 49 yards.

Stock helped lead the Hawk defense against District 8 foes. He had 15 solo tackles, four assisted tackles, five tackles for loss and one quarterback sack.

Breeden also had five tackles for loss from his defensive back spot. He had 17 solo tackles and seven assisted tackles in district games. Breeden had a quarterback sack.

Wehrle recorded 12 solo stops and six assisted tackles as a linebacker for the Hawks in district play. For the season, Wehrle had 19 solo tackles, 18 assisted tackles and three tackles for loss.

Breeden was Lynnville-Sully’s overall leading tackler with 37 solo tackles, 28 assisted tackles and nine tackles for loss. Stock’s final defensive line was 28 solo stops, 15 assisted tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks.

Wyma was defensive back with eight solo tackles, a fumble recovery and two sacks in district action.

As a tight end, Fraker helped combine with the Hawk offensive linemen to block. He joined Schilling in helping the Hawks lead the district in rushing and he caught four passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Lynnville-Sully led District 8 in total offense, 2,203 yards.The Hawks lost to eventual Class A 2018 state champion Hudson in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Hawks had their second straight district championship in 2018. They made the Class A playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.

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