Fifteen Mustangs claim all-district football honors

It took Prairie City-Monroe’s football team awhile to get rolling in 2019. But when the Mustangs figured things out, they once again turned into one of the top teams in Class 2A.

PCM finished in the state quarterfinals for the third straight season and won at least eight games for the fourth straight year.

The Mustangs tied Des Moines Christian at the top of the 2A District 8 standings at 4-1 and 15 players earned all-district honors.

The first-team selections for PCM went to seniors Seth Greiner, Jace Smith and Rayce Kohlhof and juniors Sage Burns, Jacob Van Winkle, Colby Tool, Gatlin Boell, Justin Maggard, Brayden Berger, Cooper Sloan, Landon Fenton, Greyson Strum, Caleb Duinink and Andrew Mitchell and sophomore Aidan Anderson.

Eight of the selections were for defense. That unit allowed only 13 points per game in district play. Six selections went to an offensive unit that averaged 37 points per game. Berger was the district’s first-team punter.

Berger averaged 38 yards per punt and had a long of 53 this season. In district play, Berger punted 11 times for an average of 37 yards per punt. His longest punt in five district games went 49 yards.

Five linemen were recognized for the Mustangs.

Smith and Strum were first-team picks on the offensive line and Duinink was a second-team selection.

The Mustangs’ offense was second in the district and seventh in 2A with 2,252 rushing yards. PCM finished with 3,459 total yards, averaged six yards per carry and 6.8 yards per play.

Greiner was a first-team defensive lineman after collecting 62 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and five sacks this season, In district play, Greiner had 21.5 tackles and seven tackles for loss.

The final senior who made an all-district team was Kohlhof, who was honored as a first-team defensive back. Kohlhof finished with 27.5 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. In district games, Kohlhof had nine tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Anderson was a first-team running back. He split carries with a handful of teammates early in the season but came on strong late in the year. He finished with 1,098 rushing yards and nine touchdowns with an eight yards per carry average.

Anderson gained 836 of his total rushing yards in the final four games. In district play, he ran for 569 yards and six touchdowns. He had 13 catches for 223 yards overall and five catches for 103 yards in district play.

Van Winkle was a first-team wide receiver. He hauled in a team-high 21 catches for 447 yards and five TDs this season and rushed for 145 yards and another TD.

In district play, Van Winkle gained 263 yards on eight catches and scored four TDs. He also rushed for 60 yards.

Maggard joined Kohlhof as a first-team defensive back. Maggard had 24 tackles, a team-high four interceptions and two tackles for loss in 2019. In district play, Maggard tallied 2.5 tackles and three interceptions.

Tool and Boell were both first-team linebackers.

Tool led the Mustangs with 72.5 tackles and added nine tackles for loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries. In district play, he had 28.5 tackles, three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

Boell was third on the team with 52.5 tackles and also finished with eight tackles for loss and two interceptions. In district play, Boell collected 21.5 tackles, one tackle for loss and two picks.

Burns was selected as a first-team utility player. He spent half of his season as the Mustangs’ quarterback and the other half as a running back.

Burns finished with 619 passing yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions as a passer and rushed for 779 yards and 17 TDs. In district play, Burns rushed for 333 yards and five TDs and passed for 238 yards, three TDs and one interception.

Sloan was a second-team selection on the defensive line. He finished with 20.5 tackles and four tackles for loss. In district play, he had 15.5 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Fenton was a second-team choice as a defensive back. He finished with 29 tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. In district play, Fenton had eight tackles and one fumble recovery.

Mitchell was a second-teamer at linebacker. He finished with 33.5 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception and a fumble recovery. In district play, Mitchell finished with 13.5 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception and a fumble recovery.

Class 2A District 8

Final Standings

Des Moines Christian 4-1

PCM 4-1

Centerville 3-2

Chariton 3-2

Clarke 1-4

Saydel 0-5

Offensive MVP

Jackson Waring, sr., Des Moines Christian

Defensive MVP

Dylan Cain, sr., Chariton

First Team

Quarterback — Jackson Waring, sr., Des Moines Christian; Quinton Koestner, sr., Centerville.

Running Back — Aidan Anderson, so., PCM; McCain Oden, sr., Centerville; Cade Thiner, sr., Des Moines Christian; Chris Carson, jr., Clarke.

Receiver — Jacob Van Winkle, jr., PCM; Seth Juhl, sr., Des Moines Christian; Gage Carson, sr., Centerville; Payton Lavender, sr., Chariton; Owen Quinlan, sr., Des Moines Christian.

Offensive Line — Greyson Strum, jr., PCM; Jace Smith, sr., PCM; Brady Clark, jr., Centerville; Tyler Sedgwick, sr., Centerville; Riley Reece, sr., Chariton; Spruceton Buddenhagen, so., Clarke; Jacob Martin, sr., Des Moines Christian; Bennett Dirks, jr., Des Moines Christian.

Defensive Line — Seth Greiner, sr., PCM; Cooper Best, sr., Des Moines Christian; Nic Wood, sr., Chariton; Hunter Koehn, sr., Chariton; Cade Moore, sr., Centerville; Broedy Kroeger, jr., Centerville.

Linebacker — Colby Tool, jr., PCM; Gatlin Boell, jr., PCM; Brett Crandell, sr., Des Moines Christian; Chase Van Dike, sr., Des Moines Christian; Dylan Cain, sr., Chariton; Kolby Micetich, sr., Centerville; Lucas Henderson, jr., Centerville.

Defensive Back — Rayce Kohlhof, sr., PCM; Justin Maggard, jr., PCM; Elek Richmond, sr., Des Moines Christian; Trent McCann, sr., Centerville; Jackson Curnutte, sr., Des Moines Christian.

Utility — Sage Burns, jr., PCM.

Punter — Brayden Berger, jr., PCM.

Kicker — Trent McCann, sr., Centerville.

Returner — Cade Thiner, sr., Des Moines Christian.

Second Team

Quarterback — Graden Arnold, sr., Chariton.

Offensive Line — Caleb Duinink, jr., PCM; Tyler Leudtke, sr., Chariton; Jackson Hoag, sr., Clarke; Dylan Walker, jr., Saydel; Max Olson, jr., Des Moines Christian; Tommy Wisenburger, sr., Des Moines Christian.

Defensive Line — Cooper Sloan, jr., PCM; Jake Smith, jr., Clarke; Trevor Lause, so., Saydel.

Linebackers — Andrew Mitchell, jr., PCM; Gage Moorman, sr., Centerville; Alejandro Davis, sr., Clarke; Josh Shank, so., Des Moines Christian; Joseph Kim, sr., Des Moines Christian; Shaylon Brady, so., Saydel.

Defensive Back — Landon Fenton, jr., PCM; Tanney Fry, jr., Clarke; Chris Malone, jr., Saydel.