One day after the Des Moines Register released its 2012 All-State football teams, the Iowa Newspaper Association did likewise, announcing a first, second and third team for each class.
Five Jasper County athletes were given honors, each named to either a first or second team.
There were two area first-team selections, given to Prairie City-Monroe senior Ethan Kain and Lynnville-Sully junior Bailee Samson. Making a second team were Newton senior Derrick Hurt and the Lynnville-Sully duo of juniors Caden Doll and TJ Cunningham.
Kain (6-foot-1, 160 pounds), named first-team as an end, also made the Register’s first team. His 929 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns led the team and were second in all of Class 2A. He also was first in the district and fifth in 2A with 539 kick return yards.
Like Kain, Samson (5-11, 160) also earned first-team honors by the Register as a defensive lineman. His 19 solo tackles for a loss (TFL) were third in the state, and so were his 10 solo sacks. The undersized Samson finished with 85 total tackles, with 57 solo, 23.5 for a loss and 11 total sacks. He added four fumble recoveries, which were a team-high for Lynnville-Sully.
Hurt (6-foot-1, 265 pounds) earned second-team as a defensive lineman by the INA and the Register. Anchoring Newton’s offensive and defensive line for the last three years, he earned first-team all-district honors the last two on the D-line. He finished fourth for Newton in total tackles with 48, including 31 solo. His 11 solo TFLs were just one shy of the overall district lead and he assisted on four more TFLs.
At defensive back, Cunningham (5-11, 150) also earned second-team all-state honors by the INA and the Register. His eight interceptions tied for the lead in Class A and tied for sixth in all classes. He finished with 38 tackles, including 23 solo.
Completing the Lynnville-Sully trio of defensive honors was Doll (5-10, 165) at linebacker. He led Class A District 6 in tackles with 159, which was 12th-best in all classes and second in A. He had 98 solo stops and 7.5 for a loss. Doll and Cunningham will return next season to lead a defense that shut out seven opponents this fall.