Fenton leads 19 Mustangs on all-district football team

Outscoring its opponents 253-72, the PCM football team won its third straight district championship this past fall.

The Mustangs finished off a third consecutive undefeated run through the district, too, and 19 players were recognized on the all-district squad.

Senior Keegan Fenton was the Class 2A District 7 Defensive MVP, while PCM head football coach Greg Bonnett shared Coach of the Year honors with Centerville’s Matt Kovacevich. PCM’s Zack Woods was the district’s assistant coach of the year, too.

All-district recognition is based on statistics inside district play only. Fourteen Mustangs earned first team all-district honors, led by Fenton.

The rest of the first-teamers were seniors Chase Wagaman, Gavin Steenhoek, Braedyn Lester, Dominic Witt, Alex Wendt, Brock Barnett and Evan Jones, junior Ivan Shannon and sophomores Hayden Shannon, Jake Thomas, Lewis Daye Jr. and Mason Hjortshoj.

The second-team selections were seniors Trent Nickelson, Austen Brundage and Harrison Brinegar and juniors Jax Strait and Jaden Houser.

Senior Shay Burns also earned one of the district’s two Golden Awards, which goes to players who would have been all-district had it not been for an injury.

Fenton was the district’s defensive MVP after finishing with 21.5 tackles, ranking first with eight tackles for loss and second with three sacks.

Centerville quarterback Mack Murdock was the district’s offensive MVP, but Wagaman was the first team quarterback after ranking third in the district with 579 passing yards.

He also ranked second with nine passing touchdowns. He was 26-of-54 through the air and ran for 114 yards and one score.

Daye Jr. was one of the first team running backs. He led the district with 878 rushing yards and ranked second with nine rushing TDs. He also grabbed two passes for 26 yards.

Steenhoek was a first team wide receiver after ranking fourth in the district with 14 catches. He also was second with 377 receiving yards and tied for second with six receiving TDs. He averaged 26.9 yards per catch, too.

Ivan Shannon was the first team tight end. He grabbed two passes for 32 yards and one TD.

Four Mustang offensive linemen were recognized. Hayden Shannon, Lester and Thomas were first-teamers, while Brundage was a second-team selection.

That unit helped the Mustangs lead the district with 32 offensive TDs, 1,530 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. PCM also was second to Centerville with 2,151 total yards.

Witt was the first team kicker. He led the district with 37 touchbacks in 40 kickoffs and he was 27-of-27 in PATs. That was tops in the league.

Wendt and Barnett were first team on the defensive line and Hjortshoj and Jones were first-team linebackers.

Wendt posted 18.5 tackles and led the district with five sacks. His six tackles for loss ranked second behind Fenton.

Hjortshoj tied for seventh in the district with 27.5 tackles. His 5.5 tackles for loss ranked third and his 1.5 sacks were sixth.

Jones totaled 17.5 tackles and Barnett had three tackles.

Joining Brundage on the second team were Nickelson, Brinegar, Strait and Houser.

Nickelson earned his all-district honor as a defensive lineman. He finished with 18.5 tackles, two tackles for loss and tied for seventh in the district with one sack.

Strait posted 17 tackles, tied for seventh with one sack and one was one five players to return an interception for a touchdown as a linebacker. His pick 6 covered 43 yards.

Brinegar registered 11 tackles and two tackles for loss as a linebacker and Houser chipped in 10 tackles as a defensive back.

Class 2A District 7

Final Standings

Team District Overall

PCM 5-0 9-2

Centerville 4-1 7-2

South Tama County 3-2 5-4

Pella Christian 2-3 3-7

Albia 1-4 3-5

Davis County 0-5 0-8

Offensive MVP

Mack Murdock, so., Centerville (first team)

Defensive MVP

Keegan Fenton, sr., PCM (first team)

Coaches of the Year

Greg Bonnett, PCM

Matt Kovacevich, Centerville

Assistant Coach of the Year

Zack Woods, PCM

Golden Award

Shay Burns, sr., PCM; Gage Chance, jr., Albia.

All-District

First Team Offense

Quarterback: Chase Wagaman, sr., PCM.

Running backs: Lewis Daye, so., PCM; Makoa Kaleponi, jr., Centerville; Eric Medina, jr., South Tama.

Wide Receivers: Gavin Steenhoek, sr., PCM; Caleb Volk, sr., PCM; Klayton Lawson, sr., Centerville; Abram Decena, so., Centerville.

Tight End: Ivan Shannon, jr., PCM,

Offensive Line: Hayden Shannon, so, PCM; Jake Thomas, so., PCM; Braedyn Lester, sr., PCM; Braxton Bragg, jr., Davis County; Logan Carracio, sr., Centerville; Daiden Howard, jr., Centerville.

Utility: Isaac Helm, jr., Albia; Ty Pickerell, jr., Albia.

Kicker: Dominic Witt, sr., PCM.

Returner: Adam Kacmarynski, sr., Pella Christian.

First Team Defense

Defensive Line: Alex Wendt, sr., PCM; Brock Barnett, sr., PCM; Toby Belzer, sr., Pella Christian; Ander Rosol, sr., Centerville; Marcus Bear, sr., South Tama.

Linebackers: Mason Hjortshoj, so., PCM; Evan Jones, sr., PCM; Fletcher Mick, jr., Albia; Brian Snyder, sr., Centerville; Kyle Youngbear, jr., South Tama.

Defensive backs: Brecken Ritzert, sr., Pella Christian; Conner Petoyan, sr., Centerville; Eli Cruikshank, jr., South Tama; Cason Young, sr., Davis County.

Utility: Mike Henry, jr., South Tama; Garrett Willard, sr., Pella Christian.

Punter: Hayden Bankson, sr., Davis County.

Second Team Offense

Quarterback: Ryan Brant, so., South Tama.

Running back: Parker Hemann, sr., Albia; Landon Nunnikhoven, sr., Pella Christian.

Wide Receivers: Eli Hilton, sr., Albia; Nick Upah, sr., South Tama; Mason Simmons, sr., Davis County.

Tight End: Jag Lathrop, jr., Albia.

Offensive Line: Austen Brundage, sr., PCM; Lewis Menninga, so., Pella Christian; Hunter Vander Linden, sr., Pella Christian; Blake Six, sr., Pella Christian; Jason Morrow, sr., Centerville; Lakyr Peska, so., South Tama; Drew Mellies, sr., South Tama.

Utility: Izak Schroeder, so., South Tama.

Second Team Defense

Defensive Line: Trent Nickelson, sr., PCM; Aiden Keegel, so., Albia; Cory Kratofil, jr., Centerville; Darrian Stocker, sr., Albia.

Linebackers: Harrison Brinegar, sr., PCM; Jax Strait, jr., PCM; Curtis Mathes, jr., Centerville.

Defensive Backs: Jaden Houser, jr., PCM; Ben Van Wyngarden, sr., Pella Christian; Jager White, sr., Centerville; Tanner Large, sr., South Tama.

Utility: Garrett Surman, sr., South Tama.

Punter: Bryson Reed, so., Albia.

Honorable Mention

Triton Thomas, sr., Centerville; Evan Barber, jr., Centerville; Sloan Phillips, so., Centerville; Max Taylor, so., Davis County; Svend Skaggs, fr., Davis County; Victor Milder, fr., Davis County; Manuel Cervantes, jr., South Tama; Ayden Vest, sr., South Tama; Josh Strong, sr., South Tama.