Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Wyatt Wegener of Algona makes a catch during a Class 2A state semifinal football game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls earlier this month.

When the Algona football team needed a big play, they looked to senior Wyatt Wegener.

And Wegener delivered time and time again.

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association honored Wegener as the Class 2A captain of the all-state team.

Wegener was one of 10 selections from the area spread among five different classes, with his Algona teammates Cole Lewis and Andrew Hamilton joining him on the first-team.

Algona’s Gavin Meints and Garrett Schmidt were on the third as Algona celebrated a trip to the state semifinals this year.

In 3A, Webster City’s Tyler Olson made the first team with teammate Trey Mathis on the second and Will Tasler the third. Aaron Graves from Southeast Valley was a 2A first team pick.

South Central Calhoun’s Brian King, Landon Schleisman and Chase Scheidegger made the 1A first-team, with Brennan Holder and Zane Neubaum on the second. Also in 1A, Nick Gerdes of East Sac County and Ben Dunlap from Emmetsburg were third team choices.

Brendan Anderson of North Union led the way in A with a first team nod, while Manson Northwest Webster’s Kadin Birkey was on the second-team.

St. Edmond senior Nick Lawler earned a spot on the third team as did Bishop Garrigan’s Alex Mammen and Marcus Plathe.

Bryce Coppock, a former Newell-Fonda standout who played at West Sioux this fall, was named to the 1A second-team.

Wegener, a repeat all-stater from a year ago, averaged 14.5 yards per play this season. He finished with 30 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns and 2,130 yards from scrimmage.

“This means a lot, but I’m not too focused on individual goals,” Wegener said. “It’s really cool, but I couldn’t have done it without everyone on the team. It’s a nice way to end my high school career. It’s a blessing.”

Along with his standout play on offense, Wegener was also the second leading tackler on the team, had a team-high three interceptions and returned two punts for scores.

Hamilton, a senior, helped pave the way for Wegener up front, as the Bulldogs finished with almost 5,000 yards of offense and scored 69 touchdowns. He also had 12 solo tackles for loss and six sacks.

Lewis was also a repeat all-state selection for Algona after making the first team last year.

Olson, a junior for the Lynx, led the state with 12 interceptions. He was also Webster City’s leading receiver, and made 33 tackles from his secondary position.

King, who also made the all-state first team a year ago, was one of the top linemen for a South Central Calhoun squad that averaged 39 points per game. He recorded six solo tackles for loss, 13 assisted tackles for loss and six combined sacks on defense.

Schliesman, a senior, was second on the SCC team with 52.5 tackles, adding seven sacks. A second team all-stater as a junior, Schliesman led the way with 743 yards on the ground and 14 touchdowns on offense.

Scheidegger had four interceptions, 37.5 tackles and three stops for loss, as the repeat first team selection helped the Titans record three shutouts.

Anderson was the leader for North Union, as he caught 55 passes for 864 yards and 11 touchdowns. The senior also led the team with 60.5 tackles and returned a kickoff for a score.

Graves, just a sophomore but with two all-state nods to his resume already, had 55 tackles with 10 sacks for the Jaguars. He has verbally committed to the University of Iowa.

The A-2 district player of the year, Lawler had 51 tackles with two sacks for the Gaels, while also anchoring the offensive line as a senior.

Birkey, a senior, recorded a seven interceptions, which ranked second in A. He also led the Cougars with 317 yards receiving and three scores.

Joining Wegener as captains were Don Bosco’s Thomas Even (8-man), West Hancock’s Tate Hagen (A), West Sioux’s Hunter Dekkers (1A), Western Dubuque’s Calvin Harris (3A) and West Des Moines Dowling’s Michael Keough (4A).

IOWA PRINT SPORTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION ALL-STATE FOOTBALL TEAMS

(Messenger-area selections only)

Class 4A

First Team

Tysen Kershaw, Fort Dodge, WR, sr.

Second Team

Austin Lee, Fort Dodge, LB, sr.; Asle Thorson, Fort Dodge, U, sr.

Class 3A

First Team

Tyler Olson, Webster City, DB, jr.

Second Team

Trey Mathis, Webster City, RB, jr.

Third Team

Will Tasler, Webster City, OL, sr.

Class 2A

First Team

Andrew Hamilton, Algona, OL, sr.; Wyatt Wegener, Algona, RB, sr.; Cole Lewis, Algona, LB, sr.; Aaron Graves, Southeast Valley, OL, soph.

Third Team

Gavin Meints, Algona, OL, sr.; Garrett Schmidt, Algona, LB, sr.

Class 1A

First Team

Brian King, South Central Calhoun, OL, sr.; Landon Schleisman, South Central Calhoun, LB, sr.; Chase Scheidegger, South Central Calhoun, DB, sr.

Second Team

Brennan Holder, South Central Calhoun, LB, jr.; Zane Neubaum, South Central Calhoun, P, sr.

Third Team

Nick Gerdes, East Sac County, LB, sr.; Ben Dunlap, Emmetsburg, DB, jr.

Class A

First Team

Brendan Anderson, North Union, TE/WR, sr.

Second Team

Kadin Birkey, Manson Northwest Webster, DB, sr.

Third Team

Nick Lawler, St. Edmond, OL, sr.; Alex Mammen, Bishop Garrigan, LB, sr.; Marcus Plathe, Bishop Garrigan, P, sr.