Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Senior quarterback JT Laufersweiler of St. Edmond scrambles for a first down this past season inside Dodger Stadium.

JT Laufersweiler ranked among the best quarterbacks in all of eight-player this past season.

The St. Edmond senior was honored for his effort by being named the District 9 offensive player of the year.

Laufersweiler was one of four Gaels named to the first team alongside Grant Galles, Koleman Hanson and Adam Walker.

Making the second team were Sam Myer and Jakob Koopman, with honorable mention status going to Quintin Jaeschke and and Kinnick Henning.

St. Edmond finished fifth in the district at 2-4 with a 4-4 overall record. Audubon was first followed by Glidden-Ralston, Baxter and Coon Rapids-Bayard.

Laufersweiler racked up 1,905 yards passing and 624 yards rushing with 35 total touchdowns. He completed 56 percent of his passes with a quarterback rating of 143.4.

Over his SEHS career, Laufersweiler had 3,849 yards passing, 1,311 yards rushing, 46 passing touchdowns and 26 rushing scores.

“JT had a phenomenal career,” SEHS head coach Matt Dillon said. “He was a tremendous leader and an even better person. JT broke every passing record at St. Edmond and is going to make somebody very happy at the college level.

“I think the world of him as a player and how much he has grown as a person over this time period.”

Galles, a sophomore, became the No. 1 target for Laufersweiler, catching 46 passes for 867 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged almost 19 yards per reception while also handling punt return duties.

“Coming out of our team camp this preseason, we didn’t know if Grant would be ready,” Dillon said. “When Dominic (McClain) went down vs. Garrigan, Grant stepped in and really had an unbelievable season.”

Hanson, also a sophomore, had 37 touchbacks and was 7-for-16 on extra-point attempts. On defense, he recorded a team-high five sacks with 37 tackles and scored a touchdown off a fumble recovery.

“Koleman was not only a weapon on defense, his leg made a big different for us,” Dillon said. “You cannot underestimate how important it was having someone like Koleman who could consistently put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs.”

Walker, a junior, was in on 46.5 tackles with 23.5 coming for loss. He also had 2.5 sacks and was a starter along the offensive line.

“We were able to play Adam at various spots because of his abilities and skills,” Dillon said. “Every single district coach voted him on the first team because they understood just how good he was.”

Myer ran for 451 yards with four touchdowns, adding six receptions for 80 yards and a score. The junior finished with a team-leading 69 tackles including 7.5 stops for loss.

Koopman, a sophomore, recorded 40 tackles with 33 solo stops and four interceptions while adding 136 yards receiving and a TD on offense.

Jaeschke, a junior, had 51.5 tackles including 11 for loss with two sacks while also starting along the offensive line. Henning, another 10th-grader, had 48.5 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and 278 yards of total offense with four touchdowns.

“We have an incredible group of players coming back,” Dillon said. “We’ve got to find a new quarterback, but I really like what we have returning.”

Trenton Beard of Colo-Nesco was tabbed the defensive player of the year with Charles Schon from Glidden-Ralston earning lineman of the year.