SCIOTO COUNTY — If it appears in your mirror that Scioto County’s football teams increased —in general terms —their representation on the all-Ohio teams which were announced this past week, then you are correct.

Of course, we can equate an element of that to team success —as all nine county clubs qualified for the now 16-team per region Ohio High School Athletic Association state playoffs, and only one of those nine finished with a regular-season record below .500.

There were five first-team honorees representing the county, followed by three second-teamers and three third-teamers.

That makes for a good 11-man unit among individuals earning higher than Honorable Mention, as the annual Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association all-Ohio football teams were released —with Divisions VI and VII on Monday and Divisions IV and V on Tuesday.

For the sixth football season in a row, the all-Southeast District teams were selected under the OPSWA umbrella — as the Associated Press is no longer affiliated with choosing all-district or even all-Ohio teams.

Still, ALL first-team honorees are automatic — AT LEAST — Honorable Mention all-Ohio, as the players of the year in each of Ohio’s seven districts are automatically all-state first team.

Although no Scioto County team had a player or coach of the year, that didn’t stop five from making first-team all-Ohio.

For the West Senators in Division V, they had two first-teamers — six-foot and one-inch and 220-pound senior running back Ryan Sissel and six-foot and one-inch and 225-sophomore offensive lineman Kade Woods.

Woods was selected as the Southeast District Division V Lineman of the Year, while Sissel received strong consideration for the district’s Player of the Year honor.

While Woods is a first-time all-Ohioan, this was Sissel’s third and final all-state accolade —as he was Honorable Mention the past two years, including as a running back as a junior and a linebacker as a sophomore.

The Senators enjoyed an 11-2 campaign and a Region 19 semifinal appearance —as they captured their first Southern Ohio Conference Division II championship and first 11-win season since 2008.

Joining West’s Woods on the all-Ohio first-team Division V offensive line was Northwest senior Alex Baer —as the Mohawks went 7-3 in the regular season, and shared the SOC I championship with Eastern.

In fact, per Northwest head coach Bill Crabtree, the six-foot and one-inch and 255-pound tackle Baer became the first all-Ohio first-teamer in Mohawk football history.

Baer was also a repeat all-Ohioan —having made Honorable Mention last season.

For fellow 7-3 in Division V Wheelersburg, yet another placekicking extraordinaire amassed first team —following Braxton Sammons’ trio of appearances on third team as a sophomore, second team as a junior, and first team as a senior.

That would be junior kicker Connor Estep —a five-foot and 11-inch and 160-pounder who pretty much picked up from where Sammons left off.

In the Pirates returning to the Region 19 semifinals, Estep kicked a perfect 59-of-59 extra points —along with six of 10 field goals, including his career long of 41 yards.

He also sailed nine kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, and punted 25 times for a 37 yards-per-punt average.

The punter position is a defensive one, but observers — starting at the district level — believed Estep stood out more this year as a placekicker.

In fact, he was the only Division V first-teamer kicker named.

In Division VII, Notre Dame senior Carter Campbell climbed his way to the first team defensive line —as the six-foot and three-inch and 190-pound end ended his Titan career as a three-time all-Ohioan.

He was a second team defensive lineman as a junior, and Honorable Mention at that spot as a sophomore.

The county’s second-team trio consisted of Minford senior linebacker Hunter Pendleton (6-4, 230) in Division V, Wheelersburg senior offensive lineman Caleb Miller (6-2, 260) in Division V, and Green junior linebacker Abe McBee (5-11, 185) in Division VII.

Pendleton and Miller both repeated in Division V —with Pendleton being a third-team linebacker last season, and Miller making Honorable Mention along the offensive line.

McBee is a first-time all-Ohio selection, as was Green senior offensive lineman Tyler Blanton (6-1, 245) —a third-team Division VII choice.

East senior defensive lineman Keegan Jackson also repeated —making the Division VII third team and up from Honorable Mention of last year.

Speaking of up from Honorable Mention, Portsmouth senior wide receiver Reade Pendleton (5-9, 164) did just that —making the third-team offense in Division V.

Pendleton posted twice Honorable Mention wideout honors, and was a primary reason why the Trojans won playoff games in back-back years for the first time since 2001 and 2002.

All of the county’s Division V Honorable Mentions are first-time all-staters —including Portsmouth’s trio of senior quarterback Tyler Duncan, senior linebacker Brenden Truett, and junior placekicker Zach Roth.

West was recognized at that level with three offensive performers —senior quarterback Mitchell Irwin and junior wide receivers Jeffery Bishop and Cole Tipton.

Baer blocked heavily for two Northwest standouts in senior running back Wyatt Brackman and junior wideout Connor Lintz —while Wheelersburg’s Honorable Mention honorees were wide receiver Eric Lattimore (senior) and linebacker Landon Hutchinson (junior).

Minford junior Jeffery Pica made Honorable Mention from his running back spot.

Lattimore and Lintz were both selected Southeast District Division V first-team all-purpose players, but that particular position doesn’t carry up to the state level —thus their primary position is noted on all-Ohio.

The same for Notre Dame’s Dylan Seison in Division VII —as he repeated as Honorable Mention wide receiver, after making all-Southeast District as all-purpose.

Seison’s Titan teammate —junior running back Gavin Hart —repeated as all-Ohio, making Honorable Mention this year after third team in 2021.

The county’s Division VII Honorable Mention first-timers include Green running backs Nathaniel Brannigan (junior) and Landan Lodwick (senior), and East senior quarterback Austin Baughman.

Lodwick was an all-purpose Bobcat on the all-Southeast District team.

Valley is the county’s only Division VI squad —as seniors defensive back Colt Buckle and linebacker Laktota Davis made Honorable Mention.

Speaking of Division VI, Coal Grove senior running back Chase Hall had the highest honor of any Southeast District player —sharing the Offensive Player of the Year award.

And, once again, Ironton —now the Division V state runner-up for the third time in four years — had the most Southeast District representation with eight.

The Fighting Tigers’ first-teamers were wide receiver Ty Perkins and linebacker Lincoln Barnes, second-teamers were wide receiver Landen Wilson, quarterback Tayden Carpenter and linebacker Trevor Carter, a third-teamer was running back Jaquez Keyes, and Honorable Mentions were offensive lineman Noah Patterson and defensive back Amari Felder.

All of those aforementioned Fighting Tigers are seniors.

A complete list of all-Ohio honors — for Divisions IV, V, VI and VII —can be found online at www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com.

Reach Paul Boggs at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1926, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @paulboggssports © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved