Packerland All Conference picks announced

Local athletes from Oconto, Peshtigo, and Marinette received individual accolades recently with the announcement of the fall Packerland all-conference teams.

Eight Oconto Blue Devils earned football honors, including four on the first team in a season where they went 3-4 in conference play and made the postseason.

Senior Kyle Bowman was a first-team running back and senior lineman Gage Bartlett made the first team on the offensive side of the ball.

Bowman was also a second-team linebacker and Bartlett was a second-teamer on the defensive line.

A three-year starter on offense, Bowman ran the ball 171 times for a team-high 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Defensively, he had 64 total tackles.

Oconto coach Dave Ruechel couldn’t recall a practice that Bowman ever missed.

“Kyle is one of our team leaders,” Ruechel said. “I don’t think he ever missed a practice in his entire four years of playing. Great kid to coach and will be missed.”

As a team, Oconto ran for over 210 yards per game, due in no small part to Bartlett’s work up front. Offensive linemen might not rack up individual stats, but the team’s success running the ball was a good indication of Bartlett’s abilities.

“Gage was one of the best offensive linemen that I have ever coached over the years,” Ruechel said.

Senior defensive back Dominic Caylor represented the Blue Devil defensive backfield on the first team and earned an honorable mention at tight end/fullback and the Blue Devils had the conference’s top punter, senior Mason Coshenet.

Caylor led the team with 72 total tackles and forced a fumble. Offensively, he ran 111 times for 752 yards and led the team with 13 rushing scores.

“Dominic got stronger as the season went along,” Ruechel said.

Coshenet was also an honorable mention offensive lineman and defensive end.

He didn’t start punting until the fourth game of the season and averaged 41.5 yards per punt, including a 63-yarder.

“Mason did a great job flipping field position,” said Ruechel.

Junior lineman Seth Miller, who Ruechel described as a “very athletic offensive lineman,” made the second team on both sides of the ball despite battling a shoulder injury all year.

Defensively, he had three sacks, 64 total tackles, and forced and recovered a fumble.

Senior offensive end Brett Smith, junior offensive end/defensive back Ethan Wusterbarth, and senior offensive lineman Caleb Good were all honorable mentions.

Smith was primarily an elite blocking tight end, but he also caught two touchdowns on the season. Wusterbarth led the team in receiving with 246 yards on 22 receptions, also a threat to run on the jet sweep.

“Many teams’ game plan was to focus on stopping Ethan,” said Ruechel.

Good was a three-year starter for this year’s Blue Devil team and played multiple positions across the front line.

In the Marinette Marines’ second season as football-only members of the Packerland, they went 2-5 with wins over Mishicot and Peshtigo. Seniors Devin Holman and Leahland Bertrand earned the top individual conference honors for the Marines as they were named a second-team linebacker and second-team running back, respectively.

Bertrand ran for 446 yards and two touchdowns. Marinette coach Nate Anderson said he was the team’s most explosive runner, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt.

Holman led the team with 53 tackles. He forced two fumbles and scored a defensive touchdown. He was an honorable mention last year, and despite being undersized for a linebacker at 5-foot-6, 150, he got the job done and then some.

“Undersized but plays like a missile,” Anderson said.

Senior defensive back Duncan Jackson, senior linebacker Frankie Marquardt, senior defensive lineman Peyton Miller, senior defensive end Caden Genrich, and junior punter Maverick Williamson-Dewitt were named honorable mentions. 

Marquardt was a first-year starter that Anderson said was a “great leader” with a “nose for the ball.”

Miller had 15 tackles, a sack, and three tackles for loss.

“One of the biggest kids in the conference,” Anderson said of the 6-foot-1 lineman. “Great leader, double-teamed every play, split double teams and held gap runs well.”

Genrich, who Anderson said was the team’s most disciplined and technically-sound player, suffered a season-ending injury in week two last season but made his senior season count with 27 tackles, six sacks, eight tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

Jackson was another player that was coming back from an injury, an ACL tear suffered as a junior.

“Best tackler on the team,” Anderson said. “I think he is one of the best defensive backs in the conference, one of the best-tackling defensive backs in the conference.” 

He had two interceptions and 30 tackles.

Finally, Williamson-Dewitt averaged 34 yards per punt, second in the conference. He put two punts inside the 20.

Peshtigo did not win a game this season, but individually, the conference honored junior linebacker Carter Roeder, who was selected to the second team.

Roeder missed the last two games of the season. Had he played every game, he would have probably been a first-teamer, Peshtigo coach Jeff Bayerl said.

“He was a wrecking ball on defense for us,” Bayerl said.

Senior linebacker Nathan Schoenebeck, junior offensive lineman Caleb Klimek, and junior offensive lineman Canon Bickel received honorable mentions.

One of Schoenebeck’s top individual moments on defense came when he sacked the quarterback for a safety for the team’s only points against Sturgeon Bay.

“Senior, leader, great young man,” Bayerl said. “Did a great job on both sides of the ball.”

Klimek and Bickel helped hold down the offensive line and will be back next year. Bickel played center, where he was a bit undersized, Bayerl said, and Klimek played both guard and tackle before moving to tight end for the final two games of the season.

“All of our recipients deserved higher selections but when the team doesn’t win a game, the accolades suffer,” Bayerl said. “I wouldn’t have traded any of them. They all gave us their best every game and that’s all you can ask of them.”

Kewaunee’s Braxton RIha was the offensive and defensive lineman of the year, Kewaunee running back Owen Carlson was the offensive player of the year, and Southern Door’s Will Jandrin was the defensive player of the year in the conference.

2023 PACKERLAND ALL-CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM

1ST TEAM-OFFENSE QB
Danny Lodl Sturgeon Bay Senior

RUNNING BACK
Kyle Bowman Oconto Senior
Owen Carlson Kewaunee Senior Unanimous
Zach Lynch Southern Door Senior

TIGHT END-FULLBACK 
Ryan Westrich Bonduel Sophomore

OFFENSIVE END 
Maddix Mueller Kewaunee Senior
Bryce Plzak Sturgeon Bay Junior

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Gage Bartlett Oconto Senior
Matthew Malvitz Southern Door Senior
Braxton Riha Kewaunee Senior Unanimous
Kemper Robinson Kewaunee Senior
Tyler Schaffer Kewaunee Senior
Sam Wolf Bonduel Senior

KICKER 
Maddix Mueller Kewaunee Senior

1ST TEAM DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE BACK
Adam Backus Mishicot Senior
Cade Johnson Bonduel Junior
Maddix Mueller Kewaunee Senior

LINEBACKER
Dominic Caylor Oconto Senior
Colin Fischer Bonduel Junior
Will Jandrin Southern Door Senior
Kemper Robinson Kewaunee Senior
Mason Sacotte Sturgeon Bay Senior

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Matthew Malvitz Southern Door Senior
Braxton Riha Kewaunee Senior Unanimous

DEFENSIVE END
Demardo Echols Kewaunee Senior Unanimous
Ryan Westrich Bonduel Sophomore

PUNTER
Mason Coshenet Oconto Senior

2ND TEAM OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK 
Drew Daoust Southern Door Junior

RUNNING BACK
Adam Backus Mishicot Senior
Ben Backus Mishicot Sophomore
Leahland Bertrand Marinette Senior

TIGHT END-FULLBACK 
Demardo Echols Kewaunee Senior

OFFENSIVE END 
Kordell Anderson Sturgeon Bay Senior
Cade Johnson Bonduel Junior

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Mitchell Boeder Kewaunee Sophomore
Cruz Calvillo Southern Door Junior
Gannon Evers Sturgeon Bay Senior
Seth Miller Oconto Junior
Jacob Rabitz Mishicot Senior

KICKER
Miguel Lacerda Bonduel Senior

2ND TEAM DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE BACK 
Mason Motquin Southern Door Senior
Caleb Plzak Sturgeon Bay Junior
Thomas Stangel Kewaunee Senior

LINEBACKER
Kyle Bowman Oconto Senior
Devin Holman Marinette Senior
Easton Reinke Bonduel Senior
Carter Roeder Peshtigo Junior
Jason Wisnicky Kewaunee Junior

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Gage Bartlett Oconto Senior
Cruz Calvillo Southern Door Junior
Dominic Tristani Sturgeon Bay Senior

DEFENSIVE END 
Braden Evers Sturgeon Bay Junior
Logan Marshall Mishicot Senior
Seth Miller Oconto Junior

PUNTER 
Noah Weier Bonduel Senior
HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE

QB
Noah Weier Bonduel Senior
RUNNING BACK
Caleb Plzak Sturgeon Bay Junior

TIGHT END-FULLBACK 
Dominic Caylor Oconto Senior
Gage Geisel Southern Door Senior
Will Jandrin Southern Door Senior

OFFENSIVE END 
Lauden Berg Southern Door Sophomore
Brett Smith Oconto Senior
Ethan Wusterbarth Oconto Junior

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Canon Bickel Peshtigo Junior
Mason Coshenet Oconto Senior
Braden Evers Sturgeon Bay Junior
Caleb Good Oconto Senior
Caleb Klimek Peshtigo Junior
Brody Kollath Sturgeon Bay Senior
Logan Marshall Mishicot Senior
Finn Stuth Sturgeon Bay Senior

HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE BACK
Cooper Campshure Oconto Junior
Duncan Jackson Marinette Senior
Dominic Robertson Sturgeon Bay Senior
Ethan Wusterbarth Oconto Junior

LINEBACKER
Jacob Benfield Mishicot Senior
Brian Lambrecht Mishicot Junior
Braylon LaRoche Sturgeon Bay Junior
Frankie Marquardt Marinette Senior
Logan Marquardt Mishicot Senior
Myles Sacotte Sturgeon Bay Junior
Nathan Schoenebeck Peshtigo Senior
Mitchell VanGoethem Kewaunee Senior

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 
Peyton Miller Marinette Senior

DEFENSIVE END 
Mason Coshenet Oconto Senior
Caden Genrich Marinette Senior
Hayden Jeanquart Southern Door Senior
Nathan Kuehl Kewaunee Senior

PUNTER 
Adam Backus Mishicot Senior
Maddix Mueller Kewaunee Senior
Maverick Williamson-Dewitt Marinette Junior

LINEMEN OF THE YEAR
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR SCHOOL YEAR
Braxton Riha Kewaunee Senior

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR SCHOOL YEAR
Braxton Riha Kewaunee Senior

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 
Owen Carlson Kewaunee Senior Running Back

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 
Will Jandrin Southern Door Senior Linebacker

Oconto and Peshtigo each had one first-team selection in volleyball, with Peshtigo senior middle hitter Maysen Brissette and Oconto junior libero Kyanne Wusterbarth both making it.

Peshtigo coach Jenny Martin described Brissette as her team’s “go-to hitter.”

A three-year varsity starter, Brissette led the team in kills with 213 and blocks with 43. She led the conference in solo blocks. She hit .126 and averaged 2.2 kills per set.

Wusterbarth had 196 conference digs and 529 total, a team-best. Her best game of the season in that category was against Gibraltar, where she had 31 digs.

She was named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Phenom Watch List. She also led Oconto with 45 aces and 531 receptions. She had 45 aces.

Peshtigo sophomore setter Camryn Brissette and senior outside hitter/all-around Rylie Ellie were honorable mentions.

In Camryn Brissette’s second year on varsity and her first season earning regular playing time, she helped run the offense, leading with 418 assists and 55 aces across all games. She led the team in hit percentage at .129 and was second in kills with 106.

Ellie moved to libero three-fourths of the way through the season “to provide the team with more consistency on defense,” Martin said.

She led the team in serve-receives with 635 and digs with 328, but her stats could have been much different if she was in that libero role all season.

Oconto had three honorable mentions in junior middle hitter Lexi Martin, senior right-side hitter Lauren McDowell, and freshman defensive specialist Sam McDowell.

The senior McDowell was injured for a couple of conference matches, but she had 10 kills against Sturgeon Bay. She was third on the team in kill percentage for players over 300 attempts and third in blocks.

The younger McDowell had 18 digs in her top conference match against Sturgeon Bay. She was third on the team with 210 digs and second in serve receptions at 370.

Martin led the Blue Devils with 17 solo blocks and 29 block assists, also posting the top kill percentage on the team. Her best conference match was against Peshtigo with 14 kills. 

PACKERLAND CONFERENCE|
2023 ALL-CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM
1 ST TEAM
Chloe Alexander Gibraltar Senior Setter / Right Side Hitter
Maysen Brissette Peshtigo Senior Middle Hitter
Lexie Meerstein NEW Lutheran-Providence Junior Middle Hitter
Hannah Nell Algoma Senior Setter
Paige Olson Southern Door Senior Middle Hitter
Alaina Schopf Sevastopol Senior All-Around
Kyanne Wusterbarth Oconto Junior Libero
Ryley Zimmerman Algoma Senior All-Around
Nida Zukauskaite Sturgeon Bay Senior All-Around Unanimous

2ND TEAM
Ashley Berg Kewaunee Senior Setter
Lexi Dhein NEW Lutheran-Providence Senior Libero
MyLee Jones Algoma Junior All-Around
Abby Kirchner NEW Lutheran-Providence Junior Setter
Emma Laatsch NEW Lutheran-Providence Junior Outside Hitter / All-Around
Cloe Maccaux Sturgeon Bay Senior Libero
Stephanie Routhieaux Sturgeon Bay Junior All-Around
Andie Schar Gibraltar Junior All-Around

HONORABLE MENTION
Camryn Brissette Peshtigo Sophomore Setter
Olivia Cabino Algoma Junior Libero
Sophia Counard Southern Door Senior Libero
Milan Eliyha Sturgeon Bay Senior Setter
Rylie Ellie Peshtigo Senior Outside Hitter / All-Around
Jade Kroll Kewaunee Sophomore Outside Hitter
Lexi Martin Oconto Junior Middle Hitter
Lauren McDowell Oconto Senior Right Side Hitter
Sam McDowell Oconto Freshman Defense Specialist
Pam Prescott Gibraltar Junior Libero
Isabella Price Southern Door Senior Outside Hitter
Maddie Propsom Sturgeon Bay Senior Middle Hitter
Kayla Ranly Sevastopol Junior All-Around
Chloe Robertson Algoma Senior Middle Hitter
Baleigh Saxby Kewaunee Junior Back Row
Brynn Schartner Sevastopol Freshman Setter / Right Side Hitter
Gabrielle Stangel Kewaunee Sophomore All-Around

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nida Zukauskaite Sturgeon Bay Senior All-Around

On the soccer field, Peshtigo’s Cameron Williams was a second-team forward, midfielder Brenden Conn was a second-teamer as a midfielder in his senior campaign, and senior defender Will McMahon earned a second-team spot.

Williams, in just his sophomore season, had two hat-tricks on the year en route to a double-digit goal tally.

“A young forward had a lot of weight on their shoulders but Cameron exceeded last year’s work and became one of the conference’s leading scorers,” Peshtigo coach Sam Wargula said.

The Bulldog coach called McMahon “the heart of our team,” saying of his captain, “It’s going to be a very special challenge next year without Will’s presence on the field.”

Conn was another captain, of whom Wargula said, “One of the players we could truly rely on to perform consistently match-to-match and minute-to-minute. He was a great addition as a captain and will be sorely missed.”

Senior midfielder Silas Williams and senior defender Maddox Leuknecht were honorable mentions. 

Williams was a captain as well, described by Wargula as “the emotional beat of our team,” and a player that was relied on to organize the squad in games and practice.

Levknecht was Wargula’s most improved player.

“Maddox truly showed up this year and became a consistent 1-on-1 shutdown defender on a team that needed that consistent presence on defense,” Wargula said.

Sturgeon Bay’s senior midfielder Ben Stephens earned the honor of being named the conference’s top player.