2A ALL-STATE: The Meadows racks up awards

The Meadows had no shortage of stars this season on its way to a second straight Class 2A state football title.

It showed on the 2A all-state team.

The Mustangs took three of the top five awards and had three others named to spots on the first team.

Sophomore quarterback Garrett Gosse was named Offensive Player of the Year, senior offensive guard/nose guard Andrew Duddlesten the Lineman of the Year and Frank DeSantis the Coach of the Year.

“The coaching honor is great, but it’s just an extension of the players,” DeSantis said. “That’s a team award to me. The coach award is collective of the (assistant) coaches and players.”

In his first season as a starter, Gosse completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 2,300 yards and 35 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.

His 31-yard TD pass to Max Newman with 6:35 remaining in the state title game lifted the Mustangs to a 27-24 win over Battle Mountain on Nov. 21 at Damonte Ranch High in Reno.

“For Garrett, that’s just a great job by him, learning the system,” DeSantis said. “He just amazes me every day how much better he gets as a player and person.”

Duddlesten, a two-way starter, was the centerpiece of a dominant defensive line that helped the Mustangs allow only a 16-point average in their final eight games.

DeSantis said Duddlesten served as a leader all season.

“Andrew, he came into camp and was really focused on every practice,” DeSantis said. “Before the game, he took it upon himself to be the leader of the line.

“He was a quiet leader. When he had something to say, everybody paid attention to him.”

The Meadows also had senior Dylan Lee named a first-team receiver, defensive lineman and kicker; junior Austin Brown a first-team receiver and defensive back; and senior Josh Raimist a first-team linebacker and second-team offensive lineman.

DeSantis said he’ll most remember the Mustangs’ title defense by the way his team kept its composure. It was the first time The Meadows won consecutive titles since taking five straight 2A crowns from 1997 to 2001.

“The biggest thing I see is the guys came out and worked,” he said. “Each week, we concentrated one game at a time.”

Battle Mountain senior running back/linebacker Mike Lake was named MVP, and senior defensive end Matt Miller took Defensive Player of the Year.

 

QB–Dylan Bloyed, Pershing County. RB–Cortland LeBoeuf, Mountain View; Jeremiah Wright, Rite of Passage; Justin Cox, Calvary Chapel. WR–Dylan Lee, The Meadows; Austin Brown, The Meadows; Jake Schumacher, Pershing County. TE–Jeremy Avery, Lincoln County. OL–Michael Sylvester, Rite of Passage; Jake Burgess, Lincoln County; Zach Knox, Battle Mountain; Nick Warner, Whittell; Ricky Ortiz, Pershing County. K–Lee, The Meadows. KR–Darrion Garry, Rite of Passage.

DL–Lee, The Meadows; Burgess, Lincoln County; Parker Laughlin, North Tahoe; Jameson Pettigrew, Battle Mountain; Sylvester, Rite of Passage. LB–Steven Abdelsayed, Mountain View; Brian Smokey, Pershing County; Josh Raimist, The Meadows; Cody Nelson, Whittell. DB–Brown, The Meadows; Jake Harkness, Battle Mountain; Justyn Anderson, Mountain View. P–Irvin Perez-Gomez, Incline.

QB–T.J. Engel, Mountain View. RB–Nelson, Whittell; Cody Gibson, Pershing County; Travis Sonnenberg, Lincoln County. WR–Marcus Smith, Rite of Passage; Davon Menefee, Rite of Passage; Karl Benjamin, Mountain View. TE–Matt Miller, Battle Mountain. OL–Jorge Cisneros, Rite of Passage; Brandon Norris, North Tahoe; Nick Riell, Mountain View; Raimist, The Meadows; Daniel Solomon, Needles; Bryan McKenzie, Calvary Chapel. K–Perez-Gomez, Incline. KR–Bruce Condie, Lincoln County.

DL–Nick Warner, Whittell; Jacob Anderson, Rite of Passage; Justin Hultenschmidt, Pershing County; Henry Santos, Mountain View; Cox, Calvary Chapel; Wright, Needles. LB–Leopina Angilau, Rite of Passage; Benjamin, Mountain View; Cody Taylor, Calvary Chapel; Jozef Guzman, Needles; Condie, Lincoln County. DB–LeRoy Valadez, North Tahoe; Roesean Waggoner, Rite of Passage; Jesse Williamson, Pershing County; Cody Moreno, Calvary Chapel. P–Avery, Lincoln County.
MVP–Mike Lake, Battle Mountain.
Offensive Player of the Year–Garrett Gosse, The Meadows.
Defensive Player of the Year–Matt Miller, Battle Mountain.
Lineman of the Year–Andrew Duddlesten, The Meadows.
Coach of the Year–Frank DeSantis, The Meadows.