By Cort Reynolds

BLUFFTON __ Four Bluffton High School football players were named first team All-Northwest Conference for 2024 in voting recently conducted by league coaches.

Senior speedster Griffin Stackhouse earned first team All-NWC notice at receiver. He caught 23 passes for 588 yards (25.6 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. Stackhouse was second in the league in scoring with 17 TDs and 102 points. 

Pirate senior linebacker Landen Worcester repeated on the all-league defensive first team.

Senior defensive backs Carson Kruse and Quinn Eachus also made first team all-conference. Each grabbed two interceptions. 

Five Pirates were voted to the second team All-NWC offensive unit.

Senior Xavier Diller, sophomore Mason Shank and junior Hunter Betts all made second team on the offensive line.

Worcester earned second team notice at running back. He rushed 79 times for 638 yards (8.1 avg.), and scored nine TDs.

Sophomore quarterback Tayte Giesige was a second team selection. He rushed 72 times for 644 yards (8.9 avg.) and 13 TDs. He also completed 76 passes in 123 attempts for 1,299 yards. He tossed 17 TD aerials and threw just three interceptions.

Two-way standout Shank was also voted to the second team as a defensive lineman.

Pirate senior tight end Noah Bricker, senior kicker Jackson Brauen and sophomore tailback Parker Lovell were each tabbed honorable mention all-league on offense.

Bricker tallied five TDs on 12 receptions for 180 yards. Brauen booted 60 extra points, while Lovell scored 10 touchdowns for 60 points. 

Junior lineman Evan Grothause, senior linebackers Diller and Gabe Meza, and junior defensive back Javen Crawfis all made the honorable mention defensive unit. Crawfis picked off two passes.

Undefeated Columbus Grove won the league title at 7-0, and the Bulldogs went 10-0 overall. 

The Pirates finished second in the NWC with a 6-1 league record, and went 9-1 overall. Bluffton and CG were both undefeated until the final game of the regular season, a 42-0 Grove win at Harmon Field. 

The champion Bulldogs also swept the league’s individual honors. Running back Trenton Barraza repeated as NWC Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for over 1,700 yards and 23 touchdowns this year.

Lineman Kylan Mayes won NWC Defensive POY honors.

CG mentor Andy Schafer was tabbed NWC Coach of the Year by his peers.

2024 NWC Football All-Conference Teams

NWC Offensive Player of the Year: Trenton Barraza – Columbus Grove
NWC Defensive Player of the Year: Kylan Mayes – Columbus Grove
NWC Coach of the Year: Andy Schafer – Columbus Grove

Offense 1st Team
Offensive Line
Kylan Mayes - 12 - Columbus Grove
Trevor Whitney – 12 – Spencerville
Gianni McKee – 12 – Lima Central Catholic
Ty Meyer – 12 – Columbus Grove
Chris Crnkovich – 12 – Lima Central Catholic

Tight End
Brady Basinger – 10 – Columbus Grove

Receiver
Maxwell Maurer – 12 – Fort Loramie
Griffin Stackhouse – 12 – Bluffton
Trevon Baxter – 11 – Columbus Grove

Running Back
Trenton Barraza – 12 – Columbus Grove
Matthew Quatman – 12 – Lima Central Catholic

Quarterback
Gabe Hart – 12 – Fort Loramie

Specialist
Evan Verhoff – 11 – Columbus Grove

Defense 1st Team
Defensive Line
Kylan Mayes – 12 – Columbus Grove
Trevor Whitney – 12 – Spencerville
Wren Sheets – 12 – Crestview
Gianni McKee – 12 – Lima Central Catholic

Linebacker
Landen Huston – 12 – Columbus Grove
Landen Worcester – 12 – Bluffton
Caden Falke – 11 – Lima Central Catholic
Ray Hoying – 11 – Fort Loramie

Defensive Back
Grant Eversole – 12 – Columbus Grove
Carson Kruse – 12 – Bluffton
Gavin Barraza – 11 – Columbus Grove
Quinn Eachus – 12 – Bluffton

Offense 2nd Team
Offensive Line
Xavier Diller – 12 – Bluffton
Mason Shank – 10 – Bluffton
Brady Fuerst – 12 – Columbus Grove
RJ Davies – 12 – Allen East
Hunter Betts – 11 – Bluffton

Tight End
Carter Eilerman – 12 – Fort Loramie

Receiver
Wren Sheets – 12 – Crestview
Thomas Hoying – 12 – Fort Loramie
Deacon Jones – 11 – Allen East

Running Back
Landen Worcester – 11 – Bluffton
Braxton Leeth – 11 – Crestview

Quarterback
Tayte Giesige – 10 – Bluffton

Specialist
Trevon Baxter – 11 – Columbus Grove

Defense 2nd Team
Defensive Line
Layton Blankemeyer – 12 – Columbus Grove
Mason Shank – 10 – Bluffton
Louis Hart – 12 – Fort Loramie
Louis Knotts – 11 – Lima Central Catholic

Linebacker
Jameson Rader – 12 – Columbus Grove
Karder Agner – 12 – Delphos Jefferson
Jacob Pinks – 12 – Allen East
Bryson Penix – 12 – Crestview
Carder Orr – 12 – Spencerville

Defensive Back
Thomas Hoying – 12 – Fort Loramie
Michael Quatman – 10 – Lima Central Catholic
Trevon Baxter – 11 – Columbus Grove
Ethan Hershberger – 10 – Allen East

Offense Honorable Mention
Offensive Line
Andrew Baldauf – 11 – Lima Central Catholic
Lane Wildermuth – 12 – Allen East
Layton Blankemeyer – 12 – Columbus Grove
Dom McKee – 10 – Lima Central Catholic
Jakob Leininger – 11 – Columbus Grove

Tight End
Liam Putman – 9 – Crestview
Noah Bricker – 12 – Bluffton

Running Back
Parker Lovell – 10 – Bluffton
Zach Looser – 11 – Spencerville
Will Sensabaugh – 10 – Spencerville
Grady Smith – 11 – Spencerville

Receiver
Hayden Perrott – 11 – Crestview
Ethan Young – 12 – Allen East

Quarterback
Brady Parker – 10 – Lima Central Catholic
Kyle Hopkins – 12 – Columbus Grove

Specialist
Carder Orr – 12 – Spencerville
Jackson Brauen – 12 – Bluffton

Defense Honorable Mention
Defensive Line
Evan Grothause – 11 – Bluffton
Liam Putman – 11 – Crestview
Braylon Paxson – 10 – Allen East
Jayden Williams – 10 – Lima Central Catholic
David Cereghin – 12 – Crestview

Linebacker
Xavier Diller – 12 – Bluffton
Ayden Martin – 12 – Crestview
Carson Heffner – 12 – LCC
Gabe Meza – 12 – Bluffton
Eli Grudich – 11 – Fort Loramie
Dean Trentman – 10 – Delphos Jefferson
Gavin Schwartz – 12 – Spencerville

Defensive Back
Hayden Perrott – 11 – Crestview
Grady Smith – 11 – Spencerville
Javen Crawfis – 11 – Bluffton
Jackson Friesner – 12 – Allen East
Luke Rode – 11 – Delphos Jefferson
Kellen Brotherwood – 10 – Delphos Jefferson
Isaiah Barton – 12 – Crestview
Will Sensabaugh – 10 – Spencerville