OSKALOOSA — When a team gets a chance to play for a state championship, chances are that team will be rewarded with postseason honors.
Although Pella lost to top-ranked Harlan 35-14 Saturday in the Class 3A championship game, the 10-4 Little Dutch garnered three all-state selections by the Iowa Newspaper Association on Tuesday.
Seniors Blaine Forsythe and Matt Meyers were named to the first-defense as a punter and linebacker, respectively. Teammate Jordan Youngman, also a senior, was selected as a second-team offensive lineman.
Tri-County had all-staters in seniors Andy Thomas (second-team defensive lineman), Austin Rogers (second-team linebacker), Ike Schmidt (second-team defensive back) and Colt Brumbaugh (third-team running back) on the 8-Man team.
Montezuma had senior Damon Bryan named to the first-team punter in Class A while junior Garrett Ogan was honored as a third-team running back.
North Mahaska senior John Sims was named to the second team at offensive lineman.
In Class 1A, Jacob Batterson of Eddyville-Blakesburg was a second-team running back and Pella Christian junior Bret Nieuwsma was picked as a third-team linebacker. His teammate, junior Sam Tvedt, was a third-team defensive back selection.
Forsythe averaged 39.7 yards a punt and had 14 touchbacks in 51 kickoffs. He converted 49 of 51 PAT attempts and hit 6 of 10 field goals. Forsythe passed for 1,766 yards and 18 touchdowns in leading Pella to seven wins in its last eight contests.
Meyers paced the Little Dutch in tackles with 135 and had 23 tackles for loss. He also scored nine touchdowns rushing as he had 342 yards on the ground.
Thomas was named District 5 defensive lineman of the year after recording 103 tackles and had a team-best 10 sacks. He also threw for 1,714 yards and 29 TDs as the Trojans’ quarterback as they had an 11-1 record, losing to Lenox in the quarterfinals.
Rogers was the district’s defensive MVP after racking up a team-high 109 tackles and four sacks.
Schmidt led the state in interceptions with 10 and added 62 tackles. He also paced the team with 30 receptions for 663 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Brumbaugh was named the district’s top offensive player after rushing for 1,543 yards and 27 touchdowns. He added 15 catches for 226 yards and four touchdowns while picking off six passes and scored three other touchdowns.
Bryan averaged 40.3 yards a punt for the Braves while leading the team in tackles with 88 and had 13 tackles for loss.
Ogan had 1,004 yards on the ground and scored 10 times while adding one touchdown receiving. He also had 61 tackles and intercepted three passes.
Sims anchored an offensive line for the Warhawks who ran for 2,429 yards and made the playoffs. He had a team-high 82 tackles and had nine tackles for loss.
Batterson had a solid season with 1,183 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns while latching onto 24 passes and scoring four more TDs. He averaged 27 yards per punt return and 33.8 yards per kickoff return while adding two interceptions.
Nieuwsma was the workhorse for the Eagles, rushing for 1,420 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 83 tackles and recorded 11 tackles for loss.
Tvedt led the team in interceptions with eight and added 53 tackles.
