The New Era
Brandon Keenon was named Most Valuable Player for the Sweet Home football team Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the team’s awards dessert.
The Huskies finished 7-3 overall and second in the Sky-Em standings by virtue of tie-breaker rules that gave the championship to Junction City, the only conference team that beat them.
Sweet Home finished 10th in the final state 4A rankings, above Junction City, after entering the season ranked 36th out of 39 teams, Nichol said.
“Our goal was we wanted to be league champions,” he said. “We were co-league champions. It was not exactly what we wanted, but we accomplished that goal.”
He noted that his team was undefeated at home and recalled how, in the late 1980s, Sweet Home had several teams, led by players such as Scott Melcher and Brandy James, who accomplished that feat before Nichol played for the Huskies.
“We want to revive that tradition,” Nichol said.
Sweet Home finished the season with 20 first- and second-team all-league selections, led by Hunter Jutte, who was named league defensive MVP, as well as as a first-team selection as a punter and slot receiver, and second team as a return specialist.
Nichol said the next team in terms of all-leaguers was Elmira, with 12 first- or second-team selections.
“The respect your boys have in our league is phenomenal,” he told parents. “It says a lot about your kids’ respect that they got here.”
He admitted he nominated many of his players for all-league honors, but pointed out that other coaches had to vote for them.
“I nominated them because I thought we had a pretty dang good team.”
Keenon, a junior, carried the ball 273 times for 1,446 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns – more than double the next closest scoring total.
Head Coach Dustin Nichol said Keenon’s 51-carries in the Huskies’ play-in overtime win over Elmira were indicative of his season.
“I thought his mom was going to text me for child abuse,” Nichol joked. “There’s no quit in him.”
He said Keenon exhibits “athleticism and attitude.
“He goes out there and does his business; he does his work and goes home.”
Other award winners were:
Brycen Mitten, named Most Inspirational. Assistant Coach Tomas Rosa, in presenting the award, said the entire team could have earned the honor. He said the number of players, including Mitten, a senior, who have fought their way back from serious injuries “just shows how much you guys love the game.
“We could put 12 kids’ names on (the trophy).”
He noted that Mitten, who played three games with a broken thumb last year before going to the doctor and learning that he was done for his junior season, spent the winter in the weight room, since he couldn’t play basketball.
“He’s always loud and always positive,” Rosa said, adding that Mitten shows character off the field as well as on it.
Assistant Coach Brandon Gaskey said Mitten “helped us win a lot of football games. He was a leader in the weight room and on the field.”
Cole Ashcraft was voted Most Improved. Rosa recounted how Ashcraft, a senior, wanted to be quarterback but lost the job to junior Justin Tow.
“Things didn’t go his way,” the coach said. “Sometimes that’s how life is. He changed his expectations and decided he wanted to be a first-team linebacker. He got that. He became the quarterback of the defense. That’s a testament to his hard work.”
Chris Melcher and Ryan J. Adams, named Outstanding Lineman on offense and defense, respectively. Line coach Jay Horner said Melcher was the “man on the line who got everybody going. Offensive linemen don’t get a lot of recognition, but the skill guys can’t do anything without them.”
Gaskey described Melcher as “the anchor of every offensive line he’s ever been on.”
Defensive line coach Scott Bozich noted how Adams passed on football last year due to “personal hindrances he had to overcome,” but came back this year with a bang.
“I’m very, very, very proud of him,” Bozich said. “If you can learn those kind of lessons in life, the rest is easy.”
Keenon was also named Best Back on both offense and defense, sharing that award with Hunter Jutte on defense. The two were also named Top Defensive Players.
Horner, who was also this year’s defensive coordinator, reiterated that he had a lot of players who deserved the honor.
“It takes 11 guys to be good,” he said. “In my opinion, we could call anyone who played defense up here. I think they were that good this year.”
However, team members selected Jutte and Keenon.
“They play hard. They tackle well. They know what to do on defense. These two players stand above the rest,” he said.
The Dick Reynolds Coaches Award, which recognizes players “who may not get much recognition over the loudspeakers during the game, but coaches appreciate their attitudes and tenacity,” went to Kyler Gaskey and Kevin Seiber. Both had to miss all or most of last season while recovering from serious injuries.
“You could spin a number of inspiring stories a number of different ways, stories they could make movies about, coming through adversity, Nichol said.
He said Gaskey suffered from knee and shin injuries and spent last year faithfully following a rehabilitation regimen.
“He worked his rear end off in the off-season to get himself into shape, strengthen the muscles in his legs,” Nichol said. “I was straight with his parents – if he can’t get it done, he’s going to sit. He was a pleasant surprise to me this entire season.”
Seiber suffered a devastating leg fracture last season at La Pine and missed the last half of the season.
“The way he handled that situation, coming back and rehabbing his leg – he did a good job,” Nichol said. “I just appreciate that no-quit attitude that in both of these cases the parents have instilled in them. The rest of the team fed off them.
“If my boys are going to be like anybody on this team, it’s these two men I want my boys to emulate.”
Third-year letter winners were Jutte, Shawn Worthen and manager Caitlyn Gillespie.
Second-year letters went to manager Karly Long, Gaskey, Ryan R. Adams, Keenon, Ashcraft, Eric Flierl, Seiber, Jacob Maas, Melcher, Brett Blachley, Jason Miller, Gavin Baskin, Patrick Bell and Mitten.
Receiving their first-year letters were Eric Burks, Ryan J. Adams, Justin Tow, Jacob Long, Garrison Whitfield, George Rayborn, Lane Oneal, Desmond Ely, Charlie Guerrero, Joel Holman, Eric Whitlow and Tyler Plebuch.
Nichol thanked Michelle Keene, Wendy Melcher and Noah Erickson, for their behind-the-scenes support.
Erickson developed physical problems during two-a-days last season that prevented him from playing last year or this year. But, Nichol said, he attended nearly every practice, helped with statistics and did other things to help the team.
Keene, who “doesn’t even have a dog in the fight,” created an end-of-the-season video.
“The thankless time that goes into this, most people do not even recognize,” Nichol said.