All-area defensive team

With the football season over, it’s time to determine who were the best defenders this year in the area. Our all-area offensive team came out last week. 

On the defensive line, two Humboldt High School players will be the anchors. Maddox Johnson made 47 tackles and had nine tackles for loss and was effective in setting the edge. On the other side of the defensive end, River Kaufman put fear in the eyes of offensive linemen and made 37 tackles, with 13 tackles for loss along with three sacks. Kaufman’s 13 tackles for loss were the third-best in the area and his three sacks were second-best. 

At the interior defensive line, Yates Center High School’s Adam Spencer was the plug in the middle. Spencer made 21 tackles and had seven tackles for loss. Spencer’s tackles for loss were the eighth-most in the area.

There were a lot of options at linebacker, starting with the 2021 Iola Register defensive player of the year, Iola High School’s Tyler Boeken. Boeken, a senior, led the area with 102 tackles and had eight-and-a-half tackles for loss. Boeken is a great linebacker to have in the passing game. Joining Boeken at linebacker is Yates Center High School’s Shane Weber. Weber made 55 tackles and had 26 tackles for loss, by far the most in the area. Weber also had four sacks, tied for the most in the area. 

Alongside Weber is Yates Center teammate Jayston Rice. Rice made 74 tackles the fourth-most in the area. Rice’s 14 tackles for loss were the second-most in the area. Rice and Weber are guys who live in the opponent’s backfield and do a good job protecting against the run. The duo sparked fear in the eyes of opposing offenses. Both are juniors.

Joining these three at linebacker is Crest High School’s Avery Blaufuss. Blaufuss was the key in the middle for Crest and made 77 tackles this season, the third-most in the area. Blaufuss also recorded a sack.

With three linemen and four linebackers, we have room left for four defensive backs. What you want in a quality defensive back is the ability to track and cover the ball in the air and speed to keep up with the better wide receivers in the area.

No defensive back patrolled the field better than Yates Center’s Cash Cummings. Cummings led the area with six interceptions and was rarely beaten by opposing wide receivers. Line him up on the outside along with Marmaton Valley High School’s Jaedon Granere and the corners are covered. Granere also made our all-area offensive team and had four interceptions. 

Now that the outside is locked down, the inside is next. The job of a defensive back is to focus more on the middle of the field and making big tackles.

Humboldt’s Dakota Slocum made 29 tackles and intercepted three passes this season. Slocum’s three interceptions were tied for the third-most in the area. Crest’s Karter Miller made 50 tackles. His three interceptions tied him with Slocum and his 50 tackles were the tenth most in the area, the most among defensive backs.

That is the lineup for the Iola Register’s all-area defensive team. The player of the year will be revealed soon to put a bow on the football season.