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Class D-2 All-Decade Team

CLASS D-2
Offense
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Pos., Name, School, Ht., Wt., Last Season
QB - Brett Kaczor, Ewing 5-10 195 2008
Four seasons of excellence, capped by a senior season in which he accounted for 94 touchdowns either running or passing, and leading the Tigers to their first-ever state football championship. The ultimate in dual-threat QBs over the past 10 seasons of eight-man football.
RB - Steven Dent, Mullen 5-10 175 2004
Perhaps not the most athletic player on this list, but Dent was gifted with great football instincts, toughness and balance, making him a threat in the open field and also very hard to bring down. Led the Broncos to back-to-back title games, winning it all in 2003. Now a professinal rodeo star.
RB - Ben Eisenhart, Culbertson 6-0 175 2002
Tremendous speed and another really smart football player, Eisenhart was a threat as a runner, receiver and kick returner. A two-time all-stater, Eisenhart was later a walk-on at Nebraska and enjoyed a productive career.
RB - Adam Broders, Bloomfield 6-3 185 2006
Another two-time all-stater, Broders was a big, strong back who also extra tough runing through the middle of a defense, where he won most one-on-one battles with defenders.
E - Austin Kaczor, Ewing 6-4 215 2009
The single most difficult matchup for DBs in any class of football over the past 10 years, Kaczor capped his brilliant career last fall, one which saw him twice make the all-state team, becoming the D2 player of the year in 2009. And to think, football might not even be his best sport (he's averaging 30 points per game in basketball...).
L - Anthony Diebler, Mullen 6-4 260 2003
There was never much fancy about Mullen's running game when Dent was in the house, and lots of time the Broncos handed him the ball and had him run right behind Diebler, who was a fantastic run blocker, and very athletic for 260 pounds.
L - Jake Runyon, Bloomfield 6-3 245 2005
Another powerful blocker, Runyon was strong and quick, able not only to pile drive a defender, but also able to make blocks in the open field, a gift for a player this size. Twice an all-stater.
L - Brian Tomasek, Dodge 6-2 245 2006
Led the Pirates to another state championship - make that their sixth overall - as a senior, Tomasek was a very athletic, outstanding two-way lineman. Dodge has had plenty of outstanding linemen over the past 15, 20 years and Tomasek is as good as any of them, if you ask me.
K - B.J. Cooper, Banner County 6-1 200 2006
His teams never reached a state final but Cooper dominated Panhandle football, especially his final two seasons, and he was also an outstanding kicker. One of those players who would have been an outstanding asset for any team in any season over the past decade.
Ath - Dion Parks, Lewiston 6-2 225 2001
Parks transferred from Dundy County to Lewiston prior to his junior season and immediately launched the Tigers into the Class D-2 stratosphere, eventually taking them to the finals as a senior, a first in school history. The 2001 player of the year, he set a record for single season passing yardage that stood until this season (2009).
Defense
Pos., Name, School, Ht., Wt., Last Season
DL - David Kraye, Mullen 5-11 290 2003
Batman to Diebler's Robin - or maybe it was the other way around - Kraye was tremendous on both sides of the ball, and we elect to place him on the team as a defender. Great size and strength but also very quick for his size and an impossible one-one-match up.
DL - Nick Krings, St. Francis 6-4 225 2009
Lots of great linemen on this list but none had a more dominant single-game performance than did Krings in the 2009 state finals. Long and rangy, Krings was one of the best pass rushers I saw in this class over the past 10 seasons.
DL - Casey Bender, Lindsay HF 6-6 240 2004
All that height, all that size, and he's still mobile enough to have played linebacker if the need would have arose. Great instincts really were his trump card, a two-time all-stater in football, as well as basketball.
LB - Kiel Neumann, St. Mary's 5-11 210 2002
It's getting to be a while now but I hope at least some of you remember how good that St. Mary's team in 2002 really was. An outstanding senior class which enjoyed great success all the way through school, the Cardinals reached their zenith with a dominating state title run, led by Neumann, a strong tackler and strong leader.
LB - Matt Gohl, Hayes Center 6-2 210 2008
Just not many guys this size who can cover this much ground in the eight-man game. Great range and a savage hitter, making him a nightmare for opposing offenses. Also an outstanding pass catching tight end, he was two-time all-state.
LB - Jeff Jarecki, Lindsay HF 6-0 200 2004
Holy Family was the dominant eight-man program of the early 2000s, with four state finals appearances in five years 2000-2004, and the Jarecki family had plenty to say about all that success. Jeff was a strong defender an also an outstanding running back, twice an all-stater.
DB - Andrew Bauer, Elgin 6-3 190 2008
Let Elgin to the finals as a senior, serving as the team's outstanding dual-threat QB and a safety with tremendous range an instincts, allowing him to make plays all over the field. A natural leader who elevated the play of those around him, no matter the sport.
DB - Cody Eiler, St. Mary's 5-10 180 2008
In a word, playmaker. On both sides of the ball Eiler was always making something good happen for the Cardinals. He was tremendously valuable on offense, a threat as a runner, receiver and kick returner, but he also led the team in INTs and fumble recoveries in both his junior and senior season, making all-state both seasons.
P - Darrin Liewer, Butte 5-11 180 2001
Another of the great eight-man programs from the early part of the decade, Butte benefitted from the leadership and playmaking ability of Liewer, a tremendous dual-threat QB and defensive back, as well as a top-five punter in D2. Another two-time all-stater.
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