2015 All-Hancock County Football Team: Offense
Alex Neligh, New Palestine, Quarterback, senior• Neligh passed for a record 501 yards at the state finals and scored a total of eight touchdowns in the loss. He was named an IFCA Senior Top 50 All-State player and finished second in voting for the prestigious Mr. Football award. Neligh was an all-Hoosier Heritage Conference selection and finished with 2,097 rushing yards (37 TDs) and 2,852 passing yards (36 TDs) this season.Devin Denny, Eastern Hancock, Running Back, junior
• Denny led one of Class 2A’s top-ranked teams in rushing with 1,321 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and still has one year of high school remaining. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry and had a season-high 204 yards in a win against Shenandoah. A dual threat, Denny tallied 373 receiving yards and six scores in Eastern Hancock’s potent offense.
Nick Brickens, New Palestine, Running Back, senior
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• Brickens did a little of everything well for the top-ranked Dragons and was named to the IFCA Class 5A Senior All-State team as a defensive back and the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference team as a running back. He averaged more than 38 yards per punt and totaled 1,627 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground this season, second on the team and county. Brickens nearly averaged a first down per carry (9.6).
Duke Blackwell, New Palestine, Wide Receiver, senior
• Blackwell broke the state finals record with 328 receiving yards and three touchdowns and finished his final season with 1,148 yards and 17 scores as the Dragons No. 1 receiver. He owns multiple school receiving records and was an All-Hoosier Heritage Conference selection. Blackwell averaged just more than 22 yards per catch this season and had a long of 73.
Austin Smith, Eastern Hancock, Wide Receiver, senior
• The speedy All-Mid-Indiana Football Conference selection led the county for the majority of the season in receiving yards but eventually finished second with 784. He also caught seven touchdowns and averaged a county-high 22.4 yards per catch. He added 95 yards and one score on the ground and had a season-high 193 yards through the air, twice, in wins over Northeastern and Knightstown.
Andrew Yazel, New Palestine, Offensive Lineman, senior
• Yazel was the leader on a tight-knit New Palestine offensive line. He capped an impressive final season with an IFCA Class 5A Senior All-State selection. The 5-foot-11, 275 pound senior was also named to the all-Hoosier Heritage Conference team and helped the Dragons shatter multiple school and state finals game records.
Nick Derheimer, New Palestine, Offensive Lineman, senior
• Derheimer helped the Dragons offense pass for nearly 3,000 yards from his offensive line position and was selected as an all-Hoosier Heritage Conference honorable mention in his final season. The 6-foot-4, 275 senior was a physical force, playing one way on offense this season. He’s committed to Indiana State.
David Judy, New Palestine, Offensive Lineman, junior
• Judy was named to the IFCA Class 5A Junior All-State team after helping the top-ranked Dragons rushing attack rack up nearly 5,000 rushing yards on the ground this season. The 6-foot-1, 275 pound junior was named an All-Hoosier Heritage Conference honorable mention while playing on mostly one side of the ball this season for the 13-1 Dragons.
Austin Bednarski, Eastern Hancock, Offensive Lineman, senior
• Bednarski helped lead a Royals offense that surpassed 2,000 yards on the ground this season and averaged 35 points per game. The senior also helped Eastern Hancock gain nearly 2,000 yards through the air, as well.
Nick Anderson, Mt. Vernon, Offensive Lineman, junior
• Anderson was the blocking force behind the Marauders run attack, helping the team rack up nearly 3,000 yards on the ground this season. He was also named an all-Hoosier Heritage Conference honorable mention.
Jarett Lewis, Eastern Hancock, Quarterback, sophomore
• As only a sophomore, Lewis led the Royals to a 10-1 record while throwing for 1,750 yards and 19 touchdowns. He only tossed six interceptions this season with a 63 percent completion rate. Lewis also scored eight rushing touchdowns and had a season-high 275 passing yards against Knightstown.
Jeremiah Fields, Greenfield-Central, Quarterback, senior
• Fields helped Greenfield-Central with his arm and legs, throwing for 812 yards and 10 scores this season while rushing for 127 yards and six more touchdowns. His turnovers were low too (five interceptions) as he made the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference honorable mention list.
Matt Bowman, Eastern Hancock, Running Back, senior
• Bowman was the best dual-threat offensive player in the county this season, finishing with 591 rushing yards and 523 receiving yards. He finished with 16 total scores, 12 rushing and four receiving, and had a season-high 97 rush yards in a win over Milan. He also threw a touchdown pass this season.
Spencer Corey, New Palestine, Placekicker, junior
• Corey finished a record-breaking junior season, nailing his first 113 extra point attempts before the last was blocked in the state finals. He finished with 128 total points on the year, third on the team, and was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts (long 42). Corey was named first-team All-Hoosier Heritage Conference and collected 25 touchbacks on kickoffs.
Honorable Mentions: Greenfield-Central — Orlando Mojica, Michael Sosnowski, John Davis. Mt. Vernon — Blake Slunaker, Eric Jones, Josh Coons. New Palestine — Matt Moeller, Austin Keele, Brett Luker, Luke Ely. Eastern Hancock — Jared Waterman, Mitch Guinn, Clayton Cochard, A.J. Muegge.
