Eight Cards named to Ski Valley Conference football team

Eight members of the 2006 Onaway High School football team were granted All-Ski Valley Conference honors. All eight were seniors, who helped the Cardinals make the playoffs the past two seasons.

Andrew LaLonde, Tim Garms, Greg Ellenberger, and TJ Bentley were named to the first team, Randy Cope, Ben Ellenberger, and Jake Heltsley made the second team, and Justin Stockwell was an honorable mention.

LaLonde, the Cards? defensive player of the year, led Onaway in tackles, with 77, and fumble recoveries, with six. He also led the team in rushing, with 728 yards, and scoring, with 58 points.

?Andrew was among the most physically dominant athletes in the conference,? said coach Tony Hoffmeyer. ?He was very intelligent and very coachable, which allowed us to move him around to take advantage of his ability.?

Garms, Onaway?s offensive player of the year and a two-year starting quarterback, threw for 514 yards and 10 touchdowns and ran for 463 yards and six TDs. He also made 21 of his 23 extra point attempts.

?Tim will be very tough to replace,? said Hoffmeyer. ?He has started behind center for two years. He is gifted athletically and has a cannon for an arm. A quarterback like him doesn?t come along every day.?

Greg Ellenberger has been the player snapping Garms the ball the past two years. He helped Lonnie Splan to a great season last year, and anchored the line that blocked for LaLonde and Garms, among others, this year.

?Greg was the anchor of the line,? said Hoffmeyer. ?Having him in there was like having another coach on the field. He made the line calls and adjustments, and assisted me as we made adjustments at halftimes.?

Bentley, a three-year starter at tight end, caught a team-high 14 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns in 2006. Bentley also was third on the team in tackles.

?TJ was experienced and talented,? said Hoffmeyer. ?Having been here three years, he was well-versed in our blocking schemes and confident in the passing g

ame. His knowledge and leadership will be tough to replace.?

Cope, Ben Ellenberger, Heltsley, and Stockwell, like Greg Ellenberger, were members of the senior-laden Cardinal offensive line, a line that often wore opponents down late in games.

Onaway will have to put together an entirely different line next year. The Cards also lose their quarterback, their top receiver, their two leading rushers, and their leading tackler.

There is talent returning, however. Several juniors return, including speed back James McDowell, who missed much of 2006, but should be in the lineup throughout 2007.

Returning to the postseason for a third straight year won?t be easy, but it certainly is not out of the question for Hoffmeyer and his troops, who won six games while at the JV level.

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