By CRAIG DUNN
Daily News Sports Editor
LOGAN — It comes as no surprise that the Logan Chieftains, one of the top Division II football teams in the state, dominated the 2008 Associated Press All-Southeast District team.

A panel of district sportswriters voted 11 members of Chieftain Nation to the all-district team and named junior quarterback Patrick Angle the district DII Offensive Player of the Year while tabbing head coach Dale Amyx as Coach of the Year.

The all-district team was announced Wednesday night by The Associated Press.

Four Chiefs were named first team on offense: senior guard Cary Maclaughlin, senior running back Clay Morgan, junior end Mason Mays and Angle.

On defense, three Chieftain seniors were tabbed to the first team: end Jon Neff, nose guard Seth Sigler and linebacker Zach Adams.
Seniors Jaushua Huntsberger and Stephen Miller and junior Michael Snider were named honorable mention.

Angle (6-foot-1, 195 pounds), recently named Southeastern Ohio Athletic League North Division Player of the Year — only the third Logan junior to earn the award — is already one of Logan High School’s top all-time overall athletes. He has already been named all-SEOAL in football, basketball and baseball.

The younger brother of Michael Angle — who quarterbacked the Chiefs to three-straight league titles and 23 consecutive SEOAL wins — Patrick set school single-season passing records for completions (177), attempts (286), yards (2,496) and touchdown passes (25) as well as single-game marks for passing yards (324) and pass completions (26).

The Logan coaching staff changed the Chiefs’ entire offensive scheme to accommodate Angle and a stable of outstanding receivers, going away from the Chiefs’ patented power running game to a spread offense that set several passing records. It worked wonders.

Not only was Angle a passing threat but he was second on the team in rushing (557 yards and seven touchdowns), eluding several sacks with a great instinct to escape tacklers or simply run right over them. He was the first Logan quarterback to gain more than 100 yards rushing in a single game since the early 1960s.

Amyx is, hands-down, the most successful coach in the history of the Logan football program, having guided the Chiefs to 12 SEOAL championships (half of the school’s 24 overall titles), six playoff berths and a 129-70 record in his 19 seasons as head coach. He’s been named SEOAL Coach of the Year five straight years and eight times in the past 10 seasons.
The ’08 Chiefs went undefeated during the regular season for just the sixth time in school history, won a fifth-straight SEOAL championship, extended their SEOAL winning streak to 29 games, and earned a third-consecutive playoff berth.

The Chiefs went 11-1, losing only to Louisville — a team picked by many to win the state DII title — 7-0 in a Region 7 semifinal last Friday night.
A starter on the offensive line last season, Maclaughlin (5-10, 200) was scheduled to switch to fullback on offense until he was moved back to the O-line as the result of injury and illness to two other starters in the pre-season.

A very unselfish player and a team leader both on offense and defense, Maclaughlin was an outstanding run-stopper on defense and led the team in tackles for loss (14) while finishing second in sacks (seven) and third (15 solo, 77 assists for 92 total) in total tackles.

Morgan (5-10, 180) had a very solid season despite missing 1½ games on offense and 2½ games on defense due to an early-season knee injury.
Not only was Morgan the Chiefs’ leading rusher (703 yards on 116 carries), but he was also a great pass-receiving threat out of the backfield (20 catches for 228 yards), making several crucial catches. He thus combined for nearly 1,000 yards as a rusher and receiver, hence his being named All-District as an all-purpose back.

On defense he was an outstanding linebacker (67 total tackles, including 22 solos) who was great at pursuing and reading the play. Not only did he play linebacker, but he also dropped back into the defensive secondary when needed and was a solid pass defender as well, successful defensing six passes.

Mays (5-11, 175) may very well be the most versatile player on a team that was full of them. He did just about everything but throw the ball this season: he was a receiver and running back on offense, the primary return man (and a breakaway threat every time he touched the ball) on special teams, and played three or four different positions on defense.

Mays even filled in at tailback one game as the Chiefs went through a rash of injuries early in the season and ran for 85 yards against Gallipolis. He set school records in receptions both for a single game (10) and a single season (57) while tying an all-time LHS record with 13 touchdown receptions. He had 852 receiving yards and tied Morgan for the team lead in scoring with 78 points.

On defense, he was a ball-hawking cornerback who also played linebacker and even on the line when needed. His speed helped him break up pass plays (seven total) and catch opposing runners or pass receivers from behind, including a huge play in the regular-season finale at Chillicothe when he caught Cavalier quarterback Caleb Knights from behind on a long run.
Not only did he keep Knights out of the end zone, but four plays later Logan came through with a goal-line stand to deny Chillicothe a touchdown at a crucial time of the game.

The district panel didn’t select a DII defensive Player of the Year — primarily because there were so many Chieftain standouts to choose from.
Adams (6-3, 205) came back from a severe leg injury in basketball as a sophomore to fill in a lot of positions on a team loaded with outstanding senior defenders last season, including all three linebackers.

He became a full-fledged standout this season on both sides of the ball as the team’s third-leading receiver (23 receptions for 376 yards and six TDs) and the team’s second-leading tackler (30 solo and 86 assists for 116 total) as a terrific linebacker, leading the team in first hits (23) and breaking up six passes. Those 30 solo tackles were a team-high.

Adams toughed out the end of the season, playing the final two-plus games with a broken thumb, and was still involved in seven tackles against Louisville despite an injury that required surgery earlier this week.
Neff (6-3, 255) was a ferocious and solid defensive end who caused opposing quarterbacks nightmares all season. Despite missing 2½ games due to a concussion suffered in the second game of the season, he still led the Chiefs with 15 quarterback sacks and was second on the team (12) in pass breakups. He also had double-digits in first hits (10) and tackles for loss (10, second on the team), while making 57 total (18 solo and 39 assists) tackles.

Neff was also a solid, big-play receiver (11 catches, 232 yards for a team-high 21.1 yards per catch) and an outstanding blocker at tight end.
As the season began, Sigler (5-11, 170) was a very versatile, solid player without a starting role. The Logan coaching staff knew he would get a lot of playing time somewhere… they just didn’t know where, so he moved around where needed.

Sigler played just about every position on defense before finally settling in at nose guard and wound up as the team’s fourth-leading tackler (16 solo, 62 assists for 78) while making 18 first hits and seven tackles for loss.
He was a player the Chiefs could also drop back off the line of scrimmage into pass coverage when opposing teams would change their offense schemes.

Huntsberger (5-10, 140), a very intelligent player and a coach on the field, really came into his own after being a role player last fall.
He was second on the team in receiving (26 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns) and was a terrific blocker, throwing key blocks that helped spring no less than five big Logan pass plays for touchdowns or long gains.

On defense, despite being a small cornerback who gave up several inches to his opponents, Huntsberger was a terrific coverage back, leading the team in both interceptions (four) and passes broken up (13). There were a couple memorable cases where he out-jumped receivers at least a half-foot taller for either an interception or a crucial pass-breakup.
Miller (6-0, 220) helped solidify the Logan defensive line, especially early in the season when the Chiefs went through a transition due to early-season injuries, also playing some linebacker on defense and spotting in as a fullback on offense.

He played well despite missing two games due to a heel injury that hampered him through nearly the entire SEOAL season. Both a solid tackler and a big-play defender, Miller had 55 total tackles (10 solo, 45 assists), 10 first hits, nine tackles for loss, five pass break-ups and four sacks.
As a sophomore, Snider (6-0, 201) saw plenty of action — both on special teams and as a spot player on a defense loaded with talented upperclassmen — and thus had a lot of experience heading into this season.

A ferocious tackler and relentless pursuer of quarterbacks, running backs and receivers, Snider wound up as the team’s leading tackler with 122 total (27 solo and a team-high 95 assists), finishing second to Adams with 22 first hits, making nine tackles for loss, breaking up four passes and sacking the opposition quarterback three times while coming up with several key defensive stops at critical times.

Players from local teams of interest named to the 2008 All-Southeast District football team:
DIVISION II
First team offense: Quarterback — Patrick Angle, Logan, 6-1, 195, jr.; Backs — Perry Wheeler, Marietta, 6-1, 185, jr.; Cody Huff, Jackson, 5-10, 180, sr.; Ends — Mason Mays, Logan, 5-11, 175, jr.; Linemen — Cary Maclaughlin, Logan, 5-10, 200, sr.; Ryan Hughes, Jackson, 6-2, 280, sr.; All-Purpose — Clay Morgan, Logan, 5-10, 180, sr.; Placekicker — Ryan Mullins, Jackson, 5-9, 160, jr.
First team defense: Linemen — Jon Neff, Logan, 6-3, 225, sr.; Seth Sigler, Logan, 5-11, 170, sr.; Linebackers — Zach Adams, Logan, 6-3, 205, sr.
Offensive Player of the Year: Patrick Angle, Logan
Defensive Player of the Year: none selected
Coach of the Year: Dale Amyx, Logan
Honorable mention: Cody Westbrook, Marietta; Zane Eschbaugh, Marietta; Jaushua Huntsberger, Logan; Stephen Miller, Logan; Michael Snider, Logan; Ryan Klingaman, Jackson; Josh Brown, Jackson; Lukas Lindamood, Jackson.
 

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