GRIDIRON Third Team Defense

Joliet defensive back Wesley Powell garnered GRIDIRON Third Team Defense honors.

(File photo/Herald News)

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Andrew Rankovich, Coal City, DL: A 6-0, 201-pound senior ... All-Interstate Eight Large selection ... Two-year starter in defensive line ... Made 37 solo tackles and 23 assists for 60 total ... Led team with 7 sacks and had 6 tackles for loss ... Also played running back, rushing for 232 yards and averaging 4.9 per carry ... Caught 10 passes for 152 yards, a 15.2 average ... "In addition to being a two-year starter in the defensive line, Andrew was academic all-conference and academic all-state," Coalers coach Lenny Onsen said. "The big thing with him is opponents tended to look to see where he was, and they went the opposite way."

Sean Williams, Plainfield North, DL: A 6-1, 210-pound senior ... All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection ... Made 51 tackles from his nose tackle position, including a team-leading 12 for loss, and had 4 sacks ... Recovered a fumble ... "Sean was very explosive and a dominating force in the middle," Tigers coach Tim Kane said. "He got double-teamed a whole lot. He made a lot of plays that showed up on tape. He was powerful enough to go through a guy and fast enough to get around him. He has very good balance."

A.J. Plese, JCA, DL: A 6-3, 240-pound senior ... Made 21 solo tackles and 64 total from his defensive tackle position ... Had 5 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries and knocked down 1 pass ... Outstanding baseball pitcher ... "To have 5 sacks and 64 tackles, that's really good from the interior line," Hilltoppers coach Dan Sharp said. "A.J. will be in baseball in college, but he was a very good football player for us."

Rick Gazarek, Plainfield Central, DL: A 5-10, 175-pound senior ... All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection ... Made 52 tackles from his defensive end slot, including 25 solo, third on the team ... Led team with 9 sacks and added 4 1/2 tackles for loss ... Broke up 2 passes and blocked a kick ... "Rick is a good edge player and outstanding pass rusher," Wildcats coach John Jackson said. "He is a little crazy, but that's what makes you a good defensive lineman."

Tom Courtney, Wilmington, DL: A 6-0, 186-pound senior ... All-Interstate Eight Small selection ... A key in an offensive line that helped the Wildcats average more than 30 points per game, and in a defensive line that helped limit opponents to 7 points per game ... "Tom was a two-year starter on both sides of the ball," Wildcats coach Jeff Reents said. "He was a key player on a defensive line that collected 36 sacks."

Tom McGrath, JCA, DL: All-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection ... Made 53 tackles, with 27 of them solo ... Had 7 quarterback hurries ... "Tom made 53 tackles from the weak side," Hilltoppers coach Dan Sharp said. "Being an outside guy, he made an impression on the passing teams we have in our conference."

Luke Anderson, Lemont, LB: A 6-5, 215-pound senior ... All-South Suburban Blue selection ... Finished with a team-best 19 sacks from his outside linebacker post ... Had 11 tackles for loss ... Finished with 84 total tackles, including 53 solo ... Broke up 3 passes ... Caused 3 fumbles and recovered 2 ... Good student who may be interested in an Ivy League school ... "Luke is tall, but he is also fast," Indians coach Eric Michaelsen said. "He ran down the running back from Sacred Heart-Griffin in the state championship game. He's very athletic."

Joe Tripolitakis, Lockport, LB: A 6-0, 200-pound senior ... All-Southwest Suburban Blue selection ... Made a team-high 72 tackles with 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack from his middle linebacker slot ... Recovered 1 fumble ... Excellent student ... "Joe is very intelligent, a coach on the field," Porters coach Bret Kooi said. "That's what our defensive coordinator (Steve Dulkowski) keeps bragging about."

Marcus Lee, Bolingbrook, LB: A 6-1, 210-pound junior ... All-Southwest Suburban Blue selection ... Two-year varsity starter ... Led Bolingbrook in tackles with 118, including 66 solo stops, from his inside linebacker slot ... Made 5 tackles for loss, had 1 sack and broke up 4 passes ... "Marcus did a real good job this year, and he's a player with a promising future," Raiders coach John Ivlow said.

Matt Meyers, Plainfield North, LB: A 6-2, 190-pound junior ... All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection ... Made 96 tackles, including 2 for loss and 2 sacks, from his middle linebacker post ... Two-year starter ... Will be one of the top linebackers in the area next season ... "Matt is a hard-nosed type of guy, the thing you look for in a linebacker," Tigers coach Tim Kane said. "He loves contact. He does not shy away from people. His biggest asset is the ability to make reads and find the ball. He and Dominique (Ware) were key defensive guys setting things up and making adjustments."

Jim Benson, Reed-Custer, LB: A 6-2, 220-pound junior ... All-Interstate Eight Large selection ... Comets' leading tackler after being the second-leading tackler as a sophomore ... Also played some tight end ... Bench presses more than 300 pounds ... "The last 3-4 games Jim really came into his own," Comets coach Dean Cappel said. "He's going to be the real deal next year. He's going to be an intimidating factor."

Ryan Carr, Plainfield Central, LB: A 6-3, 215-pound junior ... All-Southwest Prairie Conference selection ... Shared team lead in total tackles with 68, which included 31 solo stops ... Had 7 tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, a pass interception, a fumble recovery that he returned 32 yards and a forced fumble ... "Ryan is a playmaker," Wildcats coach John Jackson said. "He's vevy versatile, too. Not only is he a good linebacker, but we sometimes used him as down lineman in certain packages. He's a Division I prospect, with the size and skills he has."

Nic Romanchik, Peotone, DB: A 6-3, 185-pound junior ... Made a team-high 50 tackles, including 43 solo, from his free safety position ... Intercepted 2 passes ... As the quarterback, completed 75-of-154 passes, 48.7 percent, for 952 yards and 5 touchdowns ... "Nick was not bad at quarterback, but he was even more of a force on the defensive side," Blue Devils coach Kevin Greene said.

Wesley Powell, Joliet, DB: A 6-0, 175-pound senior ... All-South Suburban Blue selection ... Steelmen's No. 1 cover corner ... Point guard in basketball who may try to play both sports in college ... "Welsey was a mainstay in our defensive backfield," Steelmen coach Jason Aubry said. "We always knew he would make a play there. He was always around the ball."

James Westferro, Lemont, DB: A 6-1, 165-pound senior ... All-South Suburban Blue selection ... Made 57 total tackles, including 41 solo stops, from his strong safety position ... Intercepted 4 passes to share the team lead ... Led team with 9 passes broken up ... Recovered 2 fumlbes and caused 1 ... "James is a very smart player," Indians coach Eric Michaelsen said. "He did a nice job tackling, especially in the Antioch (playoff) game."

Shane Paty, Providence, DB: A 5-11, 170-pound senior ... All-Chicago Catholic Blue selection ... Played free safety and some wide receiver ... Made 55 total tackles, including 22 solo stops ... Intercepted 5 passes ... Caught 12 passes for 104 yards, an 8.7 average ... "Shane came back from a broken leg against Normal last year (in Providence's quarterfinal loss), and that made him even more determined this year," Celtics coach Mark Coglianese said. "What goes unnoticed is that he holds on field goals and extra points. The way Jake Lembke snaps it back, it's a bullet, and Shane catches it every time."