Football: 2024 LebCoSports.com Players of the Year

Throughout 2024, the members of LebCo’s six varsity football teams put forth a strong effort each week. Although the teams experienced a mix of victories and defeats, their talent and sportsmanship were evident, making their school communities proud.

The season saw two teams qualify for the District 3 Playoffs, with Cedar Crest and ELCO each advancing to the 2nd round.

To recognize the standout individual players who led their teams, we opened up a voting process to gather insights from fans and coaches. The tally reflected several close competitions. Ranking such gifted athletes is no easy task, but many voters considered more than just the schools the student-athletes represented.

In the end, Cedar Crest’s Isaiah Zimmerman was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year with unanimous support. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Cedar Crest’s Landyn Kline earned the title of Defensive Player of the Year.

In the Rising Star category, which honors the top sophomores and freshmen, Cedar Crest’s Garrett Starry secured the top honor following a stellar season.

Additionally, Northern Lebanon’s Myles Watson captured the moniker of Fan Favorite, which will make more sense when you read about the senior who saw his season disrupted by injury.

Read below for more about each winner and runner-up.

Ultimately, when all the votes were counted, LebCoSports.com could not settle on naming a singular Most Valuable Player, deciding to select both Isaiah Zimmerman and Annville-Cleona’s Jonathon Shay as co-MVPs for the 2024 season.

The full list of nominees can be found here.  It is important to recognize that every player nominated is worthy of praise.

One final note: While this process can be somewhat intense, please remember that the voting was done to honor our athletes by drawing attention to the impressive achievements of some of the best. Thank you to everyone who took the time to engage and celebrate these young men. Frankly, all of the nominees were very deserving. For those moving onto the collegiate level, you will see them continue to excel. For those players returning (especially the impressive list of Rising Stars), we are extremely excited to see the continued growth they bring to the field in the coming years.

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For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

LebCoSports.com Most Valuable Players

With the close voting and the immense talent on our local rosters this past season, we made the decision to name Co-MVPs to two deserving young men who set new standards, each in their own way.

Isaiah Zimmerman

After the Falcons graduated a talented Class of 2024 following their District 3 Playoff appearance, there were questions about how Coach Lambros would handle the team in his first season at the helm. While he knew he had some experienced seniors, including quarterback Jackson Custer and wide receiver Jack Waranavage, overcoming the loss of the running back duo of Fernando Marquez and Alejandro Abreu would be a challenge. Alone, Marquez rushed for 982 yards and 21 touchdowns.

What most outsiders did not realize is that Lambros had sophomore Isaiah Zimmerman ready to go. After seeing his freshman year cut short by a torn meniscus, Zimmerman did not waste his opportunity. He began Week 1 against Lower Dauphin when he carried the ball 14 times for 217 yards, finding the end zone twice. This trend continued, as Zimmerman remained a steady force within the Cedar Crest offensive scheme that finished the regular season with a 7-3 record before winning their first District Playoff game in 27 years. In the playoff win over Hempfield, Zimmerman scored five touchdowns.

Zimmerman finished the season rushing for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. He accomplished his numbers on just 176 carries, gaining an average of 8.5 yards each time he was handed the ball. He was also a reliable receiving option, with 8 receptions for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns.

With a season like Zimmerman had, he was more than deserving of the honors he received, including being selected as 1st Team All-County and as a 1st Team Lancaster Lebanon League – Section One. He can now add to the list of his accomplishments: 2024 LebCoSports.com Most Valuable Player and LebCo Offensive Player of the Year. With two years remaining in his high school career, we are excited to see what else Zimmerman can achieve.

Photos by Rachelle Isgriggs & Susan Dengler

Jonathon Shay

Jonathon Shay was about as valuable as they come to any team, playing all four years as a starter for the Dutchmen. Regarding which aspect of the game he performed best (Offense, Defense, Special Teams), the answer is “all of the above.” Shay is a football player through and through, going to battle and doing whatever his team needs from him. This resulted in him finishing as the first runner-up as the Defensive Player of the Year and the second runner-up in the voting for Offensive Player of the Year, confirming just how well-respected he has been during his time at Annville.

Offensively, Shay served primarily as a ball carrier in the run-heavy offensive scheme run by Coach Matt Gingrich. In his senior season, he was given the ball 140 times and gained 1,030 yards, giving him over 1,500 for his career. Shay rushed for over 100 yards in five games, including a 188-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Pequea Valley. He also rushed for 224 yards in Week 1 against Biglerville. In total, Shay scored 10 times on the ground. He was also valuable as one of quarterback Bryce Keller’s main targets, racking up 21 receptions for 368 and 5 touchdowns.

As impressive as he was on offense, Shay’s biggest impact came on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive end was named the Lancaster Lebanon League – Section 5 Defensive Lineman of the Year for the second straight year after totaling 90 tackles, 53 of which were solo, and shutting down the edge. He also put immense pressure on opposing quarterbacks, totaling six sacks. He also used his speed, strength, and agility to block two field goals.

Recently, Shay received the honor of being twice named 2nd Team All-State Defensive End by the PA Football Writers and coaches through PAFootballNews.com. While we cannot offer a third All-State honor, we are proud to honor Shay for his accolades on the field by naming him as a LebCoSports.com Most Valuable Player, driven by his unique ability to find excellence regardless of the task that was asked of him. We look forward to seeing what he is able to accomplish at the next level.

Photos by Justin Keller

The Fan Favorite

Myles Watson

Entering the season, Watson was slated to be the main cog in Northern Lebanon’s offensive scheme. He started off strong with a 200-yard performance in his team’s win over Pine Grove. However, a broken forearm sustained on the first play of a Week 4 matchup against Wyomissing derailed his season. Watson did make it back on the field in Week 8 and picked up where he had left off. In just six games (plus a play), the senior running back tallied 651 yards on 112 carries. He scored 4 touchdowns.

A testament to his commitment, Watson received the highest fan vote total of any non-winner. This young man is an athletic talent who suffered a stroke of bad luck that hindered his ability to be on the field with his teammates. However, it is his mental strength, combined with his physical abilities, that will make him a legitimate collegiate athlete in the coming years.

Offensive Player of the Year

Isaiah Zimmerman (Cedar Crest / So.): Zimmerman rushed for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns on 176 carries. His outstanding play out of the backfield paced the Cedar Crest offense as they finished with 8 wins, including their first District 3 Playoff victory in 27 years. The elusive sophomore also had 8 receptions for 122 yards and 2 additional touchdowns.

Runner-up

Malachi Briddell (Lebanon/ Jr.): Last year’s Rising Star award winner was again impressive during his junior year, literally doing everything he could to help his team. The versatile Briddell spent time at wide receiver, running back, and quarterback, in addition to his duties in Lebanon’s defensive backfield. In his primary role as the main target in the passing game, Briddell racked up 910 receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns. As he was the main target of opposing defenses, all of his yards were hard-earned. He also added 200 yards rushing and another 200 yards passing.

Honorable Mention

Jonathon Shay (Annville-Cleona / Sr.): The senior was Annville-Cleona’s top rusher, gobbling up 1,030 yards on the ground on 140 carries. He also had 21 receptions for 368 yards. He totaled 15 touchdowns (10 rushing, 5 receiving). Shay also completed 2 passes, including throwing for a touchdown.

For more information on all the nominees, you can view the nominations by clicking here.

Defensive Player of the Year 

Landyn Kline

The junior stepped up at the linebacker position to create a lockdown defensive unit a year after the Falcons graduated a talented group of seniors. Kline was all over the field with a nose for the ball, fearlessly making big play after big play. His terrific play resulted in 122 tackles, 14 of which resulted in a negative gain for the opposition. Tough on quarterbacks, Kline tallied 2.5 sacks and 5 quarterback hits. Beyond the physical toll he took on signal callers, he also tormented them with 2 interceptions to go with a fumble recovery. Putting himself in positions to make big plays also resulted in scoring 2 defensive touchdowns.

Being named the LebCoSports.com Defensive Player of the Year raises the bar ahead his senior season. Still, Kline has proven that he is ready to exceed anyone else’s expectations of what he can achieve.

Photos by Rachelle Isgriggs

Runner-up

Jonathon Shay (Annville-Cleona / Sr.): Shay finished his senior season being named the Lancaster Lebanon League – Section 5 Lineman of the Year for the second consecutive year. This was for a good reason, as the defensive end finished the year with 90 tackles, including 13 that sent the other team backward. A menace towards opposing quarterbacks, Shay totaled 6 sacks. He added a fumble recovery and blocked 2 field goals.

Honorable Mention

Brady Stoops (ELCO / Sr.): Playing defensive end for the Raiders, Stoops was impressive all season. A large part of what made the senior so valuable was his non-stop motor that allowed him to make plays all over the field. This allowed him to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, shut down the edge, and ran down run plays from the backside. His play resulted in 28 solo tackles and 32 assists. He threw the opposing team backward 11 times and totaled 6.5 quarterback sacks. Stoops was also credited with a forced fumble.

Rising Star

Garrett Starry (Cedar Crest / So.)

Starting at linebacker as a sophomore, the pressure was on Starry to perform. He not only performed well, he exceeded all expectations on his way to 129 tackles. His stats included 16 tackles for a loss and 2.5 quarterback sacks. In addition to his ability to fly around the field and hit people, Starry also hauled in 3 interceptions and rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown. With two years remaining in his high school varsity career, the Falcons are set at the linebacker position for a while.

Runner-up

Jaxon Speece (Annville-Cleona / So.): In his sophomore campaign, Speece was impressive playing on both sides of the line for the Dutchmen until a scary injury cut his season short after just six games. In those games, he had 28 tackles, including 5 for a loss. On the offensive side, Speece was tasked with playing at the guard position, which he did very well, helping Annville to an average of 31 points per game.

Honorable Mention

Xavier Smith (Palmyra / So.): Despite his age, Smith has quickly emerged as one of the Mid Penn’s best linebackers, finishing 4th overall with 21 tackles for a loss. In total, Smith racked up 47 tackles, 29 of which were solo. His constant pressure on the quarterback resulted in 3 sacks, but he was credited with 28 hurries. He was also a star when it came to creating turnovers, forcing and recovering 3 fumbles.