The 2017 high school football season has come and gone, and once again, the Times News area teams and players didn’t disappoint.

The Times News area saw Marian (1A), Jim Thorpe (3A), and Tamaqua (3A) all reach the district playoffs, while Northwestern (4A) competed in the Eastern Conference postseason.

Lehighton returned to the district playoffs in 2017 and advanced to the District 11 3A Championship, while Palmerton returned to the District 11 2A title game for the second consecutive season.

The 2017 season also offered up one of the most exciting regular season match-ups in Times News history. The game featured rivals Jim Thorpe and Lehighton — both with 9-0 records — in the regular season finale. On the line was the Schuylkill League Division 1 Championship and Route 209 trophy in front of a crowd of more than 4,000 fans.

Of course, the season isn’t officially over until the Times News Football All-Star Team hits the newsstand. A Player of the Year is named for each respective position group along with all-stars at that position.

To give the team better parody, a player cannot be named as a player of the year for more than one position group, but can still be honored as an all-star at that position.

The Times News Football Player of the Year was released in Friday’s edition of the Times News and the honoree was Lehighton’s Cody Scherer.

Enjoy, and thank you for reading during what was another great football season in the Times News area.

Defensive Player of the Year

Dylan Dailey

(DE, Jim Thorpe)

Dailey was a force to be reckoned with at the defensive end spot for the best defense in the Times News area this season.

Dailey’s combined size (6-1, 210) and speed helped him come up with 78 total tackles, with 46 of them being solo tackles.

The junior was good at setting the edge against the run, but his specialty was getting to the quarterback. Dailey collected 13 sacks on the season and had more than double that in quarterback hurries.

Dailey was also a Pennsylvania Football Writer’s Class 3A All-State selection as a defensive lineman.

“He was one of the more dominant players I’ve seen at defensive end in our league in recent memory,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “He’s a hard-working kid, and you can see that in the way he plays the game. He really made an impact on almost every play, and I’m looking to forward to see how much more he can do next season.”

Offensive Player of the Year

TaQuan Bradley-Chambers

(RB, Lehighton)

The Indians’ TaQuan Bradley-Chambers put together one of the more impressive offensive seasons in Times News history in 2017. The Tribe running back rushed for 2,255 yards and 23 touchdowns in helping Lehighton to a District 11 3A Championship berth.

Bradley-Chambers’ biggest rushing performance of the season came against Tamaqua when he set a single-season Lehighton rushing record, carrying the ball 23 times for 373 yards and four touchdowns. Bradley-Chambers, time and time again, made the most out of every carry he was given, averaging just over nine yards per carry. Bradley-Chambers was also a Pennsylvania Football Writer’s Class 3A All-State selection at running back.

“Obviously, TaQuan was a pleasant surprise for us this season, and a big surprise to a lot of people in the league,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

“Day 1 since he arrived, he worked as hard as anyone in the program, and was committed to everything we wanted to do. His talent and abilities speak for themselves and honestly, it was just a pleasure to know and coach him.”

OFFENSE

Quarterback of the Year - Aidan McHugh (QB, Pleasant Valley)

McHugh, just a sophomore, had the task of filling in for 2016 Times News Quarterback of Year Brandon Keyes when Keyes went down with an injury halfway through the season. All the sophomore did in Keyes absence was complete 109-of-194 passes for 1,514 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in just five games. In three of the five games, he threw for over 200 yards, including a Times News single-game record of 445 yards against Stroudsburg in the Bears’ season finale. McHugh also helped the Pleasant Valley offense average 208.6 passing yards per contest.

Coach’s quote — “Aidan came in during tough circumstances and kept the offense together and did some real nice things for a young player. I’m really excited about his development, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do next season with some valuable reps now under his belt.” — Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Versuk

All-Star Quarterbacks

Cody Scherer (Lehighton); Tekoah Guedes (Palmerton).

Running Back of the Year - Justin St. Hill (RB, Jim Thorpe)

St. Hill has been the staple of the OlympIans offense for the past two seasons. After an exceptional senior campaign in which he rushed for 1,557 yards and 26 touchdowns, he jumped into third place all-time in rushing yards in Olympians history. The senior put together one of the biggest rushing performances of 2017 when he carried the ball 38 times for 331 yards and four touchdowns against Blue Mountain in Week 6. St. Hill did it all for Thorpe, rushing from the Wildcat position and also from the backfield and he also led the Olympians in receiving with 22 catches for 310 yards and three scores.

Coach’s quote — “Justin is one of the more versatile and talented players that has come through our program, and he really did it all for us this year. Whether he was at running back, quarterback, or catching the ball out of the backfield, he made big plays all over the field.” — Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger

All-Star Running Backs

Taquan Bradley-Chambers (Lehighton); Nick Breiner (Tamaqua); Seth Paluck (Marian)

Wide Receiver of the Year - Michael Brown (WR, Pleasant Valley)

Brown was the epitome of a No. 1 wideout for the Bears this season, and also proved that he was one of the toughest players in the Times News area. That’s because Brown played seven games and did so effectively with a torn labrum, which if you know the injury well is not easy for a wide receiver to deal with. Still, Brown fought through the pain and led the Times News area with 720 yards on 41 catches. He was a big-play threat, averaging almost 18 yards per catch, while hauling in seven touchdowns.

Coach’s quote — “Mike is a great football player and he showed his talent, skill, and toughness this season by doing what he was able to do with a torn labrum. He’s going to do well wherever he goes to continue his academic and sports career. He’s really going to help out a program with his ability and his leadership.” — Pleasant Valley head coach Mark Versuk

All-Star Wide Receivers

Zach Crum (Lehighton); Caleb Clymer (Northwestern); Casey Rother (Tamaqua); Jordan Nelson (Palmerton)

Offensive Lineman of the Year - Dane Frantz (OT, Lehighton)

Frantz anchored an offensive line that helped the Indians rush for a video-game like 309 rushing yards per game, and an offense that averaged 450 yards per contest. Frantz was a three-year starter for the Tribe and consistently paved the way for Times News Player of the Year Cody Scherer and Times News Offensive Player of the Year Taquan Bradley-Chambers to make plays. Frantz was honored by the Lehighton football program as its Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Coach’s quote — “When we needed a yard or even 20 yards in a key situation, we ran the ball behind Dane. We had a great offensive line and a lot of talented guys, but he was our most consistent lineman week-in and week-out.” — Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

All-Star Offensive Lineman

Nolan Wentz (Lehighton); Dakota Hiester (Lehighton); Ethan Mordaunt (Jim Thorpe); William Munson (Jim Thorpe); Zack Falls (Marian); Kyle Kralik (Palmerton); Bronson Strouse (Tamaqua); Matt Amodea (Tamaqua); Zach Altemose (Pleasant Valley); Matt Maly (Pleasant Valley)

DEFENSE

Defensive Lineman of the Year - Kyle Kralik (DT, Palmerton)

Kralik has anchored the middle of the Palmerton defensive front for the past two seasons, and was a force on the inside once again in 2017. From his defensive tackle position, Kralik collected 14 sacks and 77 solo tackles. Kralik finished with 24 tackles for loss, which led the Times News area. Kralik did all this despite being undersized at the position (5-10, 181 pounds). Kralik was also named to the Class 2A All-State team as a defensive lineman.

Coach’s quote — “Kyle has a relentless motor and that’s what makes him the player he is. Whatever school he decides to continue his football career at will be getting a steal. One word comes to mind when talking about Kyle and that’s tenacity. He was just tenacious in attacking on the defensive side of the ball and that showed in his play.” — Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak

All Star Defensive Linemen

Dylan Dailey (Jim Thorpe); Ethan Mordaunt (Jim Thorpe); Dakota Hiester (Lehighton); Luke Becker (Lehighton); Bronson Strouse (Tamaqua); Matt Amodea (Tamaqua); Zack Falls (Marian); Andrew Sabo (Palmerton)

Linebacker of the Year - Colin Jacobs (MLB, Jim Thorpe)

Jacobs was the heart and soul of the Jim Thorpe “Red Swarm” defense in 2017. The junior made a ton of plays for the Olympians whether it was surveying the middle or attacking the gaps in the Jim Thorpe run or blitz packages. Jacobs led the Olympians with 88 total tackles and 77 solo tackles. He also had three sacks, nine quarterback hurries, and three forced fumbles. The Olympians defense was tops in the Times News area, giving up just 12.5 points per game and 241.3 yards per contest.

Coach’s quote — “Colin was the quarterback of our defense and is one of our toughest competitors. He’s a very smart football player, and he made a lot of his plays using his ability to time blitzes right and the snap count. He’s just really good at putting people in the right spots and making plays out there.” — Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger

All-Star Linebackers

Caleb Clymer (Northwestern); Brett Gasker (Lehighton); Cody Scherer (Lehighton); Jordan Nelson (Palmerton); Tekoah Guedes (Palmerton); Nate Boyle (Tamaqua); Brent Beck (Pleasant Valley)

Defensive Back of the Year - Chris Whiteman (CB, Lehighton)

Whiteman was the leader of the Indians secondary this season and finished second on the team with three interceptions. Whiteman, a Schuylkill League Division 1 First Team all-star, led the Tribe with nine pass break-ups and also totaled 77 tackles. He also scored a defensive touchdown and forced one fumble. The junior was the Indians lockdown cornerback, and on most nights matched up with the opposition’s top wide receiver.

Coach’s quote — “Chris has been one of my favorite players that I’ve coached since I’ve been at Lehighton. The kid just plays with such a big heart and love for the game. He does everything well at his position, and throughout the year he made so many big plays for us on defense. He’s the kind of player you want on your side when you go into battle on Friday nights.” — Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll

All-Star Defensive Backs

Zack Crum (Lehighton); Thad Zuber (Tamaqua); Brayden Knoblauch (Tamaqua); Seth Paluck (Marian); Phil Dangello (Northwestern); Samir Hoaxa (Pleasant Valley); Nick Rosahac (Jim Thorpe)

Specialist of the Year - Tekoah Guedes (QB, Palmerton)

Guedes, a transfer from Northern Lehigh, was a perfect fit for Palmerton’s spread offensive scheme and helped propel the Bombers to their second consecutive District 11 2A Championship berth. The senior was a true dual-threat quarterback, throwing for 1,707 yards, with 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, while rushing for 1,184 yards and 20 touchdowns. Guedes also registered 112 tackles, including 18 for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and 15 pass deflections on defense.

Coach’s quote — “Tekoah is talented and tough, and he made our offense go with his ability to run and pass the ball. He is a special football player. His leadership and poise also played a big part in our success as well. He’s a class act on and off the field.” — Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak

All-Star Specialists

Nate Boyle (RB/WR, Tamaqua); Brayden Knoblauch (QB, Tamaqua); Thad Zuber (QB, Tamaqua); Brent Beck (RB, Pleasant Valley); Mike Eckhart (WR, Palmerton); Hunter Miller (K/P, Northwestern); Bryan Dinterman (K, Jim Thorpe)