Eastwood’s offense was prolific this season.
The Eagles averaged 47.5 points and 434.0 yards per game this season en route to records of 11-1 overall
and 7-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
And the leaders of the Eagle offense are being rewarded for their efforts.
Six Eastwood players were first-team selections on the Sentinel-Tribune’s All-Wood County football team.
The Eagles on the first-team were running backs Zach Conkle and Isaiah Conkle; linemen Kris Hayward, Adam
Wolf and Abel Steagall; and place-kicker Derek Snowden.
Completing the 12-player first-team were: Otsego quarterback Ryan Smoyer and receiver Nate Hackworth;
Northwood linemen David Bogart and John Segura; North Baltimore running back Dalton Ishmael; and
Perrysburg receiver Austin Bishop.
Zach Conkle and Segura moved up from the honorable-mention list.
The team was selected by the Sentinel sports staff.
Zach Conkle and Isaiah Conkle, who are brothers, combined to rush 288 times for 2,847 yards. They
combined for 52 touchdowns, including 49 rushing TDs.
Zach was the fullback and Isaiah started at halfback in the team’s Wing T offense.
"When you’ve got both of them together starting in the same backfield, that’s a neat story,"
Eastwood coach Jerry Rutherford said. "They both scored 25-plus touchdowns. They both rushed for
over 1,300 yards in their only chance to ever play together in the same backfield. That was a great
accomplishment for them and it was really special for both of them."
Zach Conkle totaled 1,517 yards rushing on 157 carries and caught five passes for 117 yards. He scored 27
total TDs.
"He looks like a Wing T fullback," Rutherford said of Zach Conkle, who is 5-foot-8, 174 pounds.
"He really became a good running back. He has good speed, he runs hard, and if you’re going to
tackle him, you were going to get hit, too.
"He’s a tough kid," Rutherford added. "He’s pretty physical. Like a lot of our guys, he
works hard during the offseason and he made his senior year the best of his career."
Isaiah Conkle ran 131 times for 1,330 yards. He had 10 receptions for 229 yards. He scored 25 total TDs.
"His main attribute was his speed," Rutherford said. "All of our backs fit well together
into what we wanted to do. We didn’t do a lot, but the plays that (Isaiah Conkle) had, the sweep and
counters, we knew if we could get him through line, we knew he could break off a big play every time he
touched the ball.
"He worked hard all season at become a better blocker," Rutherford added. "In this
offense, you can’t be selfish. You have to block for each other. They all did that.
The success of Eastwood’s offense resulted from the excellent blocking of the line, which included
Hayward, Wolf and Steagall.
"They had a tremendous year," Rutherford said.
Hayward played right guard.
"In our offense and what we do, the guard is really important because of all the trapping and
pulling we do," Rutherford said. "For a high school offense like ours, he’s the ideal guy
you’re looking for to play guard. He’s a good athlete, he runs pretty well for a guy who weighs 200
pounds and he’s hard-nosed. He likes contact and isn’t afraid to hit people. He was a perfect fit for
what we like to do. It really worked out well."
The left tackle was Steagall.
"He’s mean, tough kid, the kind of guy you want on your offensive line," Rutherford said.
"Even though he was a bigger guy, he was able to get across the field and make some blocks to
spring our backs. You knew he was going to play hard every play, the way the game was supposed to be
played."
Wolf was the left guard.
"When you run the Wing T offense, you start with the guards and (Hayward and Wolf) are the two best
guards we’ve ever had together at the same time," Rutherford said. "When you have an offense
that rushes for over 4,000 yards and scores 60 some touchdowns in the Wing T, you need to have good
guards and our guards did a great job.
"(Wolf) was a tough kid, a hard worker," Rutherford added. "He played the game hard. He
moved pretty well in space to get the blocks we needed."
Snowden was one of the busiest Eagles, kicking 72-of-79 extra points and 6-of-10 field goals. Four of his
field goals were from 30-39 yards.
"He’s a good athlete and did a nice job," Rutherford said. "He has a chance to be a pretty
special kicker, if he can improve the distance on his kickoffs."
Smoyer and Hackworth both had good seasons, playing pitch-and-catch for Otsego.
"This year, they really developed," said Otsego coach Erik Johnson. "Ryan started trusting
in Nate’s ability to be where he should be and catch the ball when he threw it there. And Nate trusted
Ryan that if he ran his route and got open, Ryan was going to get him the ball."
Johnson said Smoyer and Hackworth combined to set 14 Otsego passing records this season.
Smoyer completed 51 percent of his pass (145-of-285) for 1,888 yards with 23 touchdowns and 14
interceptions. Smoyer also rushed for six touchdowns.
"He’s got all the physical tools. He can throw all the passes. He can throw the ball hard or with
touch," Johnson said. "But the thing he does best is lead the team … as the season went
along he embraced that more and more. He’s always in it mentally. He doesn’t take plays off. He’s got
that competitive edge."
Johnson said after Smoyer makes his reads he can deliver the ball.
"The time between him making a decision and getting rid of the ball, it happens pretty darn
quickly," Johnson said.
Hackworth was Smoyer’s primary target. He finished with 55 receptions for 843 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"We knew he had good hands, but he grew three or four inches between his sophomore and junior
years," Johnson said. "He’s a big target and he’s deceptively fast. He covers a lot of ground
quickly. He runs great routes, he has great hands and he seems to have a nose for the end zone."
Johnson is expecting even bigger things next season for the duo.
"We hope to build off of them next year from this junior year they had. If they could get better, it
would really be something special," Johnson said. "We’re pumped to have them back."
Ishmael was the featured back in NB’s Wing T offense. He carried the ball 170 times for 1,164 yards (6.9
yards per carry) with 18 rushing touchdowns and 12 conversion points. Ishmael also returned seven
kickoffs, averaging 36.9 yards per return, with two touchdowns.
Ishmael played only nine games, missing the season finale with a staph infection.
"He’s a strong kid, especially from the waist down," said NB head coach Dino Woodruff.
"Once he gets into the open field, his vision is real good. He runs hard, that’s the biggest
thing."
Woodruff said Ishmael needs to read his blocks better, knowing that the hole is going to open rather than
thinking the hole is plugged.
"He’s always willing to learn; he always wants to watch film," Woodruff said. "He doesn’t
make excuses. If he messes up, he admits it.
"Another thing that makes him so good is his positive attitude," Woodruff added. "I’m glad
I’ve got him back next year."
Bishop provided Perrysburg with a big-play threat both as a receiver and running the ball.
The junior finished with 13 total touchdowns, 10 of which were receiving.
"For the first time in several years, he provided a guy fort us who was legitimately fast … faster
than most teams have to match up with," Perrysburg coach Matt Kregel said. "He’s a very raw
talent … We don’t normally get those speed guys. Those are nice to have."
Bishop finished with 640 yards receiving on 25 catches and also gained 197 yards rushing on just 18
attempts, scoring three TDs.
""When you need a big play it’s nice to have a kid that can run like that," Kregel said.
Rounding out the first team is Northwood’s two junior offensive lineman.
Both Bogart and Segura were named to the All-TAAC first-team, helping the Rangers reach the playoffs.
"The thing about those guys is usually offensive lineman are big and strong guys, and these guys
were strong, but they are athletes," Northwood coach Ken James said.
Both on the left side of the line, the duo provided solid run blocking as well as pass protection.
"Those guys are maulers," James said. "They did a great job for us and we’re glad to have
them back next year."
The following players earned honorable mention:
Bowling Green – Michael Sears, senior, wide receiver; Justin Christoff, senior, offensive lineman;
Eastwood – Austin Gottfried, senior, tight end; Brandon Shaffer, senior, offensive lineman; Zac Shaffer,
senior, offensive lineman;
Elmwood – Luke Garner, senior, running back; Jake Baker, senior, offensive lineman; Trevor Tyson, senior,
offensive lineman;
Lake – Jared Rettig, freshman, quarterback; Ben Swartz, junior, wide receiver; Dylan Hirzel, senior,
tight end; Jake Bandeen, senior, kicker;
Lakota – Chris Robbins, senior, running back; Logan Greiner, senior, wide receiver;
Northwood – Nick Russell, junior, quarterback; Evan Perkins, junior, running back;
Otsego – David Fleetwood, junior, running back; A.C. Limes, junior, tight end;
Perrysburg – Steve Slocum, junior, quarterback;
Rossford – Nick Vidra, senior, wide receiver.
