As you can see above, Eisenhower won the first league title in school history in just its second year of existence. Coach Steve Blue has a very good thing going at Eisenhower and with the majority of its roster back for next season, the Tigers are going to be a very big problem for the league and Class 5A next year as well. But there were other good seasons, including Andover Central surprising many by staying competitive with an incredible season from Zach Winter. Andover was solid all year and then pulled off the upset over Central in the sub-state finals and made an appearance at the state tournament. Valley Center and Maize South made strides this season and Goddard and Ark City are looking to gain experience to make those kinds of strides next year. Let's take a look at how the season played out and announce my all-league and specialty awards for Division 2 of the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League.
Let's start with my all-league team, which I have ranked in order of my voting.
So there you have it, those are the 15 players that I believe had the best seasons in the league. As you can see below the 3rd team selections, I also have a list of 10 others that I felt deserving to recognize as honorable mention. Now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the specialty awards.
This was actually a harder decision than most probably think. Any other division and Evans is the no-brainer choice for this award, but the season that Zach Winter had at Andover Central was actually a little more valuable to his team. In the end, the head-to-head sweep that Eisenhower owned over the Jaguars won Evans the MOP of the league. The numbers speak for themselves: 25.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game. He also accounted for 40% of Eisenhower's points, an incredible load for a single player.
This was sort of the same as the MOP award. The job that Jesse Herrmann did at Andover Central was incredible, but to go undefeated in a league with two quality teams like Andover and Andover Central is an impressive feat and Steve Blue deserves recognition for that. In just its second year of existence, Eisenhower won its first league title and was one of the best teams in Class 5A all season. The Tigers aren't close to be done yet, either - most of the roster returns next season and they will be right back atop the rankings next season.
By now most people know about the incredible junior season Evans had at Eisenhower. He averaged nearly 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals a game. That's an incredible jump in production from his sophomore season and Evans skyrocketed to become one of the elite scorers in the state as a junior. While his percentages didn't increase tremendously, Evans was productive enough to lead Eisenhower to a 19-2 record and will sure to be one of the top players in the state next season.
After missing the first 10 games of the season, Southworth returned from a hand injury to give the Tigers a boost off the bench. He immediately became Eisenhower's defensive stopper around the perimeter and was the glue guy that every team needs to succeed. He never needed a set amount of shots, instead finding his purpose through rebounds, assists, steals and deflections. The injury robbed him of the majority of his junior season, but Southworth still was able to make an impact on Eisenhower's 19-2 season.
I feel bad for not being able to give him more based on an incredible season, but Winter will have to settle for the Defensive Player of the Year award. It's not defense, but I just want to stress how impressive Winter was. Of Andover Central's total stats, Winter accounted for 33% of its points, 25% of its rebounds, 25% of its assists and 30% of its steals. Add up that total and it's one of the best in the entire state. Winter was brilliant defensively this season and one of the biggest reasons why Andover Central led the league in defensive points allowed by over four points a game at 44.3.
I already mentioned his impact in the Comeback Player portion, but Southworth was the best 6th man in the league as well. He could have easily started anywhere else in the league, but Southworth did what was best for the team and played the role of super sub about as well as you could. When Southworth came into the game, there was no decrease in play and he was able to provide a reliable scorer, passer, rebounder and defender while in.
Valley Center was in disarray when Wetig took over last season. After a season of struggle, Wetig gave the Hornets a sense of direction this season by guiding them to a 4th place finish with a 5-7 record in league play. That's more than double what they did last season, as was their total win count of 7. And with a lot of experience coming back next season, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Valley Center is creeping closer to becoming a winning ball club under Wetig.
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