Area gridders earn Six-Man honors

There weren’t any teams from the Six-Man North Division playing this past weekend in the Six-Man state championship game, but there was still plenty to celebrate as local players from Big Sandy and North Star earned All-Conference and All-State honors.

Big Sandy, which broke a five-year playoff drought, earning their way into the Six-Man playoffs following a 7-2 regular season, had two players garner postseason honors after the first postseason berth for the Pioneers since 2012. Big Sandy won its first-round playoff game against Richey-Lambert, before being eliminated by Bridger, the eventual Six-Man runner-up.

One of the key players for Big Sandy this season, on both sides of the ball, was Weston Allderdice, who earned All-Conference honors in the Six-Man North for the second straight season. Allderdice, who is both a linebacker and fullback, also was named All-State for the second time.

Joining Allderdice on both the All-Conference and All-State teams was Big Sandy lineman Duke Darlington. The two-way standout, played an important role as a blocker for the Pioneers power running game, but he also flashed skills as a pass catcher. Defensively, he was equally strong rushing the passer and stopping the run.

While Big Sandy was the only local team to make its way into the Six-Man playoffs, the Pioneers weren’t the only team that received postseason honors. The North Star Knights, who finished the season 3-5, also had Dylan Miller make his way onto the All-Conference team in the North Division for the second straight year. The senior played running back, quarterback and defensive back for the Knights this past season.

Six-Man North All-Conference

Trever VandenBos, Sr., Valier; Treyton Pickering, Sr., Sunburst; Weston Allderdice, Sr., Big Sandy: Javy Somerfeld, Sr., Power-Dutton-Brady; Joey Hale Jr, Geraldine-Highwood; Duke Darlington, Sr., Big Sandy; Dylan Monroe, Sr., Valier; Zeke Davison, Jr., Gerladine-Highwood; Wacey Running Crane, Sr., Valier; Colten Curry, Sr., Valier; Dylan Miller, Sr., North Star; Colten Curry, Sr., Valier. JR Spencer, JR., Geraldine/Highwood; Mavrick McKinlay, Jr., Geraldine/Highwood; Christian Bloch, SR., Sunburst; Dominik Dunk, Sr., PDB; Koltin Christiaens, Sr., Valier.

Six-Man North All-State

Trever VandenBos, Sr., Valier; Treyton Pickering, Sr., Sunburst; Weston Allderdice, Sr., Big Sandy: Javy Somerfeld, Sr., Power-Dutton-Brady; Joey Hale Jr, Geraldine-Highwood; Duke Darlington, Sr., Big Sandy; Dylan Monroe, Sr., Valier; Zeke Davison, Jr., Gerladine-Highwood; Wacey Running Crane, Sr., Valier; Colten Curry, Sr., Valier.