Kroner’s Picks: Mahomet-Seymour All-Decade Team (Winter)
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Twenty years ago, I was tasked with a challenge that was nothing less than daunting.
My superiors at The News-Gazette asked me to select an all-decade team. They limited the choices to those individuals who had attended high school or junior college in Vermilion County.
As I recall, there were 10 high schools and one junior college from which to pick. A total of 19 sports were in play.
They didn’t provide any guidelines or restrictions.
“Make it your own,” I was told.
My first thought was to remember one of the first All-Area teams I was involved in picking. At the time, the thinking was that – in theory – the All-Area teams should be able to go out and play in a game. Thus, the sports with positions had to have each one represented.
It sounds good until you look at the practical side. Often times, the top players are at many of the same positions.
One year in softball comes to mind. The three top players were all dominating pitchers. I had to tell one particular coach that the best his candidate could do was to gain a spot on the second team.
He didn’t like it, and I liked it even less. I wanted to see the best players honored, even if we didn’t have every single position represented.
The coach asked me what he could do. I mentioned that in this particular year, there was a shortage of outfielders. The coach said that his player never played in the outfield. As he hung up the phone, the frustration was obvious in his voice.
The following week, I received a call from the same coach. He was reporting a result and asked for me personally. Before he provided any game details, he let me know that he had a different pitcher for the game.
He had assigned his normal pitcher to the outfield.
His decision helped me fill out the All-Area first team. A most-deserving player made the squad as an outfielder.
Granted, it goes against the spirit behind the creation of the All-Area teams. I’m sure this player was not one of the three best outfielders that year, but she was clearly one of the area’s top three players and thus, the designation was warranted.
Fast forward a decade, from 1999 to 2009. The management folks at The News-Gazette had liked so much the limited All-Decade teams that were selected for the Vermilion County schools that I was asked to choose similar teams, this time for the entire 45-school circulation area.
Talk about thankless challenges.
I haven’t heard if The News-Gazette will continue this tradition or let it slide into oblivion.
However, there’s good news for the readers in the communities where The Daily is regularly published.
All-decade teams have been finalized for Mahomet-Seymour, St. Joseph-Ogden, Oakwood and Heritage (Villa Grove). (To see SJO Daily results, click here.)
We’ll debut the winter sport seasons today and the fall sports teams and spring sport teams will follow in short order.
There were so many deserving candidates that thought was given to adding a special mention list, but the fact is there would then be another group that would just miss inclusion on that list.
So, there are no special mention or honorable mention categories. Some positions might not be included, but that is OK. We feel good about the lists we are providing although we understand and recognize any such list is subjective and there will certainly be disagreements.
Let us know what you think.
One final caveat: to be considered, athletes needed to have been active in their sport during the decade. For example, fall sport athletes during the 2009-10 school year were not considered, but if they were involved in a winter or spring sport in that same school year, their names might appear.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but to be clear, it was not necessary to have graduated during the decade that is about to end, but to have participated between 2010-19.
Without further ado, the Mahomet-Seymour All-Decade Winter Sport teams, listed alphabetically:
Mahomet-Seymour Boys’ basketball
First team
NAME HT. GRAD YEAR POS.
Noah Benedict 6-4 2018 G
Grant Coleman 6-7 2020 F
Conner Diedrich 6-1 2015 G
Reid Farchmin 6-4 2012 F
Cory Noe 6-2 2018 G
Second team
Brad Herrmann 6-4 2013 G
Tom Kenney 5-9 2016 G
Ryan Ohl 6-3 2010 F
Jack Rettig 6-4 2015 G
Christian Romine 6-10 2015 C
Player of decade – Cory Noe, who ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,615 career points.
Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ Basketball
First team
NAME HT. GRAD YEAR POS.
Kristen Belyea 5-5 2012 G
Isabel Charter 5-10 2016 F
Erin Lenschow 5-8 2018 G
Keida Nichols 5-7 2019 G
Maggie Schmidt 5-10 2014 G
Second team
Alyssa Drollinger 5-7 2012 G
Amanda Franklin 5-10 2019 F
Allison Fritz 5-6 2014 G
Jordan Hackmann 5-5 2017 G
Amanda Wallace 5-5 2012 G
Player of the decade – Maggie Schmidt, who ranks second in career points scored with 1,453 and first in free throws made, 127.
Mahomet-Seymour Wrestling
NAME WT. GRAD YR.
Austin Armetta 160 2012
Seth Buchanan 285 2020
Hunter Crowley 195 2017
Jordan Geese 285 2015
Derek Grant 170 2014
David Griffet 285 2018
Wyatt Heimann 170 2019
Cody Hooper 138 2014
Brandon Ireland 112 2013
Tyler Moxley 126 2012
Ben Stahl 220 2018
David Spencer 138 2018
Kolton Taylor 132 2015
David Wisehart 195 2015
Wrestler of the Decade – Hunter Crowley, who set season (37) and career (80) records for pins, plus a season record for wins (53).
Mahomet-Seymour Boys’ Swimming
NAME GRAD YR.
Dalton DeMay 2019
Josh Ekberg 2017
Gavin Groff 2019
Max Katz 2022
William Larson 2020
Joel Luedtke 2011
Nick Ross 2011
Dan Schuh 2011
Andrew Smith 2017
Dante Waters 2018
Swimmer of the Decade – Andrew Smith, who led or shared the team-lead in three events as a senior.
