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Craig, Parker get eight first-team spots in All-Big Eight football

While making life miserable for Big Eight Conference defenses, Zach Bayreuther and JoJo Pregont combined for a record-setting season in Janesville Craig High School football.

The dynamic duo helped lead the Cougars to an eighth straight WIAA postseason berth, and both have named Player of the Year at their respective positions in the coaches’ All-Big Eight selections.

Bayreuther, a 5-foot-10, 175–pound senior, is the Quarterback of the Year. The 6-6, 200-pound Pregont is the Wide Receiver of the Year.

Three other Cougars also have been named to the all-conference first team. Senior center Michael Valentine is one of two repeat selections on the offense, as well as the first-team punter, while senior Patrick Veloskey is first team at inside linebacker and senior Darnell Sims in the defensive line.

Janesville Parker is represented on the first team by senior Alex Craker in the offensive line and senior Jacob Bailey at outside linebacker.

Second-team selections include senior running back LaVell Hewlett and senior inside linebacker Dustin Moench of Parker, along with senior offensive lineman Josh Mayfield and junior defensive back Demario Graham of Craig.

Bayreuther set nearly every school record for a single season in passing this fall. Topping the list, he threw for 2,174 yards and 24 touchdowns in the Cougars’ spread offense.

Craig coach Bill O’Leary said Bayreuther made the most of the team’s high-powered passing attack.

“We put Zach in a spot to be successful, and he was able to do that,” O’Leary said. “The spread offense looks great on paper, but you have to be able to execute it during a game to be successful, and Zach was able to do that.

“It’s not an easy offense to grasp, but Zach picked it up from Day 1 and really did a great job of managing it.”

Pregont caused trouble for most defensive backs who tried to stop him. With his height, Pregont was tough to handle. With his exceptional leaping ability, it was next to impossible.

In Craig’s Division 1 playoff loss to Kenosha Tremper, Pregont had 10 catches for 174 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his career with almost 2,000 yards receiving and 116 catches, including 58 receptions for 867 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

He is the school’s all-time leader in receptions, reception yards and touchdown catches

“JoJo is as good a receiver as this city has ever produced,” O’Leary said of the senior standout. “He’s the whole package as far as what you’re looking for at that position.

“When it comes time for all-state recognition, JoJo has got to be a strong candidate for first team. I didn’t see anybody better than him at that position.”

The 6-4, 270-pound Valentine joins Middleton senior Ryan Groy, a University of Wisconsin recruit, as the only repeaters on the first team. Valentine also was a booming success as the conference’s top punter.

“Michael didn’t rest on his laurels,” O’Leary said. “He never thought he was good enough, so he kept working harder than anybody else. I can’t say enough good things about Michael Valentine.

The 6-1, 199-pound Veloskey was the Cougars’ leading tackler, and with his speed and athleticism, made it difficult to run up the middle against Craig.

“Patrick grasped the concept of what we were trying to do on defense and really excelled at his inside linebacker spot,” O’Leary said. “He’s a fierce competitor, and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.”

The 6-6, 211-pound Sims led the Cougars in sacks with eight and had six tackles for losses.

“Darnell was not the biggest in the fight, but he was gifted as far as the tools he was given and knowing how to get the most out of them.”

Craker and Bailey were part of a Parker team that finished 4-5 and just missed the school’s 13th straight playoff appearance.

The 6-0, 280-pound Craker was the anchor in the Vikings’ offensive line. He was forced to switch positions midway through the year, but never missed a beat, according to Parker coach Joe Dye.

“We were pretty young on the offensive line, and Alex was the glue that held everything together,” Dye said. “He had a great passion for the game and was right there in line with some of the other great offensive linemen we’ve had.

“Alex moved from guard to center to tackle in the last couple years, and that speaks volumes about his ability to adapt without falling off in productivity.”

Bailey, 5-9, 170-pound senior, was the Vikings’ vocal leader on defense and one of the top tacklers on the team.

“Jacob is a little bit undersized, but technique-wise, he was as good at his position as anyone we’ve had,” Dye said. “He had a huge year for us, and that’s because he did things the right way. He squared his shoulders and didn’t miss many tackles.”

Co-champion Middleton leads all-conference selections with seven players on the first team. Verona, which also shared the Big Eight title and is playing for the Division 2 state championship on Friday, has six players on the first team.

Verona’s Dave Richardson is the Coach of the Year, while Middleton’s Brooks Braga is Running Back of the Year. Braga rushed for 2,140 yards and scored 39 touchdowns in leading the Cardinals to the Division 1 state semifinals.

All-Big Eight

Football

FIRST TEAM

Offense

Hgt Wgt. Yr.

QB—Zach Bayreuther, Craig 5-10 175 Sr.

RB—Brooks Braga, Middleton 6-0 180 Sr.

RB—Leighton Settle, West 6-1 175 Jr.

RB—Karl Huemmer, Sun Prairie 5-10 170 Sr.

OL—Ryan Groy, Middleton 6-5 300 Sr.

OL—Mike Valentine, Craig 6-4 270 Sr.

OL—Alex Psota, Verona 6-2 210 Sr.

OL—Trevor Houser, Sun Prairie 6-2 275 Jr.

OL—Alex Craker, Parker 6-0 280 Sr.

TE—Matt Kessenich, Verona 6-3 210 Sr.

WR—JoJo Pregont, Craig 6-6 206 Sr.

WR—Marquis Mason, East 6-4 220 Jr.

RS—Leighton Settle, West 6-1 175 Jr.

PK—Tom Huepenbecker, Middleton 6-0 175 Sr.

Defense

DL—Jay Nunnery, Middleton 6-2 225 Sr.

DL—Darnell Sims, Craig 6-6 211 Sr.

DL—Alex Polizzi, Beloit 5-10 205 Jr.

DL—Nick Chenoweth, Verona 6-0 230 Sr.

ILB—David Utterback, Middleton 6-0 210 Sr.

ILB—Patrick Veloskey, Craig 6-1 199 Sr.

ILB—David Pressor, Sun Prairie 5-7 200 So.

OLB—Justin Feist, Middleton 6-0 195 Sr.

OLB—Sam Riebau, Verona 6-1 215 Sr.

OLB—Jacob Bailey, Parker 5-9 170 Sr.

DB—Max Nicholson, Middleton 6-2 190 Sr.

DB—Travis Schaaf, Verona 6-0 155 Sr.

DB—David Schneider, Memorial 6-3 162 Sr.

P—Mike Valentine, Craig 6-4 170 Sr.

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB—Trevor Burmeister, Verona 6-0 185 Sr.

RB—Cameron Bathe, Verona 6-0 175 Jr.

RB—LaVell Hewlett, Parker 6-0 195 Sr.

RB—Ace Davis, Memorial 6-0 190 Sr.

OL—Kevin Drunasky, Middleton 5-11 230 Sr.

OL—Steve Hoerning, West 6-3 230 Sr.

OL—Bryan Larson, East 6-2 285 Sr.

OL—Shane McCarney, Verona 6-1 210 Sr.

OL—Josh Mayfield, Craig 6-3 270 Sr.

TE—Ryan Waeffler, La Follette 6-2 185 Sr.

WR—Lechein Neblett, Memorial 6-0 154 Jr.

WR—Joe Kracht, Middleton 6-5 200 Sr.

RS—Joe Kracht, Middleton 6-5 200 Sr.

PK—Adam Means, Verona 6-0 170 Sr.

Defense

DL—Trevor Sellers, West 5-11 240 Sr.

DL—Will Rothchild, West 6-3 210 Jr.

DL—Jacob Zautner, Sun Prairie 6-0 195 Sr.

DL—Randy Maier, Middleton 6-2 200 Sr.

ILB—Dustin Moench, Parker 6-1 185 Sr.

ILB—Conor Heneghan, West 6-2 190 Sr.

ILB—Ross Elliott, La Follette 6-2 225 Sr.

OLB—Jesse Swedlund, Beloit 6-1 185 Sr.

OLB—Tyler Squires, Beloit 6-0 175 Sr.

OLB—Mark Vinje, East 5-11 170 Sr.

DB—Jordan Noskowiak, Sun Prairie 6-3 180 So.

DB—Demario Graham, Craig 6-0 152 Jr.

DB—Jorjio Hopkins, East 6-2 195 Sr

P—Ryan Howard, Middleton 6-1 191 Sr.

Players of the Year—Zach Bayreuther, Craig, quarterback; Brooks Braga, Middleton, running back; Ryan Groy, Middleton, offensive line; JoJo Pregont, Craig, wide receiver; Matt Kessenich, Verona, tight end; Tom Hupenbecker, Middleton, place-kicker; Leighton Settle, West, return specialist.

Jay Nunnery, Middleton defensive line; David Utterback, Middleton, inside linebacker; Justin Feist, Middleton, inside linebacker; Max Nicholson, Middleton, defensive back; Mike Valentine, Craig, punter.

Coach of the Year—Dave Richardson, Verona.

Assistant Coach of the Year—Tim Bass, Sun Prairie.

HONORABLE MENTION

Beloit—Rob Douglass, wr, jr.; Mitch Fillbach, lb, sr.; Joey Fields, db, sr.; Cole Papendorf, sr. Janesville Craig—Bentley Geldard, wr, sr.; Joey Kennedy, wr, sr.; Dylan Grall, dl, sr.; Kyle Goike, db, sr.; Kory Pryor, sr. Janesville Parker—Sam Walli, ol, sr.; Jasen Solles, rb, sr.; Alex Koel, p, sr.; Fred Hewett, dl, sr.; Paul Tlusty, db, sr.

Madison East—Drew McAdams, qb, jr.; Cody Schwichtenberg, dl, jr.; Tyler Kubicek, wr, jr.; Casey Dolphin, ol, sr.; Daniel Aguayo, dl, sr. Madison La Follette—De’Andrew Foy, ol, sr.; Markevius Burnett, lb, sr.; Jeremy Showers, ol, jr.; Dayton Sheppard, db, sr.; Jake Zadra, db, sr. Madison Memorial—Luke Galle, te, jr.; Mike Moss, qb, jr.; Pat Ritchie, lb, sr.; Brett Wise, db, soph.; Brad Dombrowski, ol, jr.

Madison West—Carl Corbett, ol, sr.; Josh Minkoff, lb, sr.; Ben Wade, olb, jr.; Isaac Scott, ol, sr.; Tony Esealuka, dl, sr. Middleton—Stephan Vassalotti, ol, sr.; Ryan Howard, db, sr.; Shayne Stewart, ol, sr.; Ronnie Ripp, db, sr.; Ben Mathias, rb, sr. Sun Prairie—David Diaz, ol, sr.; Phil Klaas, qb, sr.; Dylan Seiter, ol, soph.; Jason Davis, db, sr.; Eric Wilberding, wr, jr. Verona—Ethan Malofsky, ol, sr.; Matt Kahl, rb, sr.; Jesse Newton, db, sr.; Sean McGowen, db, jr.; Jake Stangl, lb, sr.