MARYSVILLE Ultimately, the record in football is .500. Somebody wins and somebody loses, said M-P assistant coach Bill Hodgins.
While Hodgins words were his advice to a specific Tomahawk player, they echoed for a 5-5 team that exceeded expectations after back-to-back, two-win seasons, but ultimately came away still hungry for more success.
After a season of defying their preseason prospects and nearing a playoff appearance, the Tomahawks took the evening of Nov. 8 to reflect on their season and honor their teammates.
Coach Brandon Carson spelled out his teams accomplishments.
We came real close to not being here tonight, getting ready for another game, he said. The five teams that beat us all made it to the playoffs. Four are still playing.
The team graduates 23 seniors, a group Carson said left an indelible impression on his first year helming the team.
I think the special thing about this season was the senior leadership. It went beyond our captains. I thought we had a handful of out standing seniors. They practiced hard, they played hard, and believed in what we were doing, Carson said.
Seniors dominated the team awards too. Defensive tackle Jamie Cruz and guard Nick Hemming shared the most inspirational award.
Assistant coach Scott Stokes, who announced the award, said of Cruz, He would cry, he would yell, he would vomit. And Im sure thats why some kids voted for him. But he played hard on every play.
The team recognized captains Denay Stell, Michael Pfeiff, Brett Preheim and Curtis Klep, and the Coaches Award honor went to senior Marcus McCutchen.
McCutchen earned the acknowledgment more for his performance off the field than on. Carson credited the wide receiver for practicing hard and having a great attitude regardless of how much playing time he saw.
The coaches also announced the teams all-conference athletes.
Earning all-Wesco North honorable mention notice: juniors Mike Stone and Ryan Sterley, and seniors Ben Hager and Nick Hemming. Second- team honorees were junior return specialist Levi Cartas and Stells performance at defensive back.
M-P had four first-teamers, senior linebacker Preheim, senior defensive back Justin Freeman, senior center Pfeiff, and Cruz for his season on the defensive line.
Carson praised his coaching staff as one of the states best, and said he is happy with his programs progress.
I think were right on track where Id like for this program to go. We had a pretty good inaugural season and were looking to build upon this season and keep improving, he said.