Superlatives:
Defensive MVP-Cooper Bean
Cooper Bean was selected as the 3A-2 Region I District 4 Defensive MVP after a season that saw him top 100 tackles for the third straight season with the Bearcats Varsity with 113. Cooper also had 12 tackles for loss and led the team with 6 forced fumbles. Cooper has been a stalwart leader of the defense ever since he started playing for the Bearcats. His hard work and leadership will be missed moving forward and this is a great end to a stellar career. Cooper put up outstanding numbers despite only playing in half of the majority of Ballinger’s games. Had he played a full 4 quarters the majority of the season his stats would be eye-popping.
Lineman MVP-Adam Winn
Adam was awarded line MVP for the district and this is hard to argue. On our final Breaking the Huddle episode of the season on KRUN I designated Adam as the Most Valuable Player this season. Adam was a standout defensive player and on offense he was the most dominant pass blocker as well as the lead blocker on many run plays. Defensively Adam had 94 tackles and 3 sacks. On offense he was a key in Ballinger passing for 1,566 yards and rushing for 2,615. Ballinger will have Adam back for his senior year in 2020.
First Team Offense:
QB Tyler Vaughn
FB Garrett Dixon
WR Weston Rollwitz
OL Eric Toliver
Offensively Ballinger’s four first teamers is most impressive because each one will be back as a senior next year. Tyler Vaughn getting a first team nod is especially impressive being that he didn’t see much time at quarterback until midway through the teams second district game. Tyler is a fighter and with a year of experience under his belt now the sky will be the limit for him next season. Tyler had 661 passing yards, but more impressive is his 20 yard average per completion. Rushing the ball Tyler was fourth on the team with 307 yards while averaging over seven yards per carry. Tyler will have his two favorite targets returning next season as well. From his flex position Garrett was fourth on the team in total yards with 115 rushing yards and 355 receiving yards where he averaged 22 yards per reception. Weston Rollwitz was dynamic for Ballinger in his second varsity season. Weston’s tremendous track speed translates well to the football field. Weston had 146 rushing yards and led the team, of players with greater than 10 carries, with an 11 yard per carry average. Receiving the ball Weston was a nightmare for opposing secondaries with 572 receiving yards with a 21 yard average. Much like Adam Winn, Eric Toliver was a key in the offensive success of the Bearcats. He was regularly running downfield as a lead blocker in the run game and was rarely beaten in the trenches.
2nd Team Offense:
OL Colton Belk
OL Fernando Falcon
The second team offense selections from Ballinger consisted of two more offensive linemen. Colton played center all season and rarely had a bad snap. Colton is not the biggest lineman there is, but he plays with a tenacity that is rarely matched. The line won’t operate without a solid center and Colton has been nothing but. In his final year in Ballinger Fernando Falcon fought tooth and nail for this selection. Another undersized lineman for Ballinger, Fernando was a three year starter on the line and improved every year. His senior leadership will be missed by the Bearcats.
First Team Defense:
DB Bradyn Bowman
DB Weston Rollwitz
OLB Garrett Dixon
Defensively these three players, along with Cooper Bean and Adam Winn, caused many hours of missed sleep for opposing offenses. Bradyn and Garrett lived in opponents backfields all season and Weston was essentially a shutdown corner for the Bearcats. Dixon had 76 tackles and led the team with 14 tackles for loss while contributing 4 sacks. His running buddy on the other side in Bowman had 65 tackles while leading the team with 5 sacks on the season and each of them caused 3 fumbles. Rollwitz was equally impressive with 62 tackles from the cornerback position. Weston led the team in passes defensed with 7.
2nd Team Defense:
LB Aiden Busenlehner
DL Markus Castleberry
The 2nd team defense consists of a first year starter in Busenlehner and a first year varsity player in sophomore Castleberry. Busenlehner had 63 tackles playing alongside Cooper Bean and caused 3 fumbles of his own. Markus had 54 tackles and a couple of caused fumbles as well. His impact on the team was felt in more than just stats however. Playing nose guard position in a three man front Markus regularly commanded double teams from opposing offenses which helped to open up opportunities for the players around him.
Honorable Mention:
WR JoeMarcus Guerrero
DB Jon Gutierrez
JoeMarcus and Jon were both keys in the success of the team this season. JoeMarcus had 75 rushing yards and 178 receiving yards. He averaged an whopping 25 yards per reception on the season. Jon played corner opposite Weston and as such was targeted many times on the year. Jon ended third on the team in pass breakups with 3, caused a fumble and had 26 tackles.
Out of 15 all-district selections Ballinger will return 12 next season losing only Cooper Bean, Fernando Falcon and Jon Gutierrez. Ballinger will be in a new district next season and with so many returning players the Bearcats will be a contender wherever they may land.
