A State record was made & one broke this year
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THE CHOPS
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A State record was made & one broke this year
Frazer: Best in (AAA)
Mechanicsburg junior quarterback Zach Frazer entered the 2004 football regular season with five quarters of varsity experience.
He'll leave the season as the Associated Press' Class (AAA) Player of the Year.
Frazer's record-setting passing season caught the attention of enough voters to elevate him to first-team quarterback as well as the player of the year honors.
And he has some friends with which to share his new celebrity status. Teammates Josh Koontz and Jeremy Boone were also voted onto the first team, Koontz as the tight end who caught 81 of Frazer's 285 completions and Boone as the punter with the 45.9 yards-per-punt average.
Also reaching the AP's coveted first team were Lower Dauphin offensive lineman Josh Gregor and Hershey defensive back Brock Smith.
Second-team selections were Lower Dauphin linebacker Mike Dell, Hershey linebacker John Godlasky, and wide receivers Drew Romag noli of Northern and Kevin Kindig of West Perry.
In the process, Frazer passed for 3,674 yards, surpassing the former state record by more than 250 yards. He seemed destined for at least a few more yards before he badly dislocated his finger on the helmet of fellow first- team all-stater Jeremiha Hunter of Manheim Central on the last play of the half in the District 3-AAA title game.
At that, Frazer's 285 completions came out of 441 attempt s, a fat 64.6 completion percentage, good for 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Just in case you don't have a calculator handy, that is one interception for every 49 attempts.
"This is outstanding," Frazer said. "People can come up to you and congratulate you on your accomplishments, but I really don't think any award can live up to Player of the Year."
As he would acknowledge, he would get some help along the way.
His crew of receivers was, as Frazer put it, "special.
"Koontz has the best of hands I've ever seen," Frazer said. "And Boone made great moves to get open. Seth Pehanich and Marcus Hancock were always there; they were quiet soldiers who always made sure the job was done. And Andy Bartels lifted all summer and worked hard and became a good re ceiver, too."
Then there was Mechanicsburg's mix-and-match of fensive line, speckled with seniors and sophomores, that had to adapt to the Wildcats' full- time shotgun.
Koontz called his selection "a great honor" that he hoped would materi alize if all went well.
"It wasn't necessarily a goal, but I was hoping it would be a by-product of a good year. I just wanted to go out and play hard every game," said Koontz, who is getting I-AA interest.
Boone repeated as first- team punter, producing what might be the best per-punt average in the state this year, based on the all- state nomi nations across all classes. He caught his share of Frazer's passes, too, tying the midstate single-season record with 84 catches.
"I'm thrilled," said Boone, a quality baseball player as well. "I actually thought I had a better year [kicking] last year. But this is good."
Smith's best position was clearly quarterback -- he threw for 1,509 yards and 16 touchdowns and is being recruited at the position -- but he also played safety and was capable of delivering some thunderous hits with his 6-3, 210-pound frame.
"It's not what I was expecting, but I'll take it," said Smith, an outstanding baseball player who is getting recruiting interest in both sports.
Gregor moved up a spot from his second-team selection last year, something he said he hoped would happen.
"I just went out and worked my butt off," said Gregor, a likely Division I-AA recruit. "That's all you can do, get the job done and hope that people recognize your effort."
"THE CHOPS".
Mechanicsburg junior quarterback Zach Frazer entered the 2004 football regular season with five quarters of varsity experience.
He'll leave the season as the Associated Press' Class (AAA) Player of the Year.
Frazer's record-setting passing season caught the attention of enough voters to elevate him to first-team quarterback as well as the player of the year honors.
And he has some friends with which to share his new celebrity status. Teammates Josh Koontz and Jeremy Boone were also voted onto the first team, Koontz as the tight end who caught 81 of Frazer's 285 completions and Boone as the punter with the 45.9 yards-per-punt average.
Also reaching the AP's coveted first team were Lower Dauphin offensive lineman Josh Gregor and Hershey defensive back Brock Smith.
Second-team selections were Lower Dauphin linebacker Mike Dell, Hershey linebacker John Godlasky, and wide receivers Drew Romag noli of Northern and Kevin Kindig of West Perry.
In the process, Frazer passed for 3,674 yards, surpassing the former state record by more than 250 yards. He seemed destined for at least a few more yards before he badly dislocated his finger on the helmet of fellow first- team all-stater Jeremiha Hunter of Manheim Central on the last play of the half in the District 3-AAA title game.
At that, Frazer's 285 completions came out of 441 attempt s, a fat 64.6 completion percentage, good for 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Just in case you don't have a calculator handy, that is one interception for every 49 attempts.
"This is outstanding," Frazer said. "People can come up to you and congratulate you on your accomplishments, but I really don't think any award can live up to Player of the Year."
As he would acknowledge, he would get some help along the way.
His crew of receivers was, as Frazer put it, "special.
"Koontz has the best of hands I've ever seen," Frazer said. "And Boone made great moves to get open. Seth Pehanich and Marcus Hancock were always there; they were quiet soldiers who always made sure the job was done. And Andy Bartels lifted all summer and worked hard and became a good re ceiver, too."
Then there was Mechanicsburg's mix-and-match of fensive line, speckled with seniors and sophomores, that had to adapt to the Wildcats' full- time shotgun.
Koontz called his selection "a great honor" that he hoped would materi alize if all went well.
"It wasn't necessarily a goal, but I was hoping it would be a by-product of a good year. I just wanted to go out and play hard every game," said Koontz, who is getting I-AA interest.
Boone repeated as first- team punter, producing what might be the best per-punt average in the state this year, based on the all- state nomi nations across all classes. He caught his share of Frazer's passes, too, tying the midstate single-season record with 84 catches.
"I'm thrilled," said Boone, a quality baseball player as well. "I actually thought I had a better year [kicking] last year. But this is good."
Smith's best position was clearly quarterback -- he threw for 1,509 yards and 16 touchdowns and is being recruited at the position -- but he also played safety and was capable of delivering some thunderous hits with his 6-3, 210-pound frame.
"It's not what I was expecting, but I'll take it," said Smith, an outstanding baseball player who is getting recruiting interest in both sports.
Gregor moved up a spot from his second-team selection last year, something he said he hoped would happen.
"I just went out and worked my butt off," said Gregor, a likely Division I-AA recruit. "That's all you can do, get the job done and hope that people recognize your effort."
"THE CHOPS".