Drawing All-District 10-1A, DII accolades, surprising & young Kopperl Eagles recognized for turnaround with Davis named Coach of the Year in first season at the helm, Morgan’s Alonzo named Newcomer of the Year
By finishing second to the District 10-1A, Division II champion Blum Bobcats, the surprising Kopperl Eagles clinched their first trip to the postseason since 2018. And after doing so, the Eagles were rewarded with accolades for their success.
With Kopperl first-year head coach Ken Davis leading the way as the district’s Coach of the Year, the Eagles earned seven first team selections as well as six second team members.
“This was an especially gratifying season for Kopperl football,” Davis said. “All 10 of my players received an honor, and they deserved it. We ran into a couple of roadblocks during the season, but the guys remained focused on our goal which was to make the playoffs.”
Kopperl players selected to the all-district first team offense include junior spread back and placekicker Christian, junior Kevin Eilers, junior Anthony Johnson and freshman special teams player Junior Vega, along with first team defensive picks junior defensive lineman Anthony Johnson and junior defensive back Christian Falk.
Accounting for 214.5 yards per game, Falk completed 76 of 131 passes for 1,092 yards, tossing 16 touchdowns and only five interceptions while rushing for 1,053 yards and 18 scores. Eilers led the Eagles with 251 yards receiving on 15 catches for six scoring strikes.
Defensively, Falk topped the Kopperl tackle chart with 97 takedowns and four interceptions, while Johnson came up with 66 tackles, six fumble recoveries and three sacks.
Second team offense selections for Kopperl include junior Hunter Johnson, junior center Aerian Patterson, junior running back Isaac Payen and freshman special teams player Dalton Tidwell along with second team defensive picks junior nose guard Aerian Patterson and sophomore Bearon Brinkley.
“The team has come a long way from a winless 2021 season,” Davis said. “The best thing of all is we lose nobody to graduation. So, we are already excited about next year.”
Bynum (3-0 in district, 8-4 overall) captured the district title with a convincing 62-14 victory over Kopperl (2-1, 7-4) in the regular season finale. While the Bulldogs advanced to the Area Playoff round with a 61-12 win over Apple Springs in a Bi-District playoff matchup, the Eagles suffered a 51-6 loss to Oakwood in first round.
Also in District 10-1A, DII, the Morgan Eagles (0-3, 2-7) struggled through a disappointing season as injuries took their toll. Regardless, sophomore Adrian Alonzo drew the district’s Newcomer of the Year honors as Morgan collected five first team selections as well as seven second team spots.
“These young men have really come a long way this season,” Morgan first-year head coach Chuck Wilson said. “We faced some adversity as we dealt with injury and other stuff. But down the stretch, they gave their all and are ready to begin building for next season.”
Morgan players on the all-district first team offense include junior wide receiver Zach Mitchell, sophomore running back Adrian Alonzo, senior spread back Mark Anthony Garcia, along with first team defense selections Alonzo at linebacker and junior safety Leo Gonzalez.
Engineering the offensive attack, Garcia completed 77 of 127 passes for 1,105 yards and 16 touchdowns, connecting with Mitchell 25 times for 568 yards and seven scores. Defensively, Alonzo led the Eagles with 84 tackles, two interceptions and two sacks, followed by Mitchell with 77 takedowns, three sacks and an interceptions, and Garcia tallied 61 tackles and three interceptions.
Second team offense selections for Morgan include senior tight end Sergio Ramirez, junior wide receiver Leo Gonzalez, and senior quarterback Mark Anthony Garcia, along with second team defense picks freshman defensive lineman Rolando Monroy, junior defensive end Zach Mitchell, senior cornerback Sergio Ramirez and utility Heath Tedder.
“We had a couple of young men who had never played varsity football until this year, both of them upper classmen. We were very young. And even though we fell short of our goal this season, we will be back and ready to go next year, bigger and better. I say “Sometimes We Win, Sometimes We Learn.” Well, we learned a lot this season.”
Photos by WENDY OROZCO & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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