L-B sweeps top honors in all-BVC football lists

ALL-BVC FOOTBALLFINDLAY – Liberty-Benton swept through the Blanchard Valley Conference this season and swept top honors in the all-league voting as well, with senior two-way starter CJ Barbara doubling up in player of the year selections.Barbara, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior who had 12 sacks and 18 tackles for loss among his 60 total stops, was selected both the Defensive Player and the Defensive Lineman of the Year in voting by BVC coaches. Barbara also recovered two fumble and had an interception, returning it for a touchdown.L-B's Seth Elchert was selected the BVC Offensive Player of the Year, Will Granger was the Offensive Lineman of the Year and Scott Garlock was the BVC Coach of the Year.Elchert, a 6-3, 195-pound senior headed to the University of Toledo, caught 48 passes for 923 yards and 16 touchdowns. With 24 tackles and two interceptions, he was also first-team all-BVC at defensive back.Granger, 6-3 and 270 pounds, was the BVC Offensive Lineman of the Year for the second straight season. He allowed zero sacks in 2025, and was first team all-BVC on defense with 50 tackles, 18 of them for losses.Garlock guided Liberty-Benton to a perfect 10-0 record in regular season games and an 8-0 showing in the BVC. In two coaching stints at the school, Garlock has compiled a 112-25 record.L-B's Zach Elchert (RB/LB) and Connor Barbara (QB/DB) were first-team all-BVC on both sides of the ball. Zach Elchert, playing in less than half the games due to injury and running-clock scores, rushed for 742 yards, had 130 yards receiving and scored 18 TDs. Connor Barbara, stepped in at quarterback this season and threw for 1,816 yards, ran for 513 and accounted for 33 touchdowns. Defensively, the 6-0, 170-pound junior, intercepted five passes, returning three of them for TDs.Offensive lineman Isaac Schworm, kicker Jairo Calina (64-65 PATs, 2 FG), and linebacker Austin Collert (61 tackles, 15 tfl) were also first-team for Liberty-Benton.Three senior veterans – Leipsic's Colin Foreman, Pandora-Gilboa's Landon Siefker and McComb's Griffin Amador – rounded out the first-team all-BVC offensive line.Leipsic's Avery Paris, who caught 58 passes, scored 10 touchdowns and led the league with 1,066 receiving yards, and P-G's Chase Meyer, who had a league-leading 66 receptions for 933 yards and seven scores, joined Seth Elchert as first-team ends. Van Buren's Brody Scoles, the BVC's leading rusher with 1,143 yards and 14 TDs, was a first-team pick at running back, and Arlington's Ayden Cavinee (808 yards rushing, 381 receiving, 16 TDs) and Leipsic's Marquis Williams (846 yards rushing, 410 receiving, 19 TDs) were both first team all-BVC at the athlete position.Cavinee doubled up as a first-team pick, earning top honors as a defensive back as well.McComb linebacker Gracin Romero (95 tackles, 13 tlf) and lineman Caleb Robinette (69 tackles, 16 tfl) were first-team picks on defense, along with Leipsic down lineman Grant David (40 tackles, 15 tfl, 5 sacks).Van Buren linebacker Brooks Hill, whose 79 total tackles included a league-leading 31 tackles for loss, and defensive back Will Rampe (2 ints., 454 yards receiving) were first-team on defense.McComb's Carter Frater, who averaged 36.3 yards on 23 kicks, was the first team all-BVC punter.ALL-BVC FOOTBALLFIRST-TEAM OFFENSELINE – Will Granger, Liberty-Benton; Isaac Schworm, Liberty-Benton; Landon Siefker, Pandora-Gilboa; Colin Foreman, Leipsic; Griffin Amador, McComb.RECEIVERS – Seth Elchert, Liberty-Benton; Avery Paris, Leipsic; Chase Meyer, Pandora-Gilboa.RUNNING BACKS – Zach Elchert, Liberty-Benton; Brody Scoles, Van Buren.ATHLETE – Marquis Williams, Leipsic; Ayden Cavinee, Arlington.QUARTERBACK – Connor Barbara, Liberty-Benton.PLACE KICKER – Jairo Colina, Liberty-Benton.PUINTER – Carter Frater, McComb.FIRST TEAM DEFENSELINE – CJ Barbara, Liberty-Benton; Granger, Liberty-Benton; Grant David, Leipsic; Caleb Robinette, McComb.LINEBACKERS – Austin Collert, Liberty-Benton; Gracin Romero, McComb; Zach Elchert, Liberty-Benton; Brooks Hill, Van Buren.DEFENSIVE BACKS – S. Elchert, Liberty-Benton; C. Barbara, Liberty-Benton; Cavinee, Arlington; Will Rampe, Van Buren.OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Seth Elchert, Liberty-Benton.DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – CJ Barbara, Liberty-Benton.OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR – Will Granger, Liberty-Benton.DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR – CJ Barbara, Liberty-Benton.COACH OF THE YEAR – Scott Garlock, Liberty-Benton.SECOND TEAM OFFENSELINE – Alex Rutschilling, Pandora-Gilboa; Tommy Basinger Van Buren; Myles Camareno, Leipsic; Kadin Hedges-Sawinski, McComb; Maddyx Vermillion, Liberty-Benton.RECEIVERS – Camden Smith, McComb; Lukas McIlroy, Arlington; Alex Homan, Van Buren.RUNNING BACKS – Aaron Hazelton, Leipsic; Ben Burkholder, Pandora-Gilboa.QUARTERBACK – Marc Kirkendall, Leipsic.PLACE KICKER – Layton Cannode, Pandora-Gilboa.PUNTER – Z. Elchert, Liberty-Benton.SECOND TEAM DEFENSELINE – Rutschilling, Pandora-Gilboa; Austin Berger, Liberty-Benton; Drew Phillips, Van Buren; Julian Zuniga, Leipsic.LINEBACKERS – Dawson Weihrauch, Arlington; John Dewar, Leipsic; Landon Moore, Pandora-Gilboa; Zach Zimmerman, Ada.DEFENSIVE BACKS – Meyer, Pandora-Gilboa; Kayleb Hickman, Ada; Hazelton, Leipsic; Trenton Heacock, Arlington.THIRD TEAM OFFENSELINE – Blayne Coleman, Arcadia; Evan Altman, Arlington; Jonas Frederick, Liberty-Benton; Kadin Schroeder, Leipsic; Caleb Doty, Pandora-Gilboa.RECEIVERS – Gavin Oldfield, Ada; Luke Kern, McComb; Rampe, Van Buren.RUNNING BACKS – Moore, Pandora-Gilboa; Lamarion Tucker, Arcadia.ATHLETE – Brady Lance, Van Buren.QUARTERBACK – Cory Gerten, Pandora-Gilboa.THIRD TEAM DEFENSELINE – Schworm, Liberty-Benton; Mitch Hartzell, Arlington; Jaxen Durain, McComb; Siefker, Pandora-Gilboa.LINEBACKERS – Grayson Wages, Liberty-Benton; Parker Driskill, Riverdale; Lance, Van Buren; Carter Like, McComb; Gerten, Pandora-Gilboa.DEFENSIVE BACKS – Kern, McComb; Reid Irwin, Liberty-Benton; Jace Fenbert, Pandora-Gilboa; Williams, Leipsic.HONORABLE MENTIONADA – Andrew Allen, Blake Zoldaz, Kolton Dysert. ARCADIA – Nick Moes, Colin Nusser, Owen Smith, Kale Price. ARLINGTON – Drew Metzger, Calvin Willow, Peter Bateson, Hunter Rausch. ELMWOOD – Gabe Schafer, Marcus Mossbarger, Case Mareches, Mckoy Morlock. LEIPSIC – Jackson Spitnale, Nolyn Lammers, Mill Paniagua, Preston Schroder. LIBERTY-BENTON – Robert Lawrence, Asher Norman, Karson Griffin, Brayden Bell. McCOMB – Grady Schroeder, Brody Gallagher, Brodie Tucker, Zane Steinbrook. PANDORA-GILBOA – Zahnder Boggs, Tressel Grothause, Andrew Webster, Breydon Ferguson. RIVERDALE – Grant Inbody, Kaleb Risner, Cale Young, Trent Locke. VAN BUREN – Myka Adams, Emmett Morey, Jacob Harrington, Haiden Orr.