Waverly’s Shoemaker, Wheelersburg’s Matthews headline All-SOC football selections

SOSA Staff Report

After leading their teams to playoff berths and playoff wins, Waverly’s Payton Shoemaker and Wheelersburg’s Makya Matthews were honored with all-conference honors Thursday, alongside their peers.

The Southern Ohio Conference released its all-league awards as Shoemaker and Matthews were named the SOC II Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.

Shoemaker set multiple single-season school records including rushing yards with 2,387 and rushing touchdowns with 32. Matthews led the Pirates in both rushing and scoring while acting as a centerpiece of the team’s defense en route to winning his second consecutive Defensive POY award.

Minford’s Levi Warren and Wheelersburg’s Gavin Welch were named the SOC II’s Co-Linemen of the Year while Wheelersburg’s Rob Woodward was named the SOC II’s Coach of the Year.

First-team honors in the SOC II were earned by Makya Matthews, Evan Horsley, Gavin Welch, Blake Richardson, Brady Warner, Hunter Ruby, Gage Adkins and Kaleb Johnson, Waverly’s Payton Shoemaker, Haydn Shanks, Will Futhey, Spencer Pollard and Ezekiel Brown, Oak Hill’s Keaton Potter, Triston Diltz, Flint Barger and Austin Campbell, Minford’s Ty Wiget, Levi Warren and Elijah Vogelsong, Valley’s Connor Fell and Mason Zaler, and West’s William Journey.

Second-team honors in the SOC II were earned by Wheelersburg’s Luke Miller, Ethan Goode and Adam Vastine, Waverly’s Grayson Diener, Zack Brown and Andrew Welch, Oak Hill’s Conor Dickens and Noah Donley, Minford’s Matthew Risner and Drew Skaggs, Valley’s Levi Williams and West’s Joe Igaz and Luke Bradford.

In the SOC I, Symmes Valley’s Josh Ferguson was named the Offensive Player of the Year, Symmes Valley’s Caleb Mullen, East’s Braidan Haney and Eastern’s Logan Clemmons were the Tri-Defensive Players of the Year, Symmes Valley’s Gavin Yates is the Lineman of the Year and Vikings coach Rusty Webb is the Coach of the Year.

First-team honors in the SOC I were earned by Symmes Valley’s Jack Leith, Josh Ferguson, Caleb Mullens, Gavin Yates, Tanner McComas, Ethan Patterson, Luke Leith and Kayson Adkin, Northwest’s Caleb Crabtree, Brayden Campbell, Nathan Rivers, Timmy Emmons and Evan Lintz, Eastern’s Logan Clemmons, Dillion Mattox, Tyler Hanshaw and Kyle Beasley, Green’s Trevor Darnell, Seth Imes and Ethan Huffman, East’s Braidan Haney and Chase Coyle, and Notre Dame’s Logan Emnett.

Second-team honors in the SOC II were earned by Symmes Valley’s Christian Gilbert, Eli Patterson and Nick Strow, Northwest’s Kaden Zumbro, Andrew Hyland and Billy Crabtree, Eastern’s Devon Conley and Jake Tribby, Green’s Caleb Derifield and Mason Hensley, East’s Austin Smith and Notre Dame’s Jake McGuire and Austin Vaughters.