 Senior earns share of honor as conference’s top linebacker, repeats as first-team selection
During a season in which the Port Washington football team battled with injuries and inexperience, one player stood out as a constant force.
Shane Kennedy, who helped anchor the Pirates’ defense each of the past two years, was named to the North Shore Conference Co-Linebacker of the Year in a recent vote of coaches.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound senior duplicated his selection to the 2009 first-team defense as well as receiving honorable mention as a tight end.
He shares the top linebacker award with Germantown’s Adam Hurtz.
“It was a rough year for us, but Shane kept playing hard the whole time,” said Port coach Tim Greisch, whose team finished 1-6 in the conference.
“He was tenacious and kept making plays all over the field. Defensively, there no question he became the focal point for other teams’ blocking schemes.”
Kennedy was Port’s second-leading tackler in conference games with 55 total stops, including 34 solos. He made 10 tackles for losses, deflected two passes and recovered a fumble.
Kennedy’s defensive play overshadowed his offensive contributions. He led the Pirates’ receiving corps with 19 catches for 326 yards and three touchdowns in league contests, with a long play of 60 yards.
“He has a great pair of hands. He liked to get in the mix, block people and get open,” Greisch said.
Kennedy was the only local player to receive All-NSC first-team recognition.
Three area standouts were named to the second team — Port’s Alex Multerer (running back) and Max Kaske (offensive lineman) and Grafton’s Nick Scherzer (linebacker).
Multerer (5-9, 200) led the Pirates in conference rushing with 647 yards on 129 carries, averaging 5.0 yards per attempt. He scored seven touchdowns and had a long run of 78 yards.
Multerer also caught five passes for 33 yards.
“Alex had a fantastic season in a running-back-heavy year,” said Greisch, noting the senior was edged in first-team voting by Cedarburg’s Logan Lauters and Milwaukee Lutheran’s Brian Cobbs.
“He’s a great competitor with one of the best motors I’ve ever seen. The bigger the game, the more he showed up.”
Kaske (5-11, 230) was the Pirates’ offensive line leader. The junior guard “made all our calls up front and did an excellent job,“ Greisch said.
Kaske also saw action as a linebacker and on special teams.
Scherzer (6-2, 210) was the top defensive player on a Grafton team that was 0-7 in the conference. He led the Black Hawks in tackles for the second straight season, finishing with 78 stops, including 42 solos and 11-1/2 for losses.
The senior had two quarterback sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.
Grafton coach Ben Chossek described Scherzer as “a good athlete at linebacker who excelled at diagnosing the play and running it down.”
A three-year starter, Scherzer was named Grafton’s Most Valuable Player.
Receiving honorable mention in the coaches’ balloting besides Kennedy were Port’s Luke Schueller (defensive back) and Nick Godersky (offensive lineman, punter) and
Grafton’s Chris Rose (linebacker).
Schueller (6-3, 175) was a full-time player most of the season for the Pirates, splitting time between the secondary and quarterback.
The senior had 18 tackles, including eight solos, intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble.
“Luke started out the season as a receiver, then got to spend time at defensive back and as a quarterback when we had injury problems,” Greisch said.
“He never missed a beat. He’s an outstanding athlete and student.”
Godersky (5-11, 200), a junior, showed his versatility as a starting center and punter.
“Nick did a real solid job of snapping and blocking,” Greisch said. “He takes his jobs very, very seriously.”
Godersky averaged 32.6 yards per punt, with a long of 44, and had none blocked.
Rose (6-3, 180) capped his career with a solid season as an outside linebacker and defensive end.
The senior was “excellent against both the pass and the run,” Chossek said.
“He worked extremely hard all the time and improved himself as a player through work in the off-season.”
Rose had 41 tackles, including 26 solos and 7.5 for losses.
Lauters, a senior who led Cedarburg to runner-up honors in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs, was named Offensive Player and Back of the Year.
Homestead’s Donte Phillips was named Defensive Player and Lineman of the Year.
Other individual award winners were Milwaukee Lutheran’s Garret Wenzelburger as top offensive end, Cedarburg’s Jake Borgardt as top offensive lineman and Cedarburg’s
Nick Boehnlein as top defensive back.
PORT WASHINGTON’S Shane Kennedy was named Co-Linebacker of the Year in the North Shore Conference this season, as well as receiving honorable mention as a tight end. Photo by Sam Arendt
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