Norton, Skebba lead football honors

Defenders gave chase, but they couldn’t catch Chase Norton this season.

Grafton High School’s junior tailback was named Offensive Player of the Year in the Woodland Conference in the Black Hawks’ first year in the league.

Norton made the switch from quarterback last season.

“He was awesome. He took that position move full on and obviously made the most of it,” coach Jim Norris said.

Norton led the conference in rushing with 1,441 yards and 14 touchdowns on 231 carries. He didn’t fumble once.

Norton led 16 Black Hawks receiving 20 spots on the all-conference teams.

Senior Nathan Skebba was named Lineman of the Year, playing right and left tackle on offense.

“He’s only lineman, the only guy of all-conference voting that was unanimously selected as the best player in that spot. Every other team believed he was the best offensive lineman,” Norris said.

Norton and Skebba also made the all-region team.

Junior quarterback Vince Cameranesi made the first team after going 68-for-142 passing for 982 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ran 19 times for 83 yards with three scores.

“We’re a run-first type of offense. He understands that if we’re able to run the ball, we’re going to be able to throw and things will be open,” Norris said. “He’s a great all-around kid and leader.”

Sophomore wide receiver Jaeden Tiegs made the first team with 15 catches for 249 yards and five scores.

“When his number was called and the ball was in the vicinity, he caught it,” Norris said.

Josh Lee-O’Bryant joined Skebba on the first team as an offensive lineman. Norris said he was considered for Lineman of the Year.

“Just an absolute stud,” Norris said. “He’s just an intense dude all the way around, doing drills at game tempo. Working his butt off Monday through Thursday translates to Friday.”

Eight Hawk defenders made the first team. O’Bryant at defensive end made 25 tackles, and at the other end of the line senior Preston Bonk moved to a new position after earning honorable mention in the Parkland Conference at outside linebacker last season.

Norton said Bonk is a “program guy who bought in” and his “size and strength pairs with the athleticism of an outside linebacker.”

Bonk made 46 tackles, had two sacks and forced a fumble.

At outside linebacker, sophomore Jackson Heinle had 22 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

“He just works incredibly hard at what he does. He’s incredibly locked in and engaging,” Norris said.

At nose guard, senior Brock Jasinski held up the middle of the line and made 16 tackles.

“He was a force, hard to move,” Norris said.

Junior Ben Birch led the Hawks in tackles with 83, including three sacks, from his inside linebacker spot.

“He was the general of our defense. All the calls went through him,” Norris said. “People look at him and say he’s undersized (5 feet, 6 inches tall, 170 pounds). Every play he was around the ball.”

Senior defensive back Dylan Neumann had 31 tackles with two interceptions and two passes defended. Fellow senior back Daniel Fandler had 29 tackles and one interception.

Neumann completely changed his body in the weight room, Norris said.

“He was a lockdown corner for us,” he said, adding he thinks only three passes were completed on him all season.

Fandler battled injuries but made the first team for the second straight season after the Parkland Conference honored him in 2020.

“When he was in there, he was his typical self and would come down in the box and be an absolute disruption and lay the wood,” Norris said.

Senior Silvio Lanza was one of two first-team punters. He averaged 35.7 yards per punt on 10 kicks and put one inside the 20-yard line.

“He would absolutely boom it,” Norris said, adding that allowed the Hawks to flip field position and neutralize the Woodland’s collection of good returners.

Seven Hawks earned honorable mention recognition. Lanza was chosen as kicker and defensive back. He went 27-for-29 on extra points and made one of two field goals. On defense, he had 35 tackles and one interception.

Norris said Lanza could excel at any position.

“He 100% bought into everything we do. He’s a team-first guy, a captain of our team,” he said.

Senior offensive linemen Brock Jasinski and Aaron Schoessow were also honored.

Offensive line is Jasinski’s strength, Norris said, and Schoessow at center “is incredibly smart, understood the box and calls.”

While high school teams sometimes struggle with snaps in wet conditions, it was a non-factor for the Hawks.

“He was rock solid all year,” Norris said.

Eighty percent of the Hawks’ offensive line received all-conference recognition, making Norris, a lineman who won national titles with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, beam with pride.

“Being a lineman and having these guys succeed — four of five getting all-conference recognition — is pretty special,” he said.

Junior tight end Ben Dobberfuhl had seven catches for 93 yards and three scores. Norris said it’s hard to get mentioned at tight end since so few are selected.

“He’s a phenomenal leader,” he said.

Junior Carson Faust was honored as a specialist. He was a true fullback for the Hawks.

“He was sealing edges and making sure we got Chase out in space,” Norris said.

Sophomore outside linebacker Matt Schirger made 30 tackles, had two sacks, recovered a fumble, blocked a kick and defended a pass.

“He’s an absolute stud, extremely lengthy,” Norris said, adding Schirger’s athleticism and speed — he was an alternate in the 400-meter relay that qualified for state track — meant teams couldn’t attack him.

Grafton’s Scholar Athlete of the Year was Dean Snyder, a senior who has a grade-point average higher than 4.0. Norris said he’s an “absolute competitor” who never gave up on the team and is probably going to become a doctor.

The Hawks went 6-1 in the WC, good for second behind Greenfield, and were 7-3 overall. They lost, 21-0, to Division 3 state champ Pewaukee in a second-round playoff game

“The fire’s burning more than ever knowing we had the state champions in our house down 7-0 with three minutes left in the third quarter,” Norris said.

“We’ve got a great foundation coming back next year and we want more.”