The Kansas City Star's All-Metro football team

The Kansas City Star’s All-Metro football team was selected by members of the high school sports staff, who consulted with coaches before making their decisions. An athlete must participate in at least 60 percent of his team’s games to be eligible.

QUARTERBACK

FIRST TEAM

Matt Dercher, Blue Valley, senior. In leading Blue Valley to a second straight Kansas Class 6A state title game, Dercher completed 220 of 361 passes for 3,136 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also rushed for five scores.

SECOND TEAM

Will Schneider, Shawnee Mission North, senior

RUNNING BACK

FIRST TEAM

Nigil Houston, Shawnee Mission East, senior. Averaging an eye-popping 13.02 yards per carry, Houston finished this year with 1,484 yards on 114 carries while playing in an offense that boasted two primary running backs. He scored 21 touchdowns.

Robert Rawie, Liberty, junior. While he highlighted the fall with 440 yards in a single game, Rawie was consistent all year. He ran for 2,102 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Julian Ross, Staley, senior. The Star’s All-Metro player of the year totaled 41 touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark in 11 games and rushed for 2,257 yards.

SECOND TEAM

Cornelius Ruff, Schlagle, senior; Morgan Selemaea, Harrisonville, senior; Rachaad White, Center, senior.

WIDE RECEIVER

FIRST TEAM

Somaj Brewer, Lee’s Summit, junior. In the Tigers’ high-powered spread offense, Brewer was the top target. He caught 56 passes for 938 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Jafar Armstrong, Bishop Miege, senior. With 54 catches for 1,277 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, Armstrong set the Kansas state record for most touchdown receptions in a career (45).

SECOND TEAM

Jess Davis, Kearney, senior; Nick Snider, Belton, senior.

OFFENSIVE LINE

FIRST TEAM

Justin Finnigan, Shawnee Mission East, junior. The Lancers’ rushing game was lethal, and Finnigan had plenty to do with that. He helped block for SM East’s 4,479 yards on the ground.

Colin Grunhard, Bishop Miege, senior. Playing every position on the line at some point this season, Grunhard anchored an offense that produced 5,500 yards (2,080 on the ground). With his help, Miege scored 48.6 per game.

Derek Kohler, Platte County, senior. The Pirates were an offensive machine, scoring 57 touchdowns, and Kohler was the anchor of the line. He has committed to Missouri State.

Joe Michalski, St. Thomas Aquinas, sophomore. Just halfway through his high school career, Michalski helped lead an offense that set a school record for yards in a season (5,163).

Daniel Parker, Blue Springs, junior. A high-level Division I recruit, Parker helped to pave the way for a rushing offense that accounted for more than 3,500 yards.

SECOND TEAM

Austin Campbell, Harrisonville, senior; Matt Gauert, Lee’s Summit West, senior; Kirrian Kirby, Blue Valley, senior; Luke Murphy, Basehor-Linwood, senior; Keegan Zars, Mill Valley, senior

KICKER

FIRST TEAM

Parker Sampson, Park Hill, senior. A state record-holder, Sampson made 14 field goals this season. Three of them were 45 yards or longer, including a 51-yard boot.

SECOND TEAM

Parker Lacina, Platte County, junior

DEFENSIVE LINE

FIRST TEAM

Chester Graves, Park Hill, senior. The Suburban Red Conference defensive player of the year recorded 126 tackles, including 25 for loss, and added six sacks. He is a three-time Missouri all-state selection.

Peter Klug, Blue Valley North, senior. The South Dakota signee moved to a primarily interior position this year, but still had 59 tackles (32 solo), four sacks, 19 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles. The double-teams opponents threw at Klug allowed the rest of BV North’s line to flourish.

Anthony Payne, Raymore-Peculiar, senior. Payne, a Kansas State commit, recorded eight sacks and forced three fumbles. He had 80 tackles while moving around the defensive line.

Travis Pickert, St. James, senior. Pickert racked up 90 tackles on the line this year, 71 of them solo and 14 for a loss. He also had 11 sacks and forced three fumbles.

SECOND TEAM

Daniel Carson, William Chrisman, junior; Diaz Elliott, Richmond, senior; Cameron Reller, Rockhurst, senior; Jacob Unruh, Lawrence, senior.

LINEBACKER

FIRST TEAM

Jay Dineen, Lawrence Free State, senior. Dineen, a Kansas commit, was not just a tackle machine, he also made an impact through the air (seven pass breakups) and by getting into the backfield (22 tackles for loss).

Ethan Luft, Kearney, senior. The Suburban Blue Conference defensive player of the year recorded 172 tackles, 107 of them solo. He broke a school record with 21 solo stops in a single game.

Michael Maffry, Blue Valley, senior. The leader of Blue Valley’s defense accumulated a whopping 183 tackles (112 of them solo). He also intercepted three passes, forced one fumble and added a sack.

Seven Wilson, Park Hill, senior. Wilson was a constant disruption to opposing offenses. Among his 136 tackles, 26 went for loss, including eight sacks. He caused three fumbles and blocked two punts.

SECOND TEAM

Jake Boyd, Smithville, senior; Eli Ross, Staley, senior; Casey Still, Blue Springs, senior; Joe Watskey, Bishop Miege, junior

DEFENSIVE BACK

FIRST TEAM

Joel Donn, Mill Valley, senior. Flying to every corner of the field this year, Donn racked up 195 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Mario Goodrich, Lee’s Summit West, junior. A playmaker on both sides of the ball, Goodrich made his most significant impact on defense. He intercepted seven passes and returned four for touchdowns.

Jake Springer, Park Hill South, senior. A lockdown coverage man, Springer has nearly a dozen Division I offers. He scored five touchdowns as a rusher, six as receiver, one as a defender and one more as a punt returner.

SECOND TEAM

Ross Elder, Rockhurst, senior; J.J. Letcher, Piper, senior; Marshaun Swift, Grandview, senior.

PUNTER

FIRST TEAM

Raleigh Barthol, Blue Valley North, senior. Barthol kept Blue Valley North in solid field position all year, booting 39 punts for a total of 1,601 yards – an average of 41 yards per punt.

SECOND TEAM

Kyle Pitts, Park Hill South, senior

This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 4:27 PM with the headline "The Kansas City Star's All-Metro football team."