The Star’s All-Metro football defense
FIRST TEAM
DEFENSIVE LINE
Chester Graves, Park Hill, junior. The top-ranked junior recruit in Missouri broke a school record with 42 tackles for loss. He had 13 sacks, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Jacob Lewis, Staley, senior. As one of the top pass rushers in Missouri, Lewis had 15 sacks and 19 tackles for loss for a defense that posted five shutouts this season.
Cole Morris, Mill Valley, senior. A Kansas Class 5A state champion, Morris recorded 11 sacks and 90 total tackles for the Jaguars, who held 10 of their 13 opponents to 20 or fewer points, including two shutouts.
Sima Thomas, Fort Osage, senior. While often battling double teams, Thomas had 29 tackles for loss and 11 sacks for the Missouri Class 5 state champions.
LINEBACKER
David Burton, Olathe Northwest, senior. Burton led the Sunflower League with 169 total tackles. He had 12 tackles for loss, one sack, five tipped passes and four forced fumbles.
Adam Cofield, Blue Springs South, senior. Cofield was the Suburban Gold Conference defensive player of the year with 96 tackles and seven sacks. He also ran for 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns and scored four times in the Missouri Class 6 state-championship victory.
Cale Garrett, Kearney, senior. Garrett, a Navy commit, had 160 tackles, including 21 for loss, to become Kearney’s all-time leading tackler. He won the Bobby Bell Award, given to the best small-class lineman or linebacker in Kansas City.
Eli Ross, Staley, junior. He led a formidable Falcons defense with 134 tackles, including 12 stops for loss, and he added four sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Grant Elston, Eudora, senior. Elston earned All-Frontier League first-team honors as a running back, defensive back and kicker. He led the Cardinals to their second state semifinals appearance in four years with an 8-4 record.
Jake Lamb, Blue Springs South, senior. He led the Missouri Class 6 champions in tackles with 132, and he filled up the stat sheet with one sack, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, five blocked punts and two safeties.
Bryce Torneden, Lawrence Free State, senior. Torneden earned All-Sunflower League first-team honors as a quarterback and defensive back. He recorded 84 tackles and had four interceptions.
KICKER
Dawson Goepferich, Kearney, senior. The sure-footed kicker was 82 for 82 in extra-point attempts, and he also made 12 field goals, including a 53-yard boot.
PUNTER
Alan Clothier, Lawrence, senior. The Chesty Lions’ punter placed seven of his 22 punts inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 42.6 yards per kick.
SECOND TEAM
Defensive line: Zac Courtoise, Kearney, senior; Ryan Dorian, Staley, senior; Jeff Gurley, Blue Valley, senior; Kaelin Key, Bishop Miege, senior
Linebacker: Michael Maffry, Blue Valley, junior; Price Morgan, Lawrence, senior; Sam Skwarlo, Lawrence Free State, senior; Seven Wilson, Park Hill, junior
Defensive back: Codie Bell, Blue Springs, senior; Clay Lautt, St. James Academy, junior; Anthony Taylor, Liberty North, senior
Kicker: Parker Sampson, Park Hill, junior
Punter: Beau Baker, Staley, senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Defensive line: Kobe Burchett, Midway, senior; Christian Chalabi, St. Thomas Aquinas, senior; Angel Dominguez, St. Thomas Aquinas, junior; Jase Hollingsworth, Odessa, junior; Chase Miller, Olathe North, senior; Jose Montoya, Shawnee Mission West, senior; Sterling Swopes, Lee’s Summit North, senior; Jordan Vaughn, Eudora, senior
Linebacker: Johnny Blankenship, Platte County, senior; Tyler Boehm, Lee’s Summit West, senior; Brock Hughes, O’Hara, senior; Chris Morris, Blue Valley West, senior; Jesse Reser, Fort Osage, senior; Brett Shepardson, West Platte, senior; Theo Smith, Raytown, senior; Dunkan Watrous, Paola, senior
Defensive back: Dean Clemons, Truman, senior; Djimon Colbert, Winnetonka, junior; Trey Espy, Olathe Northwest, senior; Corey Hatcher, Center, senior; Ashtin Letcher, Piper, senior; Jahron McPherson, Basehor-Linwood, senior
Kicker: Sam Aviles, Smithville, junior; Chris Diddle, Olathe Northwest, senior
Punter: Trey Keith, St. James Academy, senior; Mitchell Miller, Liberty North, senior
This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "The Star’s All-Metro football defense."