SDSSAA hands out medals to MVPs

Chase Pressacco, Hunter Holub, Sam Sedore and Graeme Stevens walked away with the top honours as the SDSSAA Senior Football crew doled out their end of year hardware earlier this week.

In his second year as quarterback of the St Benedict Bears, Pressacco directed an aerial attack that could, on any given day, rival that of the defending champion Lively Hawks.

With Connor Vande Weghe and Aidan Hurley as his primary targets, Pressacco helped lead the Bears to a 4-2 season, earning the Sid Forster Most Valuable Player award.

Out in Lively, Holub powered the league's most impressive offensive unit, amassing a total of 223 points. Already established as one of the city's top throwers, the Hawks' veteran also provided a constant threat to run, armed with an athleticism that allowed the Lively pivot to either run around, or over, opposing defenders.

Helping his team return to the city final for a second straight year, Holub was recognized as the Chris Bartolucci Offensive Player of the Year. Having recently announced his commitment to join the Guelph Gryphons come the fall of 2015, Lo-Ellen lineman Sam Sedore was the only double recipient in the group, capturing both the "Most Outstanding Player" accolades as well as walking away with the Mike Derks Lineman of the Year trophy.

Small wonder. Playing both sides of the line, Sedore was a constant threat. Teams struggled every single game in trying to devise a game plan to nullify his effect at defensive end.

Meanwhile, Knights' coach Kevin Ellsworth knew exactly where to look when running back Matt Glass needed a little extra room to break through the line. Already an impressive unit, the Lo-Ellen defense received a healthy boost with the addition of middle linebacker Graeme Stevens this year, especially when stalwart Connor Mick was knocked out of commission for the bulk of the season, sustaining a broken leg in the season opener.

Coming off an outstanding summer with the Sudbury Jr Gladiators, Stevens stepped in immediately in the heart of the Knights' defense, having an impact in each and every game that he played.

The grade 11 rookie was rewarded for his efforts with the Gary Ricker Defensive Player of the Year award. Following is a complete breakdown of the SDSSAA first and second team all-stars for the 2014 season:

First Team All-Stars
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Hunter Holub (Lively)
Running Back - Matt Glass (Lo-Ellen)
Running Back - Thomas Rideout (Lively)
Slot Back - David Moorhouse (Lockerby)
Tight End - Mike Favot (Lo-Ellen)
Wide Receiver - Connor Vande Weghe (St Benedict)
Wide Receiver - J.J. Gaudin (Lively)
Offensive Line - Ben Favot (St Benedict)
Offensive Line - Sam Sedore (Lo-Ellen)
Offensive Line - Chris Leon (St Charles)
Offensive Line - Eric Greene (St Charles)
Offensive Line - Dexter Susteric (Lo-Ellen)

DEFENSE
Defensive Line - Eric Greene (St Charles)
Defensive Line - Devon McCullough (Lockerby)
Defensive Line - Sam Sedore (Lo-Ellen)
Defensive Line - John Guido (Lively)
Defensive Line - Dexter Susteric (Lo-Ellen)
Linebacker - Jesse Brear (Lively)
Linebacker - Brock Connor (Confederation)
Linebacker - Andrew Kohut (St Charles)
Linebacker - Graeme Stevens (Lo-Ellen)
Linebacker - Pierce Wallingford (Lo-Ellen)
Defensive Back - Matt Barbeau (Lively)
Defensive Back - Miller Donnelly (Lockerby)
Defensive Back - Josh Girolametto (St Benedict)
Defensive Back - Reinhardt Grobler (Lo-Ellen)
Defensive Back - Jacob Pitawakwat (St Charles)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker - Blake Wisniewski (Lockerby)
Punter - Thomas Rideout (Lively)
Kick Returner - Matt Glass (LOE), Josh Favaro (Lockerby)
Punt Returner - Riley Barbeau (Confederation)

Second Team All-Stars
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Chase Pressacco (St Benedict)
Running Back - Ian Christakos (Lockerby)
Running Back - Nathan Scruton (St Charles)
Slotback - Josh Favaro (Lockerby)
Slotback - Cameron McDermid (Lively)
Wide Receiver - Riley Barbeau (Confederation)
Wide Receiver - Aidan Hurley (St Benedict)
Offensive Line - David Barbeau (Lively)
Offensive Line - Corey Blanchard (Confederation)
Offensive Line - Quinn Blanchard (Bishop Carter)
Offensive Line - Zacharie Corcoran (St Benedict)
Offensive Line - Caleb Merchant (Confederation)

DEFENSE
Defensive Line - Cameron Balogh (St Benedict)
Defensive Line - Eric Fraser (Lasalle)
Defensive Line - Shaun Gooden (St Charles)
Defensive Line - Matthew Rennie (St Benedict)
Linebacker - Andrew Andretta (Lively)
Linebacker - John Bronicheski (St Charles)
Linebacker - Josh Kiley (St Benedict)
Linebacker - Matthew Lewis (St Benedict)
Defensive Back - Brett Boileau (Confederation)
Defensive Back - Holden Eastwood (St Charles)
Defensive Back - Dylan Goulet (Lockerby)
Defensive Back - Preston Gratton (Bishop Carter)
Defensive Back - Grant Marassoto (Lo-Ellen)
Defensive Back - Anthony Talevi (Confederation)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter - Connor VandeWeghe (St Benedict)
Kicker - Pierce Wallingford (Lo-Ellen)
Punt Returner - John Bronicheski (St Charles)
Punt Returner - Aidan Hurley (St Benedict)
Kick Returner - Nathan Scruton (St Charles)