Dogies win post-season honors

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
Fall sports claim one last hurrah before giving way to winter sports which are poised to begin this weekend. Football and volleyball announced post-season honors in November, and several Dogies and Lady Dogies got the nod from coaches across the conference and state.
There was one Dogie who was named to both the All-Conference and All-State teams, as senior Kale Corley let his actions do the talking on the gridiron this season. 
“‘Leave it all on the field’ was what Kale did in his four years of Dogie football,” Conzelman nodded. “His hard work and commitment off-season and during the season lead him to be a contender in defensive stats statewide.”
Corley finished his career as a Dogie fourth overall for defensive points in All-Classes of Wyoming football, and third in defensive points in the 2A Conference. He had 107 tackles on the season with a total of 232 in his high school career. As primarily a defensive and offensive line player in his first three years, Corley got to dabble in carrying the ball this season and put some impressive stats in that area as well.
“Kale had the second most rushing yards on the team and scored his first career touchdown this season,” Conzelman beamed. “He will be greatly missed by the Dogie football team and staff, but as I always say, ‘Once a Dogie, always a Dogie.’”    
Holden McConkey was named to the 2A East All-Conference team this season. The sophomore saw some time on the varsity field as a freshman, but his role expanded greatly this year. 
“Speed, focus and drive was shown by Holden’s level of play this season,” Conzelman nodded. “Anytime he was on the field, he gave his all and left his mark.”
McConkey finished the season as the Dogies’ leading rusher with 460 yards, and he racked up four touchdowns in the process. He also led the Dogies in all-purpose yardage with 804 yards. McConkey was also a force on the defensive side of the ball as he finished second on the team with 48 tackles.
“Holden was also a great asset on special teams and had 346 yards in punting and kick returns,” Conzelman added. “It’s exciting to see what he will accomplish in the next couple of years.”
The Dogies had three players who earned Honorable Mention to the All-Conference team as well. Juniors Aiden Chick and Josh Womack and sophomore Hogan Tystad drew some attention throughout the season.
As wide receiver, Chick led the Dogies in receptions with 195 yards, and he ended the year with 276 all-purpose yards as well. As a defensive back, Chick finished the season with 28 tackles and six interceptions.
“Chick’s speed, quickness and defensive anticipation were a ‘package deal’ during the season,” Conzelman began. “It will be exciting to watch him on both sides of the ball next season!”
Tystad finished the season with 41 tackles and two interceptions, was second in receptions with 172 yards, and punted for the Dogies averaging 31.7 yards per punt with his longest sailing 54 yards.
“Hogan showed much growth during the season, and with his knowledge of the game, he transitioned easily to new key positions for us on offense and defense,” Conzelman explained. “Offensively, he switched from being tight end to wide receiver, and he and Holden worked pretty well together as a team, so it’ll be fun to watch them next season.”
Womack stepped up as a leader for the defensive and offensive line this season, leading the squad with 43 tackles.  
“A lot of our opponents had to double team Josh if he was on their side,” Conzelman chuckled. “Offensively, Josh played outside tackle, and it will be exciting to have him back for one more season.”
The Lady Dogies also earned recognition from 3A coaches across the conference. Sophomore Jaylen Ostenson was named to the 3A East All-Conference team, while classmates Tiernan Stanton and Hunter McFarland drew the eye of enough to be awarded with Honorable Mention to the All-Conference team.
All three young players racked up some impressive stats over the course of the season. Ostenson finished with 126 kills making her second on the team and 24th in 3A in that category. She accumulated 58 blocks which landed her second on the team, sixth in 3A and 15th in the state. She was third on the team and 22nd in 3A with 32 set assists, and was the team leader in aces and digs with 20 and 108 respectively.
“This was Jay’s second year playing varsity and I was happy to see her rewarded for her hard work,” head coach Keeley Anderson began. “She is a solid player who can always be counted on to perform in all positions around the court.”
As a front row player, Stanton also put up some impressive numbers. She was the team leader in both kills and blocks with a total of 150 and 69 respectively on the season. Those numbers also placed her 21st in 3A for kills and third in 3A and ninth across all classes in blocks. In addition, her hitting percentage earned her ninth place in 3A and 17th across all classes in the state.
“It was fun to have Big Red on the net this season,” Anderson grinned. “She has great court savvy and knows the game so it’s awesome
that we will have her for two more years.”
McFarland took to varsity volleyball like a duck to water this season as a setter in the back row and a hitter/blocker in the front row. She finished the season second on the team in both aces and digs finishing with 16 and 176, respectively. She was also 12th in 3A and 24th in the state with 210 set assists on the year.
“Hunter stepped seamlessly into some pretty key roles on the team this year,” Anderson nodded. “She has such great athleticism and it’s awesome to have her around for a couple more seasons.”
NHS has much to look forward to in the next couple of seasons as all but Corley will be returning in 2021.