A dozen West Liberty football players earned academic all-district honors last week.
Six seniors made the list including Seth Axsom, Ryker Dengler, Bryson Garcia, Tytan Griffith, Cameron Iske and Caden Laughlin.
One junior, Owen Daufeldt, made the grade.
Five sophomores rounded out the list: Tully Griffith, Ryan Laughlin, Miles McConnaha, Gable Underbakke and Cole Wagamon.
Axsom was a triple-threat offensive option this year, scoring a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown.
He rushed 49 times for 143 yards and 3 TDs while catching 49 balls for 617 yards and five TDs. He also wrapped up 24 ball carriers on defense.
Dengler was the engine which made the offense run. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season for 1,429 yards and 10 TDs.
He rushed 133 times for 600 yards and 11 TDs. He was also the team’s fourth-leading tackler with 31.5 tackles this year.
Garcia bolstered an offensive line which helped the Comets rush for 1,334 yards this season at 4.2 yards per carry.
On defense, Garcia recorded 23.0 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss.
Tytan Griffith was the Comets’ leading tackler with 42.0 tackles. 28 were solo and three of them were for loss. He also hauled in one interception.
Iske finished half a tackle behind Griffith at 41.5 but led the team with 35 solo tackles, 5.0 for loss and 3.0 sacks.
He recovered one fumble, picked off one pass and caught one touchdown.
Caden Laughlin finished 2024 as West Liberty’s third-leading tackler at 33.0. 23 were solo tackles and one was for a loss.
He intercepted one pass and returned it 12 yards.
Daufeldt was the Comets’ speedster on the outside, catching 27 passes for 405 yards, which equated to a team-best 15.0 yards per catch (min. five catches).
He also toted the ball 36 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
Tully Griffith made impacts on both sides of the football. He caught 17 passes for 162 yards on offense and brought down 18 ball carriers on defense while also picking off one pass.
Ryan Laughlin made three tackles this season, two of which were solo tackles.
McConnaha’s lone tackle of the season was a solo tackle.
Underbakke traveled 18 yards on five receptions this season while also recording two solo tackles.
Lastly, Wagamon rushed one time, caught four passes for 61 yards and recorded 2.5 total tackles this season.
West Liberty ended its 2024 season with a 3-6 record and qualified for the Class 2A playoffs as the third-place finisher in district four.
The team lost to West Marshall 34-6 in the first round of postseason action.
In this game, Dengler completed 15-23 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 16 times for 56 yards.
Axsom was his favorite target, catching seven passes for 57 yards.
Daufeldt caught three passes for 51 yards and his team’s lone touchdown. He also rushed six times for 40 yards.
On the other side of the ball, sophomore Briggs Collins and Tytan Griffith tied for the team lead with five total tackles.
Griffith and senior Crager David each recorded a tackle for loss.
This year, the Comets had a signature win over Anamosa on Friday, Sept. 27.
The 28-14 triumph gave Anamosa its only loss of the regular season. The Blue Raiders made the Class 2A quarterfinals falling to Van Meter 31-0.
This win brought the Comets to 2-0 in district play after they dispatched Tipton 38-0 the week prior.
West Liberty secured its third district win on Friday, Oct. 18, by spoiling Camanche’s senior night with a 49-14 win.
Under new Comet coach Jason Dumont, the Comets reached three wins which ties its highest total since the program’s six-win season in 2020.
Final season statistics
Passing
Ryker Dengler, 1,429 yards and 10 TDs; Seth Axsom, 24 yards and 1 TD; Enrique Michel, 21 yards and 1 TD.
Rushing
Ryker Dengler, 600 yards and 11 TDs; Briggs Collins, 334 yards and 4 TDs; Owen Daufeldt, 163 yards and 2 TDs; Seth Axsom, 143 yards and 3 TDs; Axell Polanco, 79 yards; Gable Underbakke, 18 yards; Enrique Michel, 4 yards.
Receiving
Seth Axsom, 617 yards and 5 TDs; Owen Daufeldt, 405 yards and 5 TDs; Tully Griffith, 162 yards; Briggs Collins, 83 yards and 1 TD; Braden Bickford, 61 yards; Cole Wagamon, 61 yards; Cameron Iske, 43 yards and 1 TD; Axell Polanco, 19 yards; Ryker Dengler, 18 yards; Landon Wainwright, 5 yards.
Total tackles
Tytan Griffith, 42.0; Cameron Iske, 41.5; Caden Laughlin, 33.0; Ryker Dengler, 31.5; Perry Lehman, 31.0; Crager David, 29.5; Seth Axsom, 24.0; Bryson Garcia, 23.0; Briggs Collins, 22.0; Kaden Wiele, 21.0; Owen Daufeldt, 19.5; Tully Griffith, 18.0; Johanan Lopez Vileta, 5.0; Axell Polanco, 3.0; Braden Bickford, 3.0; Jamison Rud, 3.0; Ryan Laughlin, 3.0; Cole Wagamon, 2.5; Landon Wainwright, 2.5; Gable Underbakke, 2.5; Enrique Michel, 2.0; Uriel Andrade, 1.0; Miles McConnaha, 1.0.
Fumble recoveries
Seth Axsom, 2; Owen Daufeldt, 1; Briggs Collins, 1; Axell Polanco, 1; Cameron Iske, 1.
Interceptions
Seth Axsom, 3; Briggs Collins, 1; Tully Griffith, 1; Ryker Dengler, 1; Cameron Iske, 1; Tytan Griffith, 1; Caden Laughlin, 1.
Kicking
Uriel Andrade, 26-31 on PATs and 1-2 on FGs.