Ude named MVP of Owls football team

Kevin Ude had one of the finest seasons this fall of any receiver in the history of Seymour football.

This fall, the 6-4 senior had 49 receptions, including nine for touchdowns. He easily topped the Owls in scoring with 56 points, and he also had a 2-point conversion.

For his efforts, he was named Seymour’s most valuable player. Assistant football coach Jeremy Richey announced his honor on Monday night during the team’s awards program at Central Christian Church.

“It was fun to coach Kevin the last three years,” Richey said. “He was a two-time all-conference honorable mention player and all-state honorable mention two times. The honor was voted on by the players, and they made the right choice.”

Ude is tied for third for most receptions in a season and ranks fourth in career receptions with 88. He had nine receptions at Floyd Central to tie for fourth on the single-game list. He also had three TD catches against Brownstown Central to tie for second all-time in that category, and his 15 TD receptions for his career place him in a tie for fifth on that list.

“He was our leader,” Richey said. “He understood every drill, and he understood exactly what we expected of him. He shouldn’t have had the career he had, but he did because of his hard work.”

Senior Maxx Fisher was named the most valuable team player.

Coach B.J. Sinclair, who presented Fisher with his award, said, “He was a versatile player. He played linebacker and defensive end (and a few plays at running back). He gave so much effort every play. He was in the weight room every day.”

Fisher also received the big stick award for having the hardest tackle of the season. The award was a baseball bat.

Jacob Corne, another senior, received the mental attitude award.

Coach Dave Urbanski made that presentation and said, “The mental attitude award is one of the most satisfying awards to give. The award was decided by the players, and they got it right. He dealt with all aspects of the game.”

Corne started at outside linebacker and had 36 tackles and 24 assists for the season.

Senior Tannor Giles was named the outstanding defensive player, and senior Stephen Manning was named the outstanding offensive player.

Giles led the Owls in tackles with 71 solos and 36 assists. He had eight tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks, one interception and made headhunters five times.

“He was a great young man,” coach Shane Fallis said in presenting Giles with his award. “He was our most productive linebacker as far as making plays.”

Manning led the Owls in rushing for the third straight season, and this fall, carried 174 times for 665 net yards and scored three touchdowns.

“He gave us a running game,” Richey said. “He took some shots, but he never failed to get up. We knew he wasn’t going to outrun a lot of people, but we also knew people wouldn’t want to tackle him in the fourth quarter. We got him running downhill, and he had a successful year.”

Senior center David Bloom was named the Lions Club’s outstanding senior lineman.

“He anchored our line,” coach Ken Anders said. “He fell into a position he hadn’t played before, and he did a wonderful job.”

Seniors Andrew Brock and Ethan Wahl shared the outstanding blocker award.

Coach Matt Allen said, “You younger guys, if you want to look up to someone, it’s Brock. The younger players were asking Andrew what to do. He was a great leader. You would find Wahl most any day next to Andrew. They allowed us to do a lot of things on offense.”

Brock started at guard and Wahl at tackle in the offensive line.

Logan Hill, a sophomore, was named the outstanding special teams player.

In presenting Hill his award, coach Chris Rose said it takes a special player to be able to catch punts when 11 players are running toward you to make a tackle.

“Those kids are hard to find,” Rose said. “They are a very valuable asset. He did a great job catching punts. He is a very quick kid.”

Senior Tommy Welch was named the outstanding defensive scout team player, and sophomore Matt Lucas was named the outstanding offensive scout team player.

The coaches credited both players with doing an excellent job in practice with the scout teams, helping prepare the Owls for their next game.

Giles was named to the Hoosier Hills all-conference first team, while Jacob Carmichael, Brock and Ude were named honorable mention.

Brock, Giles and Ude were named all-state honorable mention.

Brock, Wahl and Greg Eaglen were named scholar athletes.

Junior Austin Acton received the Buddha Award, presented by senior linemen to an underclassman who they feel made a big contribution to the team.

The Owls finished 4-6 and lost to Evansville Reitz in the first game of the sectional. Reitz went on to win the Class 4A state championship.

“It was really an interesting year,” head coach Jeff Richey said. “People in this community had really great things to say about your sons. They worked as hard when we lost our first five games as they did when we won our next four. I’m proud of you seniors. We had people in this group that have turned their lives around and put the team before themselves.”