Bobcats Garner Several Rehab Centre D9Sports.com Post Season Football Awards (12/21/13)

The Rehab Centre D9Sports.com 2013 Post Season Football Awards were announced yesterday and three members of the District Nine Class A Champion and State Semi-Finalist, Clarion Bobcats were among those honored.

Damien Slike was named the Most Valuable Player, Destin Strauser was named Defensive Player of the Year and Coach Wiser was named Coach of the Year.

Slike, a Senior running back, linebacker, punter and kick returner, carried the ball for 1,896 yards while scoring 37 touchdowns. He also had 361 receiving yards on 15 catches, with five of them going for touchdowns.

Also a key defensive performer, Slike amassed 103 tackles, .5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. On special teams, Slike averaged 32.3 yards per punt. He had 20.4 yards per kickoff returns and he also scored eight 2-point conversions.

Slike is the second Clarion player to receive the MVP Award, joining Brendan “Bubba” Rue, who won the Award in its inaugural year, 2009. Kyle Cathcart won the pre-cursor to the Award twice, being named Co-Player of the Year (tied with Brockway’s Aaron Cantafio) in 2000 and winning the Player of the Year Award outright in 2001.

Strauser, a junior linebacker, had remarkable year, delivering bone jarring tackle after bone jarring tackle.  He had 162 tackles and five sacks as the centerpiece of a defense that pitched 9 shutouts, which ties the District Nine playoff era record, and gave up only 71 points all season, with only 39 of those points coming during the regular season.

Strauser’s selection as Defensive Player of the Year, marked the third year in a row, the fourth time in five years and the fifth time overall, that a Bobcat has been so honored. He joins Brad Rapp (2005), Rue (2009) and T. J. Armstrong (2011 and 2012) as honorees.

This year’s Coach of the Year selection is the second for Coach Wiser, who also won the Award in 2009. The Bobcats were District Nine Class A Champions that year also. Coach Wiser’s Bobcats were 14-1 this year. The fourteen victories ties the District Nine record. This year’s Bobcat Team is the first in school history to advance to the State Semi-Final Game.

A member of both the Central Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association (CPFCA) and Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches (PSFCA) Halls of Fame, Coach Wiser now has exactly 180 wins. He is just 6 wins away from tying Union’s legendary coach, the late Rich Vidunas (186 wins) for the All-Time KSAC/Little 7-12 Coaching Wins record.

Coach Wiser currently sits in fifth place All-Time for Coaching Wins in District Nine, behind (1) Tim Janocko – Clearfield (229) (active), (2) Paul Simcoe – Coudersport (204), (3) tie Rich Vidunas – Union and Carl Defilippi – Smethport (186). So seven more wins will put him alone, in third place. (All of these men are in the PSFCA Hall of Fame.)

Other Rehab Centre D9Sports.com winners, this year, include:

Offensive Player of the Year – Christian Lezzer, Sr. QB – Clearfield

Rookie Player of the Year – Jareke Jackson, So., RB/LB – Sheffield

Offensive Lineman of the Year – Hunter Keith, Sr. G – Clearfield
Special Teams Player of the Year – Zane Watson, Sr., K – Redbank Valley

Performance of the Year – Mark Strothers, – Redbank Valley (vs Union Sept, 13th.)

Special Contributor Award – Mayor Doug Caldwell – Kane

Game of the Year – Kane 35 – Brockway 31 (Sept 20th.)

Go to www.d9sports.com for this year’s Post Season Football Awards announcement.