Eleven area football players make up the All-Register Football Team in 2022. Six teams were represented on this year’s team. Elkton-Lake Benton and Brookings led the way with three selections a piece. Sioux Valley had two players and Flandreau, Deubrook Area and Estelline/Hendricks each had one.

Ryan Krog – Senior QB/S – Elkton-Lake Benton

Krog is the 2022 Register Football Player of the Year and a full feature story on him will be in Monday’s Register. He helped lead the Elks to a 10-1 record and a semifinal finish in Class 9AA.

Krog threw for 1,707 yards, and 29 touchdowns, and had just two interceptions. He also ran for 1,458 yards on 142 carries (10.27 yards per carry) and 20 rushing touchdowns. On defense, Krog had 60 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, three interceptions and one was for a touchdown, and seven passes broken up.

Krog was the Dakota Valley Conference MVP and was an All-State Defensive Back in 2022.

Tanner Stein – Sophomore WR/DB – Elkton-Lake Benton

Stein was Krog’s top target with 27 catches for 737 yards (27.3 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns. He did all that in 8.5 games due to an injury that kept him out at the end of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Stein had 42.5 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble and four passes broken up.

He was a Dakota Valley All-Conference selection in 2022 and was All-State Honorable Mention this year as well.

Carson Griffith – Junior TE/DE – Elkton-Lake Benton

Griffith came on in the back half of the season, especially on the offensive side where he had 22 catches for 395 yards (17.95 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. He was on the receiving end of a Hail Mary as time expired in ELB’s final regular season game, which was a 36-30 win over Castlewood and led to an undefeated regular season and a conference championship for the Elks.

On defense, Griffith had 30.5 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. He also had one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one interception and two passes defended.

Griffith was a 2022 All-State tight end and was a Dakota Valley All-Conference selection.

Jaxton Eck – Senior LB/ATH – Brookings

Eck led the Bobcats with 136 tackles (92 solo, 44 assisted). He had 19 tackles for a loss and two sacks. He had a knack for the ball as well with two interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He had a defensive touchdown and two blocked punts as well.

Eck became a big part of the Bobcat offense in the latter part of the season as he had 15 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

Eck was named to the 2022 11AA All-State Team and 2022 Eastern Dakota Conference All-Conference Team. For his career, Eck had 253 tackles, 46 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, five interceptions, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown and three blocked punts.

Coach Brady Clark: “Jaxton is a rare talent on the football field, but an even better man off the field. His relentless work ethic and will to improve himself and his team is truly inspiring for his teammates and coaches.”

Eck will play football at Idaho next fall, where his dad, Jason, is the head coach.

Caleb Loehr – Senior DE – Brookings

Loehr made a living in the backfield with 17 sacks and 28 tackles for a loss on the season. He had 74 tackles (53 solo and 21 assisted), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one punt block. He finished his career with 111 total tackles, 39 tackles for a loss, 23 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one punt block.

Loehr was named to the 2022 11AA All-State Team and 2022 Eastern Dakota Conference All-Conference Team.

Coach Brady Clark: “Caleb has the ability to change the momentum of a game, which he did on multiple occasions this season. He plays aggressive and relentless football and is always wreaking havoc in the opponent’s backfield. He is very coachable and has a motor that never quits, which is essential when playing the defensive end position.”

Tyson Brandt – Senior RB/WR/DB – Brookings

Brandt was a pass catching running threat for the Bobcats in 2022. He ran for 486 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching 30 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown. He did all that while playing on a broken leg this season.

Coach Brady Clark: “One of Tyson’s significant strengths is his ability to lead his teammates on and off the field by example. When Tyson has the rock in his hand, it is going to take two or three guys to bring him down. His motor is relentless and never shuts off. Tyson’s dynamic abilities on the ground and in the air make him a pillar that we can lean on. When you couple his talents with his relentless mindset, he becomes an elite athlete who is incredibly difficult to contain for four quarters. Even with a broken leg!”

Aidan Brower – Senior OL/DL – Sioux Valley

Brower did a lot of damage on the Cossack offensive line and anchored an offense that averaged over 300 yards per game on the ground. On the defensive side, Brower had 16 tackles in 2022.

He was All-State, All-Big East Conference and Academic All-State in 2022.

Coach Dan Hughes: “Aidan has been one of the best linemen in class 11B the last two years. He has anchored a Sioux Valley offensive line that averaged 300 yards per game on the ground. He is a very detailed player who is has great technique and run blocking ability. He is committed to DWU where he will play on the offensive line.”

Boden Schiller – Junior WR/LB – Sioux Valley

Schiller was a two-way player that made an impact on both sides of the ball in 2022. On offense, he was a threat on both the ground and through the air. He had 39 carries for 375 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and caught 14 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Schiller had 59 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, five sacks and one fumble recovery.

Coach Dan Hughes: “Boden has great hands and is a threat to score on every play. He has elite speed and strength which allow him to be used all over the field in both run & pass situations. When he doesn’t have the ball, he is an outstanding blocker. This year he was used to block linebackers, defensive ends, and even defensive tackles.”

Ethan Hoffman – Senior RB/DB – Flandreau

Hoffman led the Fliers in rushing with 390 yards and two touchdowns on 98 carries. He also had 352 yards and three touchdowns on 33 receptions.

On defense, Hoffman had 92 total tackles (43 solo and 49 assisted). He had seven tackles for a loss, three interceptions and 13 passes defended.

Coach Josh Edlund: “Ethan was an awesome running back and safety for us. He led our team in rushing, receiving, tackles, and pass deflections this year. He is a high GPA kid, achieved Academic All-State and he loves football. He works extremely hard and never misses a day in the weight room.”

Colin Bauman – Senior QB/LB – Deubrook Area

Bauman was an All-State “athlete” as a dual threat quarterback for the Dolphins. He threw for 1,121 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing for 556 yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries.

He was also a force on the defensive side of the ball with 70 tackles and 9.5 tackles for a loss. He had three forced fumbles and two interceptions as well.

Bauman was a Dakota Valley All-Conference First Team selection in 2022 and was a team captain for Deubrook the past two years.

Joseph McAninch – Senior RB/LB – Estelline/Hendricks

McAninch was top-five in Class 9A in rushing with 848 yards and seven touchdowns on 120 attempts. He had nine catches for 75 yards and one touchdown as well.

On the defensive side, McAninch helped anchored the Redhawk defense with 35 tackles and four tackles for a loss.