Lions earn All-State football honors

by Marianne Gasaway

Three members of the Clear Lake Lions football team have been named to the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association’s All-State teams. IPSWA members, with assistance from the Iowa Football Coaches Association, selected players through a virtual meeting held on Sunday, Nov. 22.

Jagger Schmitt was chosen as a defensive back on the Class 2A First Team.  Schmitt, a junior, made 17.5 tackles, 12 of them solo, and one for a loss while playing defense for the Lions in the 2020 season.  

Coach Jared DeVries noted that although honored for his play on defense, Schmitt helps the team in many ways.  

“Jagger Schmitt continues to do amazing things as a football player.  The only player in program history to start every snap as a true freshman continues to improve and be an all generational type player,” said DeVries.

CLHS senior Andrew Formanek was named as a wide receiver/tight end for the Class 2A Second Team.  Formanek joined the football team this year for the first time in his high school career.  He completed the season with an impressive 30 receptions for 372-yards. His longest catch was 52-yards and he scored two touchdowns.   

Senior lineman Thomas Gansen was selected for the Class 2A Third Team as a defensive lineman.  Gansen recorded 48.5 total tackles, 37 of them solo and 28 for a loss.  In addition, he had a team-high nine sacks during the 2020 season.  

Team captains were selected in each of the six Iowa high school football classes. Captains must be a senior and selected to the first all-state team and are voted on by sports writers in each class.

The Class 2A captain is Brayden Evertsen, a two-way standout that helped drive West Marshall’s return to the Class 2A state quarterfinals for the first time in eight years. A Division II commit to the University of Mary, Evertsen led all 2A tight ends with 447 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, and he led all 2A defensive linemen with 71 tackles from his defensive end position. Evertsen was a three-time first team all-district selection for the Trojan, and led the entire state with 30.5 tackles for loss and was second in Iowa with 17 quarterback sacks.

The Iowa Print Sports Writers Association was founded in February 2018 to carry on the tradition of newspapers selecting all-state teams for Iowa high school sports.