Listed are capsules of the 2007 All-Evening Sun football all-star team:

2007 OFFENSE

Quarterback

Nate Whittaker, jr., Greene, 6-0, 175 pounds

Whittaker was a model of efficiency throwing for an area-high 816 yards and 11 TD passes. He also established the best completion percentage in head coach Tim Paske’s five-year tenure hitting 56 percent of his strikes. “He was willing to learn a new position and we were really happy with his progress,” Paske said. “By the end of the year, he had a good hold of it.” A dangerous runner as well, Whittaker ran for five TDs and also returned a punt for a touchdown. “Our game plan this year and for next year is to put him in a position to be successful,” Paske said. “He’ll be a fun kid to watch.” Whittaker threw for a season-best 215 yards against Unatego, and had a TD pass or TD run in all but one game. On the defensive side of the ball, Whittaker showed his nose for the pigskin finishing with a team-high five interceptions.

Chris McGinnis, sr., 6-1, 220 pounds

McGinnis combined for 16 TDs – rushing and passing – throwing for 642 yards and rushing for 317 yards this season. A converted lineman, McGinnis improved in all areas of the quarterback position, and most important, led B-G to a 6-3 record, its best in several years. “He showed leadership on the field and was a good role model for us on and off it,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “It’s not his natural position, but he really did what we asked him to do. Moving him to quarterback made us more successful.” McGinnis threw for a career-best 206 yards and three touchdowns against Harpursville, and either ran or threw a touchdown in seven of nine games.

Nate Foote, sr., Norwich, 5-8, 140 pounds

Perhaps the greatest compliment Foote received this season was the respect he garnered from opposing coaches – and he was really respected throughout Class B’s Division III, said Norwich head coach John Pluta. “Obviously we don’t throw the ball a lot, but I look to the Oneonta game that really defines Nate’s play,” Pluta said. “Oneonta was playing us tough and our offense was struggling. Nate made two huge plays to help us win that game.” Foote ran a quarterback trap out of the shotgun formation for a long TD, then threw a TD pass for the Tornado’s win over the Yellowjackets. In the Tornado offense, usually the three backs got the bulk of the rushing work. Foote’s elusiveness and threat as a runner made Norwich’s offense all the more effective. “In terms of faking and when the quarterback becomes a fourth running threat, that made us real tough to defend,” Pluta said.

Running back

Billy Northey, sr., S-E, 5-11, 190 pounds

Northey took the rushing lead from week one, and never relinquished it rushing for a county-best 1,347 yards to go with 10 rushing touchdowns. “Coach Jasper (Mike) said he was the best player on the field just about every game – no matter who we played,” said Marauders second-year coach Mickey James. “The work he put in during the offseason helped him step up to another level.” Running out of the “I” formation, Northey was one part breakaway threat, and one part workhorse interior runner. His 213 carries were 55 more than the next most of any back, and he carried the ball at least 20 times the first seven games. He had a 324-yard, three TD game against Ilion, and added a 221-yard game against Clinton. “He did the things he needed to do to get better,” James said, “And he’ll do that to go to the next level.”

Chris Mattingly, sr., Norwich, 6-0, 178 pounds

The senior running back had his breakout year after steady 640-plus-yard seasons as a sophomore and junior. In a testament to his consistency and determination, Mattingly actually had the best two games of his career in his final two games – a stretch when you might think a workhorse running back might start to wear down. “He’s certainly one of the best backs we’ve had,” said Norwich coach John Pluta. “He was a great dive back in our offense; he hits the pile then pops out.” Mattingly surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in a career-high 218-yard game against Ithaca, and he did it in just three quarters of play. He finished with 2,363 career rushing yards in 27 games.

Dustin Ross, jr., B-G, 5-8, 152 pounds

Ross has that rare opportunity to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, something that was done by Eric Finch of B-GA in the late ‘90s. “He is just an unbelievable natural talent,” said Bobcats coach Tim Mattingly. “Not only is he fast, he is quick and is probably our toughest back. You would think at 150 pounds he couldn’t take a hit. He would lower his shoulder and get the extra yards.” Ross totaled 1,047 yards, an amount cut short after suffering an injury in the first half of week nine’s game against Sidney. He had five 100-yard games reaching a high of 237 against Hancock.

Scott Shackelton, sr., Oxford, 5-10, 170 pounds

The most experienced skill position player on the Oxford team this season, Shackelton provided the speed and breakaway ability to complement the power game efforts of his teammates Dustin Christopherson and Travis Frank. After a seesaw stretch of games early in the season, Shackelton kicked it into high gear his final four games rushing for 496 yards to finish with 802 on the season to go with seven rushing scores. “He rolled his ankle in our first game, and he was hesitant for a couple of games,” said Oxford coach Mike Chrystie. “Everyone was coming together in a new system, and he benefited from us jelling as a team. He was a threat to go all the way any time he had the ball. It was nice to have a kid with that ability.”

Tommy Giordano, sr., UV-Edmeston, 6-0, 215 pounds

Every team needs that back you can throw into the line and move the pile, while also moving the chains. Giordano fit that role perfectly in the Storm’s grind-it-out attack, and seldom did he travel more than three or four yards without absorbing plenty of hits from the opposition. He was a chain mover who softened the defense’s underbelly. “We wanted to get the ball in his hands in clutch situations when we needed tough yards,” said Storm coach Jack Loeffler. “Teams seemed to key on him a little more this season.” On the defensive side of the ball, Giordano started at end and executed his role to perfection. “He sealed pretty much everything and not much ever got outside of him,” Loeffler said.

Receiver/Tight End

Dylan Whitaker, sr., B-G, 6-2, 185 pounds

The go-to guy for quarterback Chris McGinnis the past two seasons, Whitaker was third in the area in catches (16) and receiving yards (298), while grabbing three TD passes. “He’s a kid that did what we asked him to do, and he came up big both offensively and defensively,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “He has a great set of hands, and people knew he was our number one target when we threw the ball.” Whittaker had one four-catch game and reached a high of 92 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over Harpursville. “Not only was he our best receiver for the second straight year, he was probably our best offensive blocker,” Mattingly noted.

Justin VanWert, sr., Greene, 6-1, 170 pounds

VanWert was the quintessential possession receiver catching an area-high 27 ballls for 310 yards, while also tying a team record with eight receiving touchdowns. “He was definitely our go-to receiver and an explosive kid,” said Greene coach Tim Paske. “If we could get him in space, he might have the opportunity to break a big one.” Not only did VanWert have catches in every game this season for Greene, he had at least two catches in seven of those games. He had a season-best seven grabs in the second meeting with Unatego, and scored TDs in six games. As a blocker, VanWert delivered big blocks on the outside winning the intra-team blocking award, “smack of the week” more than one time.

Offensive Line

D.J. Beckwith, sr., Greene, 6-0, 200 pounds

A three-year starter on the defensive side of the ball and two-year starter on defense, “Beast” brought a lot of energy and emotion to the field at offensive guard. “One of our staples is running the trap and we take a lot of pride running that play,” said Greene coach Tim Paske. “(D.J.) opened up a ton of holes for us on the trap. We kept track of pancake blocks, and he was one of our leaders. When we needed a big block, the game plan was to run behind him or to his side. One of the Trojans’ captains, Beckwith also figured heavily on the defensive side of the ball making several big plays finishing with three sacks. “He always played with emotion and intensity,” Paske said, “and the kids fed off of that.”

Clyde Birch, sr., Norwich, 6-4, 250 pounds

Saying nothing about his skills as a lineman – and they were prodigous – if anyone looked the part of an offensive tackle, it was Birch. After shaking off an early-season injury and not seeing much time in the preseason scrimmage, Birch came on strong to become one of the leaders on the Norwich line, Pluta said. “He has good fundamentals and good feet,” Pluta said. “If he continues to get stronger, and guy with his size and feet has a chance – if he wants to – to play on the next level.”