Derek Smith, Ben Johnstone, and Caleb Wiebe have been chosen to play in this summer’s all-state football game, announced Chewelah Cougar football coach Jim Fisk.
This year’s East-West All-state Game, known as the Earl Barden Classic, will be played at East Valley High School in Yakima on June 22, with kickoff time set for 1:00 that afternoon.
The East team will be coached by Jim Fisk of Chewelah, and he will be assisted by Pat Gaffney of Chewelah, Keith Stamps of Deer Park, and Zac Farnam of Newport.
Fisk and his staff have completed and submitted their 38-player roster. It includes players from 2A, 1A, and B classifications.
Smith quarterbacked the Cougars to a league championship this past fall and was named the Most Valuable Player on the All-Northeast A League first team offense. He was also selected as a member of the all-league first team defense as a safety.
This season, Smith established a Jenkins High School record when he completed 118 of 229 passes for 1,787 yards. In doing so, he threw 15 touchdown passes. He also led the team in rushing with 1,051 total yards. Altogether, he generated 2,838 yards of Cougar offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Smith led Chewelah in pass interceptions with seven. He finished the season with 39 tackles in the defensive secondary.
Because he is a threat to run and to pass, Smith will probably be the East’s starting quarterback.
Johnstone was chosen by Northeast A League coaches as the Most Valuable Player on the all-league first team defense. The hard-hitting senior linebacker led the Chewelah defense with 81 tackles, even though he missed three games midway through the season with a knee injury. He could be the starting middle linebacker for the East team.
As a receiver on offense, Johnstone had catches totaling 275 yards.
Wiebe joins the all-state first defensive team as a cornerback. He grabbed five pass interceptions and had 39 tackles in the defensive secondary.
Wiebe also played as wide receiver for the Cougars, where he caught passes totaling 359 yards. He is a player who could see action on both sides of the ball.
Tickets for the all-state game are available from all three Chewelah players, who are also hoping to obtain contributions to fund their trip to Yakima.
By Geno Ludwig, The Independent Staff