Class 3A All-State LBs: Jaspers, Johnson Are Tough

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To play the linebacker position in football, you have to have it all. Speed, size, athleticism and a knack for the ball are all important parts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class 3A all-state list at the position are players who hold those skills to a higher standard led by [player_tooltip player_id='156633' first='Jackson' last='Jaspers'] of Mount Vernon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior was just one of several worthy of being selected here and placed on the list below:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First Team - [player_tooltip player_id='156633' first='Jackson' last='Jaspers'] - Mount Vernon - Junior</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 110.5 tackles, [player_tooltip player_id='156633' first='Jackson' last='Jaspers'] placed his name atop the Class 3A charts for stops this past fall. Of those, 80 were solo stops for the Mount Vernon junior, who finished with 14 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaspers showed off his athleticism with two interceptions including a pick-6, while also returning a pair of kickoffs for 22 yards per return. He even helped with punt return duties, averaging almost 10 yards per return. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team - Mitch Johnson - Independence - Senior</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A year after losing a talented senior class, Mitch Johnson and his teammates kept the train moving forward for Independence. Johnson finished the season with 62 tackles including 47 solo stops and 12.5 tackles for loss. He also shined as the offensive leader for the Mustangs, throwing for 1,800 yards and 18 TDs with another 832 yards and 14 scores on the ground. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Third Team - Garrett Assmann - Harlan - Senior</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A key piece to a Harlan defense that helped the Cyclones win another state title, Garrett Assmann recorded 50 tackles with 13.5 being stops for loss. He had 31 solo tackles and 1.5 sacks for his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Honorable Mention</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players like [player_tooltip player_id='320829' first='Brayden' last='Foster'] of North Polk, Christian Madison from Adel-ADM, [player_tooltip player_id='320430' first='Kyle' last='Kress'] of Center Point-Urbana, Owen Hubbell of Humboldt and [player_tooltip player_id='248019' first='Brett' last='White'] of Solon could have all easily been on this list of honorees. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->