Colfax seniors conclude fall sports careers

Three volleyball players and six football players have finished off their high school careers for the Vikings recently.

Ryleigh Prochnow played varsity volleyball three years for head coach Pam Meredith and was a two time All Conference selection, earning first team accolades this year and honorable mention as a junior. She totaled 266 kills in her three seasons and 47 solo blocks, leading the team as a junior with 10 solo blocks and 14 assisted blocks. As a senior, Prochnow was 14th in the conference in kills with 134 and ended the season with 163 total. She also added 30 blocks, 13 service aces and 103 digs.

Heather Tweed played her first varsity season as a senior and saw most of her action in the back row, picking up 16 digs and eight service aces.

Melanie Billon came on strong this year, earning her first varsity letter and slamming 34 kills in conference play and 46 total for the season. She also added 18 digs.

“Our three seniors have worked extremely hard this year representing this team on and off the floor,” Meredith said. “They have been good role models and hard workers every day in practice and in matches. We will miss their leadership and love for the game. There will be big shoes to fill with Ryleigh gone next year. She is very talented and I think if she wanted to pursue volleyball after high school I believe she would be successful because she is an offensive weapon with great blocking skills and excellent setting hands. Melanie and Heather showed that hard work at the junior varsity level helped them earn playing time on varsity this year. They pushed their teammates hard in practices and took advantage of their time on the court in games and came up with several big plays when we needed them,” she added.

Football coach Mark Maloney will have to replace five starters and one reserve player from the 2012 team with all of them being two way players.

Trevor Secraw was a three year lineman for coach Mark Maloney and was an honorable mention defensive lineman as a junior and senior. He led the Vikings in tackles both of those years, recording 35 solo tackles with nine of them for loss of yardage, and two interceptions as a junior with three sacks. Exact stats for tackles this year were not recorded but he did have three quarterback sacks and three tackles for a loss. He also played on the offensive line three years.

Michael Hover played two years of varsity football and was an honorable mention All Conference running back as a junior. He led the Vikings in all purpose yards and scoring last year with 776 yards and seven touchdowns. He rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns and caught 15 passes for 264 yards with a pair of TDs. He returned eight kickoffs for 199 yards with the longest going 51 yards and as a punt returner, brought back seven punts for 98 yards with one going for 40 yards. He also recorded 13 tackles while playing defensive back.As a senior, Hover battled some injuries but led the team in kickoff returns with seven for 166 yards and scored his only touchdown of the season on an 85 yard return against St. Croix Central. He rushed for 45 yards on the season and caught 12 passes for 57 yards. He also had one interception on defense.

Dillon Lloyd took over the reigns at quarterback this year. After playing backup last year, completing four of nine passes for 37 yards, he led the team in total offense this year, completing 58 of 131 passes for 689 yards and seven touchdowns with nine interceptions and ran for 116 yards and one touchdown. Three of his scoring passes came in one game against Stephenson, MI. He was also the punter for the Vikings, averaging 29.2 yards a punt with 849 yards on 29 punts.

Two year starter Cody Zivcic collected 170 all purpose yards as a junior with 10 pass receptions for 164 yards and three touchdowns. As a defensive back, he collected 14 tackles with seven of them for loss of yardage and one interception. In just six games this year, he snared eight passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns with his longest reception going for 73 yards for a score against Glenwood City. He also grabbed a two point conversion pass for a total of 20 points for the season. Zivcic seemed to be the big play maker for the team as he returned a pair of kickoffs back with one going for a 70 yard score against Spring Valley.

Austin Lee played in the trenches on both sides of the line for two years and recorded nine tackles as a junior with five of them for loss of yardage. He saw limited action as a senior after going down with an injury midway through the season.

Reed Gibson, listed as a receiver and defensive back on the program, was also another player who was sidelined early in the season with an injury and did not get much playing time in.

“Although we didn’t win a lot of games in the years these guys played for us, they set good examples by working hard during practice and in games,” Maloney said. “Hover, Lloyd and Zivcic were all capable of making big plays and they showed that throughout their careers. Secraw was a team leader on defense as he came up with huge tackles every game. Lee and Gibson had a tough senior year that resulted in limited play, but all of these guys were a big part of the Colfax program. We had a tough conference this year with five of the seven teams going to playoffs. Hopefully, the underclassmen will understand that with hard work during the offseason they can be one of those teams next year,” he added.