Jaxon Bunkers, Remsen St. Mary’s
Bunkers earned first-team all-state honors in football and baseball and second-team in basketball this school year, capping a remarkable high school career. This season, he was part of a senior class that led the Hawks to state championships in baseball and football and the state semifinals in basketball this year, while never missing a state tournament in the three sports during their careers.
A North Iowa Area Community College baseball commit, Bunkers slashed .474/.557/.773 this season. The shortstop also was a top pitcher for the Hawks, finishing with a 6-1 record and over 60 strikeouts.
A 6-foot-2-inch senior guard, Bunkers averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. From his linebacker position, he recorded double-digit tackles last fall as the Hawks won their second football in four years. And, Bunkers posted an 18-hole average of 90 in his senior season of golf.
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Carson Noecker, Hartington Cedar Catholic
Noecker became the first-ever Nebraska boy to win four consecutive state cross country races, earning the state's Gatorade Boys Cross Country Player of the Year honors. For the third straight season, he never lost a race.
The South Dakota State University recruit also continued his dominance on the oval in the spring, winning the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races in Class C for the third straight year. (He never had a chance to win four straight due to the cancellation of the 2020 state meet due to the COVID outbreak.)
In the 3,200 this spring, the senior ran 9:07.73, shattering his own state meet record (9:16.05) and Class C record (9.11.70), both set in 2022, as he took the All-Class Gold Medal. In a race against the clock in the 1,600, he finished with a time of 4:19.35, about five seconds slower than the 4:14.37 of Class A, and gold medalist, Jack Witte of Millard West.
Jackson Dewald, Westwood
After runner-up finishes the two previous seasons, Dewald won his first state wrestling championship in February, capping an undefeated 47-0 season.
While most of his wins came on pins or technical falls, the senior faced his toughest match in the Class 1A 195-pound final, winning by sudden victory, 3-1, over Mediapolis' Josh Glendening.
A U.S. Air Force Academy recruit, Dewald also starred on the grid iron for Westwood in his senior year, earning first-team all-state honors. The fullback rushed for 1,861 yards and 22 touchdowns last fall, while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. From his linebacker position, he also led the Rebels in tackles (49.5), solo tackles (36) and tackles for loss (13.5).
Dave Dreeszen is the managing editor for the Sioux City Journal. Contact him at ddreeszen@siouxcityjournal.com or 712-293-4211