Posted: Nov. 22, 2009 |(0) Comments

Success breeds recognition. Just ask Whitnall Falcons football coach Rob Leboeuf.

For the first time in school history, four Whitnall players have been named to the NOW All-Suburban Team, now in its 21st year, after the Falcons went 7-3 and made the playoffs for the second straight season.

"That's why we coach, to see players get what they work for," said Leboeuf, the NOW 2008 coach of the year. "It's fun opening up the paper and reading about the players and the program doing some positive things."

Four who made more

Junior quarterback Joel Stave and three seniors - defensive back Dustin Devine, running back Sean Graham and offensive lineman Scott Erickson - earned NOW honors this fall.

The school's previous record-high of NOW picks was three in 1999. Stave is the first Whitnall quarterback selected for the team, and Graham is the first player strictly chosen at running back. The school has had six players make the team as all-purpose players, many of whom were running backs.

Stave, who was one of eight finalists for the newspaper's player of the year award, shattered nearly all the school's passing records. The right-handed gunslinger passed for 2,447 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions in 10 games.

"He does a lot of things on film that I don't see a lot of guys on Saturdays do right now," Leboeuf said.

College football on Saturdays might be in Stave's future. According to Leboeuf, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin of the Big Ten have all been in contact with his prized junior.

After finishing the 2008 season strong and helping the Falcons to their first playoff appearance in seven years, Graham also rewrote the school record book with 1,339 yards and 17 TDs.

"I knew he'd be the best back in the conference this year, and I think he was," Leboeuf said. "You could tell when you watched him as a sophomore and junior."

Erickson, a three-year varsity player, spent much of his time helping Stave and Graham assault the school's record books by providing Stave time to find an open receiver or creating a hole for Graham to sprint through.

Devine, a two-year varsity player, became the second defensive back from Whitnall to be named to the NOW team after leading the team with 67 tackles.

"He's one of my favorite all-time kids," Leboeuf said. "I just like having him around, the leadership he brought to his team."

A trio from West Allis

In addition to the four Whitnall selections, three players were picked from West Allis.

West Allis Hale offensive guard Evan Rosa is the third Huskie in the last three years to be a repeat selection for the team. This fall, Rosa finished with 21 pancake blocks while anchoring a young offensive line.

"Evan is an extremely hard worker," Hale coach Scott Otto said. "He can play guard, tackle, tight end - and even lined up at defensive line for the last two games of the season. He was a force on the offensive line.

West Allis Central's senior wide receiver Mike Westrich and junior defensive end Jon Green snapped the Bulldogs' four-year All-Suburban drought and became the first set of Central teammates to make the team since 2000.

Westrich was having a standout season before an injury limited his production over the final three weeks. Still, he caught 39 passes for 541 yards and five touchdowns while forming one of the best pass-and-catch combos in the area along with fellow senior Ryan Barwick, a NOW high honorable mention at quarterback.

Green burst onto the scene with a breakout season that included 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He is drawing interest from Notre Dame and Wisconsin, according to his coach Dax Rodriguez.

The rundown

Number of players selected per school to the NOW All-Suburban Football Team:

4: Franklin, Homestead, Menomonee Falls, Whitnall

2: New Berlin Eisenhower, Oak Creek, West Allis Central, Whitefish Bay

1: Brookfield Central, Brown Deer, Greendale, Muskego, West Allis Hale