As selected by 513 fans, Reitz headlined AlmanacSports.com's eighth annual Southwestern Indiana Fans Choice All-Area Football Team with six selections but it was Bosse's Elijah Wagner that lead the pack as the 2023 Player of the Year!

Player of the Year: Elijah Wagner (Bosse)

While the Bulldogs only finished 3-7, Elijah Wagner's impact on his team was so significant it earned him numerous honors. The senior quarterback was named all-state, the Courier & Press' All-Metro Player of the Year, the SIAC Player of the Year, the Downtown Quarterback Club's Most Outstanding Player and of course the AlmanacSports.com All-Area Player of the Year.

Wagner became Bosse's first Player of the Year and only their second player ever to make the All-Area team since it started in 2016. He was also the first player from Evansville to win Player of the Year since 2019.

Coach of the Year: Todd Wilkerson (Heritage Hills)

After guiding the Patriots back to the state championship game, Todd Wilkerson was voted the All-Area Coach of the Year. This was the closest race, won by only four votes over North Posey's Waylon Schenk, who also lead his team to the state finals. It was the fourth year in a row that the Pocket Athletic Conference took coach of the year.

Offensive Team

• Quarterback: Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills)
• Running backs: Sean DeLong (Gibson Southern)
• Running backs: Jed Galvin (North Posey)
• Wide receivers: Luke Ellspermann (Memorial)
• Wide receivers: Hayden Summers (Reitz)
• Wide receivers: Roland Vera Jr. (Reitz)
• Offensive linemen: Quentin Boeke (Reitz)
• Offensive linemen: Timothy Dixon (North)
• Offensive linemen: Kalon Egan (North Posey)
• Offensive linemen: Parker Hart (Heritage Hills)
• Center: Caige Christie (North Posey)
• Kicker: Kiefer Sanderson (Reitz)

Defensive Team

• Defensive linemen: Kaleb Harris (North)
• Defensive linemen: Gavin Myers (North Posey)
• Defensive linemen: Levi Oxley (Reitz)
• Linebackers: Braydon Durham (Heritage Hills)
• Linebackers: Jace Gauer (North Posey)
• Linebackers: Beau Rose (Gibson Southern)
• Linebackers: Ayden Wells (Reitz)
• Defensive backs: Ty Brown (South Spencer)
• Defensive backs: Kasey Hospelhorn (North)
• Defensive backs: Wyatt Stratman (Mater Dei)
• Defensive backs: Noah Terry (Tell City)
• Punter: Lane Gabbard (Central)

Number of players by team:

• 6 - Reitz
• 5 - North Posey
• 4 - Heritage Hills
• 3 - North
• 2 - Gibson Southern
• 1 - Bosse
• 1 - Central
• 1 - Mater Dei
• 1 - Memorial
• 1 - South Spencer
• 1 - Tell City

Player of the Year
149 - Elijah Wagner (Bosse)
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109 - Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills)
93 - Jed Galvin (North Posey)
68 - Cainen Northington (North)
53 - Tanner Boyd (Gibson Southern)
41 - OTHERS

Coach of the Year
124 - Todd Wilkerson (Heritage Hills)
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120 - Waylon Schenk (North Posey)
87 - Cory Brunson (Reitz)
74 - Joey Paridaen (North)
45 - Stephan Mullen (Bosse)
44 - John Hurley (Memorial)
13 - Nick Hart (Gibson Southern)
6 - OTHERS

Quarterback (1)
121 - Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills)
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179* - Elijah Wagner (Bosse - made team as Player of the Year)
101 - Liam Stone (North Posey)
79 - Tanner Boyd (Gibson Southern)
19 - Xander Hunt (Vincennes Lincoln)
14 - OTHERS

Running back (2)
223 - Jed Galvin (North Posey)
156 - Sean DeLong (Gibson Southern)
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152 - Cainen Northington (North)
140 - Antonio Harris (Castle)
109 - Landon Terry (Tell City)
29 - OTHERS
19 - Coltyn McNabb (North Daviess)

Wide receivers (3)
297 - Roland Vera Jr. (Reitz)
275 - Hayden Summers (Reitz)
260 - Luke Ellspermann (Memorial)
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254 - Tyler Ruxer (Heritage Hills)
35 - OTHERS

Offensive linemen (4)
250 - Timothy Dixon (North)
246 - Quentin Boeke (Reitz)
243 - Kalon Egan (North Posey)
203 - Parker Hart (Heritage Hills)
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159 - Ethan Goodin (Mater Dei)
139 - Parker Mattingly (Memorial)
138 - Nate McDurmon (Mater Dei)
120 - Daniel Nash (Vincennes Lincoln)
34 - OTHERS

Center (1)
231 - Caige Christie (North Posey)
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175 - Delshan Davis (North)
84 - Coleton Adamson (Castle)
9 - Braxton Schaefer (Heritage Hills)
7 - Teagan Baker (Gibson Southern)
7 - OTHERS

Kicker (1)
209 - Keifer Sanderson (Reitz)
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149 - Seth Deom (Heritage Hills)
128 - Kaleb Herke (North Posey)
15 - Cam Novotny (Gibson Southern)
12 - OTHERS

Defensive linemen (3)
210 - Kaleb Harris (North)
204 - Gavin Myers (North Posey)
193 - Levi Oxley (Reitz)
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185 - Jayden Hazelwood (North)
173 - Brody Klem (Gibson Southern)
154 - Calab Utley (Reitz)
122 - Yamil Arroyo (Southridge)
122 - Brady Schickel (Mount Vernon)
115 - Stihl Scott (Boonville)
106 - Donovan Baker (Memorial)
56 - Benny Patterson (Castle)
27 - OTHERS

Linebackers (4)
256 - Jace Gauer (North Posey)
231 - Ayden Wells (Reitz)
225 - Braydon Durham (Heritage Hills)
214 - Beau Rose (Gibson Southern)
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206 - Jack Rose (Gibson Southern)
193 - Alex Broshears (Memorial)
169 - Aiden Scheu (Mater Dei)
98 - Kaleb Archer (North Knox)
29 - OTHERS

Defensive backs (4)
245 - Kasey Hospelhorn (North)
213 - Noah Terry (Tell City)
210 - Ty Brown (South Spencer)
199 - Wyatt Stratman (Mater Dei)
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187 - Noah Wright (Southridge)
186 - Tanner Halbig (Mater Dei)
183 - JJ Lowery (Memorial)
146 - Caleb Bottum (North Knox)
42 - OTHERS

Punter (1)
150 - Lane Gabbard (Central)
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112 - Matthew Fisher (Memorial)
105 - Keaton Allen (Southridge)
78 - Luke Lindsey (Vincennes Lincoln)
43 - Hayden Gilmore (Princeton)
9 - Cam Novotny (Gibson Southern)
7 - Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills)
9 - OTHERS

Tidbits:

• Four players repeated as members of the team. Braydon Durham of Heritage Hills at linebacker, Sean DeLong of Gibson Southern (now running back instead of wide receiver), Roland Vera Jr. from Reitz (now at wide receiver instead of defensive back) and Timothy Dixon from North at offensive line. Dixon also becomes the fourth player to become a three-time selection.
• Four players were on the 2022 team but fans did not select them for 2023: Yamil Arroyo from Southridge, Brody Klem from Gibson Southern and Boonville's Stihl Scott, all defensive linemen, and Heritage Hills' Seth Deom at kicker.
• South Spencer and Tell City earned spot on the all-area team for the first time since voting started in 2016.
• Fans have yet to include players on seven teams in Southwestern Indiana (North Daviess, North Knox, Perry Central, Pike Central, Princeton, Vincennes Lincoln & Washington).
• This is the first time in three years that the player and coach of the year are from different schools.

Historical info since fans choice team started in 2016

Players & coaches who have qualified multiple years:
3 - Brady Allen (Gibson Southern), 2019-21
3 - Scott Buening (Southridge), 2017, 2020 & 2022
3 - Branson Combs (Memorial), 2015-17
3 - Timothy Dixon (North), 2021-23
2 - Jacob Boberg (Central), 2018 & 2020
2 - Will Brackett (Memorial), 2018-19
2 - Kenny Butler (Castle), 2019-20
2 - Cole Calvert (Southridge), 2017 & 2019
2 - Brock Combs (Memorial), 2018-19
2 - Sean DeLong (Gibson Southern), 2022-23
2 - Joey Diekmann (Reitz), 2016-17
2 - Isaiah Dunham (Reitz), 2016-17
2 - Braydon Durham (Heritage Hills), 2022-23
2 - Teorien (Tory) Evans (Central), 2019-20
2 - Tre'jon Evans (Central), 2016 & 2019
2 - Max Goodwin (Memorial), 2017-18
2 - Drew Hart (Memorial), 2016-17
2 - Aidan Jochem (Southridge), 2020-21
2 - Austin Jones (Memorial), 2018-19
2 - Michael Lindauer (Memorial), 2017-18
2 - Eli McDurmon (Mater Dei), 2020-21
2 - Keioni McGuire (Memorial), 2017-18
2 - Jarrett Naas (Reitz), 2016 & 2018
2 - John Purdy (Castle), 2021-22
2 - Steven Pritchett (Central), 2020-21
2 - Evan Reff (Castle), 2020-21
2 - Isaac Sellers (Gibson Southern), 2016-17
2 - Niles Sutton (Castle), 2019-20
2 - Miguel Turnbaugh (Memorial), 2017-18
2 - Roland Vera Jr. (Reitz), 2022-23
2 - Drew Weinzapfel (Memorial), 2020-21

All-time number of players & coaches by team (2016-present):

• 33 - Memorial
• 26 - Gibson Southern
• 26 - Southridge
• 22 - Central
• 21 - Reitz
• 16 - Mater Dei
• 15 - Castle
• 11 - Heritage Hills
• 9 - North
• 6 - Boonville
• 6 - North Posey
• 2 - Bosse
• 2 - Harrison
• 1 - Forest Park
• 1 - Jasper
• 1 - Mount Vernon
• 1 - South Spencer
• 1 - Tell City

To be eligible, a player must have been named to one of the local all-star teams and play for a team in Southwestern Indiana (Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh & Warrick counties). Generally, a player must have been named on more than one all-star team to be a finalist, but write-in votes were also accepted.

Any questions? Email us at dengler@almanacsports.com.