Salamanca stars make Big 30 All-Star team
Sam Wilson, Salamanca Press
The 2022 Big 30 All-Star Team, chosen by the Big 30 All-Star Committee in consultation with the Olean Times Herald, included three members each from Randolph and Salamanca teams and two from Franklinville/Ellicottville.
The Cardinals (11-1), Warriors (7-3) and Titans (8-3) all enjoyed successful seasons in 2022, led by Randolph’s Section 6 Class D championship and Far West Regional victory. F/E reached the Section 6 Class D championship and Salamanca won the Class C South regular season division title and reached the Class C semifinal in the postseason.
— For Salamanca, senior Jesse Stahlman made the Big 30 offense at running back while senior Jaxon Tarr made the defense at defensive end and junior Tayoni Galante did so at linebacker.
A repeat Big 30 All-Star selection, Stahlman ran for 824 yards and 13 touchdowns on 120 carries this season, missing the playoffs with an injury. He also had a team-high 63 total tackles on defense (41 solo, nine for loss) with a sack and a fumble recovery.
Tarr was a two-way starting lineman and had 59 tackles (37 solo, 10 for loss), one sack and two fumble recoveries.
Galante made 56 tackles (27 solo, four for loss), grabbed two interceptions and had a fumble recovery. He was Salamanca’s leading receiver at tight end, catching 23 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns and added 19 carries for 183 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
— For Randolph, Xander Hind not only made the Big 30 All-Star offense, but repeated as Big 30 Player of the Year. He broke the Western New York single-season rushing record — set by Randolph’s Chris Doubek in 2013 — with 2,577 yards and 34 touchdowns on 305 carries this year. He also had 191 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just five catches. Defensively, Hind had 66 tackles (27 solo), one sack and two interceptions at free safety.
Hind was joined by senior classmates Jaiden Huntington and Ryan Carpenter on the all-star team, all as two-time Big 30 selections.
Huntington made the all-star defense as a middle linebacker, marking a team-high 73 tackles (17 solo) with a sack and an interceptions. He led Randolph receivers with 16 catches for 307 yards and seven touchdowns at tight end.
Carpenter made the all-star team on the offensive line. He was one of 12 nominees for the Trench Trophy, the top prize for Western New York linemen. On defense, he had 51 tackles (eight solo) with one sack.
— For F/E, senior Tyler Gibas made the Big 30 All-Star team on the offensive line and senior Gian Nuzzo made the team at defensive back.
Gibas was consistently F/E’s top graded linemen as a right guard, helping the Titans score 32 points per game. He had 34 tackles (eight solo, six for loss), two sacks and a fumble recovery as a defensive lineman.
Nuzzo had a fumble recovery and a pass defensed at cornerback for the Titans, playing both ways while leading the F/E offense at quarterback. He had a breakout offensive season with 155 carries for 925 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns while throwing for 592 yards and eight touchdowns to four interceptions on 35-for-75 passing.
https://www.salamancapress.com/sports/randolph-salamanca-f-e-stars-make-big-30-all-star-team/article_d7e0fa46-70e2-11ed-9973-f74d093d0c42.html#tncms-source=login
