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Truckee’s Bellon named Northern League co-MVP; Wingard earns defensive player of the year

Truckee senior quarterback was named the Northern League co-MVP for his play this past season.
Courtesy of Hans Baumann / Abdiver Photography

Wolverines Northern League selections

Co-MVP

Marcus Bellon

Defensive player of the year

Drew Wingard

First-team all offense

Marcus Trotter RB

Brennen Conklin — TE

Jake Bullion — OL

Ryland Ward — OL

First-team all defense

Marcus Trotter — DL

Jackson Skaff — LB

Tyler Estabrook — CB

Derek Laferriere — S

First-team all special teams

Emmanuel Valenzuela-Jones — K

Second-team all offense

Kevin Malo — RB

Stephen Ryan — OL

Martin Bravo-Karvonen — OL

Second-team all defense

Brennen Conklin — DL

Jake Bullion — LB

Sean Kelly — S

Honorable mention offense

Zach Charter — OL

George Skaff — TE

Dakota Allen-Gill — WR

Sean Kelly — RB

Jackson Skaff — RB

Honorable mention defense

George Skaff — LB

Kevin Contreras — DL

Emmanuel Valenzuela-Jones — CB

Following a Class 3A state runner-up finish and an 11-2 overall record, several members of the Truckee football team have been named to all league lists.

After one of the best seasons in program history, senior quarterback Marcus Bellon was named co-MVP of the Class 3A Northern League, while on the defensive side, senior Drew Wingard’s ability to disrupt opposing offenses earned him defensive player of the year.

Bellon did a little bit of everything for the Wolverines this season in leading Truckee to its first state championship game since 2012. The two-year starting quarterback completed 115 of 192 pass attempts for 1,905 yards and 21 touchdowns. Bellon was Truckee’s third leading rusher with 491 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which included a game against Dayton where Bellon threw for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown, and caught a touchdown.



Bellon was used on special teams as well, and proved to be a dangerous return man, scoring twice on punt returns and once on a kick return. He was Truckee’s punter too, averaging 33.1 yards per punt. Defensively, Bellon finished with one interception and 24 tackles.

“Marcus made this whole thing click,” said Head Coach Josh Ivens following the state championship game. “He had a heck of a season.”



Churchill County senior running back Sean McCormick was named the league’s other co-MVP.

The Northern League defensive player of the year, Wingard, imposed his will on opposing offenses all season long.

Wingard finished his season as the Class 3A leader in tackles with 134. The Truckee linebacker’s tackle total was also fourth for all of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, regardless of class.

Wingard finished the season with 20 tackles for a loss, two fumble recoveries for touchdowns, five forced fumbles, a blocked punt, and 3.5 sacks.

Offensively, Wingard caught eight passes from his tight end position for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Truckee senior Marcus Trotter stood out on both sides of the ball this year, and was named first-team all league as a running back and first-team all league as a defensive lineman.

Trotter was the second leading rusher on Class 3A’s top running attack, finishing the year with 586 yards and seven touchdowns. Trotter also caught 14 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Trotter was sixth in Class 3A with 6.5 sacks. He also posted 76 tackles, including a team-high 25 tackles for a loss.

Linemen, running backs earn honors

Led by an undersized but ferocious offensive line, the Wolverines sported one of the top rushing attacks in all of the state this season.

The group had five offensive linemen and a pair of tight ends named to all league lists, and also paved the way for four Truckee running backs to earn all league honors.

For their play this season, seniors Jake Bullion and Ryland Ward were each named first-team all league. Bullion finished the year with 13 pancake blocks, while Ward flattened six defenders on the season. Bullion was also named second-team all league at linebacker. He finished the year with 62 tackles, and an interception.

Seniors Stephen Ryan and Martin Bravo-Karvonen were named second-team all league as offensive linemen. Bravo-Karvonen led Truckee with 16 pancake blocks this season. Senior offensive lineman Zach Charter was named to the honorable mention list. He finished his season with five pancake blocks.

Wolverines dominate all league selections

Senior Jackson Skaff was named first-team all league as a linebacker after posting 113 tackles this season. He also intercepted a pass, forced a fumble, and had two fumble recoveries.

Offensively, Skaff was one of Truckee’s top running backs, finishing the year with 471 yards and four touchdowns. For his play on the offensive side of the ball, Skaff was named to the league’s honorable mention list.

Truckee’s secondary had two players earn first-team all league honors. Junior Tyler Estabrook emerged as one of Truckee’s top defensive players this season, finishing with two interceptions, a blocked punt, and a blocked field goal. Senior safety Derek Laferriere was third on the team with 97 tackles this season and also intercepted a pair of passes to earn first-team honors. Laferriere was one of Truckee’s top offensive players, catching a team-high 19 passes for 247 yards and five touchdowns, and running for 263 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.

Truckee senior tight end Brennen Conklin was named first-team all league. Conklin caught 12 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns.

Conklin was also named second-team all league for his play on the Truckee defensive line. He was fourth on the team with 79 tackles, including 14 tackles for a loss. He also had two sacks, two forced fumbles, a blocked punt, and one fumble recovery.

Senior kicker Emmanuel Valenzuela-Jones was named first-team all league. Valenzuela-Jones converted four of eight field goal attempts, and had a long this season of 44 yards. He also knocked in 57 of 63 extra-point attempts, and had 22 touchbacks on kickoffs.

Valenzuela-Jones was also named to the league’s honorable mention list for his play at cornerback. He led Truckee with three interceptions, and finished the season with 25 tackles.

The Wolverines also had a number of other players earn second-team all league honors. Senior Kevin Malo led Truckee 628 rushing yards and six touchdowns to land on the second-team all league list. Malo also caught 16 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

Truckee senior safety Sean Kelly also earned second-team all league honors. Kelly finished the season with 33 tackles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. Offensively, Kelly rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns, and caught seven passes for 82 yards and four touchdowns. He was named to the league’s honorable mention list for his play at running back this season.

Junior George Skaff was named to a pair of Northern League honorable mention lists for his play at tight end and linebacker. Skaff hauled in three passes for 87 yards and had 12 pancake blocks. Defensively, Skaff finished with 53 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked punt. Skaff also returned an interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns this year.

Others receiving honorable mention honors were senior receiver Dakota Allen-Gill (11 receptions, 111 receiving yards), and senior defensive linemen Kevin Contreras (53 tackles, two forced fumbles).

Churchill County Head Coach Brooke Hill was named coach of the year, Churchill County junior quarterback Elijah Jackson was named offensive player of the year, and the Greenwave’s senior lineman, Ben Dooley, was named lineman of the year.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com.


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