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KENOSHA NEWS STAFF

Quarterback Evan Jones led a record-breaking offensive season for the Carthage football team in 2009.

The junior from Grayslake, Ill., set single-season records for total offensive yards (3,655), passing yards (3,554), attempts (464), completions (309) and touchdown passes (32). Those all bettered his own marks from the 2008 season.

Rucks was stunned that Jones did not make first-team All-CCIW.

“The other kid from North Central (first-teamer Aaron Fanthorpe) is a great quarterback but he didn’t throw the ball as much as Evan,” Rucks said. “They wanted to make a big deal out of (Fanthorpe’s) passing efficiency (190.6 to Jones’ 147.7). I disagree with that. It’s a bad selection.

“I am not taking anything away from the kid. He’s a winner but our defensive coordinator said it would be much easier to come up with a gameplan for (Fanthorpe) than it would for Jones.”

With 6,651 total offensive yards, 4,253 passing yards and 59 touchdown passes, Jones, a two-year starter surpassed Patrick Brown’s Carthage career records of 5,435 total yards, 4,253 passing yards and 42 touchdown passes set between 1999 and 2002.

“He’s such a tough kid and his confidence has grown so much,” Rucks said. “People don’t realize that we run the no-huddle and calls a lot of his own plays. To throw the ball as much as he did with such a high completion percentage, you may never see that again.”

More records fall

Courtesy of sports information director Steve Marovich, here is a closer look at other records set by the Red Men (7-3 overall, 4-3 in CCIW) this season:

n Senior wide receiver Jeff Koeneman set a season record with 94 receptions, shattering his own mark of 77 set last season. The Barrington, Ill., native wrapped up his career as Carthage’s all-time leader in both receptions (258) and receiving yards (3,006).

“As I told the (CCIW) coaches when I nominated for player of the year, he has been a major figure in this league for three years,” Rucks said. “He is a rare and dominating player when you look at his catches and yards. We weren’t throwing bubble-screens either. We were throwing it down the field. He is a complete football and player who was always producing and producing big.”

n Senior wide receiver Nick Merchut finished his career as Carthage’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions (40). That total also matched Carthage’s overall mark set by tailback Kevin Burris between 1996-1999.n First-year punter Tyler Funk, a Racine Horlick graduate, set a school record with a 44.4 average on 35 punts. That bettered the old mark of 42.3 set by Carthage Hall of Famer John Eakins in 1955.n As a team, Carthage’s 4,639 total offensive yards, 3,796 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns and 327 completions were all single-season school records. The team’s 257 first downs matched a 2008 season mark.

Carthage, which finished the season with a three-game winning streak, was ranked 31st in the final D3football.com poll.

Compiled by Andrew Horschak and David Marran