St. Charles East senior Wes Allen and Bartlett senior Kyle Zelinsky have impressed throughout their three-year varsity careers, and on Monday the duo was honored by the Upstate Eight Conference's coaches for their outstanding play during the 2008 season.
Allen, who leads the area in rushing yards and scoring, was tabbed UEC offensive MVP. Zelinsky earned UEC defensive MVP honors for his efforts in leading the Hawks to a perfect regular season as Bartlett's inside linebacker.
The awards were announced in conjunction with the league's 2008 All-Conference team. Bartlett led the UEC with 10 All-Conference honorees. St. Charles East and Neuqua Valley both had six players named to the team.
Allen, who has over 4,000 yards the past three years, is enjoying his finest varsity season. He's run for 1,893 yards and 28 touchdowns on 287 carries.0
Zelinsky is the centerpiece of a Bartlett defense that leads the area with 11.8 points per game allowed. The Hawks are also limiting opponents to 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.
St. Charles East linebacker Pat Friel was second in defensive MVP voting while St. Charles North linebacker Jake Juirga was third.
Bartlett quarterback Josh Hasenberg was second in offensive MVP voting while South Elgin receiver Josh Smith was fourth and Elgin receiver Jamal Cook was fifth.
Elgin, Larkin, South Elgin and Streamwood all had two players named to the team. Larkin's two representatives, defensive back Jalen Williams and defensive lineman Cody Schue, are both juniors.
Here's a team-by-team breakdown of how many players from each team were named to the squad...
10 -- Bartlett
6 -- St. Charles East
6 -- Neuqua Valley
5 -- Lake Park
4 -- St. Charles North
4 -- Waubonsie Valley
2 -- Elgin
2 -- Larkin
2 -- South Elgin
2 -- Streamwood
1 -- East Aurora
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