Not many local football fans had heard of Ryan Saunders II before the 2013 season.
With his dazzling skills running and throwing the football, the Jim Thorpe quarterback not only became a household name, he developed into a player worthy of Associated Press Class AAA All-State honors.
Saunders II was one of six local players named to 2013 Pennsylvania Football Writers' All-State teams Thursday.
Saunders, a 5-foot-10, 172-pound senior, was selected as the offensive athlete on the Class AAA team in voting done by sportswriters across Pennsylvania.
Five local players were named to the Class A team: Schuylkill Haven tight end Mike Feryo, Mahanoy Area offensive lineman Tyler Cavenas, Marian linebacker Lukas Damian, Tri-Valley defensive back Cale Bruso, and Williams Valley senior Cole Barnhardt at defensive athlete.
Players were nominated by media outlets across the state - including The Republican-Herald - then a statewide ballot was issued to allow all football writers the opportunity to cast their votes.
A dual threat quarterback, Saunders II rushed 222 times for 1,570 yards and 17 touchdowns and completed 51-of-102 passes for 1,005 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Olympians captured the Anthracite Football League championship.
After going just 1-9 in 2012, Jim Thorpe finished the regular season 7-3 and qualified for the Eastern Conference Class AA playoffs before losing to eventual champion Saucon Valley.
"Ryan is a great athlete, and playing quarterback he's a dual threat to run and throw," Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger said. "He worked all season at becoming a good quarterback and really produced for us.
"He's an extremely hard worker, a good leader and he willed us to win. That desire, that will to win, that intensity, the never give up attitude, that turned him into an All-State quarterback."
Feryo was a two-way standout for the District 11 Class A champion Hurricanes at tight end and defensive end, helping Haven reach the PIAA quarterfinals.
A 6-4, 240-pound senior, Feryo caught 16 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns while serving as a talented blocker up front for the Hurricanes, helping Haven rush for 4,271 yards in 14 games.
Defensively, Feryo had 64 tackles, including 14 for loss, nine sacks, an interception for a touchdown, a blocked punt for a touchdown and two blocked field goals.
Cavenas, a 6-5, 270-pound senior, was a force on both sides of the ball for the Golden Bears, who reached the Eastern Conference Class A championship game.
Offensively, Mahanoy Area moved Cavenas around and ran behind him a majority of the time. Defensively, he had 88 tackles, including 37 for loss, eight sacks and blocked three punts.
Also a standout in basketball, Cavenas has verbally committed to play football next fall at Lehigh University.
Damian led the area in tackles with 163 for the Eastern Conference Class A champion Colts despite missing two games due to injury. The 6-2, 227-pound senior had four games of more than 20 tackles, and is drawing interest from several FCS (Division I-AA) schools.
Bruso, a 6-foot, 155-pound senior, collected 87 tackles (54 solo) and had six interceptions for the Dawgs, helping them qualify for the District 11 Class A playoffs.
Barnhardt did a little bit of everything for the Vikings, guiding Williams Valley to the District 11 Class A championship game for the second straight season.
Offensively, Barnhardt rushed 187 times for 1,315 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Vikes' No. 1 running back while also catching 26 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns.
Defensively, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior played linebacker and was a perfect compliment to fellow senior Trevor Whelski. Barnhardt had 73 tackles, two for loss and eight interceptions, including one against Tri-Valley he returned for a touchdown.
Bishop McDevitt junior running Andre Robinson was named the Class AAA Player of the Year after rushing for 2,279 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns in helping the Crusaders go 14-2, win the District 3 title and reach the PIAA championship game for the third time in four years.
A junior, Robinson accounted for more than 3,000 all-purpose yards, becoming only the second back in school history to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season, joining current Philadelphia Eagles tailback LeSean McCoy.
Bishop McDevitt lost in the state finals to District 12 champion Archbishop Wood, which had four players on the Class AAA All-State team. Vikings coach Steve Devlin was selected as the Class AAA Coach of the Year.
Old Forge running back Brandon Yescavage and South Williamsport tailback Dominick Bragalone shared Class A Player of the Year honors.
Yescavage compiled 2,666 rushing yards and scored 45 touchdowns in leading the Blue Devils to the PIAA Class A championship game. Yescavage is one of seven Old Forge players on the Class A team, joined by linebackers Shane Schuback and Jorden Sekol, offensive linemen Ryan Paulish and Paul Papi, defensive lineman Joey Bruno and defensive back Jake Manetti.
Bragalone, a junior, ran for more than 3,300 yards for South Williamsport, including 341 in a loss to Southern Columbia in the District 4 Class A championship game. He scored three times against the Tigers, giving him 48 on the season.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's Bob Ravenstahl was named the Class A Coach of the Year.