Frosh DE Stille is LJS Nebraska High School Athlete of the Year

[Mavric]

He's conquered them on the football field and on the wrestling mat for Ashland-Greenwood. And there's no reason to think he won't do the same when he moves from Ashland's Memorial Stadium to the Huskers' Memorial Stadium.

On the football field, Stille faced double-teams on a regular basis and often had three foes directing their attention at him. At times, it looked as if he was swatting away bothersome gnats. He responded with 79 total tackles, 45 of them unassisted, and he had nine sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered three to earn first-team Super-State honors on the defensive line. He also caught 26 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns, and ran for 44 yards.

In his final year of wrestling, Stille competed in the 285-pound weight class. He weighed 243 by the end of football, so he regularly faced opponents who weighed 20, 30, even 40 pounds more than he did. He responded with his second state championship and his second straight undefeated season. He finished his career with a 142-16 record.

"A lot of the mass they had on me wasn't necessarily good weight," Stille said with a sly grin. "Most of my weight is good weight and muscles. It also made me quicker than they were. Most heavyweights aren't shooting doubles and singles, and that's what I do.

"I didn't want to change my style too much, but obviously, I had to a little to be successful."

 

LJS