(Players listed by team)

Cody Hall, sr., G-MU, 6-foot-3
The second leading scorer in the area at 19.8 points per game, Hall led the Raiders in nearly every important offensive and defensive category, and was a first team All-Tri-Valley League selection. He made an immediate impact from his freshman season, said head coach Cody Hall, and blossomed over the next three seasons. He scored over 800 points from his sophomore through senior seasons, and highlighted his final season with a pair of 30-plus point nights. “ I honestly believe he was the most versatile player I watched all year, and I had an opportunity to watch some special kids,” said Raiders coach Bill Hartman. Hall led G-MU in scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals, deflections, he managed the press, and routinely defended the other team’s best player. “Throughout his last two years, he had moments of unselfishness, singular athleticism, and always quiet leadership,” Hartman said. Hall had 20 or more points 10 times scoring a career-high 33 points against Franklin.
 
Dan Carlin, sr., Greene, 6-foot-2
Carlin is the type of player who does all the little things, and they add up to one big thing. In Carlin’s case, that big that was his varied and important contributions on offense and defense. He was second on the team in scoring at 12 points a game, but was also among the team leaders in just about everything else. “He does everything you need, and we got some key defensive games from him as well,” said Greene coach Jeff Paske. “He started to do some things that he hadn’t done in the past, and he kind of set the tone for our team taking a charge at the beginning of the year.” Carlin was in double figures 14 times this season to lead the Trojans, and was almost a sure bet to score 10 to 15 points night in and night out. “He was our most consistent offensive player, and he’s one of those typical three-sport athletes,” Paske said. “He’s good at everything he plays, and he probably would be good in a couple other sports.”

Scott Gorton, jr., Greene, 5-foot-11
Gorton was the embodiment of a streaky, dangerous offensive weapon. The final game of the year against Sidney, everything came together for the junior guard. On his way to a career-high 36-point game, Gorton nailed six three-pointers, and finished the season with 48 treys to give him well over 80 three balls for his career. “I liked what I saw from Scott the last game,” said Greene mentor Jeff Paske. “He let the game come to him, and I hope it’s a good sign for the future.” Every few games, Gorton would mix in a red-hot shooting night around his usual 13.3 points-per-game average. He canned five threes and scored 27 against Afton, and in early February, found a home for seven three balls scoring 27 in a tight victory over Unadilla Valley. “We ask him to take on a lot for us,” Paske said. “He had to handle the ball and push the ball up the floor, but he also had to be one of our scorers night in and night out. He understands the game as a coach’s son, and he knows our game plans to a tee.”

Tim Clark, sr., Norwich, 5-foot-9
About the only thing Clark didn’t do in abundance for the Tornado was shoot the ball. As a prototypical, unselfish point guard, Clark’s presumption of pass first, shoot later definitely paid off for Norwich. “With as many weapons as we had this year, Timmy was a distributor, and at times a scorer,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott. “But he didn’t care about scoring, just winning.” Clark did just about everything possible to ensure Norwich’s success on the floor. He had a 3.1-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio finishing with 161 assists and just 51 turnovers. He set a new free throw percentage record under Abbott at 84.5, shot the ball at a high percentage, and drew a team-record 16 defensive charges. Not just that, he averaged close to four rebounds and three steals a game, the latter category also leading Norwich. “If you look at player in terms of physical and mental toughness, Timmy is second to none,” Abbott said. The number nine ranked student academically in his class, Clark not only was a STAC all-division player, but also and New York State Scholar-Athlete, a NYS All-Academic Team member, and NYS Academic All-Star. “Timmy is one of those guys you don’t replace, you just hope a couple of guys bring to the table what Timmy brought,” Abbott said.

Vaughn Labor, sr., Norwich, 6-foot-5
A three-year player for Norwich, Labor grew by leaps and bounds each successive year as a member of the Tornado varsity club. He was second in scoring at 11.3 points per game, was first in field goal percentage at 51 percent, led in rebounding at 8.5 per game, and improved his free throw shooting to 69 percent, a marked improvement over last year. “Vaughn is that rare combination of not only leading by example, but also leading with his words,” Abbott said. “Effort-wise, he was consistent throughout his three years, but in terms of confidence and being a leader, watching him grow was incredible. He went from shy and reserved, to without question, the most vocal team leader on any team we saw this year.” Labor was Norwich’s number one inside threat, but seldom did teams allow Labor much room to operate. When they did; however, it was lights out as Elmira Southside learned in the Section IV, Class A title game. “Vaughn put in a lot of time to broaden the aspects of his game, and he was one of the top two or three post players in our league,” Abbott said.

Corey Dietrich, sr., Norwich, 6-foot-1
No one put in more time developing his game in the offseason than Dietrich, and that dedication to improving all aspects of game thrust him to the top of Norwich’s scoring charts this season. “I’ve never known anyone put in as much time off the court as Corey,” Abbott said. “He made himself into the player he developed into. He was one of our leaders, and that is totally attributed to work he put in to become a better player.” Dietrich scored in a variety of ways, but was at his best driving to the basket or finishing fast breaks. He was the most consistent double figures scorer on a balanced scoring lineup reaching 10 points or more a team-high 16 times. Dietrich, like Clark, hit the trifecta of athletic and academic honors as a NYS Scholar-Athlete, and NYS All-Academic Team member, and a NYS Academic All-Star. “Not only was he our leading scorer, but Corey was also responsible for guarding the other team’s best offensive guard or forward,” Abbott said. “That’s a unique combination.”

David Cerasani, sr. Otselic Valley, 5-foot-7
Cerasani may have been short of stature, but he had the biggest game on the Vikings, and four games into his senior season, he became the school’s all-time leading scorer. Little did anyone know that Cerasani would save some of his four-year career’s best moments for later on. “The first thing that comes to mind with David is his leadership,” said longtime OV coach Dave Loomis. “He leads with his overall play, his hustle, and his determination. It rubbed off on everyone and set the tone for the way we wanted to play.” Cerasani had nine 20-point games entering the last regular season game against Lafayette. Through one half, his team trailed by double digits and Cerasani was below the pace of his season average. That all changed over the last 16 minutes. Cerasani tossed in nearly everything he directed at the basket connecting for eight three-pointers in the game, 35 points in the second half, and a career-high 42 points. To top it off, he hit a fadeway three-pointer at the buzzer for the victory. “I think that was the most memorable moment I’ve had as a coach,” Loomis said. “I’ve witnessed some really good ballplayers, but he absolutely took over the game. It was phenomenal.” Cerasani finished his career with 1,379 points, a school record that will not likely be touched for many years.

Alex Champlin, sr., Oxford, 6-foot-5
The most valuable player for the Blackhawks was also the Midstate Athletic Conference Division II player of the year, while also leading Oxford to its first MAC championship and first Section IV championship in 39 years. Champlin won the Chenango County scoring title at 21.3 points per game, he scored 533 points over the course of his final season, and had four 30-plus point games including a career-high 35 points against Hancock. Incidentally, Champlin outscored the Hancock team in that contest – by eight. “At both ends of the floor, he was the orchestrator,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott. “I saw a lot of similarities between Alex and Vaughn (Labor, Norwich senior). He took on more of a supporting role last year, and just like Vaughn, I saw Alex mature into that leadership role.” Champlin posted numerous double-doubles throughout the year, and was a nightmare to defend. He was able to post-up players with his 6-foot-5 frame or beat them from the outside as his team’s primary ballhandler. He added an excellent mid-range game, something of a lost art. “When you have a weapon like Alex on your team, it makes things a little easier,” Abbott said.

Tom Gould, sr., Oxford, 6-foot-3
Gould played the inside like a wily veteran with numerous moves, crafty fakes, and an excellent understanding of what the defense is trying to do. He was second leading Oxford scorer, and that was only due to the super season of fellow senior Alex Champlin. Gould was superb at the start of the season, he struggled a bit in the middle of the season with injuries, but was a pivotal facet in Oxford’s postseason tournament run. He was averaged over 15 points a game in the postseason – along with the MAC title game – and finished with a 12.9 points per game average. “I’ve known of Tom for a years, ever since he was little,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott. “He’s always had a good feel for the game. The last couple of years, our scouting reports against Oxford said that we had to keep (Gould) off the boards. He finishes well with either hand, goes after every board, and he developed into quite a player. I will always remember how hard he worked as a kid, and he never stopped.”

Cory Seiler, jr., Oxford, 6-foot
The youngest of the triad of Blackhawks scoring leaders, Seiler was a slasher to the basket who can also spot up and shoot the three-point shot. His best asset may well have been his nose-to-nose man-to-man defense. Seiler was the first line of defense for the Blackhawks, who led the Midstate Athletic Conference in scoring defense, and were among Section IV’s best scoring defenses most of the season. “When I think of Cory, I see someone who gets down and dirty and wants to lock down defensively on people,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott, who has coached against Seiler, but also coached the Oxford native at this year’s Stars and Stripes tourney. “Cory’s brother Scott was a good outside shooter. Cory is more of that get-to-the-basket type of guy.” Seiler averaged 12.0 points per game and led all Oxford starters with a 74.3 success rate from the foul line. “Oxford loses a bunch of good seniors, and (Cory) will need to be a leader next season,” Abbott said.

Caleb Brown, sr. Sherburne-Earlville, 5-foot-11
It was no surprise that Sherburne-Earlville went into a midseason slump around the time senior guard Caleb Brown suffered a foot injury. Brown missed one game, and played approximately one-third of the season without his typical explosiveness. Once healthy, Brown turned up his game several notches, particularly the last eight games when he averaged over 14 points a game, best on the team over that stretch of games. More than that, he was the Marauders’ best individual defender, and considering S-E’s preferred mode of defense was man-to-man, Brown was usually locked up with the opponent’s best offensive guard. “We built our defense around (Caleb) guarding the other team’s best player,” said S-E coach Kevin Vibbard. “Offensively, he was strong going to the basket and a very good outside shooter.” Brown had a season-high 21 points against Section III, Class C front-runner Mt. Markham, and he matched that career-high two games later against Hamilton, a top Class D team in Section III. “He was our captain and leader, and when he got hurt, we really noticed how important he was to our team,” Vibbard said.