The Alexandria football team celebrated a season that saw it make some strides this fall by handing out its awards on November 24 with senior running back Justin Cumberbatch earning the MVP honor.
Cumberbatch was also named the most valuable offensive back after making the switch from linebacker to running back four weeks into the season. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry after picking up 965 yards on 131 carries. He also had a team-leading 10 touchdowns.
The guy who took over the middle linebacker position for Cumberbatch, Dylan Ledman, was named the Cardinals’ most valuable defensive back after leading the team in tackles with 53 solo and 35 assisted.
Up front, Dylan Larson and Mitchell Maday were named the most valuable offensive linemen and Jeremiah Burnham was named the most valuable defensive lineman. Alec Wosepka took home the Special Teams Player of the Year Award, Paul Boettner was named the most improved player and senior Parker Revering earned the Coaches Award.
The Cardinals earned plenty of recognition on the All-Central Lakes Conference team. Sophomore quarterback Jaran Roste, Maday, Burnham and Cumberbatch all earned that honor. Sam Helgeson, Joe Gorghuber, Travis Krueger, Chase Childers and Larson were honorable-mention selections.
Roste finished his first season starting at quarterback by completing 54 percent (74-of-137) of his passes. He threw for 1,036 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions, while running for an additional 429 yards on 126 carries.
Cumberbatch, Maday and Burnham were also All-Section 8AAAAA selections and Roste, Helgeson and Chris Leary were honorable-mention recipients.
The Cardinals won a section playoff game this year to finish with five wins at 5-5 overall after winning two games in each of the last two years. They ran into an 8-2 Moorhead team in the section quarterfinals on October 25 as the Spuds ended their season in a 30-0 game.
