West's Cole earns NOW Newspapers high honorable mention honors

Although no player on the Wauwatosa East and Wauwatosa West football teams earned first-team honors on this year's NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Football squad, there was one high honorable mention selection and five honorable mention choices on the 2011 squad from the area.

Here are some interesting numbers of the Wauwatosa players who received the honors.

Three of the six players are juniors and will return next year (the other three are seniors).

Three are from Tosa West and three are from Tosa East.

There are two All-Purpose players, two defensive backs, a wide receiver and a linebacker.

Here is a breakdown of the six players, listed alphabetically.

Reggie Cole, Jr.

In the closest battle, Wauwatosa West senior Reggie Cole, Jr. lost out on a spot in the defensive backfield, barely losing out to Josh Breider of Muskego, Reggie Blakely of Greenfield, Jackson Weber of Whitefish Bay and Dan Nogalski of Franklin.

Cole was a member of the 2010 NOW Newspapers All-Defensive team as a junior. As a sophomore, he was an honorable mention All-Woodland Conference pick and as a junior and senior he was a first-team all-conference selection.

Cole was asked to take on more responsibility on offense and special teams this year, very seldom leaving the field according to coach Matt Good. He led the Trojans with 298 yards rushing and two touchdowns from his wide receiver position.

"He didn't miss an off-season workout and was voted captain by his teammates," Good said. "He is a standout cover man, as he covers the other team's top wide receiver every week. He has excellent footwork, hips and ball skills.

"He also made an impact in the run game, making some big plays."

Cole, who has a 3.5 GPA, had 27 tackles, 36 assists, two tackles for loss, an interception and four knockdowns. He was a four-year varsity starter, as he started 35 of 36 career games.

Vince Cupertino

The talented senior wide receiver and defensive back was the heart and soul of the Red Raiders. He shared Offensive MVP honors and was also one of four captains on this year's team.

Tosa East coach Jake Wolter was also pleased with Cupertino's attitude and leadership, something you can't put a price on.

On the field, the talented 6-2, 190-pounder set a school record for career receptions and he did it against tri-champion Brookfield Central on Oct. 7 at Hart Park.

Cupertino grabbed five passes against the Lancers' secondary, giving him a record 96. He had trailed Barett Powell by one catch coming into the game. He finished his career with 100 catches. This year, he had 26 catches for 284 yards and a touchdown, an average of 10.9 per reception.

What made it amazing was that he played with a cast on one hand for five weeks and a broken finger on the other. The Greater Metro Conference coaches recognized what he did as he was named second-team all-conference.

John Doolen

Good raved about Doolen, who plays an impressive inside linebacker despite his size.

"He gives everything he has, every week," he said about the talented Tosa West junior, who only has 155 pounds on his 5-11 frame. "He is all over the field."

Doolen will be counted on to be a senior leader for the Trojans next fall, something that he will standout at just based on the way he plays the game.

Michael Meade

Meade set the stage for a solid senior season when he scored twice in the second half and rushed for 120 yards in the opening 21-13 win over Tosa West.

He earned honorable mention honors from the GMC as a running back and an All-Purpose Back and he shared the Offensive MVP honors with Cupertino.

The 5-9, 165-pounder was Tosa East's captain and he also played defensive back, one of several two-way players for Wolter.

He rushed for 440 yards and scored five touchdowns, an average of 4.2 yards per carry. He also caught seven passes for 64 yards, an average of 9.1 yards per catch.

Mickey Morgan

Morgan earned All-Purpose Back honorable mention honors. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound junior was an exciting player for the Trojans, scoring on some dramatic plays.

A wide receiver/defensive back/placekicker/kick and punt returner - thus All-Purpose - when Morgan touched the ball, he had a chance to score from anywhere on the field. He scored on a 22-yard touchdown run and a 35-yard touchdown catch from scrimmage this year, but he did most of his damage on defense and special teams.

He ran back an interception 65 yards for a score and took a punt return 99 yards for a TD in the opening 21-13 loss to crosstown rival Tosa East.

He also had a 65-yard interception return in the 19-13 win over Brown Deer and a 97-yard kick-off return for the only score in a 46-7 loss to Greendale.

A super utility-type guy, Morgan kicked 12-of-13 extra points after touchdowns and he ended up scoring half of the Trojans' total team points.

Shaquille Redding

Tosa East's Redding earned honorable mention all-conference honors as a defensive back, but like several Red Raiders he played on both side of the ball. At 6-1, 170 pounds, the junior was one of the bigger defensive backs in the conference.

On the offensive side, Redding led the team with 13.2 yards per reception and five receiving touchdowns and he was second to Cupertino with 21 receptions and 277 yards.