Peters, Kittel and Kriewaldt are Small Division award winners

GREEN BAY - This past season there were many impressive performances by players and teams. To sift through and find the best was hard, but every year FOX 11 hands out its football players/coaches of the year so here we go.

Before we go through the Small Division award winners, here’s a little background on who won the forthcoming awards: the offensive player didn't start until Week 4, the defensive player was one of the area's best playmakers and the coach owns a Super Bowl ring.

Here are the Small Division (Divisions 4-7) award winners:

Small Division Offensive Player of the Year
Entering the season Nathan Peters was expected to be a complimentary part to the Freedom offense, but in Week 3 everything changed.

Freedom’s starting running back, Bo Casper, suffered a season-ending injury and the run-heavy Irish had no choice than to turn to Peters as the team’s featured ball carrier.

Losing a starter can be a big blow, especially for a team like Freedom that features the running back as much as it does. But right away Peters settled down everybody’s concern.

In his first start in Week 4 against Xavier, Peters gashed the Hawks for 336 yards and never looked back. Peters led the state in rushing with 2,228 yards and added 25 TDs.

With his play, Peters was an easy choice to be FOX 11’s Small Division Offensive Player of the Year.

“Nathan had a great season,” Freedom coach Clint Kriewaldt said. “Nathan will beat you with his speed and quickness but will also beat you with his power and explosiveness.  Nathan never stops his feet and has great second effort.”

Peters topped 300 yards three times this past season, but he saved two of those performances when they meant most. Peters rushed for 307 yards in a Level 2 win against Marshall and 314 in a Level 3 win against Little Chute.

Once he became a starter, Peters averaged. 216.7 yards per game.

“It was fun watching Nathan wear out teams in the first half of our games,” Kriewaldt said. “His runs that were between four and 10 yards in the first half turned into runs of 10 yards-plus in the second half because the other team was just wore out from trying to tackle him. 

“Some of the hardest hits that I observed this season were from Nathan when he was running over opposing defenders. Most importantly, Nathan is a great, young man and he was a great teammate all season.  

“Nathan had an offensive line and a group of fullbacks that played very hard and very well this season.  They often do not get the credit they deserve, but they should be recognized for their outstanding performance this season as well.”

Runner-up: Riley Schussler, RB, Wrightstown (1,517 yards, 18 TDs).

Small Division Defensive Player of the Year
Eric Kittel might just be the best all-around player in the area. He plays running back, he plays defensive back and he returns kicks, and anytime he got his hands on the ball this season he was a threat.

Defensively, it’s tougher to get the ball than on offense, but Kittel found a way to show off his offensive skills on defense this season. The senior from Brillion intercepted 10 passes this season, tied for third in the state, and for his efforts is FOX 11’s Small Division Defensive Player of the Year.

“Eric had a great year,” coach and father Pete Kittel said. “He was able to make big plays for us on both sides of the ball. Our defensive coordinator Jeff Schlender worked hard preparing Eric and our team each week.”

Brillion opponents threw just 153 times this season or 12.8 times per game. Kittel, who returned two interceptions for touchdowns, was able to intercept a pass about every 15th attempt this season. Defenses certainly looked for Kittel, but sometimes great players just make plays.

“Eric's understanding of our schemes, as well as what opponent tendencies, were helped him be a leader for us defensively,” Pete Kittel said. “His competitive nature along with his preparation both physically and mentally helped him become a very good football player.”

Kittel’s finished his career with 17 interceptions, five which were returned for touchdowns.

Runner-up: Matt Austin, LB, St. Mary's Springs (101 tackles).

Small Division Coach of the Year
Freedom entered this season with a new coach, but after making the playoffs a season ago the Irish hoped for more success this season.

You never know how it’s going to work with a new coach but as everybody found out, Kriewaldt wasn’t your average first-year head coach. The former Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker led Freedom to its best-ever season, reaching Level 4.

Freedom entered the postseason as a No. 8 seed and then knocked off No. 1 Chilton, No. 4 Marshall and No. 2 Little Chute before losing to Big Foot. Kriewaldt led the Irish to a 9-3 record and was an easy choice as Small Division Coach of the Year.

“This was the first time in Freedom’s school history that a team made it past a Level 2 game,” Kriewaldt said. “For being a No. 8 seed coming into the playoffs nobody gave Freedom a chance other than