Central finished one game short of its ultimate goal of making it to the PIAA Class 3A championship game, but the Scarlet Dragons made plenty of history along the way.

Junior quarterback Jeff Hoenstine finished the season with 3,621 passing yards, 57 touchdown passes and threw just four interceptions. The 57 touchdown passes set a new mark for passing touchdowns in the state of Pennsylvania at any classification. Meanwhile, senior teammate Parker Gregg rushed for 1,162 yards, averaging 8 yards per carry, and caught a Mirror-coverage area high 51 passes for 1,034 yards to become the first player in state history to rush for and receive more than 1,000 yards in the same season.

As a result, Hoenstine and Gregg will share another honor as co-Altoona Mirror High School Football Player of the Year.

“They were both leaders of our team and played extremely well,” Central coach Dave Baker said. “They both had extremely good statistics, and they were both very instrumental in our season and our success. I think it’s hard to put one above the other, because they were both so good. There was nothing you could say negative about either one. Everything they did was excellent. They worked real hard, fit into the team very well and were great teammates. I think it’s a very good idea to make them co-players of the year.”

Baker himself was also honored by winning a very close vote for Mirror Coach of the Year by one vote over Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic coach Justin Wheeler, who led the Marauders to the PIAA Class 1A championship and by four votes over Northern Bedford coach Garry Black, who led his Black Panthers to a District 5 Class 1A title and just their second state playoff win in school history.

“It feels good to be appreciated,” Baker said. “I also acknowledge that with four first-team all stars and a few other players that were very good, it’s a team award. Because our team, our program and the whole coaching staff is good helps you win an award like this. It has very little to do with me, but I appreciate the honor.”

Hoenstine also rushed for 288 yards and five touchdowns and had three interceptions for the Scarlet Dragons as a defensive back after recovering from a broken leg suffered in last year’s District 6 championship game win over Tyrone.

“He worked very hard to get back, and there were some setbacks along the way in his recovery,” Baker said. “It took a little bit longer, and that took patience on his part, because he couldn’t work as hard as he wanted to as soon as he wanted to. When he became able to work at full speed, he very quickly built his body back to where it is. I think he’s at full strength now. He can run as well and cut as well as he could before. And of course he can throw. His accuracy only got better.”

Hoenstine was the Mirror’s first-team quarterback on last year’s all-star team as a sophomore.

“It’s a great honor, because I worked very hard for this in the offseason,” Hoenstine said. “We worked really hard to make sure our team was successful this year, and it’s an honor to obtain a prestigious award, especially getting to share it with one of my teammates. It was a lot of hard work, dedication and resiliency that went into it. It was a tough road, but I was glad to get back and have such a great supporting cast to get me back to where I am.”

Gregg made a huge leap this season, going from a third-team running back on the Mirror’s all-star team last year to co-player of the year this season.

“He naturally grew,” Baker said. “He gained some weight and height, but he also worked extremely hard with his weight lifting and with personal training, running, agility and conditioning. When you put those things together, it helped him go from a good player last year to a great player this year.”

Gregg said he was blessed to share such a special season with Hoenstine, Baker and the rest of his teammates despite coming up just short to eventual state champion Central Valley in the PIAA semifinals.

“It feels amazing, and we’ve always played together, so it’s great to share this with him,” Gregg said. “We did a lot of 7-on-7s, and I worked out five days a week all year. This season meant a lot. All my goals really came true.”

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