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Calumet’s Cooper Twardzik named to All-U.P. Dream Team

Loukus earns spot on All-U.P. Large School

Calumet’s Cooper Twardzik, middle, was named to the All-U.P. Dream as a defensive end. (Daily Globe/Jason Juno)

After a season where offenses went out of their way to avoid Cooper Twardzik, it wasn’t enough to stop the Calumet senior defensive end from earning All-U.P. Dream Team honors from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association on Wednesday.

Twardzik, who was also named the West-PAC Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 54 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and blocked three kicks. 

“Cooper made plays on defense from sideline to sideline, and he could impact plays on the side opposite of him as teams would constantly scheme to run away from him,” Calumet coach John Croze said. 

Teams avoided Twardzik so much, that throughout the season, Croze had to tell Twardzik to stand over the ball while waiting for the offense to break into formation so the opposing coaches couldn’t deliberately call a play to the opposite side of the 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end.

“I feel that Cooper was the most schemed against person in the U.P. this year,” Croze said.

The Copper Kings earned another All-U.P. selection with junior defensive back Brent Loukus being named to the All-U.P. Large School Defense. Loukus recorded 60 tackles (35 solo), one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two deflected passes. 

“Director of traffic from his safety position,” Croze said of Loukus. “When we were learning how to play defense early in the season, Brent had to make a lot of TD-saving tackles.”

Calumet junior linebacker Travis Ojala earned All-U.P. Honorable Mention. 

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