The Columbus Wildcats had another excellent football season this fall, posting just their second winning record in over 20 years. Along with that success and a runner-up finish in Class A District 5 for a second straight season, Columbus earns 13 all-district selections as voted on by opposing coaches.

Leading the Wildcats was once again Kaden Amigon, who is not only named a first-team running back but, for the second straight year, is also named the District 5 Offensive Most Valuable Player. Amigon racked up well over 1,800 yards and 26 touchdowns running the football in his senior season.

Junior running back Riley Kaalberg came just shy of 1,000 rushing yards and scored 17 total TDs on offense this season on his way to all-district honors. Three of Columbus’ starting offensive linemen make the all-district team, as juniors Payton White, Bryce Grimm and Itai Zapiensz helped pave the way for the Wildcats to run for nearly 350 yards per game on the ground.

Among the defensive players to make the all-district team is senior lineman Russell Coil, who had a team-high 17-and-a-half tackles for loss. Junior Markell Zapiensz joins Coil on the all-district defensive line, while senior Cole Storm’s 32.5 total stops and six tackles for loss make him an all-district linebacker.

Sophomore Tyson Kaalberg was a breakthrough star for Columbus this season, putting up team highs of 52.5 tackles and six interceptions in his first season as a starter. He joins junior Cael Phillips as an all-district defensive back. Honorable mentions go to sophomore quarterback Trevor Phillips, sophomore linebacker Elliot Wessley and sophomore kicker Gabe Zuniga, who all helped the Wildcats go 6-3 in 2023.