WRIGHT CITY - Shane Vehige kept the tradition intact.

The Missouri Football Coaches Association recently released its all-state teams for 2019 and the Wright City senior middle linebacker was chosen to the Class 3 third team.

Vehige’s selection extends the Wildcats’ streak to five consecutive years with at least one all-state football player.

Coach Jeff Sargent has helped produce seven all-staters total since he took the reins of the program in 2015.

Vehige joins a club that includes Will Janowski (second team, 2018), Devon Holmes (first team, 2017), Jaime Malta (third team, 2016) and Troy Muse (first team, 2015), Kyle Tuepker (third team, 2015) and Tyler Britain (third team, 2015).

A tackling-machine, the 6-foot, 200-pound Vehige was a unanimous first team All-EMO pick and anchored a defense that catapulted Wright City to a 7-3 record and the program’s first-ever conference championship.

“I really can’t say enough about Shane and what he’s meant to Wright City football,” Sargent said.

A three-year starter, Vehige produced a monster campaign, recording 142 tackles (43 solo) with 14 for a loss, along with four sacks, three forced fumbles and a safety.

He finished eight games in double figures, including a whopping 26-tackle effort in a 14-6 victory on the road over the North Callaway Thunderbirds in Week 4.

His 2019 tackle output is the second-most in program history, one short of Austin Buchheit’s record of 143 in 2015. Vehige also has Wright City’s second-most career tackles with 259.

Sargent said he knew Vehige possessed a high ceiling when he decided to commit to football as a sophomore.

“The talent has always been there with Shane, but this year he really learned how to hone his craft and play the position,” Sargent said. “He came on more and more each week kept taking the next step. He’s one of the best linebackers I’ve coached and he hasn’t been playing for very long.

“He’s part of a senior class that did some special things this year and they’re all going to be missed.”