MIDDLETOWN >> An All-North Central League I first-team offensive lineman in 2013, Middletown High School’s Cody Chorjel took one for the team in 2014.
Loaded with linemen but with few skill position players on the roster as the season began, the Mustangs gave Chorjel a new address — tight end — and the senior responded incredibly well. Chorjel, a three-sport athlete at Middletown during the 2014-2015 school year, is a finalist for the Lake County Record-Bee’s Athlete of the Year award, which is given annually to the county’s top male and female athletes. Finalists must be juniors or seniors who compete in at least two varsity sports and are in good academic standing at their respective schools. Winners will be announced sometime next month along with Coach of the Year winners in boys’ and girls’ sports.
Chorjel not only took on a new position on offense in 2014, but he excelled at it. While helping out the offensive line with his considerable blocking skills, he also caught 18 passes for 268 yards with four touchdowns. Most revealing of all, he was named to the All-NCL I first-team offense as a tight end. And just as in 2013, he also earned first-team honors on defense — as a linebacker.
During basketball season, Chorjel averaged a team-best 14.1 points a game for the Mustangs, who also reached the postseason in that sport. Only two other county players — Clear Lake’s Jared Strate (15.7) and Kelseyville’s Kyle Ellis (14.2) averaged more points a game. Chorjel was later honored on the All-NCL I second team.
In baseball, Chorjel ranked among team leaders in hits and RBIs as Middletown finished in a tie for third in the final NCL I standings and just missed securing a playoff berth in Division IV. The All-League team has yet to be released from the recently completed season.
