Story byThe RepositoryBill Arsenault, CorrespondentSun, December 28, 2025 at 11:25 AM UTC·5 min readMichael Shimek picked up a lot of awards for his defensive play with the Ashland University football team this fall, but his latest honors top the list. The 6-foot-1, 246-pound senior defensive end from North Canton and a Hoover High graduate was named a Division II first-team All-American choice by the longstanding Walter Camp Football Foundation. Prior to that, he was named a first-team All-America by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Conference Commissioner’s Association. All-American defensive end Michael Shimek (99), a Hoover High School graduate, was the 2025 All-Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year after a big season for Ashland University. Shimek made 60 tackles, 32 unassisted, but that’s just half the story. He made 17 ½ sacks for 121 yards in losses.