(Theresa Proudfit/Daily News photo) Florence wide receiver Corbin Berhmann (15) looks a pass into his hands versus Laona-Wabeno, Sept. 25, at Robert Landry Field in Florence. L-W defenders Seth Lempel (1) and Adam Seeber (84) give chase.

FLORENCE, Wis. — The Marinette-Oconto Northern Lakes-Packerland 8-player football conference was split into pods this year, due to the limited schedules teams had during the pandemic. The Northern Lakes Conference pod released its all-conference selections earlier this week.

Florence senior Corbin Berhmann was selected to the first team at four different positions, not only to lead the Bobcats, but the conference as well. Berhmann was selected at tight end/wide receiver, kicker, punter and defensive back.

Junior linebacker Trent Watkins of Florence joined Berhmann on the first team. Second team selections for the Bobcats were junior Dominic Axley at offensive and defensive line; senior Cody Reubens at defensive end and sophomore Evan Johnson at running back.

Despite having a seven-game schedule, the Bobcats were able to play only five contests. Injuries and virus quarantines hit the team hard near the end of the season.

“We had an uncommon number of injuries this year to starters on both sides of the ball, to the point we just couldn’t survive any more player losses,” said Florence head coach Kent Walstrom. “Against Laona-Wabeno in our last game, for example, we played that game with four of our eight original starters missing on defense and on special teams and five starters missing on offense. Then more injuries and the contact tracing protocol took another handful of the starters we had left during the following week, and we no longer had the ability to field a team for our rematch with Three Lakes. So that ended our season, unfortunately.”

The Bobcats had a neutral site game scheduled versus Siren on Nov. 7 at Rhinelander High School, but that game had to be canceled as well.

“This has turned into a lost season injury-wise and COVID-wise, and you really have to feel bad for all the players, but the seniors in particular. I give our players and their parents a lot of credit for doing the best they could to try to play a season under the circumstances presented to them,” Walstrom said.

The Bobcats finished 3-3 officially, with wins over Three Lakes and Wausaukee and by forfeit over White Lake-Elcho. Their losses on the field were both to conference champion Laona-Wabeno and a forfeit to Three Lakes.

“Our football program has been competitive and successful since moving to eight-man, and this season we had the unusual mix, for a small school, of a talented senior class with some talented underclassmen able to fill in some holes. This was the most talented team and experienced team we’ve had, collectively, on our varsity since I’ve been a part of the varsity program,” said Walstrom. “I thought we could make a deep playoff run if we could avoid injuries, but we lost key players right from the get-go and the COVID contact tracing finished us off.

“It’s a disappointing end to a season that started with so much promise, and we’ll be a young team coming back in the fall, but our heartfelt thanks to all our players and especially our seniors, for their commitment to their team, school and coaches. This year’s senior class was a special class of kids, and we’re going to really miss working with them,” Walstrom said.