Fort Hays State had 12 players named to the All-MIAA Football Team, released on Tuesday (Nov. 18). Leading the way with first-team honors for FHSU were wide receiver Ed Williams and defensive back Micheal Jordan. Earning second-team honors were defensive lineman Joita Te’i, defensive back Nathan Lindsey, and offensive lineman Matt Erbert, while Justin McPhail was named to the third team at linebacker. Honorable mention nods went to running back Edward Smith, defensive linemen Jesse Trent and Tomasi Molesi, linebackers Brock Long and Alex Schmidtberger, and defensive back Daniel Lindsey.
Williams, a senior from Tampa, Fla., earned a first-team selection by posting the sixth most receiving yards for a season in FHSU history with 946 on 53 catches. The reception total tied for 10th most in a single season at FHSU. His 86 receiving yards per game average was eighth-best for a single season in FHSU history. He finished with 1,617 receiving yards in his three-year career at FHSU, moving to 10th all-time in receiving yards. His 14 career receiving touchdowns ties for ninth most in school history.
Jordan, a senior from Kerens, Texas, earned a first-team selection after garnering second team honors last year and honorable mention honors in 2012. The three-time all-conference honoree finished with 250 tackles in his career, sixth-most in Fort Hays State’s NCAA Division II history. He also finished with six interceptions and 10 pass break-ups in his career. He finished third on the team in tackles this year with 80, adding an interception, sack, and an MIAA-best four forced fumbles. He had five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career.
Te’i, a senior from Oceanside, Calif., earned a second-team selection on the defensive line. Te’i was one of the top pass rushers in the MIAA this year with a team-high five sacks. He finished with 28 tackles, including 8.5 that went for losses. He tied for seventh in the MIAA in sacks during the regular season. He recorded three of the five sacks in Fort Hays State’s 7-6 win over nationally-ranked Pittsburg State. In his two-year career at FHSU, he produced 66 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Nathan Lindsey, a senior from Inkster, Mich., earned a second-team selection at defensive back. Lindsey had a great all-around season, finishing with 41 tackles, one sack, 5.5 tackles for loss, four pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick. He tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. His best game of the season came against Missouri Southern, in which he recorded five tackles, two fumble recoveries (one for a 49-yard touchdown), a sack, an interception, and a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The effort gained him Division II National Athlete of the Week honors by Beyond Sports Network. In his two-year career at FHSU, Lindsey finished with 85 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions, and 291 kick return yards. He had three touchdown returns in his career, one kick, one fumble, and one interception.
Erbert, a junior from Ellis, Kan., earned a second-team selection on the offensive line. Erbert was the only offensive lineman to receive all-conference honors for the Tigers this year. At right tackle, he helped anchor a young offensive line. The Tigers finished with 3,432 yards of total offense and he helped the team produce more than 200 rushing yards in four games this year, including the last three.
McPhail, a junior from Liberal, Kan., earned a third-team selection for the second straight year at linebacker. McPhail led the Tiger defense in tackles with 108. He also recorded four sacks, a team-high nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery. He was the team leader in tackles for the second straight year and now has 207 for his career at FHSU. He reached double figures in tackles in four contests this year, including a career-high 16 against Missouri Southern.
Smith, a senior from Miami, Fla., earned an honorable mention selection at running back. Smith completed his fifth year with the Tiger program in 2014, a career that saw him rush for 1,970 yards and rack up 2,514 all-purpose yards. This year, he finished with a team-best 667 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry with seven total touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving). He finished his career with two consecutive 100-yard rushing games, producing a season-best 144 rushing yards in the season finale helping the Tigers reach seven wins for the first time since 1996.
Trent, a senior from Dodge City, Kan., earned an honorable mention selection on the defensive line. It was the second all-conference honor for Trent after earning third-team honors last year. He finished the year with 40 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 5.0 tackles for loss. Trent is also a two-time Academic All-America selection by CoSIDA and could possibly earn the honor for a third-straight year.
Molesi, a senior from Oceanside, Calif., also earned an honorable mention selection on the defensive line, giving FHSU three defensive linemen to earn all-conference honors this year. He finished the year with 32 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, despite playing through a good chunk of the season with an injury. He moved back to the defensive line this year after filling in for the Tigers on the offensive line last year due to injury issues.
Long, a junior from Assaria, Kan., had an impressive first year with the Tigers to earn honorable mention honors at linebacker. He finished second on the team in tackles with 93, while also recording 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He reached double figures in tackles four times this year, posting a season-high 13 against Northwest Missouri State.
Schmidtberger, a sophomore from Topeka, Kan., had another impressive year in the middle of the Tiger defense. Although he was not a regular starter on defense, he still finished with 69 tackles to rank fifth on the team and tied for a team-high three interceptions. He had a season-high 12 tackles in a home win over Lindenwood. In just two years of playing, he already has 125 career tackles.
Daniel Lindsey, a junior from Inkster, Mich., earned an honorable mention selection at defensive back. Playing the bandit position opposite of his twin brother Nathan, he finished with 77 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, six pass break-ups, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick. The blocked kick was a big one, preserving the 7-6 win for FHSU at nationally ranked Pittsburg State on a potential go-ahead field goal attempt late in the game. He had two games this season in which he reached double figures in tackles.
2014 All-MIAA Football Team
2014 All-MIAA Football Team
MIAA Offensive Player of the Year – Anthony Abenoja, QB, Pittsburg State
MIAA Defensive Player of the Year – Matt Longacre, DL, Northwest Missouri
MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year – Connor Frazell, K, Pittsburg State
MIAA Freshmen of the Year – Chas Stallard, QB, Central Oklahoma^
MIAA Coach of the Year – Tim Beck, Pittsburg State
First Team (Offense)
QB – Anthony Abenoja, Pittsburg State
RB – LaVance Taylor, Central Missouri
RB – Raphael Spencer, Missouri Western
WR – Marquise Cushon, Pittsburg State
WR – Ed Williams, Fort Hays State
WR – Gavin Lutman, Pittsburg State
TE/FB – Marcus Wright, Northwest Missouri
OL – Brian Berzanski, Central Missouri
OL – Travis Anderson, Missouri Western
OL – Cole Manhart, Nebraska-Kearney^
OL – C.J. Keeney, Northwest Missouri^
OL – Shane Smith, Northwest Missouri
OL – Tyler Smith, Pittsburg State^
K – Connor Frazell, Pittsburg State
KR/PR –Vershon Moore, Washburn
First Team (Defense)
DL – Ramond Hunter, Central Missouri
DL – Matt Longacre, Northwest Missouri^
DL – Brandon Yost, Northwest Missouri
DL – Heath Wilson, Pittsburg State
LB – Eric Reimer, Northwest Missouri
LB – Connor Harris, Lindenwood
LB – D.J. Gnader, Northwest Missouri
DB – Micheal Jordan, Fort Hays State
DB – Michael Jordan, Missouri Western
DB – Jared Fox, Northwest Missouri
DB – De’Vante Bausby, Pittsburg State
DB – Keeston Terry, Pittsburg State
P – Scott Groner, Missouri Western
^=Unanimous selection
Second Team (Offense)
QB – Brady Bolles, Northwest Missouri
RB – Vershon Moore, Washburn
RB – Jake Gandara, Central Oklahoma
WR – Austin Willis, Emporia State
WR – Kavaski Ervin, Emporia State
TE/FB – Cullen Rosine, Central Missouri
OL – Matt Erbert, Fort Hays State
OL – Pete Trausch, Nebraska-Kearney
OL – Cole Chevalier, Northwest Missouri
OL – Ollie Venegas, Pittsburg State
OL – Michael Miller, Washburn
K – John Schmiemeier, Missouri Western
KR/PR – TyQuan Hayes, Missouri Southern
Second Team (Defense)
DL – Kenny Allen, Central Oklahoma
DL – Joita Te’i, Fort Hays State
DL – Arbanas Elliot, Missouri Western
DL – Deaven Jensen, Pittsburg State
DL – Kevin Arnold, Northwest Missouri
LB – Ricky Spratley, Central Missouri
LB – Stephen Juergens, Missouri Western
LB – Spencer Brown, Pittsburg State
DB – Connor Smith, Central Missouri
DB – Matt Pruitt, Central Oklahoma
DB – Nathan Lindsey, Fort Hays State
DB – Travis Manning, Northwest Missouri
DB – Calvin Kenney, Washburn
P – Kyle Goodburn, Northwest Missouri
Third Team (Offense)
QB – Hayden Hawk, Central Missouri
RB – Romero Cotton, Nebraska-Kearney
RB – Giresse Forchu, Missouri Southern
WR – Marquez Clark, Central Oklahoma
WR – Jaron Alexander, Lindenwood
TE/FB – Kyle Swartz, Pittsburg State
OL – Tycie Linneman, Central Missouri
OL – Brandon Waggoner, Central Oklahoma
OL – Aaron Blount, Emporia State
OL – Jarrett Stastny, Emporia State
OL – Austin Wolfe, Missouri Southern
K – Will Mondragon, Central Missouri
KR/PR – LaVance Taylor, Central Missouri
Third Team (Defense)
DL – Jason Venckus, Central Missouri
DL – Matt Bowman, Nebraska-Kearney
DL – Collin Bevins, Northwest Missouri
DL – Taye Irvin, Pittsburg State
LB – Tyke Kozeal, Nebraska-Kearney
LB – Chass Claspie, Central Oklahoma
LB – Justin McPhail, Fort Hays State
DB – Deveon Dinwiddie, Emporia State
DB – Johnquavious McBride, Missouri Southern
DB – Meshack Kennedy, Missouri Western
DB – Chandler Barr, Northeastern State
DB – Bryce Enyard, Northwest Missouri
DB – Aries Herrion, Pittsburg State
P – Aaron Hummert, Washburn
Honorable Mention
QB – Chas Stallard, Central Oklahoma; Mitch Buhler, Washburn.
RB – Edward Smith, Fort Hays State; Lavorrie Johnson, Lindenwood; Shannon Saunders, Missouri Southern.
WR – Kyle Echols, Central Missouri; Christian Hood, Central Oklahoma; Greg Coble, Lindenwood; Allen Sampson, Nebraska-Kearney; Cougar Williams, Nebraska-Kearney; Garrett Powell, Northeastern State; Jason Jozaites, Northwest Missouri; Korey Jackson, Northwest Missouri; Bryce Young, Northwest Missouri; Austin Daniel, Pittsburg State; DaJuan Beard, Washburn.
TE/FB – Sean Gorman, Central Missouri; Reese Richards, Emporia State; Alek Ferbet, Missouri Western; Kyle Matheson, Northeastern State.
OL – Landon Chappell, Central Oklahoma; Danny Goodman, Emporia State; Jacob Heneisen, Lindenwood; Caleb Benner, Missouri Southern; Leonard Wester, Missouri Western; Christian Orduno, Missouri Western; Jonathan Brown, Northeastern State; Bo Farrow, Pittsburg State; Dylan Ready, Washburn.
DL – Russ Allen, Central Missouri; Deontay Wilson, Central Oklahoma; Tyler Newton, Central Oklahoma; Nick Schutte, Emporia State; Eddie Vinson, Emporia State; Jesse Trent, Fort Hays State; Tomasi Molesi, Fort Hays State; Chaz Fulton, Lindenwood; Skyler Suggs, Lindenwood; Jack Wardyn, Nebraska-Kearney; Kenley Choute, Northeastern State; Cass Weitl, Northwest Missouri; Zach Williams, Northwest Missouri; Avery Adair, Pittsburg State; Tyler Ewy, Washburn; Trey Parker, Washburn.
LB – Alex Perlin, Central Missouri; Lyndel Johnson, Emporia State; Alex Schmidtberger, Fort Hays State; Brock Long, Fort Hays State; Yomi Alli, Missouri Western; Deshawn Dinwiddie, Emporia State; Malcolm Howard, Central Oklahoma; Jason Tetuan, Emporia State; Dalvin Taylor, Missouri Southern; Cody Linday, Missouri Western; Kenneth Davis, Northeastern State; Brock Sherman, Northwest Missouri; Tyler Disney, Pittsburg State; Colby Hall, Pittsburg State.
DB – Zach Leinbaugh, Central Missouri; Diaron Rhodes, Central Missouri; Cody Jones, Central Oklahoma; Levonte Douglas, Central Oklahoma; Daniel Lindsey, Fort Hays State; Roderick Ryles, Lindenwood; Jeremy Morris, Lindenwood; Gaige Washington, Missouri Southern; Sam Brown, Missouri Western; Marc Harrison, Missouri Western; Steffon Herd, Northeastern State; George Brown, Nebraska-Kearney; Shai Harris, Nebraska-Kearney; Famous McKinnon, Nebraska-Kearney; Deron Washington, Pittsburg State; Dwayne Joseph, Washburn.
K – Seth Hiddink, Central Oklahoma; Brock Renken, Missouri Southern.
P – Kyle Jaski, Missouri Southern.
KR/PR – Lyndel Johnson, Emporia State; Lavorrie Johnson, Lindenwood.