FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State senior linebacker Brock West earned yet another big honor on Thursday (Dec. 17) as he was named to the Associated Press (AP) Little All-America Team. Long is the first player at FHSU since Tyler Strong (offensive lineman) in 2003 to grace the AP Little All-America Team. He did it in grand fashion too, selected as one of the top three linebackers in the nation for NCAA Divisions II and III, along with the NAIA. That group includes nearly 500 schools nationwide.
Long is only the second player in FHSU history to earn first team honors on the AP Little All-America Team. The only other was quarterback Shawn Behr in 1995, the signal caller for Fort Hays State’s last team to make the NCAA Playoffs. This year, Long helped FHSU to its first postseason game since that 1995 season with an appearance in the Mineral Water Bowl. Long is the 26th AP Little All-America selection in Fort Hays State’s football history, dating all the way back to Floyd Sexton’s honorable mention selection in 1933.
Long set a new school record for tackles in a season with 171. It passed the former mark of 164 set by Alex Whitehill in 2011. But aside from the tackles, Long’s all-around defensive efforts were paramount in the eyes of the national media. Upon completion of the Mineral Water Bowl, Long finished the year with 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and four forced fumbles to go with his 171 tackles. He ranks fourth nationally in total tackles, 13th in tackles for loss, 17th in sacks, and seventh in forced fumbles. It is rare to see a linebacker inside the top 20 of all four of those categories nationally.
This is Long’s second All-America First Team selection this year after earning the same distinction by the D2CCA. He led the team in tackles in nine of the 12 games this season and averaged 14.3 tackles per game, reaching double figures in tackles 10 times.
Long ranks fifth on the career tackles list for the NCAA era at FHSU with 264, accomplishing the feat in just two years. He is tied for 10th on the career sacks (13.5) and career tackles for loss (26.0) lists at FHSU for the NCAA era. For single-season accomplishments at FHSU, he is now the record holder for tackles and tackles for loss, while tying for second in sacks.
Below is the AP Little All-America Team for 2015.
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Jason Vander Laan, senior, Ferris State.
Running backs – Cameron McDondle, senior, Colorado State-Pueblo; Ja’Quan Gardner, sophomore, Humboldt State.
Linemen – Corey Tucker, senior, Slippery Rock; Joe Ray, senior, Lenoir-Rhyne; David Simmet, senior, St. Thomas (Minnesota); Jordan Morgan, junior, Kutztown; Colin Egan, senior, Johns Hopkins.
Receivers – Jon Schnaars, senior, East Stroudsburg; Jessie Ramos, senior, Hardin-Simmons; Jameson Parsons, junior, St. Cloud State.
All-purpose player – Dayton Winn, junior, Hendrix.
Kicker – Austin Morton, sophomore, Emporia State.
Defense
Linemen – Alex Hoff, senior, Linfield; Matt Judon, senior, Grand Valley State; Joshua Gordon, senior, Minnesota State-Mankato; Collin Bevins, senior, Northwest Missouri State.
Linebackers – Brock Long, senior, Fort Hays State; Jewell Ratliff, senior, Tuskegee; Max Nacewicz, senior, Springfield (Mass.).
Backs – Solomon St. Pierre, senior, Sioux Falls; Michael Jordan, senior, Missouri Western State; Victor Bunce, sophomore, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; Carlo Thomas, sophomore, Johnson C. Smith.
Punter – Matt Klingler, Lindenwood, senior.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Joe Callahan, senior, Wesley (Del.).
Running backs – Sam Benger, sophomore, Carnegie Mellon; Damian Baker, senior, Carson-Newman.
Linemen – Eric Knaperek, senior, North Central (Ill.); Sam Hart, senior, Amherst; Chris Reaper, senior, Findlay; Jim Walsh, senior, Grand Valley State; Shane Smith, senior, Northwest Missouri State.
Receivers – Reece Horn, senior, Indianapolis; Kevin Jennings, senior, Carroll (Wisc.); Xavier Ayers, junior, Western New Mexico.
All-purpose player – D.J. Jones, junior, Southwestern Oklahoma.
Kicker – Thomas Woodburn, senior, Utica.
Defense
Linemen – Andrew Cohen, senior, West Chester; Morgan Fox, senior, Colorado State-Pueblo; Tom Lally, senior, Mount Union; Dylan Donahue, junior, West Georgia.
Linebackers – Kyle Kitchens, sophomore, Catawba; Alex Wahl, senior, Upper Iowa; Justin Dischler, senior, Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Backs – Marqui Christian, senior, Midwestern State; Jordan Shaw, senior, Shorter; Anthony White, senior, Huntingdon; Austin Davis, sophomore, Kean.
Punter – Bret Benes, junior, Charleston (W.Va.).
THIRD TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Jeff Ziemba, junior, Shepherd.
Running backs – Austin Ekeler, junior, Western State; Mason Zurek, senior, Wabash.
Linemen – Zach Martinez, senior, Colorado State-Pueblo; Herschel Prater, senior, Minnesota State-Mankato; Shane Thompson, senior, Texas A&M-Commerce; Michael LaSala, junior, Washington & Lee; Orion Awa-Dubose, senior, West Georgia.
Receivers – Keelan Cole, senior, Kentucky Wesleyan; Krishawn Hogan, sophomore, Marian (Ind.); Bill Brown, junior, Shepherd.
All-purpose player – Sheldon Mayer, senior, Shippensburg.
Kicker – Brent Wahle, senior, Ohio Dominican.
Defense
Linemen – Justin Woods-West, senior, Central State (Ohio); Clayton Callicut, senior, Angelo State; Brandon Jones, senior, Widener; Teidrick Smith, junior, Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Linebackers – Ben Kullos, senior, Dakota State; Marquez Gollman, junior, Grand Valley State; Connor Harris, junior, Lindenwood.
Backs – Frank Laterza, senior, St. Norbert College; Philip Lanieri, III, senior, Rensselaer; Kevin Berg, junior, Northwest Missouri State; Antion McBee, senior, Southwest Baptist.
Punter – Ryan Anderson, sophomore, Olivet.