OGDEN, Utah (Nov. 24, 2009) - Six players were unanimous selections to the 2009 All-Big Sky Conference Football team, which was selected by the league coaches on Monday and released on Tuesday.
Weber State senior wide receiver Tim Toone, Montana senior wide receiver Mark Mariani, Montana State guard senior Jeff Hansen, and Montana tackle Levi Horn were unanimous selections on the offense.
Montana State senior defensive end Dane Fletcher and Eastern Washington junior linebacker J.C. Sherritt were unanimous defensive selections. For the second time in three seasons, Eastern Washington quarterback Matt Nichols was voted the the Offensive Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-3, 220 senior from Cottonwood, Calif., rolled up a league-high 3,454 yards of total offense during the regular season. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,369 yards with 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His efficiency rating of 164.1 ranks fourth in the nation, and he’s fifth in the nation in total offense. Nichols holds the Big Sky’s all-time record in total offense and is just 53 yards away from becoming the league’s all-time leading passer.
Fletcher, a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, was named the Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-2, 245-pound senior from Bozeman, Mont., leads the league with 17 tackles for loss. His average of 1.89 ranks second in the nation. Fletcher tallied 6.5 sacks and 66 total tackles. He anchored a defense which ranks first in the league and seventh nationally against the rush.
Sacramento State junior safety Zach Schrader, who transferred to the Hornets after his previous school Division II Western Washington dropped its football program, was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year. The 6-1, 195-pounder from Issaquah, Wash., recorded 102 tackles, which ranks fourth in the league. He also forced a league-high four fumbles and intercepted four passes.
Weber State senior running back Trevyn Smith made history, becoming just the third player in the 47-year history of the league to earn First Team honors four straight seasons. Smith joins Nevada running back Charvez Foger and Weber State’s Scott Shields as the only players in league history to earn the four-peat.
Smith, a 5-10, 210-pound senior from Springville, Utah, needs 21 rushing yards in Weber State’s first-round playoff game to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season. Smith ranks third on the Big Sky’s all-time rushing list with 5,007 yards and ranks fourth place in all-purpose yards with 6,376. He’s a candidate for the Walter Payton Award.
Five players were repeat selections from the 2008 First Team, including Mariani and Toone. Mariani, a senior from Havre, Mont., has caught 50 passes for 980 yards with nine touchdowns. Toone, a senior from Peoria, Ariz., caught a league-high 77 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season. Toone was also named to the First Team as a return specialist. He leads the nation with a punt return average of 21.2 per game and had two 90-plus returns for touchdowns this season, including a Big Sky-record 95-yarder.
Also tabbed to the top team for a second straight season were Weber State center Kyle Mutcher, Wildcat defensive back Josh Morris, and teammate Kevin Linehan, a defensive end. Morris is a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award.
Nichols was a first-team pick in 2007. Portland State fullback senior Bobby McClintock returned to the First Team after last making it in 2006 as a freshman.
Regular-season champion Montana led the First Team with nine overall selections. Guard Terran Hillesland, running back Chase Reynolds and fullback Kevin Klaboe were named on offense, along with Mariani and Horn. Inside linebacker Shawn Lebsock, cornerback Trumaine Johnson, and safety Shann Schillinger made the defensive squad. Sophomore Cole Lockwood was the First Team Special Teams player. Reynolds, a junior from Drummond, Mont., has rushed fro 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s a candidate for the Walter Payton Award.
Weber State landed seven on the first team. Toone was joined by Mutcher, Smith, Linehan, Morris, linebacker Taylor Sedillo and punter Mike Snoy.
Nichols, tight end Nathan Overbay and sophomore running back Taiwan Jones were EWU players named to the first team. Tackle Renard Williams and Sherritt were the Eagles’ defensive picks.
Overbay caught a league-high 12 touchdown passes. Jones, a defensive player last season, averaged an amazing 7.4 yards per carry and ranks second in the nation in all-purpose yards at 195 per game. Sherritt, a Buck Buchanan Award Candidate leads the nation in tackles, with 154. He has 11.5 tackles for loss
MSU’s Hansen, a 6-4, 297-pounder from Great Falls, Mont., anchored the Montana State offensive line, which helped the Bobcats rank second in the league in total offense. Teammate Mike Person, a junior tackle, also made the first team from the Bobcats’ offensive line. Defensive tackle Dan Ogden joined Fletcher on the first team from the Bobcats’ defense.
Northern Arizona placed three players on the First Team: Senior running back Alex Henderson, who finished the regular season with a league-high 1,166 rushing yards, senior wide receiver Ed Berry (75 catches, 1,075 yards), and junior safety Matt Estrada.
Idaho State sophomore linebacker A.J. Storms (120 tackles) and Bengal punter Jon Vanderwielen were also named to the first team. Vanderwielen leads the Big Sky and ranks second in the nation with an average of 44.7 yards per punt.
Portland State sophomore Zach Brown, who also doubles as a receiver, was selected as the First Team kicker. Brown made 18-of-25 field goals this season.