Seventeen Big Sky Conference players have been named to The Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision Team, including six to the First Team.

            The Big Sky finished second to only the Colonial Athletic Association in total number of All-Americans. The CAA had 20 players named to the team. The Missouri Valley had 12 and the Southern Conference 11. All 14 FCS conferences were represented.

            Weber State placed three players on the First Team: wide receiver Tim Toone, center Kyle Mutcher and cornerback Josh Morris.

            Montana wide receiver Marc Mariani, Montana State offensive guard Jeff Hansen and Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt were also First-Team picks.

            Eastern Washington quarterback Matt Nichols, Montana running back Chase Reynolds, Weber State fullback Bo Bolen, Northern Arizona wide receiver Ed Berry, Montana State defensive end Dane Fletcher and Sacramento State defensive tackle Christian Clark were Second-Team picks.

            Eastern Washington tight end Nathan Overbay, Montana offensive linemen Levi Horn and Terran Hillesland, Eastern Washington’s Taiwan Jones and Idaho state punter Jon Vanderwielen were named to the Third Team.

            Mutcher, a 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior from Park City, Utah., was a consensus All-American this season along with Sherritt, a 5-10, 210-pound junior from Pullman, Wash. Both were named to the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp and Associated Press All-America squads. Sherritt finished with a national-high 170 total tackles and finished second in voting for the Buck Buchanan Award.

Toone and Mariani were both First Team Sports Network picks for the second straight season.

Toone, a 5-10, 170-pound senior from Peoria, Ariz., caught 83 passes for 1,104 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also led the nation with a 19.9 yard punt return average, returning two for scores.

Mariani, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior from Havre, Mont., caught 80 passes for 1,479 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also averaged 15.8 yards per punt return and returned one kick and one punt for touchdowns. Mariani helped Montana to a 14-1 record and a trip to the Division I national championship game.

Hansen, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound senior from Great Falls, Mont., started 44 straight consecutive games for the Bobcats, leading the way for 16 100-yard rushers during that time.

            Morris, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior from Ada, Okla., was a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award and was a First Team All-Conference selection two straight seasons.