Friday, January 3, 2020

PORTLAND, Ore. – After outstanding play on the field that helped lead their teams to shares of the GNAC championship, Central Washington junior running back Michael Roots and Western Oregon senior offensive lineman Joseph Gonzales have both been named as honorable mentions to the D2Football.com All-America Team.

Roots, a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection, was one of the prime movers in a Central Washington offense that led the GNAC and finished eighth in Division II in total offense at 504.7 yards per game. Roots led the GNAC and finished fifth in Division II with 1,515 rushing yards, ranked eighth nationally with 137.7 rushing yards per game and 30th in scoring with 8.4 points per game. His 14 rushing touchdowns ranked 18th in Division II.

Roots finished with 100 or more rushing yards eight times with a season-high of 221 yards against Simon Fraser on Oct. 26.

Gonzales played a key role in a Western Oregon offensive line that played a big role in the Wolves finishing the regular season ranked 18th in Division II in total offense. The line allowed 1.82 sacks per game and was 36th in Division II with 5.18 tackles for loss allowed per game. In the process, Western Oregon’s offense set Division II-era school records with 2,672 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns and 5,119 yards of total offense.

In addition to his D2Football.com accolades, Gonzales was named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and was the GNAC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Both Central Washington and Western Oregon with 7-4 overall records a 5-1 conference marks to share the GNAC championship. It was the Wildcats’ third consecutive championship and the first-ever GNAC football championship for the Wolves.