Wednesday, November 19, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – Terrell Watson of Azusa Pacific who broke virtually every rushing record in the GNAC record book and Simon Fraser linebacker Jordan Herdman who set conference single game and single season records for tackles have been selected the GNAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

They are among seven players to receive special awards for the 2014 season.

Humboldt State freshman Alex Cappa was selected by the league’s coaches as the Offensive Lineman of the Year, while Central Washington defensive end Tovar Sanchez was voted the Defensive Lineman of the Year.

The GNAC Newcomer of the Year award was won by South Dakota Mines quarterback Trent McKinney.  Freshman of the Year honors were split by Humboldt State quarterback Robert Webber and Western Oregon wide receiver/kick returner Paul Revis.

Victor Santa Cruz, who led Azusa Pacific to its second consecutive conference title, and Humboldt State’s Rob Smith tied in the balloting for Coach of the Year honors.

Watson had a “season for the ages” leading Division II in rushing with 2,153 yards and 29 touchdowns.  He set  single season rushing records for yards, touchdowns, carries (319), yards per carry (6.7) and yards per game (195.7).  In three seasons in the GNAC, Watson rushed for 5,059 yards.  He capped off his career last Saturday rushing for a GNAC single-game record 338 yards in a 54-0 win against Menlo.  

Herdman, who set a single-game record with 27 tackles earlier this year against Humboldt State, set a GNAC season record with 165 tackles, 66 more than any other player in the GNAC and  37 more than the previous record of 128 by Caleb Jessup of Western Washington in 2008.

Cappa led an offensive line that helped the Lumberjacks score a conference-best 38.8 points per game after averaging just 15.5 a year ago. Sanchez led the GNAC in tackles for losses with 22 ½ and ranked second in quarterback sacks. 

McKinney finished second in the GNAC in passing averaging 270.3 passing yards after transferring from the University of Montana.  He completed 242 of 402 passes  and twice had more than 500 yards in total offense.

Revis had 67 catches for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns.  He also had 856 return yards, including 644 on 28 kickoffs and 212 on 24 punt returns.  Webber, a true-freshman, passed for 2,208 yards and 22 touchdowns in leading the conference in pass efficiency (145.8).

Santa Cruz led Azusa Pacific to a 10-1 record and its second consecutive GNAC title, while Smith coached the Lumberjacks to an 8-2 record a year after going winless during an injury-plagued 2013 campaign.

The Coach of the Year award was the second in a row for Santa Cruz.  Smith has won five GNAC Coach of the Year including two at Western Washington (2001, 2003) and three at  Humboldt State (2010, 2011 and 2014).  

28 EARN FIRST TEAM HONORS: Twenty-eight players were named to the GNAC first team all-conference team, including Central Washington’s Isaiah Davis who was selected unanimously as both a defensive back and a punt returner.  Humboldt State led the way with eight selections, while Central Washington had 7 (by six players).  Azusa Pacific had six.  Western Oregon and Simon Fraser had three each and South Dakota Mines had two.

NINE OTHERS ARE UNANIMOUS: In addition to Davis’ two, eight other players earned unanimous selections to the first team.  On offense, they included running backs Terrell Watson of Azusa Pacific  and Nick Ricciardulli  of Humboldt State and offensive lineman Alex Cappa  of HSU and Cody Clay of APU.  On defense, defensive ends Tovar Sanchez of CWU and Alex Markarian of HSU and linebackers Jordan Herdman of Simon Fraser, Steven Fanua of Azusa Pacific and Travis Hansen of Humboldt State received universal acclaim.

THREE TIMES:  Watson was selected to the first team for the third year in a row.  Three-time picks also included Western Oregon wide receiver Tyrell Williams, Azusa Pacific defensive back Tyler Thornton and Humboldt State DB Jerry Maluia (in 2011 and 2012). Other repeaters include Ricciardulli (2012), Simon Fraser receiver Lemar Durant (2012), CWU defensive back Cedrique Chaney (2012), Western Oregon defensive end Kraig Akins (2013), HSU punter Chris Campbell (2013) and Davis (2013 defensive back).

2014 GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

OFFENSE

First Team: Quarterback –  Trent McKinney, SDM (6-0, 185, Jr., Mililani, HI).  Running Backs – **+Terrell Watson, APU (6-2, 240, Sr., Oxnard, CA); *+Nick Ricciardulli, HSU (5-8, 180, Sr., Poway, CA).  Receivers – **Tyrell Williams, WOU (6-4, 200, Sr., Salem, OR); Paul Revis, WOU (5-9, 165, Fr., Scappoose, OR); *Lemar Durant, SFU (6-2, 231, Sr., Coquitlam, BC). Tight End – Grant Widmer, APU (6-3, 220, Jr., Lathrop, CA).  Offensive Line – +Alex Cappa, HSU (6-7, 294, Fr., Dublin, CA); +Cody Clay, APU (6-6, 305, Sr., Fullerton, CA); John Hastreiter, SDM (6-5, 285, Sr., Lincoln, NE); Michael Couture, SFU (6-4, 276, Jr., Coquitlam, BC); Calvin Hoohuli, CWU (6-2, 290, Sr., Pahoa, HI).  Kicker  - Matt Bruder, HSU (5-9, 185, Sr., Jamul, CA).  Kick Returner – Jesse Zalk, CWU (5-8, 160, So., Battle Ground, WA).   +Unanimous  *Repeater (Durant, Ricciardulli from 2012)  

Second Team: Quarterback – Ryan Bergman, WOU (6-2, 170, Sr., Issaquah, WA).  Running Backs – Jordan Todd, CWU (5-6, 180, Jr., Bellevue, WA); Ja’Quan Gardner, HSU (5-7, 175, Fr., Ceres, CA).  Wide Receivers – Greg Logan, CWU (5-10, 180, Sr., Graham, OR); Nate Stephens, DSU (5-9, 160, Jr., Redding, CA); Chase Krivashei, HSU (5-9, 175, So., Corona, CA). Tight Ends – Elijah Balavitch, SDM (6-4, 256, Jr., Orange, CA), Kyle Self, CWU (6-5, 235, Fr., Vaughn, WA).   Offensive Line – Jaylen Crutchfield, APU (6-2, 333, Jr., Perris, CA); Ahmad Sunda, APU (6-3, 305, So., Anaheim Hills, CA); Lucas Beddow, DSU (6-4, 330, Fr., Honolulu, HI); Mick Johnson, HSU (6-3, 295, Sr., Reno, NV); Felix Gacusana, SFU (6-2, 315, So.,  Burnaby, BC).  Kicker – Sean McDonald, CWU (6-0, 158, So., Sammamish, WA).  Kick Returner – Earl Anderson, SFU (5-11, 167, Jr., Courtice, ON); Paul Revis, WOU (5-9, 165, Fr., Scappoose, OR).

Honorable Mention:  Quarterbacks – Chad Jeffries, APU (6-2, 190, Glendora, CA); Robert Webber, HSU (5-9, 195, Fr., Corona, CA). Running Backs – Kevin Thompson, SDM (5-6, 190, So., Bad Kissinggen, Germany); Joe Harris, WOU (6-1, 170, Jr., Coquille, OR).  Wide Receivers – Tanner Henry, APU (6-3, 180, Jr., Corona, CA); Cass White, HSU (5-10,175, Sr., San Diego, CA); Bobby Pospischil, SFU (5-10, 185, Sr., Coquitlam, BC). Offensive Line – Niko Taliulu, SDM (5-11, 281, Sr., Tehachapi, CA); Marshall Green, CWU (6-7, 315, Sr., Tumwater, WA).

DEFENSE

First Team:  Defensive Line – +Tovar Sanchez, CWU (6-4, 230, Jr., Seattle, WA); +Alex Markarian, HSU (6-4, 275, Sr., Chino Hills, CA); *Kraig Akins, WOU (6-2, 290, Sr., Springfield, OR); David Kafovalu, APU (6-5, 250, Jr., Riverside, CA); Silas Sarvinski, HSU (6-1, 265, Sr., Ferndale, CA).  Linebackers – +Jordan Herdman, SFU (6-2, 231, So., Winnipeg, MB); +Steven Fanua, APU (6-1, 225, Sr., Milpitas, CA); +Travis Hansen, HSU (6-2, 235, Sr., San Anselmo, CA); Kevin Haynes, CWU (6-1, 235, Fr., Battle Ground, WA).  Defensive Backs – *+Isaiah Davis, CWU (5-10, 185, Jr., Bremerton, WA); **Tyler Thornton, APU (5-8, 182, Sr., Bakersfield, CA); *Cedrique Chaney, CWU (6-0, 195, Jr., Kelso,  WA); **Jerry Maluia, HSU (5-11, 210, Sr., Compton, CA).  Punter – *+Chris Campbell, HSU (5-11, 175, Sr., Granite Bay, CA).  Punt Returner - +Isaiah Davis, CWU (5-10, 185, Jr., Bremerton, WA).  +Unanimous  *Repeater (Chaney from 2012; Maluia from 2011-12)  

Second Team: Defensive Line – Jake Miller, DSU (6-2, 240, Sr., Trementon, UT); Codey Heidebrecht, HSU (6-3, 250, Jr., Pleasanton, CA); Jamie Puffer, SFU, (6-2, 225, Jr., Verona, ON); Quinn Horton, SFU (6-4, 313, Jr., Winnipeg, ON); George Swartzlender, WOU (6-3, 300, Jr., Burns, OR).  Linebackers – Mitchell Barnett, SFU (6-1, 192, Jr., North Vancouver, BC); Jake Hepp, SDM (6-0, 227, Sr., Buffalo, WY); Cameron Buell, HSU (6-3, 245, So., Citrus Heights, CA); Shane Kuenzi, WOU (6-0, 195, Jr., Salem, OR).  Defensive Backs – CJ Broussard, APU (6-0, 190, So., Clovis, CA); Nick Sharpe, HSU (6-1, 190, Jr., Poway, CA); Jamal Jones, HSU, 5-11, 180, Sr., Oakland, CA); Roger Garrett, WOU (6-1, 180, Jr., Seattle, WA). Punter –Nikolai Karpun, SFU (6-0, 203, Jr., North Delta, BC).  Punt Returner – Chase Krivashei, HSU (5-9, 175, So., Corona, CA).

Honorable Mention:  Defensive Line – Saula Taufa, DSU (6-3, 315, Sr., Manti, UT);  Jeremy Moore, WOU (6-1, 155, So., Tigard, OR); Dillon Huffman, HSU (6-2, 295, Jr., Auburn, CA).  Linebackers – Jay Lata, SDM (5-10, 250, Sr., Long Beach, CA); Mitch Haldane, CWU (6-0, 220, Jr., Mount Lake Terrace, WA); J.B. Torsy, CWU (5-11, 205, Sr., Mission Viejo, CA); Robert Metz, DSU (6-4, 215, Jr., Tucson, AZ); Tyler Johnson, WOU (6-2, 230, Fr., Eugene, OR).  Defensive Backs – Ronald Douglas, APU (6-0, 190, Sr., Rialto, CA); Zac Christian, DSU (5-11, 190, Sr., Plain City, UT).

GNAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year – Terrell Watson, APU (RB, 6-2, 240, Sr., Oxnard, CA). GNAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year -  Jordan Herdman, SFU (6-2, 231, So., Winnipeg, MB).  GNAC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Year - Alex Cappa, HSU (6-7, 294, Fr., Dublin, CA).  GNAC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Year  - Tovar Sanchez, CWU (6-4, 230, Jr., Seattle, WA). GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year – Trent McKinney, SDM (6-0, 185, Jr., Mililani, HI).  GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year – Paul Revis, WOU (5-9, 165, Fr., Scappoose, OR), Robert Webber, HSU (5-9, 185, Fr., Corona, CA).  GNAC Coach-of-the-Year – Victor Santa Cruz, Azusa Pacific; Rob Smith, Humboldt State.