The Bottom Line - Post Season Awards & Wrap-up

By Chris Kelly

 

The Great West Football Conference, with just a year under the belt, has every right to hold its head high. After a full season of play, the conference did more than hold its own, and in the process gained a great deal of respect. The questions about the future of this conference certainly exist, something I'll speak to a tad later. For now, let's sit back and relish in a very successful first season by handing out some post-season awards.

 

First to the official All-Conference teams, selected by the coaches. Then I'll hand out some individual awards.

 

Great West All-Conference Teams

 

First Team

Offense

C      Rob Hunt, North Dakota State, Sr.    

C      Marc Manfredda, UC Davis, Sr.    

OL   Ben Cobian, Cal Poly, Sr.    

OL   Cory Lekkerkerker, UC Davis, Sr.    

OL   Nick Zilka, North Dakota State, Sr.    

OL   Tim Popowski, North Dakota State, Jr.    

TE    Daniel Fells, UC Davis, Jr.    

WR   Jerome Eason, Southern Utah, Jr.    

WR   Darrell Jones, Cal Poly, Sr.    

WR   Vincent Jackson, Northern Colorado, Sr.    

QB    Jon Grant, UC Davis, So.    

RB     Kyle Steffes, North Dakota State, So.    

RB    Anthony Watson, South Dakota State, So. 

RB    Andre Wilson, Northern Colorado, So.    

Defense

DL    Isaac Snell, North Dakota State, Sr.

DL    Joey Abell, South Dakota State, Sr. 

DL    Sitiveni Tuivai, Southern Utah, Sr.

DL    Chris Gocong, Cal Poly, Jr.

OLB    Nick DiPadova, Southern Utah, Sr.

OLB    Marques Harris, Southern Utah, Sr. 

ILB    Jordan Beck, Cal Poly, Sr.

ILB    Chris Coauette, South Dakota State, Sr.

DB    Craig Dahl, North Dakota State, So.

DB    Karl Ivory, Cal Poly, Sr.    

DB    Reed Doughty, Northern Colorado, Jr.

DB    Charles Barrett, Northern Colorado, Sr.

DB    Dan Reece, UC Davis, Sr. 

Special Teams

P    Neal Bainbridge, South Dakota State, So. 

PK    Justin Zaitz, Northern Colorado, Jr.    

RS    Jesse Oliva, UC Davis, Sr. 

Second Team

Offense

OL    Iosefa Robins, Southern Utah, Sr.    

OL    Beau Finato, Cal Poly, Jr.

OL    Taylor Murray, South Dakota State, So.  

OL    Shaun Farner, Northern Colorado, Jr.

TE    Paul Keiser, South Dakota State, Jr.    

WR    AJ Smith, Southern Utah, Sr.    

WR    Kevin Freeman, UC Davis, Sr.    

WR    Jonah Russell, Cal Poly, Jr.    

WR    Travis White, North Dakota State, Jr.    

QB    Casey Rehrer, Southern Utah    Sr.    

RB    Geno Randle, Cal Poly, Sr.    

Defense

DL    Dwight Summerville, North Dakota State, Sr.

DL    Levi Erickson, Southern Utah, So.    

DL    Ryan Sharp, UC Davis, Jr.    

DL    Pila Fatukala, UC Davis    Jr.    

OLB    Brian Erenberg, North Dakota State, Sr. 

OL     Jayd Kittelson, North Dakota State, Sr.  

ILB    Mike Overly, Southern Utah, Sr.    

ILB    Dan Elbanna, UC Davis, Jr.    

DB    Hank McCall, South Dakota State, Jr.    

DB    Steve Smith, Southern Utah, Jr.  

DB    Joey Warren, Cal Poly, Sr.

DB    Brandon Perkins, Southern Utah, Jr.

Special Teams

P    Tim Chicoine, Cal Poly, Fr.  

PK    Steve Pulver, Southern Utah, So.

RS    Darrell Jones, Cal Poly, Sr.  

Honorable Mention

Cal Poly: Anthony Garnett (QB), Kelly Turbin (DL), Aaron Williams (DB),

Kenny Chicoine (CP), Byungwoo Yoon (PK).

North Dakota State: Alvin Robinson (DL), Jared Essler (DB), Matt Gorman

(DB), Mike Dragosavich (P).

Northern Colorado: Bret Garegnani (OL), Tony Christensen (QB), Jason

McMillan (DL), Jared Wallen (DL), Jeff Spletzer (DL), Wade Sumpter (OLB),

Thomas Smith (OLB), Ryan Palmer (ILB), Vincent Jackson (RS).

South Dakota State: Mitch Erickson (OL), Brian Janecek (WR), Brad Nelson

(QB), Gabe Koenigsfeld (DL), D.J. Fischer (DL).

Southern Utah: Lee Chart (OL), Trevor Ward (P).

UC Davis: Tony Kays (WR), Ben Reece (OLB), Chris Shibel (P).

CK's Take: I was so happy to see the Coaches put two centers on the 1^st Team. Voting traditionally would ask to put one offensive lineman from each position meaning just one center. The problem with the Great West is there are two standout guys that each warrants this accolade. Rob Hunt probably gets a slight edge over Marc Manfredda, but the Aggies center is likely among the top five at his position in I-AA. Manfredda just happens to be in the same conference with a guy who might just be top 5 in all of college football. Both guys clearly deserved a first team spot.

 

Also, how about the skill positions on the first team offense? Grant, and the three running backs Wilson, Steffes, and Watson are all sophomores. Vincent Jackson and Jonah Russell graduate, but Daniel Fells, and Jerome Eason both return. The GWFC is loaded with some serious talent which returns next season. Not often half of the 1^st team is made up of non-seniors.

 

Freshman of the Year: Cinque Chapman, RB, North Dakota State

I talked all season long about what a powerful running duo Kyle Steffes, and Cinque Chapman were for the Bison. While Steffes was the starter each game, the red-shirt freshman Chapman played in all 11 games and gained 737 yards, including four touchdowns. I don't think any coach could ask for more production out of the back up running back. Chapman future is bright in Fargo, as the youngster's combination of speed and power makes him a threat every time he touches the rock. The scary part of this two-some that gained nearly 1800 yards has a combined five years remaining.

 

Offensive lineman of the Year:  Rob Hunt, Center, North Dakota State

The Great West has a number of talented linemen, but one in general stands above the rest. Rob Hunt, the Bison center has been a model of consistency leading a tough offensive line which helped the league in rushing offense, and yards per carry (4.8) Hunt, who will no doubt be named to some All-American teams in the coming weeks, has not allowed a sack in 19 games. In fact he has only allowed one quarterback hit over the past two years. Hunt led the team in pancake blocks in 2003 with 53, and topped that number with nearly 70.

 

Coaches of the Year: Rich Ellerson, Cal Poly

Rich Ellerson nabs the coach of the year honors in a landslide. Ellerson had a tremendous season leading his Mustangs to a 9-2 record, and the first ever Great West Football Conference title. This is the point in the section I'll should also be able to add that he led his Mustang to their first ever I-AA playoff birth. His defense was one of the best in the nation, which I spent all season talking about but maybe his best work was done on the offensive side of the ball. Struggling to replace departed quarterback Chris Peterson, Ellerson toyed with the spot a number of times over the first half of the season giving three players a shot at the spot. After continual tweaking he finally found his man in Anthony Garnett who played the most consistent of the three.

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Vincent Jackson, Northern Colorado

Let's think about what Vincent Jackson did this season. He played on a team that went 2-9, had inconsistent quarterback play all season, and faced one of the toughest I-AA schedules around. Besides Andre Wilson in the backfield, who had some big games, Jackson was the guy. Opposing teams knew that and doubled him whenever possible. Stopping him was the main goal of the defensive game plan. Yet all Jackson did finish the season third in receiving yards, (1382) and yards per game. (125.6) He also found the end zone 11 times, and broke quite a few Northern Colorado records this season. Jackson, who will be on everyone's All-American teams, has already been invited to every post-season bowl imaginable. He's also one of 16 finalists for the national offensive player of the year. Oh and did I mention that the two receivers to finish above Jackson had quarterbacks (App St., New Hampshire) who are also up for the Walter Payton award. What could Jackson have done with either of those quarterbacks throwing passes his way? Some experts have Jackson going near the 4^th or 5^th round of this spring's NFL draft.

 

Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Gocong, Cal Poly

I think it's safe to say that moving Chris Gocong from nose tackle to defensive end this season paid off just fine. Gocong, a junior, had a sold season in 2003 with 37 tackles, including 8 for loss and one sack. Then as he moved to defensive end, he exploded in 2004. He nearly doubled his tackles total with 71, but more impressively has 21.5 stops for loss, and led the nation in sacks at 17.5. Gocong flew under the radar most of the season especially with other stars on the Mustang defense grabbing the spotlight. However, he was recently named to the final ballot of 16 players for the Buck Buchanan awards, given to the best defensive player in the nation. The great news for Mustangs fans is the Gocong still has one year of eligibility left to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

 

Most Valuable Player: Jordan Beck, Cal Poly

When I did my midseason breakdown of the Most Valuable Player, Jordan Beck was my guy. Not much has changes since then. Beck continued his assault on the Mustang record books as the leader of this potent defense.

Get a load of these numbers:

 

Tackles: 135 tackles, Tied for 1^st in nation, and 4^th in tackles per game.

Tackles for loss: 18.5 tackles for loss, tied for 5^th nationally, 8^th in TFL per game.

Sacks: 5 sacks

Inteceptions: 4 interceptions, 53^rd in the nation (remember he's a linebacker)

Passes Defended: 9 passes defended

Forced Fumbles: 6 forced fumbles, 1^st in the nation.

 

The numbers speak for themselves folks. This guy was the most dominant linebacker in 2004. Sure some guys had 135 tackles as well, or had more sacks, but no linebacker had a better combination of statistics than Beck, who just always puts himself in the right place at the right time. The fact that Beck's team finished 9-2, led by the defense, is another testament to the talent of the senior backer. Beck, along with his teammate Chris Gocong, is a one of 16 finalists for the Buchanan awards. If Beck is not one of the three finalists, then we really can look at east coast bias. Is it possible Cal Poly could be snubbed again?

 

Most Improved: Casey Rehrer, Southern Utah

Coming into the 2004 season, I said that the T-Birds defense was loaded with talent, and this team would only go as far as Casey Rehrer would take them. In 2003, Rehrer was inconsistent starting only five games, and throwing nearly as many picks as touchdowns. This season Rehrer really seemed to grasp the new offense, which went from a spread attack to a more balanced one two seasons ago. The improvement was amazing as the senior really seemed in control at all times. Rehrer was a dual threat leading the conference in total offense. He threw for over 258 yard per games, and 21 touchdowns. He also added nearly 50 yards per game on the ground and another seven scores. He'll be sorely missed next season.

 

Biggest win: South Dakota State 31 Southern 24

South Dakota State lost 52-0 to Davis in week #1, which seemed to signal to the rest of the Great West that maybe this Jackrabbit team wasn't quite ready for that next step. After two easy wins against sub par opponents, South Dakota State quickly erased any doubts. The Jacks traveled to Baton Rouge and knocked off a tough Southern bunch in front of over 15,000 people. To win on the road, coming from behind in front of so many people was impressive. It was the first time fans outside of the GWFC really opened their eyes and started to realize this little conference out west can play some football. More importantly it did wonders for the confidence of SDSU which went on to finish an impressive 6-5 in just their first season at I-AA. That win became more impressive each week as Southern played strong football and ended the season ranked #20 in the nation.  

 

Most impressive win: North Dakota State 30 Northwestern State 17

North Dakota State played its best football over its final three games when freshman Steve Walker took over at quarterback. It all started with their game against nationally ranked Northwestern State in the Fargo Dome. It didn't come without struggles though. The defense, which had been strong all season, gave up 17 first half points, while the offense sputtered only scoring once. In the second half, however, the Bison played a half of football as good as any all season. Facing the #1 defense in the nation, and starting a freshman at quarterback, the Bison dominated the trenches scoring 23 unanswered points. The Bison sat home last Saturday week, while Northwestern competed in the playoffs, but clearly NDSU proved that the Great West can play with the best of them.

 

Best offensive play: Jon Grant's 14-yard TD pass to Tony Kays against Cal Poly

This may have been the best conference game all season highlighted by a fantastic Aggies drive to win the game. After fumbling into the end zone only minutes earlier, UC Davis got a big stop and forced the Mustangs to punt the ball back with just under a minute remaining. The Aggies, who needed to travel 53 yards against the best defense in the conference moved swiftly to the Mustangs 14-yard line. Jon Grant wasted no time hitting Tony Kays for a touchdown to hand #5 ranked Cal Poly its first loss of the season. It was a great ending to a tremendous game between two rivals.

 

Best defensive play: Karl Ivory's 73-yard interception return against North Dakota State

The Bison are so tough to beat in the dome, and Cal Poly almost learned that the hard way. The Mustangs did its job shutting down the Bison offense, but NDSU returned the favor holding the Mustangs to less than 150 yards of total offense. Cal Poly could not move the ball at all against the Bison defense, and needed a big play from its defense to win this game. They got it from their star at cornerback, Karl Ivory. Ivory, who finished the season with five picks, nabbed a Tony Stauss pass and took it the other way for a 73-yard score late in the first half. It gave the Mustangs a small lead which they would hold onto. If Ivory doesn't make that play, we're likely talking about a different conference champion.

 

Great West Bowling

A number of players have been invited to play in post season bowl games, and here is the most up to date list. There may be additions made to this list as invitations continue to come out.

 

LB Mike Overly, Southern Utah- Las Vegas All American Classic

LB Marques Harris - LVAAC

LB Jordan Beck, Cal Poly- East West Shrine Game

OL Ben Cobian, Cal Poly- LVAAC

WR Vincent Jackson, Northern Colorado- Senior Bowl, has been invited to LVAAC and       Shrine, and Hula Bowls as well.        

C Rob Hunt, North Dakota State- Hula Bowl

C Marc Manfredda - East West Shrine Game

 

The "Sky" is the limit

 

As the year has progressed, it has become apparent that the future of the Great West Football conference is truly up in the air. The Big Sky is currently looking into expanding its conference, which could mean that teams from the GWFC could bolt for the Sky. NDSU, SDSU, UNC, and SUU have all expressed interest in joining the Big Sky. There have even been rumors of UC Davis and Cal Poly being considered. The Aggies and Mustangs are highly unlikely however, since both schools are member of the Big West. This would mean as member of the Big Sky, they would be a football affiliate only, something the Big Sky has said they are not interested in.

 

With the first four team the more likely candidates; the next key date to focus on is December 13^th. That is the tentative date for a meeting to decide the next step in the process. First, the BSC will announce if they are going to expand. Assuming that they plan to expand the 2^nd piece of information to come from this meeting will be to explain what schools are candidates for on site evaluations.

 

There is no clear cut answer here, and to even guess what the landscape of I-AA football in the west will be in two to three years would be difficult. While it seems more than likely that at a minimum North Dakota State and South Dakota State will likely be accepted, there could be more. UNC? SUU? Could North Dakota become an option should they decided to move to I-AA? Would they take only four or just two? What about teams like Idaho and San Jose State, who could very well move from I-A to I-AA in the coming years. Maybe they're not teams that would join the sky but they will affect what the BSC, and GWFC look like. San Jose State has recently signed three I-AA teams to contracts, and saw their coach leave - possibly a couple early signs they will move down sooner than later. Besides talk of signings this winter, this topic will likely be the most popular. We'll have much more to talk about in just a couple weeks.

 

A look ahead...

Well the end of the football season means one thing for fans, the next season is just around the corner. Over the next few months teams will announce their recruiting classes, go through spring drills, and prepare for another year of ball. Here's a quick look at each teams key loss, and pressure points as we look toward 2005.

 

(alphabetical)

Cal Poly

Key loss- Jordan Beck. If this wasn't the most obvious, then I don't know what is. Cal Poly defensive scheme is great, but filling Beck shoes might be the biggest shoes to fill of anyone in the conference.

 

Pressure's on- Anthony Garnett. Next season, Garnett will have to carry the team a tad more. This season he could always rely on a great defense to put the team in good position. Garnett knows the losses are substantial, and will have to step up to keep Cal Poly on the national map.

 

North Dakota State

Key loss- Isaac Snell/Dwight Summerville. The Bison defensive line dominated its offensive opponents this season and Snell, and Summerville were a big reason why. The two combined for 17.5 stops behind the line, and 4.5 sacks. The Bison seem to have a way of filling holes along the line, and it could be from the junior college ranks, but these two will not be easy to replace.

 

Pressure's on- Steve Walker. Right now life could not get better for Steve Walker. The frosh phenom is on a pedestal and his future appears bright. I could have been said for Tony Stauss at this same time last year. This year he stumbled after a strong first season, and was replaced by Walker. Walker played almost flawlessly in his three starts, so it will be interesting to see how he performs when the Bison need him to do more. As the starter now, a lot will be expected out of him from those in Fargo.

 

Northern Colorado

Key loss- Vincent Jackson. When you're 2-8, and lose a player of this caliber it's not easy. The Bears will need some of the youth to step up next season at the wide out spot. Vincent Jackson was the offense last season.

 

Pressure's on- The defense. Two seasons ago, the Bears played such good football on this side of the ball. Last season the numbers weren't pretty allowing 383 yards per game. Part of this was facing some of the best offenses all across the nation. It doesn't get easier next season, as the offense loses its big playmaker and more of the onus falls on this group to improve itself. This will be especially challenging after a number of senior starters depart.

 

South Dakota State

Key loss- Chris Coauette. The Jackrabbits played strong team defense all season, and were led by a number of young players. The heart and soul of the group was the senior Chris Coauette, who is a huge loss defensively. The Jacks will look for the next big playmaker at middle backer, which won't be an easy task to replace the emotional leader Coauette.

 

Pressure's on- Andy Kardoes. Brad Nelson never blew anyone away with his stats. What he impressed with was his consistent play at quarterback. Always the steady veteran leader, Nelson could be relied upon to deliver a big play when needed. (See: NDSU game) His backup Andy Kardoes will now likely step into as the starting quarterback, and he must deliver to keep the Jacks team as a contender in the Great West.

 

Southern Utah

Key loss- The trio- DiPadova, Harris, Overly. It's not often the three starting linebackers are the top three tacklers. But it's also not often a team has three linebackers as talented as Marques Harris, Nick DiPadova, and Mike Overly. Unfortunately all three graduate this season and so do their 265 combined tackles. Coach Wes Meyer can only hope the next three to step in are half as good as this group.

 

Pressure's on- Casey Rehrer's successor. I've raved about Rehrer all season. His improvement over a season ago made this Thunderbird offense dangerous. Now with their playmaker gone, Rehrer's successor will feel the heat to make this team go.

 

UC Davis

Key loss- Manfredda/Lekkerkkerker. The Aggies offensive line was up and down all season, and now loses their two best linemen in Marc Manfredda, and Cory Lekkerkkerker. Replacing these two will be a priority.

 

Pressure's on- The run game. The Aggies run game struggled just about all season, something which the Aggies are unfamiliar with. Now with the two best linemen graduating the pressure is big to revive the running game and take some of the pressure away from Jon Grant.

 

The Bottom Line: I think it's a pretty safe assessment to call the first season of Great West Football Conference a huge success. The GWFC won the overall battle against the Big Sky 8-6, had some impressive non-conference wins, and should have had a playoff representative. Within one season this new conference has gained respect, and demonstrated this group of six teams will be a handful to deal with for a while to come. What's interesting is the fact that this conference may exist in another form in a couple years or not even exist at all. And as far as the respect factor, after the debacle by the committee last weekend, I wonder if respect was earned in the right place? The good news is, even with many unanswered questions, and an uncertain future, season #2 is just around the corner.

 

Comments. Questions. Email Chris @ gwfcfootball@hotmail.com