Grizzly Football News
Griz land four on Sports Network All-American teams
by:
of The Sports Network
Friday, 12/29/2006
The University of Montana football team had four players honored by the Sports Network as members of the 2006 Sports Network I-AA/FCS All-America Team. Senior defensive end Mike Murphy was joined by junior and fellow defensive end Kroy Biermann as part of the second team defense. Junior offensive tackle Cody Balogh and senior return specialist Tuff Harris were recognized as third team offense. Below is the full story courtesy of The Sports Network.
2006 Sports Network I-AA/FCS All-America Team Announced
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - After winning the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Friday night, the Appalachian State Mountaineers continued to reap the rewards with six selections to the The Sports Network I-AA/FCS All- America team, including four picks to the first team. Offensive linemen Kerry Brown and Matt Isenhour both highlight the first-team offense. A pair of Buck Buchanan Award candidates land on the first-team defense, with Marques Murrell at defensive end and Jeremy Wiggins at defensive back. Safety Corey Lynch earned second-team honors as a defensive back, while running back Kevin Richardson earned third-team honors. Voting was conducted among I-AA/FCS sports information directors and selected media, with more than 100 ballots being cast.
New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos, the Walter Payton Award winner as the division’s most outstanding player, earned first-team honors at quarterback. Santos threw for 2,681 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season, while also running for 12 scores. He is joined in the backfield by a pair of Gateway Conference players. Youngstown State’s Marcus Mason ran for 1,496 yards and 19 touchdowns in only nine regular season games, while Southern Illinois running back Arkee Whitlock tallied 1,541 yards and 21 touchdowns.
David Ball (New Hampshire) and Alex Watson (Northern Arizona) earned first-team honors at wide receiver. Ball caught 82 passes for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Watson notched 82 receptions for 1,017 yards and 15 scores. Delaware’s Ben Patrick is the first-team tight end after catching 64 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns.
On the offensive line, Brown and Isenhour are joined by Youngstown State’s Ryan Jewell, Yale’s Ed McCarthy and Massachusetts’ Alex Miller.
McNeese State kick returner Steven Whitehead and Southern Illinois placekicker Craig Coffin make up the first-team special teams.
Matt King (Maine), Bryan Smith (McNeese State) and Kevin Winston (James Madison) all join Murrell on the defensive line. Four of the top five finishers in the Buck Buchanan Award voting make up the first-team linebacking corps. Buchanan Award winner Kyle Shotwell (Cal Poly) headlines a group that includes Akeem Jordan (James Madison), Adam Hayward (Portland State) and Cameron Siskowic (Illinois State). The first-team secondary consists of Dre Dokes (Northern Iowa), James Ihedigbo (Massachusetts), Stacey Thomas (Texas Southern) and Wiggins.
Southern Illinois followed the Mountaineers with five selections to the All- America team, while national runner-up Massachusetts, Montana and James Madison all had four All-Americans. In all, 78 players from 15 different conferences were selected to either the first-, second-, or third-team. The Atlantic 10 led all leagues with 15 selections, followed by the Gateway Conference with 11 and the Big Sky with nine.
THE SPORTS NETWORK 2006 I-AA/FCS ALL-AMERICA OFFENSE
First-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Ricky Santos New Hampshire QB Jr. 6-2 215
Marcus Mason Youngstown State RB Sr. 5-9 215
Arkee Whitlock Southern Illinois RB Sr. 5-10 195
David Ball New Hampshire WR Sr. 6-2 200
Alex Watson Northern Arizona WR Jr. 5-10 180
Ben Patrick Delaware TE Sr. 6-4 270
Kerry Brown Appalachian State OL Jr. 6-6 300
Matt Isenhour Appalachian State OL Sr. 6-1 275
Ryan Jewell Youngstown State OL Sr. 6-4 285
Ed McCarthy Yale OL Sr. 6-5 302
Alex Miller Massachusetts OL Jr. 6-2 290
Craig Coffin Southern Illinois K Sr. 5-11 200
Steven Whitehead McNeese State RS Jr. 5-8 170
Second-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Jason Murrietta Northern Arizona QB Sr. 6-1 215
Steve Baylark Massachusetts RB Sr. 6-0 225
Justise HairstonCentral Conn. State RB Sr. 6-1 210
Bruce Hocker Duquesne WR Jr. 6-4 190
Maurice Price Charleston Southern WR Jr. 6-1 190
Patrick Bugg Eastern Kentucky TE Sr. 6-5 215
Brennan CarvalhoPortland State OL Jr. 6-1 310
Corey Davis James Madison OL Sr. 6-4 325
Will Justice Southern Illinois OL Sr. 6-4 290
Chad Rinehart Northern Iowa OL Jr. 6-5 310
Nate Safe North Dakota State OL Jr. 6-4 315
Rob Zarrilli Hofstra K Jr. 6-0 193
Jesse Burton Tennessee-Martin RS Jr. 5-10 185
Third-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Josh Johnson San Diego QB Jr. 6-3 195
Clifton Dawson Harvard RB Sr. 5-10 210
Kevin RichardsonAppalachian State RB Jr. 5-9 190
Micah Rucker Eastern Illinois WR Jr. 6-6 230
Jerome Simpson Coastal Carolina WR Jr. 6-3 190
Braden Jones Southern Illinois TE Sr. 6-4 260
Matt Austin Massachusetts OL Jr. 6-5 285
Cody Balogh Montana OL Jr. 6-7 325
Jacob Bender Nicholls State OL Sr. 6-6 305
Tucker Peterson New Hampshire OL Sr. 6-2 310
Brad Poston Coastal Carolina OL Sr. 6-5 290
Blake Bercegay McNeese State K So. 6-2 168
Tuff Harris Montana RS Sr. 6-0 193
THE SPORTS NETWORK 2006 I-AA/FCS ALL-AMERICA DEFENSE
First-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Matt King Maine DL Sr. 6-3 242
Marques Murrell Appalachian State DL Sr. 6-2 245
Bryan Smith McNeese State DL Jr. 6-3 206
Kevin Winston James Madison DL Sr. 6-3 230
Adam Hayward Portland State LB Sr. 6-0 235
Akeem Jordan James Madison LB Sr. 6-0 235
Kyle Shotwell Cal Poly LB Sr. 6-1 235
Cameron SiskowicIllinois State LB Sr. 6-2 225
Dre Dokes Northern Iowa DB Sr. 5-9 162
James Ihedigbo Massachusetts DB Sr. 6-1 202
Stacey Thomas Texas Southern DB Sr. 6-0 200
Jeremy Wiggins Appalachian State DB Sr. 5-9 190
David Simonhoff SE Missouri State P Sr. 6-2 200
Second-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Kroy Biermann Montana DL Jr. 6-3 233
Rudolph Hardie Howard DL Sr. 6-1 270
Edgar Jones SE Missouri State DL Jr. 6-5 250
Mike Murphy Montana DL Sr. 6-3 238
Justin Durant Hampton LB Sr. 6-2 230
Mike Gallihugh Colgate LB Jr. 5-11 185
Chad Nkang Elon LB Sr. 6-1 215
Donald Thomas Eastern Illinois LB Jr. 5-10 222
Jonathan Barsi UC Davis DB Sr. 6-1 205
Tony LeZotte James Madison DB Jr. 6-0 200
Corey Lynch Appalachian State DB Jr. 6-0 205
Jason Perry Youngstown State DB Sr. 5-8 175
Mike DragosavichNorth Dakota State P Jr. 6-5 196
Third-Team School Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt.
Mike Berg Harvard DL Sr. 6-2 265
Justin Frick North Dakota State DL Sr. 6-3 292
Ray Gensler Robert Morris DL Sr. 6-0 220
Lorenzo Wims Southern Illinois DL Sr. 6-2 260
Zak DeOssie Brown LB Sr. 6-4 240
Chris Dupuy Alabama State LB Sr. 6-0 210
Chris Hunsaker Northern Arizona LB Sr. 6-0 245
Marcus Taylor Fordham LB Sr. 6-1 244
Allyn Bacchus Villanova DB Sr. 6-0 205
Tristan Burge Eastern Illinois DB Sr. 6-0 200
Kenny Chicoine Cal Poly DB Sr. 6-0 205
Bobbie Williams Bethune-Cookman DB Jr. 6-1 180
Colin McDonough Princeton P Sr. 6-0 185