Gratzek, Prelvitz Earn First Team All-MVFC, Seven Bison Earn Honors Overall
11/29/2010 8:29:00 PM | Football
ST. LOUIS, Mo.--Defensive tackle Matthew Gratzek and punter John Prelvitz were named first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference, while seven North Dakota State University student-athletes earned postseason conference honors. Gratzek was second in balloting for the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year. The all-conference team was selected by the head coaches, sports information directors and media, and announced Monday.
Gratzek, a 6-foot-2 1/2, 289-pound senior from Argyle, Minn. (Stephen-Argyle H.S.), led the Bison with 15 quarterback hurries and recorded a safety in NDSU's 43-17 win over Robert Morris on Saturday. He has 33 tackles including 7.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Prelvitz, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound senior from Roseau, Minn. (Roseau H.S.), led the Valley in punting and ranks 4th nationally with an average of 43.5 yards per attempt. He had a career-high 80 yard punt at Missouri State (11-20-10), one of 21 punts of 50-yards or better. Prelvitz has placed 22 punts inside the 20.
Defensive end Coulter Boyer, running back D.J. McNorton and offensive guard Paul Cornick were second-team picks, while cornerback Marcus Williams and wide receiver Warren Holloway were honorable mention.
Boyer led the Bison with 10.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Cornick was a two-time conference offensive lineman of the week that opened holes for McNorton, who has rushed for 1,228 yards and caught 22 passes for 399 more. It was eighth straight season NDSU has had a running back rush for over 1,000 yards.
A redshirt freshman, Williams has had at least one pass break-up in nine of 12 games and has two interceptions. Holloway led NDSU in receiving for the second straight season. Big Tex caught 48 passes for 675 yards and five TDs.
North Dakota State (8-4) is scheduled to play at Big Sky champion Montana State (9-2) at 1:07 p.m. (Central) Saturday, Dec. 4, at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman in the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs.
Western Illinois quarterback Matt Barr, a Walter Payton Award finalist, has been named the Missouri Valley Football Offensive Player of the Year. Barr led the league in pass efficiency, total offense, passing yards, passing TDs and touchdowns accounted for.
Meanwhile, for just the second time in league history a pair of Leathernecks share the league's top honors as linebacker Kyle Glazier has been tabbed as the league's Defensive Player of the Year. A finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, Glazier led the league in tackles and spent several weeks leading the nation in tackles. They are the first pair of teammates to share the league's top honors in the same year since 2007, and are just the second pair of Western teammates to earn Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season (the other was during 2000 when RB Charles Tharp and LB Edgerton Hartwell accomplished the feat).
Indiana State head coach Trent Miles, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, is the first Sycamore to win the league's top coaching honor in the league's 26-year history as ISU was 6-5 and tied for third place. ISU entered 2010 having won just two of its past 64 games.
2010 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team
(selected by coaches, sports information directors and media panel)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Matt Barr, Western Illinois
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LB Kyle Glazier, Western Illinois
'BRUCE CRADDOCK' VALLEY FOOTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Trent Miles, Indiana State
FIRST TEAM
QB -- Matt Barr, Western Illinois 6-2 210 Sr. Belvidere (Ill.) High
RB -- Darrius Gates, Indiana State 5-9 190 Sr. Country Club Hills (Ill.) Hillcrest High
Kyle Minett, South Dakota State 5-10 215 Sr. Ruthton (Minn.) Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High
FB -- Brock Lough, Indiana State 6-0 220 Jr. Terre Haute (Ind.) South Vigo High
WR -- Dominique Barnes, Youngstown St. 5-11 185 Sr. Southfield (Mich.) High
Lito Senatus, Western Illinois 6-3 200 Sr. Miami (Fla.) Southwest High / College of the Sequoias
TE -- Colin Cochart, South Dakota State 6-4 260 Sr. Kewaunee (Wis.) High
OL -- David Arkin, Missouri State 6-5 302 Sr. Wichita (Kan.) Kapaun High
Bryan Boemer, Southern Illinois 6-2 315 Jr. St. Louis (Mo.) St. John Vianney High
Mike Lamphear, Western Illinois 6-4 275 Sr. Burr Ridge (Ill.) Hinsdale South High
Ryan McKnight, South Dakota St. 6-1 295 Sr. Sioux Falls (S.D.) Washington High
Austin Zlab, UNI 6-5 301 Sr. Urbandale (Iowa) High
PK -- Billy Hallgren, UNI 5-11 194 Sr. Coal Valley (Ill.) Moline High
DL -- Ben Boothby, UNI 6-0 280 Jr. Clinton (Iowa) High
Eric Brunner, Illinois State 6-2 285 Jr. Greendale (Wis.) High
Matthew Gratzek, North Dakota St. 6-2 289 Sr. Argyle (Minn.) Stephen Argyle Central High
Ben Obaseki, Indiana State 6-3 235 So. Washington (Ind.) High
LB -- Derek Domino, South Dakota State 6-3 255 Sr. Spring Lake Park (Minn.) High
Kyle Glazier, Western Illinois 6-1 220 Sr. Geneseo (Ill.) High
Antoine Wilkinson, Missouri State 6-2 237 Sr. Magnolia (Miss.) Amite County High
Jamar Thompson, UNI 6-4 205 Sr. Andover (Minn.) High
DB -- Cole Brodie, South Dakota State 5-10 190 Sr. Dacula (Ga.) High
E.J. Jones, Illinois State 5-11 190 Sr. Edwardsville (Ill.) High / Univ. of Minnesota
Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois 6-0 190 Sr. Baton Rouge (La.) Scotlandville Magnet High
Alex Sewall, Indiana State 6-1 210 Jr. Western Springs (Ill.) Lyons Township High
P -- John Prelvitz, North Dakota State 6-2 212 Sr. Roseau (Minn.) High
RS -- Carlos Anderson, UNI 5-8 172 So. Blue Springs (Mo.) High
SECOND TEAM
QB -- Tirrell Rennie, UNI 6-0 201 Jr. North Lauderdale (Fla.) Coconut Creek High / Ellsworth C.C.
RB -- Jamaine Cook, Youngstown State 5-9 195 So. Cleveland (Ohio) Midpark High
D.J. McNorton, North Dakota State 5-10 203 Jr. Channelview (Texas) Channelview High
FB -- John Goode, Southern Illinois 6-2 240 Jr. Olive Branch (Miss.) Christian Brothers High
WR -- Jermaine Saffold, Missouri State 6-1 205 Jr. Grandview (Mo.) High / University of Central Missouri
Tyrone Walker, Illinois State 5-11 200 So. Indianapolis (Ind.) Cardinal Ritter High
TE -- Alex Jones, Indiana State 6-3 235 Jr. Centerville (Ind.) High
OL -- Pat Burke, Indiana State 6-3 320 Sr. Niles (Ill.) Maine South High
Bobby Coates, Youngstown State 6-4 310 Sr. Canton (Ohio) Glen Oak High
Paul Cornick, North Dakota State 6-6 305 Jr. Orono (Minn.) High
Cal McCarthy, Illinois State 6-2 285 Jr. Shorewood (Ill.) Minooka High
David Pickard, Southern Illinois 6-5 300 Jr. Oak Park (Ill.) High
PK -- Stephen Blose, Youngstown State 5-10 190 Sr. Erie (Pa.) Harborcreek High
DL -- Colter Boyer, North Dakota State 6-4 245 Jr. Hurley (S.D.) High
Chance Coda, Southern Illinois 6-2 240 Jr. Grand Rapids (Mich.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central High
Torrance Nicholson, Youngstown State 6-2 290 Sr. Columbus (Ohio) Marion Franklin High
Mike Stieren, Western Illinois 6-1 235 Sr. Springfield (Ill.) Sacred Heart-Griffin High
LB -- L.J. Fort, UNI 6-1 228 Jr. Waynesville (Mo.) High
Stephen Franklin, Southern Illinois 6-0 235 Sr. Kansas City (Mo.) North Kansas City High
Josh Howe, Illinois State 6-0 235 Jr. Chicago Heights (Ill.) Marian Catholic High
Jacolby Washington, Indiana State 6-1 235 So. Delton (Fla.) Deltona Trinity Christian High
DB -- Corey Jeske, South Dakota State 6-0 200 Sr. Buffalo (Minn.) High
Brandian Ross, Youngstown State 6-1 195 Sr. Richmond (Va.) Meadowbrook High
Skylar Smith, Missouri State 5-11 200 Sr. Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo High
J.J. Swain, UNI 6-0 170 So. Burnsville (Minn.) Academy of Holy Angels
P -- Dean Priddy, South Dakota State 6-2 215 Sr. Eden Prairie (Minn.) High
RS -- Cole Brodie, South Dakota State 5-10 190 Sr. Dacula (Ga.) High
Honorable Mention
Illinois State: QB Matt Brown, PK Stephen Fetzer, WR Marvon Sanders • Indiana State: LB Aaron Archie, QB Ronnie Fouch, WR Justin Hilton, DB Calvin Burnett, RS Darrius Gates • Missouri State: RB Chris Douglas, QB Cody Kirby, LB Terian Washington • North Dakota State: WR Warren Holloway, DB Marcus Williams • UNI: RB Carlos Anderson, P Kyle Bernard, DL Darren Branch, LB James Conley, TE Schuyler Oordt • South Dakota State: FB/TE Alex Beyer, WR Tyrel Kool, LB Mike Lien • Southern Illinois: WR Joe Allaria, LB Jayson DiManche, PK Kyle Dougherty • Western Illinois: FB Josh Gabelmann, TE Drew Helt, LB Brandon Kreczmer • Youngstown State: P Nick Liste, OL Eric Rodemoyer, LB John Sasson
more to come...
