Seven Land on All-America Football Teams
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A total of seven Heart of America Athletic Conference football players were named to the 2015 AFCA-NAIA All-America Teams on Tuesday morning, three of those on the first team.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
Two of the three First Team slots were claimed on the offensive side as Baker WR Clarence Clark and William Penn OL Hea Tuifua were honored. One spot on the defense was earned by Grand View DE Mike Erpelding.
The four Second Team selections were split evenly between offense and defense. Benedictine WR Christian Haack and Missouri Valley OL Zavon Moore claimed the two spots for the offense, while the defense was represented by Baker LB Tucker Pauley and Grand View DB Robert Lewis.
Clark was a two-way standout for Baker, helping the Wildcats to the inaugural Heart South Division championship. He recorded 68 catches for 1113 yards and a league-best 16 touchdowns, while also converting 10 field goals and 56 extra point kicks for a total of 182 points.
Tuifua was the anchor for the top rushing attack in the NAIA as the Statesmen finished the season with a 7-4 overall record. He helped William Penn to 3,874 rushing yards, an average of 352.2 per game, both totals tops in the NAIA this season.
Erpelding claimed the top individual award in the conference as he was named the Player of the Year as well as the Heart North Division Defensive Player of the Year as the Vikings won the inaugural Heart North Division crown. He recorded 52 tackles, with 21 of those for loss that included 5.0 sacks. He also tallied one interception and recovered one fumble to finish his career with 34.5 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks.
Morningside (Iowa) QB Ryan Kasdorf was named the AFCA-NAIA Offensive Player of the Year, while Dakota State (S.D.) LB Ben Kullos was chosen the AFCA-NAIA Defensive Player of the Year.
In June of 2013, the NAIA Football Coaches Association and the National Administrative Council approved the addition of the NAIA-All-America Second Team to allow a greater number of deserving student-athletes to be recognized as All-Americans. The addition of a Second Team aligns the sport of football with the other 23 NAIA national championship sports. The 25-man squad is selected in the same fashion and by the same committee as the First Team. The First Team is the same as what is published by the AFCA and on AFCA.org.
2015 AFCA-NAIA Coaches' All-America First Team
Offense | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
WR | Krishawn Hogan | 6-4 | 210 | Jr. | Marian (Ind.) | Indianapolis, Ind. |
WR | Clarence Clark | 5-10 | 185 | So. | Baker | Phoenix, Ariz. |
WR | Rob Lockhart | 6-1 | 185 | Sr. | Faulkner (Ala.) | Delray Beach, Fla. |
OL | Jeff Lindenmoyer | 6-4 | 285 | Sr. | Ave Maria (Fla.) | St. Johns, Fla. |
OL | Hea Tuifua | 5-10 | 240 | Jr. | William Penn | Salt Lake City, Utah |
OL | Josh James | 6-6 | 315 | Sr. | Carroll (Mont.) | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
OL | Gus Hancock | 6-3 | 280 | Sr. | Saint Francis (Ind.) | Spencer, Ind. |
OL | Meyer Bohn | 6-2 | 265 | Sr. | Dickinson State (N.D.) | Bismarck, N.D. |
QB | Ryan Kasdorf | 6-1 | 215 | Sr. | Morningside (Iowa) | Newhall, Calif. |
RB | Nolan Saraceni | 5-10 | 195 | Jr. | Montana Tech | Billings, Mont. |
RB | Quan Weaver | 5-11 | 200 | So. | Pikeville (Ky.) | Frankfort, Ky. |
Defense | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
DL | D'Vonn Brown | 6-4 | 260 | Jr. | SAGU (Texas) | Houston, Texas |
DL | Mike Erpelding | 6-2 | 210 | Sr. | Grand View | Algona, Iowa |
DL | Dylan Delk | 6-3 | 220 | Sr. | Tabor (Kan.) | Peabody, Kan. |
DL | Sam Van Ginkel | 6-5 | 241 | Jr. | Northwestern (Iowa) | Rocky Valley, Iowa |
LB | Aaron Cooper | 6-4 | 233 | Jr. | Kentucky Christian | Mayfield, Ky. |
LB | Ben Kullos | 5-9 | 210 | Sr. | Dakota State (S.D.) | Peoria, Ariz. |
LB | Alden Mann | 5-10 | 200 | Jr. | Wayland Baptist (Texas) | Wimberly, Texas |
DB | AJ Wilson | 6-1 | 240 | Sr. | Montana Western | Helena, Mont. |
DB | Adam Sauder* | 6-3 | 220 | Sr. | Taylor (Ind.) | Grabill, Ind. |
DB | Nate Moore | 5-9 | 170 | Jr. | College of Idaho | Meridian, Idaho |
DB | Julius Rucker | 6-2 | 200 | Jr. | Southern Oregon | Portland, Ore. |
Specialists | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
| P | David Strickland* | 6-0 | 228 | Sr. | Point (Ga.) | Opelika, Ala. |
K | Matt Cotiguala | 6-2 | 180 | Sr. | St. Ambrose (Iowa) | Orland Park, Ill. |
AP | Stephen Simms | 5-8 | 175 | Jr. | Saint Xavier (Ill.) | Valparaiso, Ind. |
2015 NAIA Coaches' All-America Second Team
Offense | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
WR | Christian Haack | 6-0 | 181 | Jr. | Benedictine | El Paso, Texas |
WR | Andre McCullouch | 6-0 | 202 | Sr. | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | Riverside, Calif. |
WR | Jace Billingsley | 5-9 | 190 | Sr. | Eastern Oregon | Winnemucca, Nev. |
OL | Mitch Butterfield | 6-1 | 270 | So. | Friends (Kan.) | Wichita, Kan. |
OL | Macander Dieudonne | 6-2 | 260 | Sr. | Webber International (Fla.) | Fort Pierce, Fla. |
OL | Jess Croley | 5-11 | 286 | Sr. | Tabor (Kan.) | Wylie, Texas |
OL | Zavon Moore | 6-1 | 290 | Sr. | Missouri Valley | Kansas City, Mo. |
OL | Joe Brummer | 6-2 | 275 | Sr. | Morningside (Iowa) | Harlan, Iowa |
QB | Jacob Russell | 6-4 | 240 | Sr. | Campbellsville (Ky.) | Lawrenceburg, Ky. |
RB | Nate Meier | 5-11 | 203 | Jr. | Doane (Neb.) | Pierce, Neb. |
RB | Niagel Curtis | 5-9 | 205 | Sr. | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Adairsville, Ga. |
Defense | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
DL | Trey Barnes | 6-1 | 245 | Jr. | Concordia (Neb.) | Seward, Neb. |
DL | Tim Smith | 6-3 | 245 | Jr. | St. Francis (Ill.) | Oregon, Ill. |
DL | Zach Lanning | 6-3 | 262 | Jr. | Ottawa (Kan.) | McPherson, Kan. |
DL | Derrick Lawrence | 6-2 | 255 | Sr. | Tabor (Kan.) | Houston, Texas |
LB | Tucker Pauley | 5-10 | 200 | Sr. | Baker | Grain Valley, Mo. |
LB | Eric Walker | 5-11 | 225 | Sr. | Southwestern (Kan.) | Ashburn, Ga. |
LB | Brady Bonte | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | Garretson, S.D. |
LB | Ryan Hartnett | 5-10 | 225 | Sr. | Marian (Ind.) | Miami, Fla. |
DB | Carl Morgan | 6-0 | 180 | So. | SAGU (Texas) | Shreveport, La. |
DB | Robert Lewis | 6-0 | 180 | Sr. | Grand View | Hewitt, Texas |
DB | Justin Wohlert | 5-9 | 180 | Sr. | Northwestern (Iowa) | Hartley, Iowa |
Specialists | ||||||
Pos. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | School | Hometown |
| P | Eddie Juarez | 5-8 | 165 | Jr. | Sterling (Kan.) | Pleasant Hill, Calif. |
K | Evan Connolly | 6-3 | 190 | Sr. | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | Waterford, Ireland |
AP | Wendall Williams | 5-10 | 175 | Sr. | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Syracuse, N.Y. |
*-2014 AFCA NAIA All-American
%-2014 NAIA Second Team All-American