VERMILLION — University of South Dakota football garnered a pair of major awards, while both the Coyotes and South Dakota State were well-represented on the all-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams.
Coyote defensive lineman Mi’Quise Grace earned defensive player of the year honors for his outstanding season. Grace finished the year as the conference leader in both sacks (9.5) and tackles for loss (17). Grace became the second-straight Coyote to win the award after Brock Mogensen won it last season and became the third defensive player of the year in USD’s history.
USD head coach Bob Nielson was named the conference coach of the year for the second straight year. The Coyotes finished with one of the best seasons in program history with a 9-2 record, the program’s first Missouri Valley Football Conference title and a top-five seed in the FCS Playoffs for the second-straight season.
When it came to all-conference squads, USD placed 13 total players on the first and second all-conference teams. Seven of those came on the first team with Charles Pierre (RB), Travis Theis (FB), Joey Lombard (OL), JJ Galbreath (TE), Grace (DL), Nick Gaes (DL) and Dennis Shorter (DB) all earning first-team nods. Joe Cotton (OL), Bryce Henderson (OL), Blake Holden (DL), Gary Bryant (LB) and Mike Reid (DB) earned second-team nods.
Meanwhile, SDSU placed nine players on the first team. Amar Johnson (RB), Gus Miller (OL), Evan Beerntsen (OL), Jarod DePriest (DL), Caleb Francl (LB), Adam Brock (LB), Dalys Beanum (DB), Tucker Large (DB) and Angel Johnson (All-Purpose) earned those first-team honors. Mark Gronowski (QB), Griffin Wilde (WR), Colby Humphrey (DB) and Colby Huerter (DB) were named to the second team.
Here are the five top award winners followed by the all-conference team list.
Missouri Valley Football Conference award winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Cam Miller (North Dakota State)
Defensive Player of the Year: Mi’Quise Grace (South Dakota)
Newcomer and Freshman of the Year: CharMar Brown (North Dakota State)
Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year: Bob Nielson (South Dakota )
MVFC all-conference First team
QB - Cam Miller, North Dakota State
QB - Jacob Clark, Missouri State
RB - Amar Johnson, South Dakota State
RB - Charles Pierre Jr., South Dakota
FB - Travis Theis, South Dakota
OL - Evan Beerntsen, South Dakota State
OL - Joey Lombard, South Dakota
OL - Gus Miller, South Dakota State
OL - Mason Miller, North Dakota State
OL - Grey Zabel, North Dakota State
TE - JJ Galbreath, South Dakota
WR - Bo Belquist, North Dakota
WR - Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
WR - Max Tomczak, Youngstown State
DL - Jarod DePriest, South Dakota State
DL - Nick Gaes, South Dakota
DL - Mi'Quise Grace, South Dakota
DL - Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State
LB - Adam Bock, South Dakota State
LB - Geoffrey Brown, Indiana State
LB - Caleb Francl, South Dakota State
LB - Logan Kopp, North Dakota State
LB - Tye Niekamp, Illinois State
DB - Dalys Beanum, South Dakota State
DB - Devin Hembry, North Dakota
DB - Keondre Jackson, Illinois State
DB - Tucker Large, South Dakota State
DB - Dennis Shorter, South Dakota
PK - James London, Murray State
P - Grant Burkett, Missouri State
RS - Sergio Morancy, Northern Iowa
DS - Caden Bolz, Missouri State
AP - Beau Brungard, Youngstown State
Second team
QB - Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State
RB - CharMar Brown, North Dakota State
RB - Jacardia Wright, Missouri State
FB - Jaden Norby, North Dakota
OL - Joe Cotton, South Dakota
OL - Bryce Henderson, South Dakota
OL - Cash Hudson, Missouri State
OL - Jared Penning, Northern Iowa
OL - Jaison Williams, Youngstown State
TE - Lance Mason, Missouri State
WR - Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State
WR - Griffin Wilde, South Dakota State
WR - Hunter Wood, Missouri State
DL - Jake Anderson, Illinois State
DL - Blake Holden, South Dakota
DL - Joey Shew, Indiana State
DL - Darion Smith, Missouri State
LB - Ben Bogle, Southern Illinois
LB - Gary Bryant III, South Dakota
LB - Tahj Chambers, Missouri State
DB - Mark Cannon Jr., Illinois State
DB - Colby Huerter, South Dakota State
DB - Colby Humphrey, South Dakota State
DB - Mike Reid, South Dakota
DB - Ubayd Steed, Southern Illinois
PK - Griffin Crosa, North Dakota State
P - Brendon Kilpatrick, Youngstown State
RS - Jackson Williams, North Dakota State
DS - Sam Merryman, Youngstown State
AP - Jacardia Wright, Missouri State
Honorable Mention
Illinois State: LB Amir Abdullah; OL JJ Guedet; OL Ryan Gudaitis; QB Tommy Rittenhouse; RB Wenkers Wright; WR Xavier Loyd.
Indiana State: DB Maddix Blackwell: LB Garret Ollendieck; RS Rashad Rochelle.
Missouri State: DL Jalen Williams; OL Hutson Lillibridge; RB Jayden Becks.
Murray State: WR J'Kalon Carter; DB Amari Wansley; OL Bryce Hampton.
North Dakota: LB Josh Navratil; OL Seth Anderson; PK C.J. Elrichs.
North Dakota State: DB Sam Jung; DL Kody Huisman; DS Caleb Bowers; FB Truman Werremeyer; TE Joe Stoffel.
Northern Iowa: RB Tye Edwards; OL Tristan Roper; TE Layne Pryor; WR Desmond Hutson.
South Dakota: AP Keyondray Jones-Logan; DB Josiah Ganues; QB Aidan Bouman; RB Travis Theis; RS Carter Bell; WR Carter Bell.
South Dakota State: DL Kobe Clayborne; DB Matthew Durrance; P Hunter Dustman.
Southern Illinois: DB Iverson Brown; OL Chase Evans; WR Keontez Lewis.
Youngstown State: DB Jaylen Castleberry; OL Desmeal Leigh; RB Tyshon King
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